Articles & Resources
Browse articles, guides, and downloads.
I sit in pipeline reviews with CEOs/VPs/CROs all the time. Two of them stick in my head because they happened a week apart at the same company, with the same CRO. One was real. The other was a story the CRO was telling himself. The Abel Review “Why does the Abel account want to buy?”…
I asked a rep recently how he planned to open his first meeting with a new prospect. He said he’d introduce himself, build some rapport, and then get into questions. I told him that wasn’t a plan that works. The first three minutes of a meeting set the conditions for everything that comes after. Who…
A rep I worked with was losing deals at the finish line. Not because his discovery was weak. Not because his presentations were off. He’d built real relationships with his prospects. They liked him. Meetings went well. And then he’d get to the end of a call, the prospect would say “let me think about…
The president of a large industrial company called me a while back. His sales team was underperforming. He’d been sitting with the numbers, turning the problem over, and he’d landed on a theory. “I think it’s the territory plan,” he said. “And the comp.” I told him I wasn’t sure that was it. When a…
I’ve been doing this for twenty years. One thing I’ve noticed. CEOs who have a broken sales organization usually know it. They just can’t name the specific thing that’s broken. So they hire. Or they swap out the CRM. Bring in a new VP and wait to see if anything changes. Sometimes something changes. Usually…
A company called me a few months ago. They wanted me to come in and do a sales kickoff. Two days, the whole team, big energy to start the year. I told them I’d do it. I also told them they were probably wasting their money. That’s always an awkward conversation. They’re expecting enthusiasm. They’ve…
I show a clip from Friends in my sales training sessions. Ross and Rachel just fired their male nanny. His name is Sandy. He’s warm, present, great with the baby. Ross hates him. Always has. He just can’t explain why. Sandy takes the news graciously. Says he had plenty of other offers. He chose them…
When More Process Isn’t the Answer If you haven’t seen Armageddon, here’s the scene I keep coming back to. NASA needs to drill a hole in an asteroid. They bring in Harry Stamper. Bruce Willis. The best driller alive. They show him the shuttle, the crew, the equipment. They show him their version of his…
I’ve had some version of the same conversation about 150 times in the last twenty years. CEO calls. Revenue isn’t where it needs to be. Pipeline looks fine on paper but deals keep slipping. Top rep is carrying the team while everyone else is mediocre. And the CEO is stuck in the middle of it….
At least four times in my career, I’ve watched a company miss something major in the market. What’s interesting isn’t that they missed it. Markets shift. Buyers change. That happens to everyone at some point. What’s interesting is what they did next. Sales effort didn’t drop. If anything, it went up. More calls. More reps….
LEARN MORE ABOUT NORTHWOOD GROUP
Next Steps
Book a free consult to discuss your situation. Or, if you prefer, you can call us at: 512-293-6497.