Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 18, 2025

Treat that appointment as you would a sales call and don’t cancel it or reschedule it. For example, keeping the math simple, if you need to close $100,000/month in new business, you have a win rate of 50%, and your average sale is $25,000, then you must close 1 sale per week. To funnel (see what I did there?)

Quota 331

Quota Top of Funnel How To Cancellation 331

Understanding the Sales Force

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

I was looking for an image of a sales funnel and couldn't believe what I found! Can you believe all of those images of sales funnels? Have you ever conducted a Google or Amazon search for one thing only to be presented with search results that were completely different than what you were looking for?

Top of Funnel 396

Top of Funnel Funnel Sales Process Pipeline 396

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 24, 2024

If your focus is on winning as much business as possible before year-end, you’ll be starting 2025 in a losing position—with a lackluster pipeline and few new sales opportunities for the New Year. Referrals = New Sales Opportunities It’s tough to focus on prospecting when you’re working on a massive project or closing a big deal.

Opportunity 177

Opportunity Referrals How To Pipeline 177

Zoominfo

OCTOBER 24, 2024

And in the age of AI-assisted sales, what was once a long process of research, targeting, and crafting outreach has now become remarkably fast. But today’s top AI sales assistants don’t just help sales teams work faster — with the right data, AI helps sellers make smarter decisions. What is AI Sales Assistant Software?

Software 211

Software Software Tools Hubspot 211

Sales and Marketing Management

JULY 29, 2024

Sales pipeline maintenance takes effort and discipline, but the payoff in terms of increased efficiency, accuracy and revenue makes it well worth the investment. The post 6 Keys to Effective Pipeline Management for B2B Sellers appeared first on Sales & Marketing Management.

Pipeline 296

Pipeline B2B Revenue Marketing 296

Sales Gravy

JANUARY 12, 2025

Im hearing sob stories from leaders and individuals everywhere who are waking up to the cold, hard truth that they are staring down the barrel of a thin or empty pipeline. Block Time for Prospecting One of the biggest pitfalls I see is that when pipelines are empty, salespeople get overwhelmed and paralyzed.

Pipeline 98

Pipeline How To Outbound Call-back 98

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 1, 2025

If you have a pile of files on your desk, a to-do list that is so long it must be scrolled to read, past-due proposals, and an empty pipeline, you are probably not very well organized, don’t manage your time very well, and likely behind on quota. Back to the sales leaders. Pretty amazing, isn’t it? Want some help ?

Sales Leadership 286

Sales Leadership Buying Cycle Coaching Proposal 286

Understanding the Sales Force

OCTOBER 19, 2024

My latest sales epiphany happened while I was watching Friday’s American League Championship Series game between the Yankees and the Guardians. And because this is my brain, this article is actually about sales, not baseball! It will look good in the pipeline. Size of the pipeline doubles overnight. This is huge!

Epiphany 188

Epiphany Real Estate Face-to-face Coaching 188

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 4, 2025

Coincidentally, accountability is one of the competencies at which most sales leaders are lacking. Many sales leaders fail to set targets for much more than revenue/quota and perhaps 2-3 others from my list. Having a job in sales should not be the equivalent to membership in a country club, where you are welcome until you resign.

Account 173

Account Hiring Quota Territories 173

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 26, 2024

It’s easier to go along with what everyone else is doingto write blogs, comment on social media, write catchy email subject lines, and rely on inbound marketing to fill your pipeline. Sure, revenue is our goal in sales. But in terms of sales metrics, revenue is a lagging indicator. Forget the bells and whistles.

Referrals 317

Referrals Cold Calling ROI Sales Qualified Lead 317

Alice Heiman

NOVEMBER 12, 2024

Watch below or on our YouTube channel Chapters [00:01] Introduction and Importance of Modern Sales Strategies [01:40] Understanding and Organizing Sales Opportunities [03:16] Differentiating Leads from Opportunities [04:47] Tracking and Managing Opportunities [06:13] The Funnel vs. The Pipeline [07:33] Analyzing Pipeline Health and Sales Quotas [09:02] (..)

Top of Funnel 62

Top of Funnel Funnel Pipeline Strategy 62

Understanding the Sales Force

JUNE 20, 2023

Last week, I wrote about how the criteria you use to choose your all-time favorite songs is essentially the same as the criteria your prospects use to choose between you and a competitor. Today, I am continuing the music analogy, but this time, as it relates to motivational tools.

Motivation 298

Motivation Pipeline How To Relationals 298

Sales 2.0

MARCH 31, 2025

Often when were talking about about sales, we seem to be saying the salesperson is in charge of when deals move forward and ultimately when they close. You can influence when a sale happens, but you cannot overcome the inherent dynamics of how that customer wants to buy. Sales is a tough gig and its not getting any easier.

Follow-up 195

Follow-up Gatekeeper Call-back Up-Sell 195

Understanding the Sales Force

MAY 23, 2023

My wife chose some beautiful new shrubs and flowers and I was digging the holes to plant them in the garden. The largest shrub required the largest hole and it was to be placed in an area of the garden that I knew was quite rocky. Sure enough, after just three shovel fulls of dirt, I hit rock and it was bigger than both my shovel and the hole.

Pipeline 314

Pipeline Sales How To Closing 314

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 3, 2025

Despite writing about sales process quite frequently over the years, this article will take a very different approach. Let’s define a couple of terms: Sales Process – a series of 4-6 stages, each with 5-10 milestones, that provide salespeople with a repeatable framework for sales success.

Sales Process 173

Sales Process Lead Rank Customer Lead Scoring 173

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 16, 2025

I almost fell out of my chair when I heard a Sales VP say this. Trust is key in referral sales strategiesin any sales strategy, reallybut trust must be earned. Trust is key in referral sales strategiesin any sales strategy, reallybut trust must be earned. Use a trust-based sales strategy like asking for referrals.

Referrals 318

Referrals Face-to-face Call-back Decision Maker 318

Understanding the Sales Force

SEPTEMBER 8, 2024

The same thing happens in sales. A pipeline that is 75% full is a full pipeline. When half of salespeople hit quota it equates to strong sales performance across the team. When Sales Managers have any conversations with their salespeople it is considered coaching. Your company calls it success. I call it lying.

Government 341

Government Forecasting Pipeline Report 341

Hubspot Sales

MARCH 13, 2025

According to a 2023 survey of over 450 sales leaders, 91% of their teams missed quota that year. And even with revenue up in 2024 , reps are still struggling to meet their sales goals. Getting stuck on YTD sales. Projecting a sales cycle ahead of time gives sellers a better chance of making their numbers.

Revenue 95

Revenue Meeting Top of Funnel Forecasting 95

Zoominfo

DECEMBER 20, 2024

Sales teams face constant pressure to close deals faster and more effectively. Sales acceleration platforms provide a powerful solution, helping businesses optimize workflows, engage prospects, and convert leads more efficiently. What Are Sales Acceleration Platforms?

Scale 130

Scale SalesForce Analytics Hubspot 130

Nimble - Sales

DECEMBER 21, 2024

Managing a sales pipeline effectively is critical for marketing agencies aiming to achieve consistent growth and maintain a competitive edge. A well-managed pipeline ensures that leads are nurtured, conversions are optimized, and team productivity is maximized.

Pipeline 69

Pipeline Marketing Maximizer Competition 69

Zoominfo

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

Instead of waiting until buyers are clearly in-market, sales teams now can rely on a layered, AI-fueled analysis of multiple high-value signals to zero in on prospects who are strong fits for their product or service but not yet showing classic signs of interest. They can’t get the sales, the pipeline isn’t moving.

Hiring 214

Hiring Data Prospecting Lead Rank 214

Sales Hacker Training

OCTOBER 11, 2024

The Sales Leadership Framework Behind Multiple $100MM ARR Orgs Whether on the podcast, a one-to-one conversation, in GTMfund’s Slack, in a digital live event… the same pattern surfaces: the best leaders develop and leverage systems. This could be ACV for one rep, close rate for another, or pipeline volume for the team as a whole.

Sales Leadership 119

Sales Leadership Lead Rank Scale Marketing Qualified Lead 119

MarketJoy

MARCH 24, 2025

Your sales team is always on the hunt for leads, but only a few convert from leads to business? This is a classic pain point for all B2B companies: how to populate their sales pipeline with leads that are actually qualified and do convert. That precision means a higher volume of quality leads flowing into your pipeline.

Lead Generation 52

Lead Generation Sales Qualified Lead Ideal Customer Profile Lead Rank 52

Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 15, 2024

When prospecting doesn’t take place on a daily basis, salespeople fail to build their pipelines. When there aren’t many new opportunities in the pipeline, very little new business will get closed n months from now where n is the length of the sales cycle. The answer depends on a salesperson’s Sales DNA.

Prospecting 173

Prospecting Incentive Incentives Cold Calling 173

Zoominfo

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

ZoomInfo’s new integration with Clari Groove helps sales teams automatically sync contacts between ZoomInfo, Salesforce, and Groove Flows — seamlessly bridging the gap between lead identification and engagement. Go-to-market teams are constantly looking for integrated solutions that can help them work faster, smarter, and more effectively.

Lead Management 147

Lead Management Marketing Qualified Lead Leads SalesForce 147

Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 23, 2024

This is my third article using the Bible as an analogy to sales and I am currently reading Numbers. In my experience, most companies have KPIs in their sales organizations but the real issue is usually whether or not the KPIs they trot out actually drive revenue. Make your sales team biblical and do God’s work.

Comparison 173

Comparison Exact Follow-up Call-back 173

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 31, 2025

Referral selling strategies are the key to consistent sales growth, but chances are, your team isnt leveraging them effectively. Youre just assuming your team is doing well with referrals, and assumptions dont fill pipelines. All sales calls are hot, hot, hot. Pain Point #2: Your pipeline cant be trusted.

Referrals 156

Referrals Scale GoldMine Pipeline 156

Sales Gravy

MARCH 30, 2025

It can also make life much easier if your sales plan and quota gets bigger in the back half of the year as many do. The most important thing you can do right now is conduct a deep dive analysis of your pipeline. Get your calculator out and do the math on how much you need in your pipeline to crush your Q2 number.

Quota 98

Quota Insurance Insurance Policies 98

Understanding the Sales Force

MARCH 20, 2024

Although this is an article about sales process, the first two paragraphs have more to do with religion than sales. I’m sure by now you’re thinking, but Dave, what the heck does that have to do with sales process? Most of that group believes that a sales process is helpful. It will be worth it!

Sales Process 341

Sales Process Sales Methodology Decision Maker Pipeline 341

Pipeliner

NOVEMBER 24, 2024

The conversation delved into the evolution of sales strategies in response to changing buyer behavior, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of artificial intelligence. This blog post will break down the key insights and actionable advice shared by Wes, focusing on his five proven steps to making every sale.

Video 116

Video Strategy Top of Funnel Direct Mail 116