Are you hoping for better results from your sales team?  Better sales managers get better results. So, before you give up on your sellers, try the 5 Cs of effective sales management. Provide clarity, consistency, coaching, and collaboration. Don’t forget to celebrate!

Even if you do everything right there are still surprises that could slow or halt your launch. It’s hard to be prepared for the unexpected, so it’s a good idea to have a Plan B. 

Launching a new medical device or any product that requires FDA approval is difficult and time consuming. The process can be long and frustrating. It is particularly frustrating if you make these mistakes that can set you back months, even years! 

Have you spent a lot of time or money building a Strategic Plan, and you're still struggling with sales? Chances are, you're missing three critical pieces that often get left out of Strategic Plans; Market Position, Ideal Customer Criteria, and Value Proposition. It isn't enough to leave these elements in the hands of sales and marketing. Getting Clarity at your company's highest levels is critical if you want your sales team to succeed.

Selling in an increasingly virtual world means continually adapting to new demands. Learning new technology, then learning to be effective using the latest technology. More importantly, it means communicating with an increasingly distracted audience and figuring out how to get and keep their attention, your message matters.

The myth undermining your sales misconception that buyers are necessarily 70% of the way through the buying process before engaging with sales. I call this common sales myth the Buyer Journey Fallacy.

Every company has a list of leads, whether in a spreadsheet or CRM, but few have a structured opportunity management system. I call that a Funnel.  It is a system, when used and managed correctly, helps leaders manage opportunities, sales reps, revenue, and growth.

One important lesson learned in 2020 is the importance of Key Account Management. When getting new business is as difficult as it was for many companies in 2020, maintaining and growing existing accounts is critical. But it's not just crucial in lean years.

If you need consistent, predictable, year-over-year increases in sales, you need a Sales Operating System (SOS) to drive sales.                     

Consistent business growth is the result of careful planning and management.  What is often missing, however, is positioning. It is essential to position your company for growth. You do some of those things already. You position yourself by getting your product developed, hiring the right team, and getting the funding you need. Think about how to position your company in the market and with your customers. 

Do you go to a trade show, listen to a podcast, or read an article, then suddenly find yourself ready to implement something new? Do you get going in one direction then get sidetracked by something new and exciting? Does your team feel like you are continually changing your mind?

Sales Playbooks are all the rage right now.  Everyone is talking about them.  Research shows that Sales Leaders believe Sales Playbooks will improve their sales results. Companies are creating Sales Playbooks SaaS programs.  And yet, there are many different opinions about what a sales playbook is and what problems it should solve.

The secret to selling successfully is knowing who you are selling to and what matters to them. The more complex your sale, the more difficult it is to figure out what is important to each buyer, and the more important it is to do it.

OK, the funnel isn’t magic, but sometimes the simplicity of it is magical.  Managing selling work can be overwhelming.  Depending on the number of buyers involved and the length of the sales cycle, there can be a lot to keep track of.  Thank goodness for CRMS (or spreadsheets).  If you use your CRM correctly, it can help you manage your sales (or your sales team). 

Setting up your CRM to work effectively for your sales organization takes careful thought. This article will share strategies to employ and pittfalls to avoid.

Are you sick of one-word answers from your sellers when you ask about a sales meeting? Do your conversations sound like this, "How did it go?"…." Great"  or  "What's the likelihood that it will close?"…. "90%"

It’s difficult to lead your sales team to success with the wrong KPIs.  And most KPIs aren’t measuring the right things.  There are two big problems with sales KPIs today. 

Stop! Before you hire a salesperson that will cost over $100,000, set them up for success. 

Leading your sales team with sales strategy means understanding what is possible in the market, knowing what your team needs from you and how to coach them to success.

Strategy is a critical filter for the constant barrage of decisions your sales and marketing teams make every day. Many business owners believe they can operate without a clear strategy.