I was recently introduced to a  potential client who was looking for someone to guide their team through a workshop on sales management. Here’s my belief about sales management – while there are certain best practices and overarching themes, most of the real value comes from understanding and properly utilizing systems and process; business practices that are specific to  each industry, company and product/service. Sales Leadership, however (and really leadership of any sort) is more ubiquitous. Leadership is about connecting the individual […]

Last week I wrote about how, as a leader, you will be having one on one conversations with your team members.  It’s a choice as to whether you have those conversations as a regular part of your week, or in reaction to disgruntled employees who demand your time.  Few would argue with the value of connecting proactively; extinguishing flames of discontent before they become a full, five alarm fire.  Yet so few of us do them.  I think the challenge is […]

Whether you like it or not, if you own a car, you’re going to have to take it to a garage.  The question is whether you’ll take it in for regularly scheduled maintenance… or have it towed in after it breaks down on the highway on your way to a meeting. Leading people is a lot like that.  If you manage people, those people need time with you and, one way or another, they’re going to get it.  They’re going […]

  Digitally cut the following out of the latest issue of Inc. (really cool tool, for the record): The stats were collected from HR departments and based on number of requests for the various incentives.  A couple really interesting things here, as far as I’m concerned:  Only 45% of men have “more money” as their primary motivator.  Which represents about 25% of the work world.  So for the other 75%, cash is nice but not necessarily your best way to retain […]