Kevin F. Davis

No professional sports team would think of competing without a coach who knows what they’re doing.  Most importantly, pro teams don’t assume that just because someone is a great player that he or she would also make a good coach. Yet the standard in the sales profession seems to be the exact opposite: it’s assumed … Read full article

At our sales seminars we always begin by asking the audience two important questions. First, “What are the steps of your selling process?” Here, we get clear, concise answers. Most salespeople can describe in detail the steps of their sale. While answers vary from one salesperson to another and from one company to another, the … Read full article

Last  week I took  a  golf lesson from my favorite instructor. He’s my favorite pro because when I take a swing he sees at least a half dozen flaws. But then he gives me just one suggestion, and that one suggestion solves many of my flaws. This is a great model for coaching, one that I … Read full article

Ever wonder what your salespeople think about your coaching style? Recently, I asked a group of experienced salespeople “What are the most ineffective aspects of sales coaching that you have encountered?” Here are four of their answers, along with some practical solutions: “My sales manager doesn’t follow-up.” There is perhaps no more important step in … Read full article

Are you satisfied with the morale and esprit de corps of your sales team? A positive attitude is contagious. Unfortunately, so is a negative attitude. A negative attitude by one team member is that one bad apple that can ruin an entire bunch. Here are sales coaching tips for improving the morale of your sales … Read full article

A VP of Sales with a force of 22 first-line sales managers and 175 salespeople recently told me that not one salesperson had expressed an interest in moving up into a sales management role even though there was an opening. His opinion as to why? He described his sales managers as reactive fire-fighters, working 70+ … Read full article

Submitting a proposal could be the last point of communication that a salesperson has with a potential customer—that is unless they know how to create a proposal that is so convincing they win the business! Unfortunately, too many salespeople miss the mark in their proposals. Though they see themselves as “solution providers,” their sales proposal … Read full article

Every sales team has one: the star player who has lot of passion and puts in hard work. And these stars have the sales results to back up their bragging rights. But what happens when these “rock star sales reps” turn into “prima donnas”? They still perform at a high level, but their self-centered, demanding, … Read full article

The fundamental mistake that sales managers make — and that is perhaps the worst culprit in terms of demotivating their sales force—is managing only results instead of the behaviors and activities that lead to the results. It’s entirely rational that we sales managers focus on results because that’s how we are measured and, of course, … Read full article