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Sometimes, you only get one chance to get it right. Ask Minnesota Viking Blair Walsh. Or David Hasselhoff, who tried to parlay a successful career in Hollywood into a career as a singer. And then there are the marketers behind “New Coke.” They all found out how important it is to get it right when …

This blog is excellent in addressing the habits or “to dos’ that we do that kill one’s productivity. In sales the temptation is that if you are not answering emails, then you are not being customer focused. Unfortunately, that is not true. Emails start controlling you  and you lose focus, become inefficient, and decline in …

Sales and marketing programs have traditionally used the concept of a funnel to visualize the sales cycle. The wide top symbolizes the endless number of unqualified prospects who gradually thin out along the way, ending with the actual buyers (and ideally, repeat buyers) at the bottom of the funnel. Everything in between represents the steps …

How well do you know your customers? If your first response to this question is to begin spouting off sales facts and figures, the answer is, “Not well at all.” Purchasing data may tell you about a customer’s business and buying behavior, but it says nothing about who they are and what makes them tick. Don’t go out and …

You’re probably familiar with Proctor & Gamble, or P&G, as the company is known. It’s a multinational manufacturer of products that help people care for babies, wash dishes, brush their teeth, and simply smell better. Its brands include Bounty paper towels, Mr. Clean, Pepto-Bismol, and Old Spice, the purveyor of ubiquitous and strange advertising. P&G …

“If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” —Steve Jobs, co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of a little outfit named Apple. Jobs was nothing if not passionate about Apple and the products it produced. He was instrumental in starting the company …

Three… two… one… we’ve got a new product launch! Or do we? The truth is, most new products don’t succeed. According to the Marketing Research Association, only 40 percent of products developed ever make it to market. And of that 40 percent, only 60 percent generate revenue. The chances of a new product succeeding are …

Breaking through the sales growth barrier can be tricky for any business that is ready to grow. To prepare yourself for the growth of your business, you need to ensure that your sales team is fully trained in the sales process so that they are prepared to handle growth. The following are some of the …

Contests and competition. Clear and actionable goals. Pride. When it comes to your sales team, motivation can take on myriad forms. But nothing works as well as sales training that combines solid business principles with tangible tips designed to improve performance. Here’s a look at seven sales training tips to help you realize an uptick …

“Always be closing.” These are the “wise” words spoken by Alex Baldwin’s character in Glengarry Glen Ross, the movie about what happens when a sales training professional is sent to motivate four real estate professionals. The line has become ubiquitous in business, revered by young sales people and frequently repeated by people who don’t really …