After a webinar I did in December with The TAS Group, I got an angry email from someone who attended. He wrote, “Instead of all the negatives how about offering some sales help for those of us that still have a job??” I understood his perspective right away. The messages I delivered during the webinar [...]
Filed under: Book Recommendation, Competition | 9 Comments »
I’ve been down with Swine Flu. First I thought it would just kind of breeze by… an H¾ N¾ kind-of-thing. But I did get the full rendition—H1N1 all the way. I’ve been in bed, taking care of minor things here and there, but can’t really focus my brain on a few challenging projects on my [...]
Filed under: Book Recommendation, Hiring, Sales Strategy | 4 Comments »
I thought I’d bring you up to speed on a few things going on. First, several new books on selling have recently been published: Smart Selling on the Phone and Online by Josiane Chriqui Feignon. Josiane gets it. I normally don’t endorse books like this, but because inside salespeople so often don’t have the skills, [...]
Filed under: Book Recommendation, Industry Analyst, Presentations, Research, Sales Training Companies | 3 Comments »
I was asked by my friend Charlie Green representing The Customer Collective to contribute to an e-book that was just published. I recommend that you download it, read it and use it. Selling Through A Slump: An Industry-by-Industry Playbook A Guide by Salespeople for Salespeople on How to Sell Your Way to Recovery Download this [...]
Filed under: Book Recommendation, Economy, Sales Strategy, Sales Tactics | No Comments »
ESR’s Sales Training Vendor Guide: Third Edition was published this morning. The Guide analyzes, compares, and contrasts 23 leading sales training providers across many areas including: Solutions Range Range of Target Companies Range of Target Audiences Range of Training Programs Adaptability Range of Instructional Aids & Tools Quality of Instructional Design Measurement Programs Post-training Reinforcement [...]
Filed under: Book Recommendation, Buyers, Methodology, Research, Sales 2.0, sales process, Sales Strategy, Sales Training Companies, Technology | No Comments »
Hey, I have a proposition for you. I had a really bad experience with Dearborn Trade Press (now Kaplan Financial Publishing) with my book, How Winners Sell, Second Edition. It’s no longer in print, although companies seem to be able to find copies somehow when I come in to present at their sales kick-offs and [...]
Filed under: Big Wins, Book Recommendation, Competition, Dave Stein, Sales Strategy | 6 Comments »
“Having hope,” writes Daniel Goleman in his study of emotional intelligence, “means that one will not give in to overwhelming anxiety, a defeatist attitude, or depression in the face of difficult challenges or setbacks.” Rick Page is right. Hope isn’t a strategy. Profound words. Hope doesn’t replace the comprehensive and objective assessment of a selling [...]
Filed under: Book Recommendation, Leadership, Sales Strategy | 5 Comments »
We’ve always listed empathy as a required trait for salespeople. In a Sales 101 application, empathy is the salesperson’s ability to understand the customer’s situation from the customer’s perspective. Nothing new here. Doris Kearns Goodwin, in her wonderful book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, provides us with another, very powerful reason [...]
Filed under: Book Recommendation, Sales Strategy | 4 Comments »
I’ve been very critical of sales tips during the past six months. My column in Sales and Marketing Management Magazine about it as well. The simple reason is that sales tips keep salespeople and their managers focused on tactics and shortcuts rather than investing the time and effort required for planning and executing a strategic [...]
Filed under: Book Recommendation, Buyers, Competition, Hiring, Professionalism, Relationships, Research | 3 Comments »
Last July I was honored to be sent a final draft of Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig’s revised and expanded edition of Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play. Mahan and Randy are key members of FranklinCovey’s sales performance practice. (Here is a podcast interview I did with Mahan.) What is immediately significant about this [...]
Filed under: Book Recommendation, Methodology, Opportunity Management, Professionalism, sales process, Sales Training Companies | 4 Comments »
Geoffrey James, former BNET Sales Machine blogger and now Inc. Magazine columnist, refers to me as "the world's top expert on sales training," a designation I'm proud to accept.
ESR publishes independent evaluations and comparisons of sales training companies and their programs and services. (Think Consumer Reports, JD Powers, or Gartner.)
We also coach CEOs of leading sales training firms as well as individual sales trainers on how to grow their businesses and be selected more often in opportunities where they meet customer requirements.
I'm proud that ESR is recognized as the leading authority on sales training programs and sales performance improvement.
For the past twenty years I've focused my career on the area of sales performance improvement, sales effectiveness and especially sales training.
Presently I write the regular sales training column for Sales and Marketing Management magazine.
I can be reached at
+1 (508) 313-9585 Ext 706
