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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 – From CRM to AI: Building Your Sales Toolbox – E113

Whether you’re a tech-savvy salesperson or just starting to explore the power of modern tools, this episode offers a roadmap for building an affordable, effective sales tech stack. Kevin and Sean provide real-world examples and practical advice to help you stay organized, build stronger client relationships, and close deals faster. Don’t miss this episode—it could be the catalyst for taking your sales game to the next level. Listen now!

Roadblocks, Detours, and Destinations: The Intricate Art of Sales Strategy

There’s an ongoing conversation about the importance of strategy, process, and anticipating potential challenges in B2B sales. There’s an analogy that encapsulates this perfectly – imagine you’re on a road trip. You have a destination in mind but are unfamiliar with the route. This is where tools like Waze, Google Maps, or Apple Maps come into play. They direct you to your destination and alert you about potential roadblocks, construction, traffic, or other unexpected events that might delay your journey. 

This is precisely how a sales strategy should work. It’s not just about getting from point A to point B but also about understanding the complexities of the journey and preparing for potential roadblocks. For salespeople, managers, and CEOs, understanding the strategy is critical to increasing revenue and improving productivity.

Understanding that a strategy involves more than just the turns along the way is vital. It also involves how to navigate through different areas, understand the speed limit, and anticipate any warnings that might come up. Many salespeople don’t fully grasp these challenges and tend to take them as they come rather than anticipating them and planning accordingly. 

Like Waze uses real-time data to adapt to changes on the road, a sales strategy should adjust to new information and circumstances. For example, if there’s construction up ahead or a detour is required, Waze will adapt and provide a new route. Similarly, salespeople should be able to adjust their strategies based on new information or unexpected challenges. 

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Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Sales Intelligence 101: Using AI and Networking to Target Ideal Customers – E112

Welcome to another compelling episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales with hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey! Kevin and Sean dive deep into a central challenge for sales teams: identifying ideal customers and building a robust prospect list. In this episode, they uncover practical strategies, share indispensable tools, and illustrate how a strong grasp of your customer can turn prospects into loyal clients. Whether you’re part of a lean sales team or managing large territories, this… Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Sales Intelligence 101: Using AI and Networking to Target Ideal Customers – E112

From Chaos to Order: Improve Your Sales Productivity with Effective Pipeline Management

Sales is a complex and intricate world, a jigsaw puzzle where each piece must fit perfectly to create a successful picture. This is especially true when it comes to managing sales, whether you’re a salesperson, a sales manager hoping to enhance your leadership skills, or a CEO in the trenches of a small company. Understanding the challenges and nuances of the sales process is crucial to increasing revenue and productivity.

Imagine you’re in a room full of sports equipment scattered everywhere, from basketball shoes to cheerleading pom-poms. It’s a total mess, and you can barely see the floor. This is a perfect metaphor for what a disorganized sales pipeline can look like. It’s messy chaotic, and there’s always something that doesn’t quite smell right. 

The sales pipeline is vital for tracking and managing sales prospects from the initial contact to the deal’s closing. It visually represents where potential customers are in the sales process. However, if not properly managed, the pipeline can become a mess. 

A common issue is when a deal gets pushed from one month to the next. The sales rep simply changes the closing date, making it seem like procrastination has become a part of the process. This can be due to various reasons, such as a lack of commitment from the customer, the sales rep not understanding the customer’s needs, or simply a lack of follow-up. To avoid this, it’s essential to go back to basics. Understand where the customer is in their evaluation and buying process. Are they genuinely interested in buying or just exploring the idea? It’s perfectly fine for a customer to be in the exploratory stage, but that doesn’t mean they’re ready to buy. These customers should be considered early-stage prospects and not be rushed into buying. 

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The Right Person in the Right Seat: Unleashing Company Growth through Strategic Sales Leadership

A recurring issue for small companies has emerged; the company’s owner or CEO often leads the sales department. This might be because they believe no one else can sell their product or service better than they can. However, this mindset might be hampering the company’s growth potential.

If you’re a company owner or CEO who leads sales, it’s crucial to consider the risk of this approach. When the person leading the company also heads sales, the business is constrained by the amount of time that leader has. If your salespeople consistently wait for your input or response, you might face a growth opportunity and a challenge simultaneously.

The solution lies in de-risking your organization’s growth potential by getting a sales leader in the sales leadership seat separate from you. This concept resonates with the theory of constraints, a principle often applied in the manufacturing industry but equally applicable in sales. The theory of constraints focuses on identifying the factors that limit your success. 

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Skinned Knees – 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.

Read the rest of the article…