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I was reviewing sales calls for a software company last week. They had solid pipeline but… They were losing deals they should have won. I listened to six discovery calls. By the third one, I saw the pattern. The rep would ask a few surface level questions. “What are you looking to solve? What’s your…
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Mostst people think there are two types of sales cultures. The first is the Wolf of Wall Street version. Money obsessed. Aggressive. Win at all costs. The kind of place where people ring bells when they close deals and everyone’s chasing the next big commission check. Some organizations thrive on this. Others crash and burn…
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I was working with a B2B company last week. About $40 million in revenue. Strong market position. Good products. The CRO pulls me aside after our session. “We’ve got underperformance on the team. I think it’s the territory plan and comp structure.” I ask her a few questions about the person who’s underperforming. How long…
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Most companies think they have a pipeline problem. They don’t. They have a qualification problem. I’ve watched sales teams chase opportunities for months, burning through resources and energy on deals they were never going to win. The symptoms are always the same. Forecasts that look great on paper but never materialize. Deals that were supposed…
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Most CEOs think they need more leads. They don’t. They need to stop wasting the leads they already have. I was talking to a CEO last week whose company spends $40,000 a month on marketing. His close rate is 18%. Industry average is 35%. Quick math: He’s burning $22,000 a month because his team can’t…
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Last week, I listened to a four minute sales call that went from small talk to quantifying a $10 million problem. Most salespeople would have blown it in the first 30 seconds. Here’s what happened: The prospect mentioned his team was dealing with “projects stacking up.” The average salesperson would have immediately pitched project management…
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NOTES FROM NORTHWOOD Myth #1: “Just hire a closer” Most CEOs think their sales problem is closing. It isn’t. I promise you this isn’t the problem. For most people, they need leads, and they need to build a case for your company, and they need to find money, and qualify the deal, and differentiate you….
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You’re not bad at hiring salespeople because you lack experience. You’re bad at hiring salespeople because you’re optimizing for the wrong things. You hire for industry knowledge when you should hire for sales DNA. You hire for relationships when you should hire for the ability to have uncomfortable conversations. You hire people who interview well…
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Had a conversation with a client last week that made me want to bang my head against the wall. His sales team was “crushing it” on activity metrics. Calls made. Emails sent. Meetings booked. The dashboard looked beautiful. But their close rate? 12%. When I asked what they were doing on those sales calls, I…
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NOTES FROM NORTHWOOD I got a text from a client last Tuesday that made me stop what I was doing: “We hit 94% of goal this quarter. Team’s celebrating. But honestly? I’m frustrated. We should be crushing these numbers, not barely hitting them.” This CEO runs a $30M company with what most would call a…
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