Top Sales Library - a resource of all things sales

jaqs@tsw

“Man in the Mirror” Part 2

by

In the first part of this article I quoted the amazing Michael Jackson’s 1988 hit song Man in the Mirror, and pointed out how true this is today: that for real change to come about in our world, it has to begin with each and every one of us. Continuing on, then, what does that take? As… Read More

“Becoming Agile, Staying Agile – A Wake-Up Call for Professional Salespeople”

by

Jonathan Farrington in conversation with Jill Konrath. What do you do after you have written to mega-selling books? If you are Jill Konrath, you write another one. This month, Jonathan Farrington interviews Jill Konrath, sales strategist and bestselling author of Selling to Big Companies and SNAP Selling, about her brilliant brand new book, AGILE SELLING,… Read More

“We Must Keep Talking …In this –E-World, Conversations Still Rule”

by

Nancy Bleeke is an author, professional trainer, speaker, facilitator, and president of Sales Pro Insider, Inc. Nancy has interviewed, trained, and coached thousands of salespeople around the globe, from Fortune 100 companies to small family-owned businesses, imparting the ability to sell with the belief that selling is helping others do or decide something. While much of… Read More

2014 B2B Marketing Trends That Work

by

As a B2B company, it’s paramount that you stay on top of trends so you know which to adopt and which to nix. This is a standout year for B2B marketing. The Content Marketing Institute recently released the annual North American report titled B2B Content Marketing: 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends—and the findings are impressive…. Read More

21.5 Unbreakable Rules of Selling

by

There are universal laws of selling that determine whether you succeed, or don’t succeed — whether you earn enough to enjoy the lifestyle you want or struggle to make ends meet. When you align the wind with your sails, you move effortlessly across the water. When your sails are out of alignment, you flounder and… Read More

30-Second-Qualifier

by

I’ve been working with a sales team on creating their elevator pitch. We’ve been exploring different words, what they mean, and what they mean to other people. We were debating whether to say CEOs or Senior leaders when describing who they work with. As we were working on it I realized that our elevator pitch… Read More

42 Rules to Increase Sales Effectiveness

by

“We all sell everyday. Sales professionals consciously look for ways to hone their skills. Some of you may not be aware that the disciplines and fundamentals of sales can impact your own personal effectiveness. Whether your are a professional enterprise salesperson, CEO, consultant, venture capitalist, engineer, teacher, student or aspiring up-and-comer, you should know the… Read More

5 Things Sales Managers Should Do Now to Motivate & Inspire the Team

by

News flash – your team’s sales quota is about to go up, not down. So the question you should be asking yourself is, “how can I motivate and inspire each of my salespeople to produce at higher levels?” Here are five sales management strategies you can use to achieve consistent revenue growth: Emulate the best… Read More

5 Ways to Encourage Your Salespeople to Use CRM

by

Companies fail to achieve about 80 percent of the benefits of the CRM integrated into their organizations. As a sales VP, it’s your job to ensure that your reps understand how to maximize the ROI of your CRM. Here are five tactics you can use to make sure that you aren’t missing out on 80… Read More

6%, 20%, 74% — Where Are You? a conversation with Dave Kurlan

by

Dave Kurlan is founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, an assessment company and Kurlan Associates a salesforce development firm.  Through OMG he gets to look at the good, the bad and the ugly of what is happening in sales organizations worldwide everyday. When he works with CEOs – the usual decisions makers for his… Read More

7 Big Signs that Your Marketing and Sales Teams are not well-aligned. (And how to fix it)

by

I half-joke that, traditionally, Marketing and Salespeople seem to talk more about teach other, than to each other. We are talking about your sales force and your marketing teams working together more effectively to grow your business. It makes sense, doesn’t it ? The business invests in both to gain a good return on that… Read More

7 Sales Management Landmines to Avoid

by

Just like sellers, sales managers need skill development and training. So often they are put into a sales management role because they were a “great sales rep” and so often, they struggle and make mistakes because their new role as manager calls for a completely different skill set to succeed. We also see cases where… Read More

9 Factors that Create the “Sales Enablement Effectiveness Gap”

by

Research has shown that there is “a massive gap between the importance and effectiveness of Sales Enablement.”  This article explores the nine key factors causing this gap, ranging from content alignment problems and lack of executive ownership to ineffective use of Sales Enablement metrics to drive continuous performance improvement.  Companies who have resolved these issues… Read More

A Conversation with Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, CEO of Herrmann International

by

VUCA is a term used by the U.S. Army to describe the world we now live in. If you are not familiar with the acronym VUCA you will be once I describe what it represents: Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity.  Sound familiar? Ann Hermann-Nehdi, CEO of Herrmann International and thought leader in brain research, helps professionals… Read More

A Conversation with Dave Stein

by

It’s clear to those of us in sales that many of the tried and true sales methodologies that served well for decades are no longer are working.   In the past many sales leaders have been adverse to research in favor of hard earned experience and gut feel.  Today, however, many   are now turning to sales… Read More

A Day in the Life of a CEO

by

If you want to sell to the “C” suite it’s important that you understand how they think and how they operate. Here’s a peek into a day in the life of a typical CEO. “I get into the office at 7.00 am to get a head start on my emails before the sales calls begin…. Read More

A Desk is a Dangerous Place From Which to View the World

by

There is a wonderful quote in the John le Carré novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; “A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.” While the context of Mr. le Carre’s novel surrounded espionage, it offers wonderful perspective to the world of B2B sales. Although the applicability of this concept isn’t exclusive… Read More

A Guide to Recruiting Sales Professionals

by

Recruiting the right sales professionals can lead to enhanced revenue generation, heightened competitive advantage and sustained corporate success.  While companies from all over the world actively seek more efficient, intelligent and passionate business development representatives, few hires result in the desired success. Running a sales and marketing staffing firm for the past 10 years, I’ve… Read More

A Paucity of Qualified Sales Managers – Why?

by

Jonathan Farrington in Conversation with David Mattson Jonathan’s guest is David Mattson, CEO of Sandler Training. They are discussing one of Jonathan’s favorite topics, the paucity of qualified sales managers and the effect that is having on annual quota attainment…   https://s3.amazonaws.com/TopSales/interviews/2017/september/JFinterviewsDaveMattson.mp3

A warrior of persuasion or an engineer of value?

by

In this discussion Tony outlined his view of the emerging challenges facing sales organisations in 2016 and he provides strong recommendations on how we need to respond in order to succeed. John: Hello! I’m with Tony Hughes again – welcome back, Tony! Tony: Hi, John! John: Tony, it’s early in the year of 2016 – you’ve talked a… Read More

Academic Research from the Ivory Tower to Your Bottom Line

by

Linda Richardson interviews Mike Ahearne, PhD, C.T Bauer Chair in Marketing at the University of Houston, Executive Director of the Sales Excellence Institute, and Principal at ZS Associates. There was a time when sales leaders had little regard for research. Gut feel ruled.  In today’s competitive marketplace sales leaders often turn to sales research as… Read More