A full sales pipeline can make a CEO feel better, but it can also create a false sense of security. That is one of the most dangerous issues I see in small and midsize businesses. The pipeline report looks healthy. The CRM has plenty of opportunities. Salespeople are talking about deals that “should close.” The
Your Sales Pipeline Is Full. So Why Is Revenue Still Missing? Read More »
Your sales team may be busy, but that does not mean they are moving revenue forward. This is one of the biggest disconnects I see when working with small and midsize businesses. The CEO or business owner looks at the team and sees sales activity. Salespeople are making calls. Emails are going out. Proposals are
Sales Activity Is Not Sales Progress Read More »
AI in sales is getting a lot of attention, and for good reason. It can help salespeople research prospects faster. It can summarize calls. It can draft follow-up emails. It can help prepare for meetings. It can improve CRM notes. It can support lead scoring, call intelligence, workflow automation, content generation, and sales productivity. Those
AI Won’t Fix a Broken Sales Process Read More »
B2B buyer behavior has changed, and many small and midsize businesses have not adjusted fast enough. Today’s buyers are more informed than ever. They are more skeptical. They are doing more research before they talk to your salesperson. They are comparing options, checking reviews, asking peers, reading your website, using AI tools, looking at competitors,
B2B Buyer Behavior Has Changed. Has Your Sales Team? Read More »
What Small Businesses Can Learn About Sales Growth from the Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is called “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports,” but anyone who understands the race knows the outcome is not created in those two minutes. The real work happens long before the horses enter the starting gate. There is training,
Stop Setting Sales Goals. Start Building Sales Systems. Every year around this time, I watch the same movie play out with small and mid-sized businesses. The leadership team gets in a room, looks at last year’s revenue, adds a percentage on top, and calls it a “sales plan.” “Let’s grow 15% next year.”“Let’s double new
Stop Setting Sales Goals. Start Building Sales Systems. Read More »
If you want to know why so many SMB deals stall after “good” conversations, it usually comes down to one thing: nobody owns the next step. The prospect is interested, the salesperson feels optimistic, and the opportunity gets advanced. Then the deal just sits there while everyone waits for the buyer to magically reappear with
Sales Qualification Next Steps: Why Deals Stall When Nobody Owns the Process Read More »
If you are a CEO and you have ever looked at your pipeline and thought, “We should be fine,” only to watch the month close out light, this article is for you. In most small and midsize businesses, the problem is not effort. It is not motivation. It is not even lead flow, at least
Sales Qualification Mistakes That Inflate Your Pipeline and Kill Your Close Rate Read More »
If you have ever watched Groundhog Day, you know the punchline. Wake up. Same day. Same problems. Same mistakes. Until the character stops doing the same things and starts becoming someone better. That movie is funny. In sales management, it is expensive. A lot of sales teams are living the same quarter on repeat. Same
Most small and midsize businesses don’t have a sales process. They have a pattern. A routine. A handful of things that “usually work” when the right salesperson is involved. And that’s fine… until it isn’t. Because habits don’t scale. Habits don’t onboard new hires. Habits don’t forecast revenue. And habits definitely don’t create predictable growth
You Don’t Have a Sales Process. You Have a Habit. Read More »
