Sales Management Training

Does Your Sales Team Need “More Cowbell”?

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A close up of an old bell on a white background

Recently I watched the famous Saturday Night Live skit “More Cowbell,” one of the Top 10 best skits of all time on SNL. It originally aired on April 8, 2000 and if you haven’t seen it lately or at all, watch it here. The skit was a spoof on what was offered up as the … Read full article

What Sales Managers Can Learn from a Great Basketball Coach

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A man in a suit and tie walking across the street.

Like many people, I couldn’t help but follow the exploits of the Villanova Wildcats in the most recent NCAA basketball tournament. And along with the rest of America, I was thrilled by the last-second 3-point shot that won Villanova the national championship. Their achievement impressed me so much that I decided to study up on … Read full article

Hiring the Right Salesperson

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A man and woman sitting in chairs with another man.


Perhaps no decision is more important for a sales manager to “get right” then the decision to hire a salesperson. Mistakes are very costly. Here are some suggestions for making your next new-hiring decision one that you will one day congratulate yourself for.

Can you see this candidate, after training and effective coaching, ranking in the top half of your sales team? If not, don’t hire the person.

Each hiring decision you make will have an impact on your team’s culture – and you need the impact to be extremely positive not negative.

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5 Point Plan for Improving Your Sales Team

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To achieve meaningful and significant improvement in your sales team, you must spend more time coaching your salespeople. Trouble is, there are so many barriers that prevent effective coaching from happening. Here’s a 5-point plan (sound familiar?) for overcoming these barriers and significantly improving your sales team’s performance. Adopt the sales leadership mindset. Many of … Read full article

Confronting an Under-Performing Sales Rep

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Every sales coaching workshop that I deliver I ask sales managers, “How many of you have a performance problem with a sales rep that is just unacceptable, and you know you need to address the situation?” Everyone raises their hand. Then I ask, “How long have you known this?” The answer I hear is often … Read full article

Strategies for Defeating Your #1 Competitor

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The # 1 competitor you face today isn’t another company. It’s the customer’s decision to do nothing, to make no change at all. You can hear your #1 competitor talking, every time a prospect voices a value objection. Objections like “I can’t afford it,” “It’s not a priority,” It’s not in our budget, “ “We … Read full article