The best salespeople listen way more than they talk.They understand that active listening in sales is a transformative skill. They tune into verbal cues and create meaningful connections that lead to the intended outcome. My personal experience in sales taught me how to tap into the power of understanding to build trust. Too often, salespeople…
Have you ever heard the phrase, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat”? It’s an old (and kind of gruesome) folksy saying that means there are always multiple solutions to a problem — and when it comes to sales, relationship selling is just one way to meet your goals. Sure, selling might be…
Whether you recognized it as a direct sale or not, you’ve almost certainly encountered people who engage in the practice. Maybe it was a door-to-door knife salesperson, a family member selling cosmetics, or Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite at your door, offering model ships to help hawk plastic dinnerware. In any case, direct sales is…
I’d love to know how many features, products, and even entire companies have been built around an idea that later proved to be unfeasible. Something many of these ventures no doubt have in common is that they failed to accurately assess sales potential early and then reassess it as time went on. Here’s a story…
I’ve run a freelance business for the better part of the last decade, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the business world is always in motion. Every year, trends evolve, technologies emerge, and customer expectations shift, all shaping how we work, innovate, and connect with customers. I’ve had to adapt constantly —…
Say I want to quickly estimate the amount of cash my business will have on hand at the end of next year. I have a picture of how my sales figures are expected to grow and my balance sheet nearby. How would I go about doing that? A popular, efficient way to forecast sales is…
Have you ever wondered how businesses avoid buying too much or not enough inventory? I have, and my curiosity was enough to make me look into how businesses use inventory forecasting to predict demand without incurring the costs of unsold products. Typically, when I’m thinking about something, you can find me Googling it in the…
As someone who does not have an MBA or finance degree, I’ve never conducted revenue forecasting. And, frankly, it sounds intimidating as someone who is also not mathematically inclined. But, I know how critical a role revenue forecasting plays in a company’s financial planning as it helps to understand the business’s potential growth, identify market…
Missing quota because your pipeline is thin? And you can’t find a quick remedy to source new leads. You aren’t alone. Of salespeople, 40% view B2B sales lead generation as the most difficult part of their jobs. In turn, the remaining 60% are able to populate their pipelines with quality leads and crack the end…
Four years ago, I started my consultancy business. I didn’t question whether it was the best time to start a business. I was unemployed, needed money, and had a service to offer. Looking back, I can see that I was ready four years ago. I was motivated and prepared to start. I had the experience,…