The B2B appointment setting operating system
How B2B sales teams earn access to decision-makers—consistently Why most B2B appointment setting, cold outreach, and sales prospecting efforts fail Most B2B appointment setting fails for a reason that’s uncomfortable to admit: It’s not a skill problem.It’s not a motivation problem.And it’s rarely a volume problem. It’s a system problem. Table of Contents Sales teams […]
The top 10% business development separation doctrine
Most business development professionals believe the difference between average and elite performance is a combination of effort and talent. Work harder.Sharpen your skills.Refine your messaging.Improve your discipline.Get better at closing. That explanation sounds reasonable. And in part, it’s true. But it fails to explain something obvious. In almost every organization, you will find capable, intelligent, […]
The reverse 80/20 rule: Scale sales success and fix broken clock selling
The two sales nightmares: Why your sales pipeline may be a ticking bomb If you are a sales rep or a sales manager, you should be terrified of two things: failure, and success without knowing why. While failure is the obvious enemy, success without knowing why is a ticking time bomb. Failure is often just […]
Sales Pro vs Order Taker: The Best Close More in the Wavering Middle
“I close 90% of the qualified buyers I talk to.” When I hear a B2B salesperson say that, I don’t hear excellence. I hear a confession. I hear a rep who is skimming the cream off the top. I hear a rep who is only closing the “lay-ups,” the qualified leads who were already looking, […]
Salesy, Bigfoot, and one-call closes: 3 myths costing you deals
We tell ourselves stories to feel safe. In the wild, we tell stories about Bigfoot to make the woods feel magical. In sales, we tell ourselves stories to avoid the discomfort of rejection. We tell ourselves that we shouldn’t be “salesy” because we want to be liked. We tell ourselves that if we were just […]
The sales performance management shift: when slowing down accelerates revenue
When I started selling, speed was everything. I moved fast, and it worked. In the beginning, or when organizations are smaller and deals are transactional, hustle is an asset. It is a numbers game, and if you play it fast, you can win. But things change when companies get larger and projects become more complex. […]
Self publishing a book to get clients changed my life
I’ll never forget the moment that changed everything. I was sitting in a conference room, watching yet another consultant fly in for the day and fly out with a check for what I made in a month. No long-term responsibility. No bottom-line accountability. Just show up, talk, leave. Meanwhile, I was grinding it out across […]
The “First 30 Seconds” Autopsy: How to Craft the Best Cold Call Openers
It is a harsh reality of the sales profession: You can be the absolute best at what you do, represent a superior product, and have the ability to save a client millions—and yet, they will hang up on you in less than ten seconds. Why? Because you lost the battle before it even began. New […]
Fixed vs Growth Sales Mindset: Are You Sure Your Sales Goals Are “Too Hard”?
When it comes to what we can achieve, we love to put things in neat piles. Doable or Not Doable. Yes or No. In or Out. Good or Bad. But when it comes to our own goals, we have a third category: The “Too Hard” pile. We treat this pile like a “No.” We treat […]
Skip the Book (For Now): Your Quick-Start Publishing Strategy to Command Premium Fees
You’ve got the expertise. You deliver the professional service. But how do you really separate yourself from the herd of competitors clawing for attention? How do you stop competing on price and start commanding premium fees? For most experts, the idea of publishing immediately jumps to “writing a book.” And that’s where they stop. They […]