Posted on February 16th, 2009 by Dave Stein
Years ago I was based in Europe, opening up operations there for Datalogix International, an ERP software company. Datalogix “wound up” in Europe after selling a large deal to a Boston-based adhesives company, Bostik. Bostik came to us with a problem: the were being sold by their parent company, Black & Decker, and Bostik had [...]
Filed under: Buyers, On the Road, Professionalism, Relationships, Sales Strategy | 9 Comments »
Posted on February 9th, 2009 by Dave Stein
When it comes to marketing, Miller Heiman leads the pack. I recently spoke with Elizabeth Vanneste, their Chief Marketing Officer. Elizabeth brought Miller Heiman into four telecommunications companies where she had previously worked. She joined the Miller Heiman team last June as a sales VP and took over marketing three months ago. Elizabeth shared with me [...]
Filed under: Buyers, CRM, Economy, Marketing, Methodology, Opportunity Management, Relationships, sales training, Sales Training Companies, Technology | 3 Comments »
Posted on January 28th, 2009 by Dave Stein
There have been some interesting conversations taking place on The Customer Collective on the subject of the adoption of social media and the changes required in approach and skills for B2B salespeople. If you’re interested in a little entertainment—snarking, social media-style—I would suggest looking at these two posts and more important the comment thread that [...]
Filed under: Methodology, Professionalism, Relationships, Sales Strategy, Sales Training Companies | 21 Comments »
Posted on January 26th, 2009 by Dave Stein
Although I met Charlie Green a number of years ago when we were both presenting at a sales conference, I’ve only recently gotten to appreciate his perspective, his integrity and his intelligence. Rather than me tell you about him, I asked him some questions instead. Read, learn and enjoy. Dave Stein: You’ve created a fabulous [...]
Filed under: Leadership, Measurement, Methodology, Professionalism, Relationships, Sales Strategy | 7 Comments »
Posted on January 14th, 2009 by Dave Stein
What caught my eye about this story from the Houston Chronicle was the subtitle: Voluntary rules cut out free gifts sales reps use to influence physicians The story lead: “The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the major lobbying group for drug companies including Merck, Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb, enacted new rules governing how sales [...]
Filed under: Professionalism, Relationships, Research, Sales Tactics | 2 Comments »
Posted on January 7th, 2009 by Dave Stein
One of the top firms among the 26 sales performance improvement providers ESR covers is Performance Methods, Inc. (PMI). Founder and managing partner Steve Andersen is recognized as a thought-leader in the demanding and often misunderstood area of strategic account management. (Listen to Steve in an ESR/Podcast.) To understanding what a strategic account management methodology [...]
Filed under: Account Management, Big Wins, Buyers, coaching, Competition, CRM, Economy, Measurement, Methodology, Professionalism, Relationships, Sales 2.0, Sales Strategy, Sales Training Companies | No Comments »
Posted on January 6th, 2009 by Dave Stein
I’ve been using LinkedIn for years. Been writing about it and recommending it as well. I’ve introduced some out-of-work sales leaders to some of my contacts, did some informal research, got connected to old contacts. It’s a very useful tool for business. During this past holiday, I decided to spend some time on Facebook and [...]
Filed under: Relationships, Technology | 20 Comments »
Posted on January 5th, 2009 by Dave Stein
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 »
Posted on December 18th, 2008 by Dave Stein
One of ESR’s clients has been engaged with Brian Carroll’s InTouch, Inc. team for lead generation and nurturing. We sat in on a meeting with Brian’s team and the client the other day. I asked Brian for permission to share with you the Lead Gen Portfolio graphic he uses with his clients. Take a good [...]
Filed under: Marketing, Pipeline, Relationships | 3 Comments »
Posted on December 17th, 2008 by Dave Stein
I’ve heard the term “rolling disclosure” a few times on the political TV shows recently. So far as I can tell, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews was the first to use the term in 2001. Matthews: “He told us what he knew as soon as he knew it, not when it suited him. There was no ‘rolling [...]
Filed under: Competition, Economy, Professionalism, Relationships, Sales Strategy | 3 Comments »
