B2B Sales
The Goal Problem Most Sales Leaders Never See
NOTES FROM NORTHWOOD I gave a sales team a simple assignment last week: have your managers do goal setting sessions with their people. Help them get clear on what they want to achieve personally and professionally. One of the managers came back to me and said something that should terrify every CEO: “Adam, most of…
Read MoreOvercomplicated Sales Processes Are Killing Your Pipeline
NOTES FROM NORTHWOOD You know that scene in Armageddon where Bruce Willis is looking at NASA’s version of his drill? He’s just grabbing parts and throwing them aside like “what is this… we don’t need this… what is this?” That’s your sales process. I’ve worked with over 150 sales organizations, and here’s what I see…
Read MoreWant to Double Sales Performance? Stop Hiring and Start Coaching
NOTES FROM NORTHWOOD You know the difference between teams that win championships and teams that stay mediocre? It’s not the salary cap. Every NFL team has the same amount to spend on players. The difference is where they spend their money. Mediocre teams blow their budget on big-name free agents and hope talent alone will…
Read MoreWhy Your Closing Problem Is Actually a Discovery Problem
NOTES FROM NORTHWOOD You know what I love about Texas pitmasters? Everyone thinks their secret is in some magical sauce recipe passed down through generations. But watch a real pitmaster work. They’ll spend 14 hours smoking a brisket, and maybe 30 seconds applying sauce at the end. The real work happens before anything hits the…
Read MoreSales Teams Fail When They Skip This ONE Thing
NOTES FROM NORTHWOOD When Josh Heupel arrived at Tennessee in 2021, he inherited a program that had been struggling for over a decade. Players, fans, and even some coaches were skeptical of yet another “system” change. After all, they’d seen multiple coaches come and go, each promising their approach would be different. But Heupel did…
Read MoreHow PE Platform Companies Miss Obvious Sales Synergies
NOTES FROM NORTHWOOD There’s a scene in Narcos: Mexico where Félix Gallardo gathers all the independent drug lords in a room. His pitch is compelling: “We’re stronger together than apart. One federation. Shared resources. Coordinated territories. Everyone makes more money.” The logic was sound. Each group had their own strengths, their own connections, their own…
Read MoreHow to Build a Sales Development System That Lasts
NOTES FROM NORTHWOOD Living in Texas, it’s painful when everyone talks about UT and it’s not Knoxville. But as a long suffering Vols fan, I’ve watched the same cycle for 15 years: Butch Jones, Derek Dooley, Lane Kiffin, Jeremy Pruitt… hire a coach, expect immediate results, get frustrated when it doesn’t happen, fire the coach,…
Read MoreThe Sales Leadership Gap That Kills Team Training
NOTES FROM NORTHWOOD Last fall, Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels handed Georgia their first regular season loss in 42 games. The morning after the win, Kiffin did something that caught my attention. He praised his coaching staff. Not himself. Not his game plan. Not even his star quarterback. His coaches. The same man who once…
Read MoreOn The Morality of Profit
On The Morality of Profit Years ago, I worked with a boutique ticket brokerage. They provided a concierge service for high-end clientele, and they marked up the inventory to do so. Every now and then, one of the customers would ask about their fees. The reps never knew how to handle it, other than to…
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