Planning for the New Year - Are You Set Up? Ken, are you crazy? I have not finished the fourth quarter yet! But as budget planning begins and business strategies begin to be set, it is your responsibility to be…
The Ultimate Sales Strategy During a recent new client strategy meeting and a session where I had a chance to interview their entire sales team I came away with a break through idea regarding their sales efforts. I think it…
If you are leading a sales organization or if you are a professional salesperson understanding that there is a price to be paid to achieve success must be clearly understood and accepted. Earn Your Success A good friend of mine…
You've heard Albert Einstein's famous definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Here's my corollary: Focus on new ideas and actions and expect better results. Sales Sanity Last year may have been…
A compensation plan that works. When it comes to how businesses pay their salespeople, there's no one-size-fits-all approach. That's especially true for Microsoft's diverse partner companies. Each has its own business model, margins and mix of products and services. Some…
Hiring good salespeople is one of most important tasks a manager faces. Few decisions are more essential to the success of your company than who represents your products and services. The time and money required for an organized recruitment process…
Salespeople have to be emotionally invested in their work with a burning desire to achieve. They must also believe that the company they represent is the best and the solutions or services they sell are of the highest quality. That…
“If you can find good people, they can always change the product/service. Nearly every mistake I’ve made has been in picking the wrong people, not the wrong idea. Most entrepreneurs have no problem coming up with a good strategy, but…
Potential employees usually fall into one of four types. Understand these and you can more effectively choose the right person for the job and for your company. You’ve got sales quotas, plans and deadlines. You can’t reach your sales goals…
Many Microsoft Partners rely on inconsistent interviewing techniques, tend to believe what they hear and wind up hiring an "empty suit." A Michigan State study found that more than 90 percent of all hiring decisions were made as the result…
Mental Side of Sales I read a quote once supposedly by Jack Nicklaus: “Golf is 80% above the shoulders.” And as a bogey golfer I have come to totally appreciate that comment and admittedly it is a problem for me. …
