What’s one of the highest compliments you can pay to someone you know?

There are a lot of nice things you could say…

“He’s a real nice guy”
“She’s very kind”
“He’s really funny”

The list goes on and on.

But when you (more…)

Do your sales managers struggle with motivating their sales teams?

It’s easier to do than you might think. Sometimes motivating a sales rep is even easier than motivating a five-year

This sneaky little tip is one that I copped off a behavioral modification book I was reading to learn how to discipline my two kids a bit better. So of course, after I used it on them – I tried it on my sales reps…and even though I shouldn’t have been surprised…it worked like a charm.

This sales training tip is called: “Give ‘em a LOFTY reputation to live up to…(even if they’ve done nothing to deserve it)”.

Terrible title…but effective technique.

Anyway, here’s how it works: (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…)

One time I was out on the field with one of my sales reps and we needed to stop by his house so I could file a periodic inventory of his product samples and supplies.

In the house, he led me to a modest home office. The plaques and various awards on display immediately got my attention, neatly lined up on the shelves attached to the wall on one side of the room. I recognized one of the cards on display—an award I gave to him three months ago to acknowledge his great sales performance. My sales rep turned to me and said, “It’s one of the most meaningful tokens of appreciation I’ve received in my entire life.” He told me he values it more than anything on those shelves. (more…)

I used to work for a company that tried to change me into someone I just was not. In an interview, the HR manager said, “This company will help you overcome your weaknesses by thrusting you into different kinds of situations. We will help you grow to become a completely different person.”

Here is the thing. There’s nothing wrong with “overcoming your weaknesses“. But to turn me into a “completely different person,” that’s something else.

Back then I didn’t realize the repercussions of that statement. Now that I’ve got years of experience as a sales manager, I know better than to try and change my sales reps into something they’re not.

My sales reps are themselves. They are not their colleagues. They are not their friends. They are not me. (more…)