The “Clogged” Funnel

A rep is meeting all of the stated activity goals, but deals just aren’t coming together. Plenty of meetings with prospects and a pipeline full of “deals,” but nothing is coming through. The rep is getting very frustrated. So is the boss. Help is needed, what do you do?

The “Sales Process” begins with prospecting, where does it end?

This question was posted in a discussion group recently.  I was initially, not interested in commenting until I read some of the responses such as “ It never ends. You should be able to built up a personal relationship with the customer.” or “A great relationship never ends. Value the relationship, not the transaction, you want [...]

What is wrong with the telephone?

In a discussion on LinkedIn, a very seasoned “C’ level executive posed the question, “What is wrong with the telephone?  I can’t find good reps that want to pick up the phone and prospect any more.”  I have certainly had moments when I asked myself the same question, “where are the fearless hunters?” 
The fearless hunters [...]

Outsourced Lead Generation?

I have been on both sides of the outsourcing fence, having built lead generation teams internally and outsourced the job to outside service vendors; both with mixed results based on internal and external factors unique in each company and with each vendor.  Before conducting a more complete evaluation of outsourcing options, I would first consider four high [...]

Finding Excellent Lead Generators

Cold calling is surely losing effectiveness as a key strategy for lead generation.  It can, however, be a useful part of an overall lead generation program if thoughtfully executed by the right individuals.  In my experience, finding good lead generation staff comes down to three base characteristics: 
1) Assess call reluctance – find the bounds of discomfort.  [...]

Increasing Sales Effectiveness (bridge the gap between Sales and Marketing)

with one another. This is not new insight. What is increasingly becoming evident is that when both teams work seamlessly Sales Effectiveness can be increased, sometimes dramatically.

Increasing Sales Effectiveness (process, skills and tools)

The good news is, there is a growing body of research into the various factors that lead to performance improvements. Research that can be perscriptive for small and medium companies and can guide company leaders toward incremental imrovements in sales performance which can be implemented internally and without disrupting sales inertia.

Roller Coaster Rep

We have all either been this rep, or managed this rep.  Why do some reps perform at a very high level one quarter, and turn around and have such a poor quarter after that?  I have to assume that when a rep has the skills to make the number in half the quarters, something must [...]

Why does a sales person fail?

I am assuming the question relates to an individual sales person rather than an an entire team (a different discussion). I don’t think there is one “biggest” reason you could apply to all salespeople, but I think any individual fails for one or several of the following reasons:

Approach to a new rep interview

My last post reminded me that a few readers had asked for my approach to interviewing potential new reps. I don’t want to give away all of my interview “zingers” in a public forum, but I do have a specifc approach I have developed over the years.