Posts Tagged ‘Sales’
Why Your Sales Team Is Busy But Not Productive
I was on a call last week with a CEO who couldn’t figure out what was wrong with his sales team. Everyone was working hard. Lots of meetings. Lots of activity. Full calendars. Late nights. But deals weren’t closing faster. Revenue wasn’t growing. The pipeline looked the same as it did six months ago. “I…
Read MoreYour Sales Forecast Is Fiction. Let’s Fix That.
I was in a pipeline review two weeks ago with a president of a manufacturing company. She’s trying to figure out if they’re going to hit their Q4 number. Her sales leader pulls up the forecast. “We’ve got $2.8M in the pipeline. We need $700K to hit our goal. We’re in great shape.” I ask…
Read MoreThe Belief Costing Your Sales Team Six Figures
I was on a call with a client last month. His team had been stuck at about 60% of quota for three quarters straight. He’s convinced it’s a pipeline problem. Not enough leads. Lead quality is down. Marketing needs to step up. So I ask him if I can listen to some calls. First call…
Read MoreThe Motivation Mistake Costing You Your Best Sales Rep
I was working with a tech company a few months ago. About $100+ million in revenue. The CRO pulls me aside after our session. “We’ve got underperformance issues. I think it’s the territory plan and comp structure.” I asked him a few questions about the person who’s struggling. Then I asked about his top performers.…
Read MoreThe Discovery Call Framework That Actually Converts (Most Reps Get This Completely Wrong)
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…
Read MoreThe 3 Types of Sales Cultures
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…
Read MoreHow to Double Your Close Rates by Focusing on Winnable Deals
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…
Read MoreYour Sales Process Is Broken. That’s Why You Don’t Need More Leads.
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…
Read MoreSales Discovery Framework: How to Uncover Real Business Impact Every Time
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…
Read MoreThree Sales Myths Killing Mid-Market Growth
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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