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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!

Enhancing Sales Performance Through Effective One-on-One Coaching Meetings

The effectiveness of sales management is paramount, particularly in how sales managers support their team members to enhance performance. The nuanced relationship between a salesperson and their manager can significantly influence their success, a topic that is gaining traction among CEOs and sales leaders seeking to maximize their team’s capabilities. One-on-one meetings between sales managers and salespeople are not just routine check-ins but pivotal moments that can define a sales team’s success trajectory. These interactions… Enhancing Sales Performance Through Effective One-on-One Coaching Meetings

From Crisis to Control: Managing Expectations in Sales Leadership

The concept of “managing up” emphasizes the importance of aligning a sales team’s objectives with the expectations of upper management. This approach is particularly crucial during periods of sales turnaround, where the usual metrics might falter and innovative, agile responses are required. “Managing up” involves treating higher management as an internal customer whose needs must be understood and met with the same diligence as those of external clients. For sales leaders, this means crafting a… From Crisis to Control: Managing Expectations in Sales Leadership

Boosting Business Performance: Integrating Sales and Marketing Efforts

The symbiotic relationship between sales and marketing is more crucial than ever. This dynamic duo drives the revenue generation engine, which is especially crucial when businesses are keen to set a positive trajectory. Marketing’s influence cannot be understated. It often shapes the business’s success months in advance. Strategies implemented by marketing today can significantly impact revenue streams later in the year. Therefore, it’s essential for sales and marketing to align and integrate their processes to… Boosting Business Performance: Integrating Sales and Marketing Efforts

Optimizing Sales Territories for Growth and Efficiency

Territory design is critical for ensuring efficient revenue generation and optimal team performance. Sales leaders, especially those at the helm of small—to mid-sized companies, must revisit and potentially recalibrate their territory strategies to accommodate growth and maintain competitiveness. Effective territory management starts with a clear understanding of the business landscape. Ensuring that each salesperson has a viable area with ample opportunity is crucial. This may sound straightforward but involves a delicate balance of geographic and… Optimizing Sales Territories for Growth and Efficiency

The Dashboard Difference: Transforming B2B Sales with Data-Driven Insights

A sales dashboard in business-to-business sales is pivotal for guiding sales teams toward success. This methodical approach to tracking and interpreting data illuminates the path to revenue scaling and fosters a culture of achievement and recognition within an organization. At its core, a sales dashboard transforms raw data into actionable insights. For salespeople, sales managers, and CEOs of small companies, understanding the nuances of the dashboard can be the difference between stagnation and growth. The… The Dashboard Difference: Transforming B2B Sales with Data-Driven Insights

The Key to Extraordinary Sales: Developing a Compelling Unique Selling Proposition

In B2B sales, professionals grapple with many challenges that can make or break their success. Clearly articulating a unique selling proposition (USP) stands out as a cornerstone for distinguishing oneself from the competition. This capability is not just a nicety—it’s a necessity. As businesses strive to carve out their niche in crowded markets, understanding and communicating what makes them distinct becomes paramount. The concept of a USP or value proposition is often used interchangeably, yet… The Key to Extraordinary Sales: Developing a Compelling Unique Selling Proposition

Competitive Edge in Crowded Waters: Mastering Red Ocean Strategies for B2B Growth

In the lexicon of strategic business planning, the concepts of “Red Ocean” and “Blue Ocean” serve as metaphors to distinguish between different market dynamics characterized by the degree of competition. A Red Ocean symbolizes sectors with fierce competition, saturated markets, and businesses clash over a finite demand pool. The landscape is marked by aggressive price wars and incremental innovations as companies struggle to carve out and defend their market share. These are arenas where the… Competitive Edge in Crowded Waters: Mastering Red Ocean Strategies for B2B Growth

Maximizing Sales Performance: The Critical Importance of Compensation Planning

In B2B sales organizations, ensuring a robust sales force capable of adapting to market fluctuations and corporate objectives is paramount. Among the myriad factors contributing to sales teams’ success, two elements emerge as particularly crucial: the design and timely dissemination of compensation plans. At the heart of a well-oiled sales organization lies the principle of trust, a currency of immense value in building a healthy sales culture. Transparency and punctuality in rolling out compensation plans… Maximizing Sales Performance: The Critical Importance of Compensation Planning

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Empowered by ESOP: Enhancing Sales Management in Employee-Owned Firms with Wisdom by Marc Metz – E83

In this enlightening episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey continue their engaging dialogue with Marc Metz, a seasoned expert in the sales and business transition arena. Building on the momentum of their previous conversation, they delve into the intricacies of transitioning a business through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Marc shares firsthand experiences and practical insights, making this a must-listen for business owners contemplating a transition that… Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Empowered by ESOP: Enhancing Sales Management in Employee-Owned Firms with Wisdom by Marc Metz – E83