• How to Lose a Sale in 10 Easy Steps Les Lent         posted in: Sales/Marketing
    Losing a sale isn’t nearly as simple as one might think. If it was, everyone would be losing sales and I’m pretty sure that’s not the case. Here are the 10 most effective ways to ensure making no sales and a short career. 1. Don’t Prepare Let’s face it, doing homework is hard. Besides, the more time you save not preparing the more time you’ll...
  • Give Them What They Want Les Lent         posted in: Leadership
    There are five critical factors your sales professionals are looking for in their career. Ideally, the company provides them. As a Sales Manager you can certainly provide the first four! Respect: Top sales professionals want to be respected by their managers, their company and their peers. They make all the right moves to earn it. They lead the way in pr...
  • The Longest Time in a Sales Managers Life… Les Lent         posted in: Sales/Marketing
    It’s been said the longest time in a sales manager’s life is the time from when they first lose faith in someone until the day they do something about it. That “something” is often parting ways. This happens for many reasons; you hired the wrong person, you didn’t train them properly, there isn’t a clearly defined sales process, they weren’t a good fit, and so on. M...
  • Transparency & Candor (Sales Tip) Devin Hughes         posted in: Sales/Marketing
    Be prepared to have difficult conversations early in the sales process. You are probably wondering what that looks like per se. It is actually a simple thing. Let them know why you are there and what you hope to accomplish. It sounds rather obvious, I know. Trust me, many sales people refrain from doing this routinely. We assume the customer understands our intentions and objectives. In th...
  • Give your sales team a tune up Devin Hughes         posted in: Sales, Branding, Marketing
    Sales leaders have been discussing the sales process in depth for the past 20+ years. I have experienced first-hand every ...
  • 12 Most Undiscovered Ways to Be a Sales Ninja Devin Hughes         posted in: Sales, Branding, Marketing
    Selling anything is tough, but selling in this economy is especially brutal when you consider that to be successful your skill-set must include a bit of Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, Dr. Phil, Luke Skywalker and Conan the Barbarian in order to move things forward. Keep...
  • 12 ideas to keep you from committing brand suicide Devin Hughes         posted in: Sales, Branding, Marketing
    Thou shalt not covet specific customers.  Too many entrepreneurs are fixated on winning specific accounts that they become emotionally attached.   You pin all of your hopes, dreams, company and brand on that…one…special prospect. Here is a tip I learned the hard way: Don’t. Think instead about the overall quality of your sales funnel and your business plan.
  • Is selling an art or a science? Devin Hughes         posted in: Sales, Branding, Marketing
    If you spend a day with a highly accomplished sales person then you are probably going to hear that one of their primary drivers for success is cultivating relationships and closing deals.  It is a rather obvious point but there is certainly more to this story. You will hear them refer to their customers by such names as “Champion,” “Race Horse,” “My Boy,” “Big Dog” and a host ...
  • A lesson learned selling Girl Scout Cookies Devin Hughes         posted in: Sales/Marketing
    A few months ago, I had the good fortune of spending 3 hours with my eight-year-old daughter at the local mall.  This trip was different because our mission was to sell Girl Scout cookies. I have sold many things in my life but never Girl Scout cookies.  What happens before we arri...
  • 3 Reasons Why Thank You Cards Work Les Lent         posted in: Sales, Branding, Marketing
    I’ve recently been reminded, several times, just how important hand written thank you notes can be in the business world. As a rule when I work with sales professionals as a coach, business leaders as a consultant or when I meet someone new and start to build a relationship I send them a short hand written thank you card. Nothing extravagant. A brief  note thanking them for something sp...
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