Most sales managers I know have a love/hate relationship with the prima donnas on their sales teams. They love the star player’s passion and hard work; they hate the self-centered behaviors that demoralize or discourage the rest of the team. That leaves sales managers with a dilemma: If they come down hard on a prima donna, that salesperson may just take his/her talents elsewhere. Not good. But a sales manager can’t afford to ignore the situation, either, because prima donnas are often engaged in behaviors detrimental to the team. A simple truth in sales management is that what you don’t confront, you condone. What can you do then?

We all know coaching is important. We all know it can make a huge difference. So why aren’t you seeing more results from your team, for your coaching efforts?

Why are most presentations so bad? Truly terrible?  Few people enjoy creating, delivering, or watching PowerPoint presentations, so let’s change that. You may recall the quick fire selection of Awesome PowerPoint tricks covered in the December webinar. This session builds on that with techniques to create mind blowing presentations. 

LinkedIn is the most powerful sales tool for today's sales professional IF you know how to use it effectively.  If you're still thinking of the old (2016) LinkedIn or you're not confident in your abilities as an expert in using the new 2017 version of LinkedIn, you're losing out to competitors who are.  

If your sales team isn't producing the results expected, the pressure is on you to fix the situation fast. One option is to replace salespeople. A better option is for you to optimize your performance as a sales leader. In The Sales Manager's Guide to Greatness, sales management consultant Kevin F. Davis offers 10 proven and distinctly practical strategies, skills, and tools for overcoming the most challenging obstacles sales managers face and moving your team ahead of the... (click to download excerpts from this eBook)

According to CSO Insights’ 2017 Sales Manager Transformation Report:   "Sales transformation is a growing trend, but sales performance is not improving... Clearly, something is missing."  

Everyone knows that gaining access to executives is often critical to success in B2B sales.  However, suppose your sales teams are not gaining access to the right executives in the client organization!  If your sales teams are not focused on identifying the relevant executive for the sales opportunity, they may be at a competitive disadvantage.

Whether you are reporting progress, leading a meeting, or giving a sales pitch your ability to present is measured in large part by how well you communicate. How you say it is just important as what you say! Becky will share simple, creative methods to capture interest, lock in attention, and communicate value clearly. You’ll learn techniques to capture attention, motivate people to action and build productive working relationships.

If your sales team isn't producing the results expected, the pressure is on you to fix the situation fast. One option is to replace salespeople. A better option is for you to optimize your performance as a sales leader. In The Sales Manager's Guide to Greatness, sales management consultant Kevin F. Davis offers 10 proven and distinctly practical strategies, skills, and tools for overcoming the most challenging obstacles sales managers face and moving your team ahead of the... (click below to download excerpts from this eBook)

Throughout this eBook, you will learn 11 key strategies that will help you position your profile to be seen as a thought leader and subject matter expert, leverage your existing network to gain access to decision makers and engage with people who are engaging with you.

It is a fact—you can’t move from a needs-based selling proposition to a value-based proposition without knowing how your customer creates value. Unfortunately, most salespeople don’t have a clue how their customers create value, or what questions to ask about the value creation process to uncover hidden needs.

Each sales opportunity presents its own unique dilemma in terms of identifying the "real buyer". Further examination of a sales opportunity will yield additional information regarding the viability of the opportunity as it relates to the product and service offerings available from the salesperson's company. One of the most important steps in the sales process is to identify the real buyer ‐ an individual I'll call the "relevant executive" for the sales opportunity. Recent research (like that shown in my book Selling to the C‐Suite) shows that key executives typically get involved early in the buying cycle to understand the issues creating the need for a solution. They will often delegate the middle phase of the buying cycle—exploring options, setting vendor criteria and evaluating solutions—to others at lower levels of the organization. Senior executives also get involved in the project again during the final phase to help plan the implementation and measure the results. That’s why waiting to get involved with an organization when the RFP is initially received can be problematic. The better strategy is to gain access to the relevant executive early in the buying cycle, at a time when it is possible to actually influence RFP criteria by showcasing the benefits and value of your products or services. Click below to download this paper to help you and your team develop the right strategy for targeting and engaging with the right - and relevant - executive.  

As social networks like LinkedIn have continued to grow, leveraging them to increase sales leads has become increasingly popular. It even launched the term "Social Selling". The practice involves two primary activities: 1.  Outbound Prospecting - Using a "database" of connections to find and connect with ideal prospects via introductions, referrals and research. 2.  Inbound Marketing  - Content-related engagement by salespeople in cooperation with their company’s Marketing department.

Think about your most recent sales training or the last sales book you read. It was all about the sale, right? Closing the deal. Making it happen. Taking control. But things are different in 2017.

Beyond the Sales Process focuses on the frontline of engagement with customers. It is specifically intended for salespeople, account managers, their managers, and sales leaders, as well as others who have responsibilities and pressures associated with developing and winning business, and those who are tasked with extending and expanding their relationships with customers.

A subscription-based training model can help to empower your customers with the knowledge and skills they need to get the most out of your product or service. Selling training to your customers is also a tremendous business opportunity that will help to improve the ROI from your LMS. But where do you start? What’s the best way to package this kind of training? How should you market subscription-based training to your customers?

The makeup of today's sales organization can span up to four generations.  Engaging sales professionals across this spectrum requires a blended training approach, and new thinking about the content we develop and the modalities we use to deliver it.    

For many B2B companies, selling in 2017 is akin to navigating an ever-shifting obstacle course. You start the new year with (what you think) is a bullet-proof plan, and then, seemingly without warning, something fundamental changes: a significant new competitor enters your biggest growth market, your product team announces a major release that dramatically shifts your buyer targets, or your newly appointed sales leader decides to roll-out a new selling methodology that renders all your existing go-to-market tools obsolete. The reality is that sales forces are change-intensive organizations, and the pace continues to accelerate. Managing through this kind of change requires a sales force, and a sales development program, that can respond quickly to help sellers acquire new knowledge and skills, and respond to dynamic buyer and market requirements. But where do you start? In this live interactive session, Qstream VP of Marketing Lisa Clark will discuss the new requirements facing sales and marketing pros responsible for team readiness, as well as emerging tools and techniques proven to help your sellers successfully navigate the inevitable changes to come.

Technology has not only impacted the way we think, it has also shifted into high gear how we receive and consume information. This plays out across all divisions of business, and sales and service organizations are no exception. Embracing new technologies, and accommodating personal learning styles, generational expectations, and varying skill levels, requires a comprehensive learning approach -- one that combines traditional and modern modalities that fit your company, your team and your culture. 

According to a recent CSO Insights’ study, 60% of participants report a ramp-up time of greater than or equal to 7 months. In 2003, this number was only 40%.

The numbers don’t lie—prospecting is challenging. Consider: It takes 18 dials to connect to a single buyer 10-30% of your customers will stop doing business with you each year Your sales team has a 56% greater chance of attaining quota if they engage buyers prior to buyers contacting potential vendors

You can build the most awesome webinar ever, but it’s meaningless if no one comes to hear it. For marketers today, building a webinar audience can be a major challenge.

LinkedIn is rolling out it biggest design change in its 14-year history. If you don't have it yet, you will soon.  Join LinkedIn expert Kurt Shaver as he reveals the new features along with which of your old favorites are disappearing.