In every sales role I’ve had, from individual contributor to head of the department, sales projections have played a key role. Company leadership needs sales projections to make practical decisions about hiring, R&D allocation, capital investments, and more. I’ve also found them useful as an individual salesperson to take stock of my pipeline, assess quota…
Time is an entrepreneur’s most precious resource. One of my previous clients, a serial entrepreneur, joked that his first hire was an accountant. He excelled at talking with clients and needed help crunching numbers. Trying to do it all as a business owner will quickly lead to burnout. That’s why the entrepreneur resources and tools…
Your network of business contacts is everything in the professional world. It’s where you’ll turn throughout your career when you need a job, employees, investors, suppliers, partners, customers, and more. I’ve leveraged my network to fill all of these needs for myself and others, and there’s a huge array of tools that will help you…
I’ve written more sales close plans than I can count, and all of them start the same way: using my proven sales close plan template. Sales close plans are critical for winning high-value accounts and finally converting customers you’ve been talking to for months. Once you invest that much energy into pitching your product, the…
Let’s be honest up front. Cold calling is nobody’s favorite part of sales. In fact, LinkedIn data reports that a healthy majority of sellers (63%) say it’s the worst part of the job — and it’s not hard to see why. The same research indicates just 2% of cold calls result in a booked meeting,…
A whopping 81% of buyers’ agents say staging a home makes it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home, yet just 23% of sellers’ agents say they stage every home. Whether you’re starting a real estate business or have been selling homes for a while, there’s a clear advantage to…
As a longtime marketing and sales professional, I’ve seen firsthand just how impactful AI has become in the world of business. Indeed, the latest AI business statistics from HubSpot’s 2024 State of AI report show that artificial intelligence is playing a critical role in many businesses, and it’s poised to continue growing. From automated assistants…
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Where the hell is all my money going?” I have, too. And I’m not even a business owner. Even with a substantial plan and the best intentions, anyone can lose track of finances. I can imagine it’s even more complicated when you’re managing sales, multiple budgets, and full-scale operations…
Difficult prospects are a fact of sales life, and dealing with a difficult buyer who makes a sale harder than it needs to will always suck — and from time to time, you’re bound to deal with an especially difficult buyer who makes a sale especially harder than it needs to be, and that experience…
I know how hard it can be to get started on a project when there’s no guarantee of success and every possibility of failure. When I’m reaching out to potential clients, I have to psych myself up and remember the why behind my outreach. Prospecting can sometimes feel like talking to an empty room —…