If you have ever watched the NFL Draft, you can feel the tension and drama when the Commissioner announces a draft pick to the world and then proclaims the next team that is “On the Clock”. In that scenario, the NFL team has a set amount of time to make…
As someone trained in Lean Six Sigma, I see a lot of content focused on the concept of “Lean”. Eric Ries has had success with “The Lean Startup” and we are proponents of the concept of a Minimum Viable Product, which we used with the launch of our INK Sales…
One of our Partners, CEO Patrick Thean from Gazelles Systems, wrote a great little book called Execute Without Drama. I love the title. The premise is relatively simple around the power of clear goals, accountability and metrics. This clear linkage between strategy and execution not only produces better results, but…
There are all kinds of interesting discussions we get involved in re the Art and Science of Sales. Ponder this for a second as you think about the strategy, structure, processes and tools that exist within your Sales organization. What would happen if your Finance department operated in a similar…
At the close of a two day sales strategy and training event with a client last week, the question was asked whether Buyers go through similar preparation and training. Although we made the joke that we were doing the same work with their Buyers next week, there is a certain…
We spend a lot of time talking with Executives and Sales Leaders about their Sales related priorities and current challenges. An area of opportunity that I would put forward as low hanging fruit is doing comprehensive Win/Loss Analysis on an ongoing basis. The information is extremely valuable and helps you…
Value Proposition is a term like Partner that is both over used and misunderstood in the business world today. I have borrowed a definition that I learned at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management that I have used for 15 years and shapes work we do in this area. In…
I had the good fortune to spend the early days of my business career with one of the preeminent sales companies and sales training cultures in the world. Investment in their people (Managers and Reps) was a constant and an important point of differentiation. This was a big company and…
To be certain, there are Sales Leaders that are not a cultural fit or do not have the requisite skills to accomplish the mission and will get replaced over time. What we are referencing as a point of discussion and debate is the “quick fix” that organizations may arrive at…
“A FOOL WITH A TOOL IS STILL A FOOL.” -Grady Booch (Software Developer) The title is somewhat self-explanatory and as we all look in the mirror, there is a pretty good chance that we have all invested in some form of tool or technology in our lives to solve…