Colleen’s Blog

There’s a disconnect between the future of sales and the current popularity of two-tiered sales structures that include sales development reps (SDRs) combined with field reps. I touched on it in this article: let’s now explore that point in more depth.

Previously, we looked at how important it is to beware of talk traps. Now let's examine the first big step you must take to avoid those costly pitfalls that kill your time and sink deals: learn how to connect with all the right people in your buyer’s decision-making process.

It’s not a coincidence that the word crisis—borrowed from the Ancient Greeks—meant “the turning point in a disease.” You are at a turning point this year against the literal backdrop of a global pandemic, as well as an ensuing lockdown, crashed markets, and racial divides.

Last year, I finished a project with a client who generated a whopping 1,600% return on investment. How? They shared their wins internally.​

After months of global pandemic responses, including economic shutdowns, everyone has been thrown off balance. The hurt will be here for a while, and as I’ve pointed out in a recent article, resiliency is what you must summon now—not later—to position yourself for the coming recovery.

I want you to think like your competitor. Why? Thinking like your competitor will help you figure out where you're weak and strong in the accounts you’re managing, which can lead to retention and growth activities.

We were taught at a very early age to never make assumptions. However, I still encounter salespeople who make assumptions all the time. I want to, in particular, highlight two tales of woe from clients who I discovered were making damaging assumptions.

Are you setting your sales managers up to fail? A few years ago, I met an executive running sales teams who had recently been promoted to the role.

The very best reps I know own their territories as if it were their own business. They plan for success in those territories proactively, rather than just taking whatever comes their way, crossing their fingers, and hoping for success.

I want you to throw out the concept of an ideal buyer. They just don't exist anymore.