As I enter several small and mid-sized companies each year, it’s not uncommon that I find the owner has done an exceptional job of acting upon a good idea to create a viable business. The reason I get referred to help is because many of them hit a growth ceiling that requires that “good idea” [...]
When it comes to building an effective team, taking the time to develop a sales hiring plan can seem counterproductive. Yet, the rewards are far greater than quickly bringing aboard someone who “appears” to be a good fit. With thoughtful and strategic planning, you can reduce costs associated with recruitment, onboarding, and training while avoiding [...]
Successfully onboarding new salespeople is one of the most crucial activities a business undertakes, yet I commonly see this area not getting the design attention and internal staff support it deserves. Your sales organization’s onboarding plan should be a structured 90-day plan that includes weekly actions, key milestones, sales strategy, sales methodology, and just enough [...]
Salespeople need to be measured differently than the rest of your organization because, unlike the rest of your staff, their performance is tied directly to the company’s revenue success. Your non-sales roles can wait a year to be formerly evaluated but waiting that long to conduct a deep dive on the developmental progress of your [...]
It’s that time of the year. Sales leaders are with their salespeople in the trenches driving hard to finish a strong Q4 and executives are looking forward as they establish their 2023 annual revenue goal. I observe owners and executives in my small and mid-sized business target market falling into two different groups as they [...]
You wouldn’t buy a car with a cracked engine block, would you? Or move your family into a brand-new house with foundation problems? Or knowingly build your new manufacturing plant on a fault line? OF COURSE NOT! Whether you are buying or selling a company, there are things to consider besides cash-flow and EBITDA that [...]
If you keep hearing that you need to upgrade your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to hit your sales goals, this article should help you avoid the staggering CRM failure rates abundantly published through the years. Can a CRM Really Fix My Sales Team? The answer is simple… No. CRM effectiveness remains a problem [...]
Knowing the weather forecast empowers you to make informed decisions and minimize unpleasant surprises before you venture out, right? The same can be said for sales forecasting. Unfortunately, too many businesses don’t understand sales forecasting well enough to use it to their advantage. The following information will help you implement and optimize sales forecasting in [...]
How does inflation impact a business, and how can you build an inflation-proof business by making critical changes to boost revenue? The reasons and the remedies might surprise you, but they can be critical to preparing for inflation and surviving its impact. In fact, how your company reacts to small business inflation can become [...]
Lead generation and its correlating sales activities is at the core of my Fractional Sales Leadership practice. I encounter questions about this subject from business owners and top executives regularly. I began covering this hot topic in a previous blog. To review, lead generation should be an ongoing activity, no matter what your sales results [...]
