We’ve all sat through God-awful boring sales meetings right?

Not exactly a good time, as I’m sure you’d agree…

Has the thought ever occurred to you that your sales reps might feel like this almost every time you call a sales meeting?

“Positively absurd” you say!

Well, if you are one of the few who does have the need to inject a little vigor in your next sales meeting, then read on… (more…)

Let’s face facts…some people simply aren’t cut out to be salespeople.

It’s one of  the toughest jobs in the world, with tons of rejection, disappointment and frustration…

But if done well, its also one of the most rewarding and lucrative jobs in the world.

So let’s not talk about the salespeople in your company that aren’t cut out to be in sales. Let’s also not talk about the ones who you know will never make it.

In this sales training, let’s talk about the ones who show glimmers of brilliance at times…land a few big sales every so often…but no matter what just cannot seem to make quota consistently.

Most sales teams have a few of these…and I’m sure you have a few yourself in your sales force.

So how do you turn these kinds of salespeople around? There are three rules to do it and the first one is: (more…)

Avoiding conflict is the key to good sales management. Or is it?

Like I said in an earlier sales training post, the top-performing sales manager spends the majority of his time encouraging his reps…unlike most sales managers who constantly break their reps down through criticism, criticism and more criticism.

This paints a nice, rosy picture…doesn’t it?

When it comes to an underperforming sales rep though – forget encouragement. The time for that has passed.

The sales manager now must become the confrontationalist. Sales performance stinks – and the sales manager needs to take action now!

Rule #2: Confrontation is Good. (more…)

Being a sales manager is no easy job. It’s got a ton of stress, and it’s going to require every ounce of managerial decision-making skills to be great at it – especially in this time of global recession.

But do you know what’s worse than having to make a sale when everyone else is cutting back? Managing a team of sales underperformers.

The biggest stress of all comes when a sales managers sales team can’t even make quota. What could be more awkward than that? (more…)

Like many children, my Dad used to tell me stories before he put me to bed. After running through the gamut of Big Bad Wolf, Goldilocks and the three Bears and Three Billy Goats Gruff, he used to tell me another tall tale. He’d say that when I grow up, I could be anything I wanted to be if I just worked hard enough. He said. “Anyone can become the President if they wanted it really bad and worked hard for it.”

I trusted him…that is until I became a sales manager…

No offense to Dad, but the problem with the story is that it’s just not true!

It’s romantic, hopeful, and optimistic, but it can’t be any more true than Santa Claus riding down the chimney on Christmas Eve.

Do you truthfully believe that everyone is born with the exact same potential? (more…)