Sales and Marketing Management

JANUARY 10, 2018

Author: Michelle Vazzana, CEO, Vantage Point Performance Frontline sales managers have a difficult job. In fact, we think they have the hardest job in any sales organization. Despite the varied and intense demands put on sales managers, they are given relatively little guidance or training on how to actually do their job.

Sales Management 233

Sales Management Face-to-face Pipeline Research 233

Zoominfo

MAY 17, 2018

Are your sales forecasts tied to reality? Is sales forecast accuracy more of a pipedream within your sales organization? Does the speed of your sales pipeline resemble molasses? In fact, less than half of all forecasted sales opportunities actually result in a sales win.

Sales Forecasts 232

Sales Forecasts Forecasting Pipeline Scale 232

Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

I'm guessing (I did not interview her) the new manager prioritized KPI's and accountability, hiring people who had attention to detail, who were committed to customer satisfaction, and who took personal responsibility.

Sales Management 295

Sales Management Hiring Course Account 295

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

Anthony Cole Training

MARCH 31, 2023

Today's topic: March Madness, the ongoing search for bracket and sales pipeline predictability. In the world of sales forecasting, you have the same problem! The March Madness tournament can be somewhat predictable, but upsets are expected.

Pipeline 272

Pipeline Sales Forecasts Forecasting Banking 272

Zoominfo

AUGUST 11, 2021

No business can survive for long without a healthy sales pipeline. It’s what keeps your sales team organized and focused on managing opportunities to close deals. Unfortunately, many B2B organizations suffer from ineffective sales pipeline management. What Is a Sales Pipeline?

Pipeline 217

Pipeline Closing Sales Qualified Lead Top of Funnel 217

Anthony Cole Training

JUNE 1, 2020

Sales pipelines are similar to the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This one is too fat, this one is too skinny, and the rarest one of all; this one's just right.

Pipeline 199

Pipeline Hiring Sales Insurance 199

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.

Government 341

Government Forecasting Pipeline Report 341

Sales 2.0

AUGUST 29, 2022

A classic issue in sales forces is promoting one of the top performing sales reps to the manager of a sales team, then having them fail in this new role. I just became much clearer on why this happens and what can be done about it, by reading just one section of David Brock’s book “The Sales Manager Survival Guide”.

Sales Management 195

Sales Management Face-to-face Proposal Promotion 195

Sales 2.0

AUGUST 29, 2022

A classic issue in sales forces is promoting one of the top performing sales reps to the manager of a sales team, then having them fail in this new role. I just became much clearer on why this happens and what can be done about it, by reading just one section of David Brock’s book “The Sales Manager Survival Guide”.

Sales Management 39

Sales Management Face-to-face Proposal Promotion 39

Sales and Marketing Management

JANUARY 2, 2019

Author: Brad Wilsted Note: This is part 2 in a 3-part series on the powerful role sales management plays in driving sustained revenue growth – and how companies can better leverage this critical position for improved top-line performance. What does great front-line sales management actually look like?

Hiring 224

Hiring Sales Management Territories Outsourcing Services 224

The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 7, 2020

Sales Scrum Episode #19 – Guest David Masover. David is the president David Masover Sales Consulting and shares how he leverages the sales process to drive success. If you only attend one webinar this month – This is The One: Pipeline = Ability X Execution X Leadership: The Complete Prospecting System.

Forecasting 307

Forecasting Webinar Metrics Pipeline System 307

Sales 2.0

OCTOBER 25, 2021

If you know someone that runs a business with a sales team, or they lead the charge themselves, have them take a look at the areas below for ways they can increase their sales. Improving even one of these areas could take their sales to the next level. Sales process efficiency. Sales time sucks. Sales management.

Territories 396

Territories Compensation Scale Decision Maker 396

SBI Growth

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024

We all know how challenging it can be to manage a constantly changing pipeline, but it's essential for reps to stay organized to ensure their opportunities are moving forward. So, how can you ensure that your reps keep their pipeline current? Here are four tips to help them stay on top of their deals.

Pipeline 177

Pipeline Opportunity Sales Sales Management 177

No More Cold Calling

JULY 29, 2021

This broken link is to blame for sales teams’ biggest closing mistakes. “My This is the frustrated lament I hear regularly from sales leaders. But not closing sales is never the real problem. The problem is that sales reps neglect important activities during earlier stages of the sales process. It’s just a symptom.

Closing 409

Closing Sales Qualified Lead Lead Scoring Lead Rank 409

The Center for Sales Strategy

MARCH 27, 2023

Sales management is an art that requires a delicate balance between the present and the future. The key to success lies in mastering the art of balancing the pending vs pipeline. This means managing your current deals while also prospecting for new ones.

Pipeline 111

Pipeline Sales Management Competition Resources 111

Understanding the Sales Force

OCTOBER 9, 2024

Most sales teams win fewer than half their “games,” and while defense can’t be blamed, pitching can! Unlike the Red Sox, most sales teams have too much pitching (demos and presentations)! As of this writing, they have assessed 106 sales and sales management candidates.

Hiring 352

Hiring Lead Scoring Lead Rank Compensation 352

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 25, 2024

Because sales managers are not coaching – still – at least not consistently or effectively. It’s simply incomprehensible that sales managers aren’t picking up the clue phone. It’s simply incomprehensible that sales managers aren’t picking up the clue phone.

Coaching 341

Coaching Guidelines Margin Incentive 341

Sales 2.0

FEBRUARY 1, 2023

This is the first in a series of interviews with sales management subject matter experts, examining the current and future states of AI in sales. This first interview is with Oliver Churchill , the founder and CEO of Acuity Sales Decision Science. I was curious to hear what he thinks.

Sales Management 195

Sales Management Top of Funnel Data Intent Signal 195

Zoominfo

FEBRUARY 18, 2025

Sales teams thrive on the energy of effective outreach, but managing outbound calls at scale requires a lot more than just smiling and dialing. These tools not only help teams track performance, but improve engagement strategies and optimize sales workflows. But how can you choose the right tool for your team?

Outbound 130

Outbound Software Software Buyer Intent 130

Understanding the Sales Force

JUNE 20, 2023

Salespeople can self-motivate, sales managers can do this to motivate their salespeople, sales leaders can use this to motivate their sales managers and CEOs can leverage this to motivate their top Sales Leader. Sales Leaders at nearly every company complain about CRM compliance. This is brainless!

Motivation 156

Motivation Pipeline Hiring How To 156

SBI Growth

MARCH 18, 2024

2023 presented a unique set of challenges for sales managers. Economic uncertainty, cautious buyers, and reliance on existing customers contributed to longer sales cycles and pipeline woes.

Sales Management 156

Sales Management Sales Cycle Pipeline Buyer 156

Highspot

APRIL 1, 2025

Key Takeaways Traditional sales role play often feels forced and anxiety-inducing, limiting a reps ability to build genuine sales confidence. AI-driven simulations provide judgment-free, personalized feedback, helping managers improve skills without peer scrutiny.

Training 52

Training Sales Management Hiring Lead Rank 52

The Center for Sales Strategy

APRIL 19, 2021

As a sales manager, image how much better your life would be if you had access to the following: Better forecast accuracy. Improved sales performance. Both are easy to achieve when you have a healthy sales pipeline. These elements are important, and delivering one or the other is not an option these days.

Pipeline 146

Pipeline Forecasting Sales Management Sales 146

Partners in Excellence

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Recently, a reader wrote, asking a lot of questions about pipelines–what are they, why are they important, how do we leverage them, and so forth. For example, I know of very few sales training programs that teach pipeline concepts (we’ve been doing this for the past 30 years). So strap in… What is the pipeline?

Pipeline 133

Pipeline Ideal Customer Profile Sales Cycle Forecasting 133

Sales 2.0

SEPTEMBER 14, 2014

Startups are super exciting but they can turn a “rockstar sales person” into a “loser”. Most startups make their first sales through the founders. In fact when you boil it down they make their first sales through social selling. This is often when the founders call in a “sales professional”. Startup sales reality.

Scale 373

Scale Hiring Collateral Social Selling 373

Pipeliner

MARCH 12, 2025

In a recent expert interview, John Golden talked with Chris Jennings , a sales leadership expert with more than 25 years of sales and leadership experience. They discussed new sales training methods, the importance of authenticity in sales, and the changing role of sales managers.

Video 105

Video Training Lead Scoring Lead Rank 105

Vengreso

DECEMBER 20, 2024

Today more than ever sales managers encounter both unique challenges and remarkable opportunities. As technology continues to reshape the sales landscape, to learn how to be a good sales manager, one must adapt to new demands and expectations.

Sales Management 58

Sales Management Forecasting Face-to-face How To 58

Steven Rosen

JANUARY 13, 2024

In the Sales Leadership Awakening podcast, Steven Rosen and Colleen Stanley stress the lack of coaching and support for sales managers, underscoring the need for coaching for these managers. Evaluating sales managers’ success should exceed sales quotas and include turnover and team development metrics.

Sales Management 156

Sales Management Hiring Retention Coaching 156

The Center for Sales Strategy

JUNE 15, 2022

Having a robust sales pipeline may help the sales team, sales managers, and the C-suite sleep better at night. But if there’s little or slow movement of those deals through the pipeline, everyone will spend more time counting sheep than counting money. Only closed/won deals produce revenue.

Pipeline 125

Pipeline Sales Cycle Revenue Closing 125

Gong.io

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Visibility is everything in sales. If you can’t see where each deal is in your sales process and how long it’s been there, you’ll struggle to improve it. . That’s why building and managing a sales pipeline is so important. . It also makes it much easier for you, as a sales manager, to forecast revenue. .

Pipeline 118

Pipeline Ideal Customer Profile Top of Funnel Decision Maker 118

Zoominfo

JUNE 24, 2019

Today John Holland, Chief Content Officer of CustomerCentric Selling, helps us cover the other side of the coin—artificial intelligence within the sales process. The Problem with B2B Artificial Intelligence and Sales. Only a mere 13% of the modern sales force consists of ‘A Players’ – or reps who consistently exceed quota.

Forecasting 272

Forecasting B2B CRM Quota 272

Understanding the Sales Force

MAY 3, 2019

I coach a lot of sales managers and sales leaders and when I ask them what they want help with today, it's rarely a big opportunity, it's seldom coaching best practices, it's hardly ever targeted metrics for their team, and it's almost unheard of for them to request that I help them improve as sales managers, Oh no.

Coaching 312

Coaching Objections Follow-up Motivation 312

The Sales Readiness Blog

JUNE 19, 2023

Effectively managing the progression of opportunities and accurately predicting future sales performance is critical for success. Sales pipeline management and forecasting are essential practices that help sales teams achieve these objectives.

Sales Forecasts 111

Sales Forecasts Forecasting Pipeline Objections 111

Understanding the Sales Force

MAY 14, 2024

This is not an analogy about inflatable trampolines, but it is about the analogy between pumps and sales and for variety, it will be two separate stories instead of one culminating in pumping up sales. Last week the CEO reconnected with the sales team to check if everyone was selling properly. They weren’t.

Hiring 201

Hiring Penetration Pipeline Coaching 201

Hubspot Sales

JANUARY 10, 2024

As a sales manager, I’m sure you have pipeline meetings often. But, do you ever ask yourself, “How can pipeline meetings be a coaching opportunity?” Similarly, if a sales manager is only spending 30 minutes a month coaching each of their reps, it’s unreasonable to think that manager is going to improve rep performance.

Pipeline 116

Pipeline Opportunity Coaching Meeting 116