The Pipeline

JANUARY 26, 2021

I will not comment on how things come to pass here, but there is merit to the exercise. If you can reduce churn and replace them with better accounts, you could start seeing churn as an opportunity. We should all seek higher-margin, less resource consuming accounts that have other pluses.

Churn 310

Churn Quota Margin Exercises 310

Understanding the Sales Force

DECEMBER 22, 2014

You’ve made your New Years resolutions to exercise, lay off the carbs, lose weight, be kind, leave the cell phone in another room at night, close the laptop by 7PM, and be an all around better person. What are the metrics to close one – in other words, how many proposals, demos, qualified opportunities, prospects and suspects does it take?

Face-to-face 275

Face-to-face Commission Exercises Sales Qualified Lead 275

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 7, 2016

One example was highlighted in a recent piece about pipelines , where sales people lie to themselves about the quality of individual opportunities, and by extension, they lie to themselves, their managers and companies about the state of the entire pipeline, and the ultimate revenue delivered.

Wireless 303

Wireless Face-to-face Quota Distribution 303

Sales Gravy

JANUARY 5, 2025

The opportunity to excel, to level up, to make this your best year ever is yours for the taking. this gap you have the opportunity to exert control over your emotions and response. The way I activate mindfulness is through a simple mental exercise in which I answer the question: Do I want this or do I want that?

Face-to-face 95

Face-to-face Exercises Course Opportunity 95

Zoominfo

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

Strategic planning can be a fickle exercise. Chang also notes the importance of enriching CRM data with external insights to identify opportunities and optimize decision-making. This integrated approach helps identify key insights, such as high-performing customer profiles and total addressable markets.

Revenue 130

Revenue Strategy Maximizer Ideal Customer Profile 130

Pipeliner

JANUARY 16, 2025

Role-Playing Exercises: Use role-playing exercises to simulate sales scenarios and evaluate candidates’ problem-solving and negotiation skills. Learning Culture: Foster a culture of continuous learning within your sales team by providing access to training resources and development opportunities.

Hiring 104

Hiring Sales Talent Video Lead Rank 104

The Pipeline

OCTOBER 4, 2021

I had the opportunity to dissect a recorded Discovery call with a team last week. Great exercise, more companies should follow their lead. For me an opportunity to validate an approach most mismanage, and I normally avoid. In this case we focus on things that are just beyond reach, and opportunities missed as a result.

Data 368

Data Objections ACT Lead Scoring 368

Sales Gravy

DECEMBER 25, 2024

Heres what stood out from our conversations this year: Objections Are Opportunities: Objections arent something to avoid, theyre invitations to build trust. Prioritizing regular exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate sleep equips sales professionals to handle the demands of their role, leading to increased productivity and success.

Conversion 97

Conversion Call-back Exercises Energy 97

The Pipeline

MAY 15, 2014

To use a sport analogy, your pipeline is your core, no matter what sport you are in hockey, tennis, or running, a strong core, a well exercised and maintained core adds to athletic performance and lifts one competitor to victory over a comparably talented athlete with a less conditioned core. Let’s explain what I mean by binary.

Pipeline 300

Pipeline Top of Funnel Funnel Sports 300

SBI Growth

JANUARY 13, 2014

Finalize your target list based on the previous exercise. Complete a SWOT analysis to uncover hidden opportunities. Although the entire SWOT is important, pay special attention to the Opportunities. Although the entire SWOT is important, pay special attention to the Opportunities. Stick to it!

Territories 335

Territories Ideal Customer Profile Call-back Decision Maker 335

SBI Growth

SEPTEMBER 11, 2013

Clearly natural introductions via mutual contacts are the best way to secure new opportunities. Ergo, LinkedIn is the key to new opportunities. Create Social Debt – This is where you’ll need to exercise a little bit of tact and creativity. LinkedIn is the most effective means to obtaining these introductions. Nor should they.

Referrals 331

Referrals Social Selling LinkedIn Cold Calling 331

The Pipeline

JULY 21, 2014

But once you see that you cannot take away their objections, you still have the opportunity to say: “Based on what we spoke about, is there anyone you know I should call who may see merit in the conversation?” Managing those initial objections is part of the job. Grab your Proactive Prospecting Call-Flow Chart. Others will say cold call.

Cold Calling 299

Cold Calling Prospecting Referrals Sales Qualified Lead 299

The Pipeline

OCTOBER 13, 2014

Sales is very much a balancing exercise, somewhat like a scale, to keep balanced, you need to ensure that there is as much weight on one side as there is on the other. By Tibor Shanto - tibor.shanto@sellbetter.ca . When there isn’t it could lead to problems for the parties involved. The most common example of this in B2B selling is price.

Lead Scoring 299

Lead Scoring Lead Rank Margin Scale 299

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 25, 2018

If you’re in sales, you assume you pretty much need to be “on” all the time, lest you miss an opportunity. We need to exercise. Working too much? You might not have a choice. Employers are more and more demanding. No wonder salespeople check email on vacation, first thing in the morning, and well after work hours. That’s not healthy.

Referrals 284

Referrals Cold Calling Exercises Call-back 284

The Pipeline

JULY 14, 2014

Much of the advice is more feel good than do good, especially when measured in real engagement, real pipeline opportunities, and resulting revenues. A large part of the problem is that a lot of the advice is focused on how to avoid the unpleasant aspects of the exercise, most specifically the objection/rejection.

Cold Calling 308

Cold Calling Social Media Call-back Exercises 308

Pipeliner

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

Mindfulness Practices: Incorporate mindfulness techniques such as meditation or deep-breathing exercises to help manage stress and maintain emotional balance. Avoiding Overcommitment: Knowing When to Walk Away Joel warns against the tendency to cling to opportunities that may not be viable.

Hiring 105

Hiring Video Lead Rank Lead Scoring 105

The Pipeline

APRIL 2, 2020

Looking for a new normal while knowing it will irrelevant in 24 – 48 hours, is a futile exercise. Don’t seek normal, seek to address the issue, the opportunity. Begin by creating an opportunity for your customers, it starts with a phone call. But, looking for new normal, and basing long term action on them is wrong.

Face-to-face 279

Face-to-face ACT Travel Exercises 279

The Pipeline

JULY 6, 2017

While this in itself will put you on the path to better prospecting, meaning a fuller pipeline of better opportunities, you can take it a step further by enrolling in the Proactive Prospecting Program on Sales Gravy University. Today we will look at two important sometime related often confused fundamentals, Objectives and Execution.

Prospecting 245

Prospecting Segment Objections Pipeline 245

SalesFuel

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

But they’re missing an opportunity to improve their engagements with others. Exercises for role-playing Gallimore offers some examples to try when role-playing in sales. In this role-play exercise, the seller and two other participants split into groups of three: a sales rep, a client and an observer.

Outsourcing Services 52

Outsourcing Services Hiring Exercises Journal 52

SBI Growth

JANUARY 11, 2014

Use images, interactive exercises and demonstrations to inform them about the subject matter. A smart board or iPad drawing quantifying the revenue opportunity is powerful. It’s time for a little interaction to keep the “snores” down. Tip #2: Interesting and Entertaining. To keep your salespeople engaged, you must entertain.

Training 303

Training How To Follow-up Exercises 303

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 28, 2013

Here’s SBI’s insight into five of Doug’s priorities: Take advantage of the S1 – this is a unique opportunity to leverage the prospectus exercise and bring together a consolidated strategy. Take the opportunity to learn more from Doug and your peers. The following list of five is taken from the complete list available here.

Outsourcing Services 300

Outsourcing Services Demand Generation Agencies Lead Rank Lead Scoring 300

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 22, 2013

This exercise can be done without too much effort. Pursuing opportunities at outside organizations (if necessary). Assure your Compensation Plan is Aligned: Unless you know your sales value, you won’t be able to determine if discussions are warranted. Aligning your compensation history to company performance history is a critical step.

Compensation 300

Compensation Quota Trends Exercises 300

Sales and Marketing Management

JULY 6, 2020

Scaling your sales team is much like a game of Chess which requires constant strategizing and being prepared for any shift or opportunity to arise. Talk to your competitor’s customers and understand why they bought a particular solution and conduct TAM, SAM, and SOM exercises to help gain insights from the market.

Scale 298

Scale Top of Funnel Hiring Strategy 298

Zoominfo

FEBRUARY 7, 2025

Here are other reasons why the funnel no longer works: Sellers Miss Early Opportunities The funnels rigidity often blinds sellers to opportunities for early influence. Lead prioritization to focus resources on the most promising opportunities. Modern frameworks can adapt in real-time to dynamic behaviors and preferences.

Top of Funnel 130

Top of Funnel Lead Rank Intent Signal B2B 130

The Pipeline

JULY 16, 2019

As long as we continue to define our value in the space between our buyers and us, we will continue to deal with the back end of the opportunity, literally. The same must be done with opportunities you’ve lost, and those that never went to decision. The Back End. Will, what you’re selling help them do that better?

Prospecting 284

Prospecting Trade Show Objections Buyer 284

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 11, 2013

It is low effort, relatively high success opportunity and will not impact the direct sales force. If you set a baseline year over year, it will become an easier exercise. How To Understand Jim’s Plan. Red , Black and Green bubbles—these initiatives will be ignored. Light Blue —This initiative will make it. This will get attention.

Outsourcing Services 314

Outsourcing Services Hiring Scale Trade Show 314

Pipeliner

FEBRUARY 8, 2025

With AI, coaches can engage in role-playing exercises at any time, allowing for continuous practice and development. This capability not only enhances the coach’s skills but also provides clients with more opportunities to practice in a safe environment.

Coaching 94

Coaching Video Social Media Exercises 94

SBI Growth

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

Pipeline Management is a critical exercise with which many organizations struggle. If you missed your number this quarter, an actionable strategy to take now is to apply strategic focus on current pipeline opportunities. High-growth companies with consistent and disciplined pipeline management outperform their competition by 1.5x.

Exercises 156

Exercises Pipeline Competition Opportunity 156

No More Cold Calling

NOVEMBER 23, 2021

It’s like a training manual, with exercises and opportunities to practice and refine what you learn. I’ve been working virtually for years, but boy, I learned a ton from Julie’s book, including the art of “smeaking.” This is not one of those books you can just read once and put it down.

Video 289

Video Cold Calling Exercises Conference 289

Smooth Sale

JANUARY 24, 2025

Embrace Positive Thinking When one door shuts, new and potentially better opportunities usually arise. Socialize Whether you attend official business events or find yourself among peers and friends, take the opportunity to explain your dilemma and request suggestions if anyone has any.

Face-to-face 103

Face-to-face Exercises Hiring Networking 103

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 4, 2018

Eat healthy and exercise. Never miss an opportunity to say thanks, or to put your appreciation in writing. I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, but I do believe in setting goals. Whatever you want to call them, here are six ways to strike a better balance in 2018: Make time for yourself. Make time for your family. What’s missing?

Referrals 287

Referrals Cold Calling Social Media Call-back 287

Zoominfo

AUGUST 11, 2021

It’s what keeps your sales team organized and focused on managing opportunities to close deals. No one follows up with promising opportunities. A sales pipeline is a visual representation of your current deals and opportunities. If qualified, the prospect and the related opportunity will get passed to an account executive.

Pipeline 217

Pipeline Closing Sales Qualified Lead Top of Funnel 217

Allego

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

Active Practice Sales reps reinforce their skills by applying knowledge in real-world sales scenarios, such as role-playing exercises, simulated customer interactions, and live calls. Reps struggle to translate knowledge into action without opportunities to apply their learning in real time. The impact on sales performance is clear.

Training 62

Training Hiring Retention Exercises 62

Sales and Marketing Management

MARCH 8, 2019

Sales skills like how to have a good discovery call, pricing and negotiation is like physical exercise – you need to learn the techniques from subject matter experts (SMEs) and then practice repeatedly to gain muscle memory. Part of that is mixing it up so it’s not staid and the exercises are not too easy.

InsideView 223

InsideView Scale Exercises Call-back 223

Sales and Marketing Management

AUGUST 31, 2017

Vision usually follows a ‘spark’, a flash of inspiration, frustration or a gleam of an opportunity. First it provides direction for you, your team and anyone keen to work with you, and then it steers you toward the opportunities that will help grow your business. It’s both the motivation behind and the future ahead of your business.

Top of Funnel 246

Top of Funnel Oracle Scale Small Business 246

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 22, 2024

In his story, he states, “No profession affords more opportunity to compete, build tenacity, foster teamwork and exercise strategic AND tactical thinking in the course of helping customers and colleagues achieve their goals.” ” Enjoy Jim’s story!

Exercises 138

Exercises Course Engineering Software 138

Sales and Marketing Management

MAY 23, 2019

Recently a number of my students at the Rutgers Business School have faced the challenge of the marketplace, identifying appropriate professional opportunities for pursuit. If yes than applying traditional tools of analysis and branding becomes a very interesting exercise and approach. How does one do that?

Hiring 176

Hiring Exercises Consumer Analysis 176