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Sales Professionalism

What An MBA Didn’t Teach You About Sales

The sales profession is challenging. You need to work hard at it to succeed. You need to learn from the best. You need to improve your skills continuously. If you think you can sell since you are a hit at parties and have a lot of friends, you may soon find that you are a failure as a salesperson. Blunt truth:

because the sales profession is so hard, you have to focus on doing everything in sales very well, or you will be considered a failure.

I call this blog, Skinned Knees because I try to relate all of the learning that I have done over the past 4+ decades (while skinning my knees in the learning process).

I hope that you learn from my mistakes so that your business will grow!

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Focus on One or Two Key Topics in Your Weekly Sales Meeting – Episode 22

Your sales meeting should discuss the highest priority topics that require immediate attention. For broader issues, it is recommended to use other venues. To stay on point, it is important to control the agenda and flow of the meeting. Additionally, meeting minutes should be kept short and focused on action items to ensure that tasks are completed following the meeting. Discussing one or two topics deeply rather than many topics lightly is recommended to promote… 

20 Activities That a Virtual Assistant Can Perform To Help a Sales Leader Be More Effective

A Vice President of Sales plays a critical role in the success of a business by overseeing and leading the sales team to achieve revenue targets. To be effective in their position, the VP of Sales must be able to focus on strategic decision-making and high-level planning while delegating operational tasks to a capable team. One way to facilitate this delegation is through a virtual assistant, who can perform various functions that support the VP of Sales and the sales team. Here are some ways a virtual assistant can add value to the role of VP of Sales.

92% of Small Companies Don’t Do Much Sales Training

The benefits of sales training for your employees are numerous. By providing training on best practices in B2B sales, you’re investing in the skills and knowledge of your sales team. This can translate into increased sales, higher revenue, and a more robust bottom line. Additionally, a well-trained sales team can improve customer relationships, build trust with prospects, and increase customer loyalty.

95% of Small Business Say They are Below Average or Worse in Their Sales Performance

We are almost done tabulating the results for the grading of small businesses. Every year, Sales Xceleration asks the CEOs and owners of small businesses to grade themselves on how well their company is running its sales operations. Like last year, 95% of all companies couldn’t get to the “average” level of execution. But 2022 was worse than last year since more companies graded themselves as “Poor” rather than just “Below Average.”  It is okay… 

Start The New Year STRONG!

I published a video series on how to start the year strong for this new year. You can see the twelve video episodes here. If I summarize all the videos, the common theme is that you must try something new. If you don’t evolve, you lose. That should be your new year’s resolution for your business life: If you don’t evolve, you lose. Some suggestions were on what you can do between the holidays to… 

Tip #12 of 12 – How To Start The New Year STRONG! – Try something new

As sales professionals, staying ahead of the curve is essential. You need to consistently leverage emerging trends and acquire new skills. The modern marketplace is ever-evolving, with dynamic demands and vast opportunities. By taking ownership of your personal growth in the industry, you can ensure that you have the necessary tools to continue succeeding as a salesperson. Adaptability is key—though it would be great if there was an easy formula for success that never changed,… 

Tip #11 of 12 – How To Start The New Year STRONG! – Reward Yourself For Small Wins

In any career, it’s important to recognize and reward yourself for your small successes along your journey. Salespeople are often guilty of pushing themselves too hard and forgetting to celebrate their smaller accomplishments. As a salesperson or manager, you will increase your motivation to keep pushing forward by recognizing those moments of progress. Celebrating said wins helps you stay focused on achieving larger goals and fosters a healthy corporate culture that validates individual growth within… 

Tip #9 of 12 – How To Start The New Year STRONG! – Optimize your LinkedIn profile for sales

In today’s hyper-competitive business environment, standing out is more important than ever. For salespeople and sales managers looking to build their network and gain exposure within their industry, optimizing a LinkedIn profile is one of the most effective ways to establish credibility, grow your professional brand, and find new business opportunities. With all the noise out there competing for attention, an engaging and well-optimized LinkedIn profile can make you stand out from the pack by… 

Tip #8 of 12 – How To Start The New Year STRONG! – Check in with prospects that went another way

We are coming down on the end of the year and are now on the 8th video in my series of how to start the New Year strong so that you achieve more revenue next year. In this eighth video in the series, I encourage you to return to the deals you lost. It’s never a pleasant experience to lose a deal, but sometimes it’s inevitable. If you take the time to properly and strategically…