Anthony Cole Training

OCTOBER 20, 2014

Despite the obvious confusion of how many “secrets” there really are to any kind of success, today I bring you THE ONE secret to getting your sales people to sell more, more quickly at higher margins. I have come to this realization based on my last 4 sales. Guaranteed! Did you like today’s post?

Hiring 206

Hiring Insurance Insurance Margin 206

SBI Growth

MARCH 11, 2013

Reps that follow a Sales Process aligned with the Buyer's process are more successful. Based on our research, B2B companies and their Sales Reps see the following benefits: Close 1/3 more deals. Reduce sales cycle time by 50%. Top performing Sales Reps punch through the walls of resistance.

Buyer 333

Buyer B2B Lead Rank Lead Scoring 333

The Pipeline

APRIL 1, 2013

This unnecessarily extends the length of their sale cycle, or kills the sale all together. The half they bought into is the need to go beyond feature – benefit, and venture forth to where they are presenting their offering from the “what’s in it for the client” perspective.

Wireless 280

Wireless Transportation Margin Follow-up 280

SBI Growth

DECEMBER 18, 2012

Ensuing margin erosion occurs due to the frantic need to shorten the sales cycle. The first step is determining your current Sales Mgrs. Use the tool to dive deep into actions your Sales Mgr. Do you realize that for every open territory, team quota attainment drops by 13%? One word describes this situation: Ugly.

Sales Management 300

Sales Management Lead Scoring Lead Rank Ideal Customer Profile 300

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 6, 2016

Are your sales reps wasting time prospecting? You’re a sales leader accountable for increasing revenue, while at the same time managing your profit margins. If you’re fairly new to your company, your sales reps are a mixed bag of talent. Referral selling means transforming your sales and prospecting approach.

Referrals 279

Referrals Lead Rank Sales Qualified Lead Lead Scoring 279

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 23, 2025

Win rates plummet, % making quota plummet, retention rates declining, sales cycles lengthening, deal size decreasing. The marginal cost of doubling activity through AI is virtually $0. Customers don’t want to talk to us, because we don’t talk to them about what they care about. But something becomes very clear.

Segment 121

Segment Maximizer Margin Up-Sell 121

The Pipeline

JULY 9, 2019

Every journey has a beginning, middle and an end, and this is true for a buying cycle and sales cycle. And while it may work for Zen and motorcycles , in sales, it is not about the journey but the destination, the win. Each day is a building block of the sales cycles you’re currently travelling.

Travel 291

Travel Maximizer Microsoft Face-to-face 291

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Margins are shrinking; sales cycles are taking longer. Salespeople rebel when their time is being wasted, not when they are being supported appropriately! Selling has changed; it has become much more difficult. Prospects are more resistant; there is more competition.

CRM 235

CRM LandSlide Margin Cold Calling 235

SBI Growth

SEPTEMBER 7, 2013

When the buyer is truly just looking for general numbers early in the sales cycle. Your top- tier option should include all the bells and whistles, and generate larger margins. Pricing Options - a non-threatening platform to discuss customer budgets without ever actually asking the question.

Closing 297

Closing Strategy Proposal Decision Maker 297

Anthony Cole Training

OCTOBER 20, 2014

Today, I bring you THE ONE secret to getting your sales people to sell more, more quickly at higher margins. I will illustrate this “secret” based on my last 4 sales. Over the last years, when we project sales, our revenue projections are about 75% accurate. committed in advance to spend money to fix the problem.

Insurance 165

Insurance Insurance Margin Hiring 165

The Pipeline

MARCH 6, 2012

Stored in Attitude , Book Notice , Price , Proactive , Sales Leadership , Sales Success , Sales Technique , execution. All sales aren’t created equal. Sales Bloggers Union. Sales Compensation. Sales Cycle. Sales eXchange. Sales Force Alignment. Sales Leadership. Sales Tool.

Pipeline 212

Pipeline Hiring Top of Funnel Cold Calling 212

Anthony Cole Training

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

What will help you determine this skill set is to look at movement in the pipeline, look at your sales cycle and margins. Those sales people that qualify prospects, move prospects through the pipeline, have shorter sales cycles than those that don't qualify well and protect margins.

Hiring 186

Hiring Sales Qualified Lead InsideView Lead Rank 186

Understanding the Sales Force

OCTOBER 30, 2013

And companies wonder why their sales cycles are so long, their closing percentages are so low and their margins are slip sliding away. So here we are again, with half of the salespeople reporting that they aren''t reaching decision makers.

Decision Maker 271

Decision Maker Survey Follow-up Margin 271

SBI Growth

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

In sales terms, it’s not just improving your close rate, you’re improving everything that leads to more referrals, increased sales and reduced sales cycle length. The same Moneyballing logic can be applied to your own sales performance. Get more guys on base to increase your chances of scoring.

Ideal Customer Profile 300

Ideal Customer Profile Lead Rank Lead Scoring Analysis 300

The Pipeline

APRIL 17, 2013

As the competition heated up, and costs had to be cut to maintain operating margins, the two teams were collapsed into one that handled both product lines, there was still a clear line between hunting and development of accounts. Sales Process Sales Skills Tibor Shanto'

Demand Generation Agencies 296

Demand Generation Agencies Top of Funnel Territories Demand Generation Targets 296

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 16, 2012

32% reported that their sales cycle is too long. 29% reported that they don’t convert enough leads to sales. 27% reported that their sales forecasts are not accurate enough. Despite those business pressures, these initiatives were put in place: 53% want higher margins. 21% want a better sales hiring process.

Hiring 193

Hiring Territories Compensation Forecasting 193

Cincom Smart Selling

APRIL 25, 2016

UK entrepreneur, James Caan, CBE, isolates three areas where profit margin can be addressed. But what about margin? CPQ also has a positive impact on margin by increasing the velocity of the sale, reducing the pricing and configuration errors made during a selling cycle and with reduced likelihood of manufacturing defects.

Margin 63

Margin Up-Sell System Discount 63

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 21, 2014

Benchmarking can be quite useful, as long as it doesn''t cause you to look at the wrong data, send you down the wrong path, or make the wrong decisions.

Hiring 261

Hiring Groups Exact Face-to-face 261

Anthony Cole Training

JANUARY 13, 2014

Pipeline management, although generally disguised as a financial tool to predict future revenue, is supposed to accomplish one major objective: Help sales professionals sell more business, more quickly and higher margins. If you have a 120-day sales cycle, then move stuff out at day 121.

Sales Forecasts 190

Sales Forecasts Forecasting Margin Incentive 190

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 20, 2024

By contrast, 38 years in sales consulting has shown me that selling is only about the numbers and admittedly, at times, I’ve been guilty of contributing to that focus on numbers. Quotas, pricing, margins, forecasts, conversions, quotes, close rates, meetings booked, average sale and more.

Revenue 201

Revenue Sports Margin Quota 201

Cincom Smart Selling

FEBRUARY 20, 2025

By using rule-based engines, AI-driven pricing models, and automated approval workflows, CPQ quote automation eliminates manual errors, accelerates sales cycles, and enables scalability for businesses managing intricate product catalogs and multi-tiered pricing structures. Manual vs. Automated Quoting: Whats the Difference?

Revenue 48

Revenue Scale Margin Lead Rank 48

Hubspot Sales

JUNE 17, 2019

Many business owners, managers, and sales reps think contract management is just a matter of getting a signature and storing the contract away in a CRM. Lost leads, sales, and revenue. The reality is that contract management is a fundamental part of the sales cycle. The result for the vast majority of businesses?

Sales Cycle 107

Sales Cycle Hiring Proposal Software 107

A Sales Guy

JULY 26, 2012

In addition to revenue, there is also margin, which can’t be managed via revenue. Manage your team to a margin percentage. Make each team member’s average sales cycle public. This way everyone can see what is possible and how quickly or slowly deals are moving through the sales cycle.

Revenue 114

Revenue Hiring Margin Quota 114

Cincom Smart Selling

JANUARY 30, 2025

It serves as a crucial step in the sales cycle, bridging the gap between initial inquiries and finalized deals. The Importance of Quoting in Sales and Business Operations Critical Stage in the Sales Cycle Quoting is a key step in the sales cycle that bridges a customers initial interest and their final purchase decision.

Lead Rank 62

Lead Rank Proposal Sales Qualified Lead Sales Cycle 62

Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Change in Buyer Behavior - behaviors are always changing and while it may be true that sales cycles are getting longer, there are only four buyer-side behaviors that can really impact sales outcomes: Relationships. Let''s discuss the degree to which each of these possible reasons may be the actual cause.

Travel 251

Travel Decision Maker Insurance Insurance 251

Sales and Marketing Management

JULY 9, 2018

At Bullhorn, we serve the global staffing and recruiting industry, which operates in a highly competitive environment with extreme margin pressures. This means fulfilling on promises made in the sales cycle to ensure the product works. So how can you, as a sales executive, increase your wallet share within existing accounts?

Account 196

Account Margin Industry Negotiation 196

Cincom Smart Selling

MARCH 29, 2025

In this article, we will take a deep dive into how quoting software enhances accuracy and accelerates sales cycles. These errors may result in overcharging, underpricing, or misquoting, all of which can harm customer relationships and reduce profit margins.

Software 48

Software Software Discount Lead Rank 48

Nutshell

FEBRUARY 28, 2025

When youre ready to send a quote, simply head over to the relevant Lead page and click on the + Add a quote link in the right-hand margin. Get Started with Nutshell Quotes We built Nutshell Quotes to simplify your sales quoting process, speed up your sales cycle, and help your team win more deals. Need more information?

Closing 78

Closing CRM Margin Sales Cycle 78

Cincom Smart Selling

MARCH 13, 2025

CPQ software has revolutionized the way organizations manage complex sales cycles by enabling sales teams to quickly and accurately deliver tailored solutions to customers. Moreover, inconsistent discounting practices can erode profit margins and create distrust among customers.

Benefit 48

Benefit Discount Scale Margin 48

Cincom Smart Selling

MARCH 9, 2025

Pricing: Applies real-time rules, discounts, and margin controls. How CPQ Works in Your Sales Tech Stack Unlike standalone spreadsheets or rigid ERP-based pricing tools, CPQ integrates seamlessly with: CRM Systems: Pulls in customer data for personalized pricing. Sales cycles are becoming shorter as buyers expect instant responses.

Tools 48

Tools Scale Comparison Discount 48

SBI

JUNE 21, 2018

As a Senior Director of Sales Consulting at Oracle, Tod and his team of Sales Engineers and Solution Consultants support the sales team in their division and are responsible for onsite and remote demos. He had a mandate to decrease costs to improve profitability by increasing margins. What did he do?

Account Based Marketing 139

Account Based Marketing B2B Oracle Sales Cycle 139

SalesFuel

OCTOBER 31, 2024

This effective sales strategy assured alignment with the station’s goals and those of the buyer. Alignment Will Shorten the Sales Cycle Forbes contributor Chin notes that when the seller’s and buyer’s journeys are aligned actions are accelerated. Syncing With the Buyer is Essential Your competitors have the same challenge.

Strategy 59

Strategy Ideal Customer Profile Hiring How To 59

The Pipeline

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

One approach that intrepid leaders can look to is too shrink the size of territories, based on a number of factors driven by deal size, length of cycle, nature of the offering (new or mature), is the focus margin or market share, is there opportunity for organic growth, or strictly competitive account growth, and others. Sales Cycle.

Pipeline 212

Pipeline Territories Harvest Cold Calling 212

SBI

NOVEMBER 1, 2018

It helps pre-sales (SCs) scale while keeping margins high. This shortens the sales cycle. Clients have cut their sales cycles by 68%. Garin: You will likely get your first demo built during the sales cycle so you can deploy to your sales team on day one. Engagement.

Groups 139

Groups Scale Sales Cycle How To 139

The Pipeline

OCTOBER 9, 2017

Many of the “rushed over” deals, could in fact have been better, not just in immediate revenue and quota retirement, but upsells, referrals, and most importantly, margins and price integrity. In essence, quantity over quality. While it would be easy to blame reps, they are being led by their managers to do this.

Scale 265

Scale Quota Margin Referrals 265

Cincom Smart Selling

MARCH 29, 2025

In complex sales environments, quote-to-order software handles intricate pricing models, multi-level approvals, and compliance checks ensuring speed and accuracy while minimizing errors. Human Bias : Inconsistent discounting can lead to margin erosion and favoritism, impacting profitability. Multi-Currency Support : Selling globally?

Discount 48

Discount Proposal Lead Rank Margin 48

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 19, 2024

Our sales cycle was about 15 months. CEO: What were the rough gross margins? Dave: Gross margins were about 75% CEO: Help me understand, if your Rule of 40 was 50, your growth was 200%, it means your EBIDTA was -150%. With gross margins of 75% you must have had monstrous sales/marketing expense.

Scale 139

Scale Hiring Margin Churn 139