We‘re so deep in the AI revolution that it’s not really a “revolution” anymore. It’s a standard — a borderline ubiquitous factor in virtually every field, and sales is definitely no exception. It has a massive presence in the practice, including (or especially) in sales training. Artificial intelligence resources that augment, support, and streamline the…
Welcome to Trends, a weekly newsletter with the zestiest business trends and actionable insights for entrepreneurs. Imagine showing up to your job looking like a cyborg, or Iron Man himself. No, we’re not talking about your Halloween costume (we know some of y’all start preparing for that at the first fall of a leaf). We’re…
A solid social selling strategy falls somewhere between “nice-to-have” and “need-to-have” in the modern sales landscape. Activities like prospect outreach, cultivating brand awareness, and online relationship building are all enhanced by social media — so having a solid presence on these platforms can really help your case. But navigating social selling isn‘t always straightforward. There…
I worked as a sales development representative (SDR) at IBM for the first five years of my sales career. I learned then (and appreciated even more as an account executive) that SDRs are often the unsung heroes of high-performance sales teams. I still appreciate the critical role that SDRs play in gathering account intelligence and…
As my career in sales has progressed, I’ve learned the art of sales account planning through a lot of trial and error. I realized that a closed deal is just a small win. There’s more to it than closing it and calling it off. And if you’re a B2B account manager or sales executive serious…
Sales planning is a fundamental component of sound selling. After all, you can’t structure an effective sales effort if you don’t have, well, structure. In my experience, everyone — from the top to the bottom of a sales org — benefits from having solid, actionable, thoughtfully organized sales plans. This kind of planning offers clarity…
Controversial hot take incoming: Summer’s kind of a bummer. And if you know the sales industry well, you already know what I’m going to say next: Your team’s motivation levels could be tanking right before your eyes. Now, your sales team may not be outwardly saying this but … they’re most likely (definitely) feeling it.…
Nobody’s perfect. Some of us miss trash day and have our apartments smell like swamp water for the rest of the week. Some of us forget our anniversaries and have to scramble to CVS to pick up those mediocre chocolates in heart-shaped boxes the day after (that do exactly nothing to remedy the situation) ……
In a lot of ways, extensive product knowledge is the basis of a sound sales engagement. The most effective sales reps act as educated, consultative resources for their prospects — and you can‘t sell from that position if you don’t know your offering inside and out. Still, sales leaders often struggle when it comes to…
When I joined a SaaS startup as the Head of Sales, we were an emerging upstart in a crowded space. It was an uphill battle trying to explain who we were and convince skeptical prospects to take a chance on our solution. Fortunately, the prospects we did close became big fans, and they thought of…