Some CROs / VPs of Sales (typically with lack of experience) tell their teams that to have 3x in the Pipeline (in terms of $ value) or 3x of the quota target / sales bookings goal. But this is a mistake. It’s not only a generalized way of…
When Sales Managers Should Inspect Opportunities – Early in the Process vs. Later Towards the Finish Line
When should sales managers focus on inspecting Opps during the Pipeline Review – higher up in the funnel (i.e. early) or later? Most sales managers engage later in the process when there is some problem with an Opportunity but by that point it’s too late. It’s natural to…
Sales Management: What is a Higher Priority, Good Sales Managers or Good Sales Reps?
If you could only choose one for your company, would you hire the a) top sales management or b) top salespeople? This questions puzzles a lot of folks. And the answer I hear most often is that having better sales reps is of a higher value to a…
CRO & Q4 Readiness – Q3 is Over & Quick Check on “Execution vs Plan”
Q3 just ended. It’s the right time for a quick check-up. A CRO or a VP of Sales must do this quick-check of your sales health regularly and especially when any quarter ends. This is critical to understand if you need to course-correct for the new quarter. Let’s…
Sales Management: 6 Levers for Managing Sales Professionals
During a conversation with a company I advise, we were discussing coaching and compensation for the sales team. This compelled me to share that those 2 are the fundamental levers for managing your sales professionals. And I found that there are 6 “levers” in total that a VP…
Sales Management: The 4 Managing Roles of a VP of Sales
Every VP of Sales has 3 key managing responsibilities and roles at the company: People manager: Build a successful sales team Customer manager: Provide exceptional customer experience Business manager: Attain the business and sales goals Sales Manager: Create and manage the system for the sales force Originally this was…
Sales Management: Closing Sales Deals & the End of the Quarter
Today is the Friday that marks the last workweek day of Q1’2019 which is generally the last selling day of the quarter (although all of us have from time to time closed deals during the weekend or got the final paperwork signature on a Sunday night). A lot of…
Market Research & Analysis – Identifying New Business Growth Opportunities
If you are looking to expand your market share then you need to identify new and untapped areas for growth. You will need to do a deep-dive via a Market Analysis to research and identify untapped and upside sales opportunities to grow revenue and expand market share faster such…
Building Teams: How to Recruit and Interview Talent Effectively (and Reduce Subjectivity)
A successful business is all about great People! Recruiting and bringing in exceptional people is the key to success. You can have a great product but without great people your company will either not go very far or simple won’t reach it’s full potential. When I recruit and interview…
Price vs. Cost (and Price vs. Value)
Price vs. Cost There is a big difference between Price vs. Cost that is important to communicate when helping a prospect make a buying decision. A price is what you pay. A cost is the “Total Cost of Ownership” (TCO = Cost) of something. For example, you can…