One of the most common issues that needs to be overcome through a sales performance improvement initiative is the subjectivity with which many salespeople pursue business. If left to their own, many sales reps see what they want to see, hear what they want to hear, and, frankly, do what they want to do. This [...]
Filed under: Hiring, Research, sales training | 3 Comments »
We read a lot on the sales blogs and in articles about A, B, and C players. Those pieces have covered various methods, learning approaches, and tools for transforming C’s into B’s, and B’s into A players. We have a strong view at ESR about this subject. With the right approach, time, and support, you [...]
Filed under: coaching, Hiring, Leadership, Professionalism | No Comments »
A Conversation with Sales Training Industry Leader Dave Kurlan Part I: What’s In It for Me (and My Sales Organization)? If you’ve been following this blog or investing in ESR’s research, you know how important it is to have the right people in and managing the sales team as an absolute pre-requisite to any sales [...]
Filed under: Hiring | 1 Comment »
Mis-hiring isn’t the root of all sales ills, but it sure continues to run like hell for first place. At ESR we’re amazed here at how many companies we speak with have no formalized hiring process. No profiles. No pre-determined, structured interview questions. No training for interviewers. No simulations. No predictive assessment tools. No reference [...]
Filed under: Hiring | 4 Comments »
Yesterday I had the pleasure of hosting an sales expert round table hosted by Focus.com entitled, What Advanced Selling Capabilities are Required to Win Today? Focus.com came to me asking what topic I’d like to discuss. The list is always long, but it occurred to me that a discussion among five experts in advanced selling [...]
Filed under: Account Management, Big Wins, Channel Management, coaching, Hiring, Interview, Measurement, Methodology, Opportunity Management, Sales Strategy, Sales Training Companies, social media | 2 Comments »
Before you invest in any sales performance improvement initiative, make certain you understand the capabilities of every one of your salespeople. Improving sales effectiveness almost always requires behavioral change—on the part of the salespeople and their managers. For example, if your company (like many other companies) is transitioning from a product- to a solution-driven approach, [...]
Filed under: Hiring, Interview | 2 Comments »
The skills and traits for success in a sales management position overlap but are very different for success in a direct selling role. That means that if that salesrep, no matter how well they have performed, does not possess the specific skills and traits required for success in that management job, they are likely going to [...]
Filed under: Hiring, Leadership, Research | 10 Comments »
Recently sales consultant, trainer, and coach Richard Lane interviewed me for his podcast series. The subject of this edition is, “What makes the Perfect Salesperson?” I was primed for this interview, having taken teams of sales leaders and CEOs through discussions on this subject in Ireland during April. I told them that any time and [...]
Filed under: Hiring | 1 Comment »
A friend pointed me to an interview with Guy Kawasaki that was published in the New York Times this morning. Kawasaki makes some terrific points about hiring. Here’s one: Q. How do you hire? A. The most important thing is that you hire people who complement you and are better than you in specific areas. [...]
Filed under: Hiring | 5 Comments »
My blog and website stats during 2009 showed that interviews with sales thought leaders and experts were especially popular in both blog post and podcast formats. I’ve learned a lot from these interviews while providing an opportunity for the interviewees to get broader exposure. In the past, I’ve generally limited my interviews to CEOs and [...]
Filed under: Hiring, Interview, Sales Training Companies | 5 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
