Jack Nicklaus has something to teach us all about getting better at selling. His childhood golf teacher was a man named Jack Grout.  One of the greatest lessons Grout gave Nicklaus was one that lasted a lifetime and is likely responsible for some of the greatest shots in golf and golf's greatest moments. It's the preshot routine. Before every shot - not some shots but every single one - Grout told Nicklaus to visualize the shot.  To paint a picture in his mind of the flight of the ball going toward its destination.  He told him to feel in his mind what the perfect swing feels like.  To feel the impact of the club head on the ball.  To feel even down to his feet the sensation ...Read More

I do a lot of sales funnel coaching with clients and one of the exercises we do is called a Funnel Audit. A Funnel Audit is fundamentally a review of a salesperson's funnel health that ends by creating a 30 day Goal and Action plan.  It helps the salesperson identify the priorities for the next 30 days, stay focused on those priorities, and plan to get them done. One of the common mistakes I see when coaching these Funnel Audits is the salesperson keeping opportunities on his funnel month after month even after there's no movement of the opportunity closer to a sale. I often suggest that they fire the opportunity. Firing the opportunity means taking it off the funnel.  Salespeo...Read More

Let me give you some tips on how to work your sales funnel at what I call the pre-funnel stage. Pre-funnel is simply your target accounts that you are consciously putting selling attention to.  Many of our clients call these Stage 0s. Don't skip over the importance of how you select these targets.  If you select them well then your selling time in trying to break in and find new Stage 1 leads will eventually be time well spent.  This is because carefully chosen targets are more likely to become wins for you and increase your win rate.  They should also be easier to work throughout the process. Start with existing customers that could buy other products and services from you.  You ...Read More

Relationship selling is dead.  Consultative selling is passe.  Salespeople need to be challengers. Am I the only one that thinks this is silly?  How about exploitative or misleading? I think it's fantastic that there's been an explosion of interest and material on selling the past several years.  It's helped inject new life and interest into sales as a profession.  Products like salesforce.com help put the spotlight on sales.  People like Gerhard Gschwandtner of Selling Power magazine and Howard Stevens of Chally and the Sales Education Foundation have been amazing promoters and influences. If you're committed to the journey to get better at selling or managing a sales team i...Read More