The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Succeeding in sales is all about developing the right habits. But not all habits are sales-generating.

The industry has changed a lot in recent decades, moving towards a consultative approach. Now, some once-hallowed practices will actively hinder your ability to connect with prospective customers and close deals.

If you’re still doing these things, you’re not offering real value to your customers. >>> READ MORE

The reality is not all salespeople are created equal (and neither are startups). Just because a rep has amazing sales numbers doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a good hire. What they had to do to achieve those numbers may be totally different than what they’ll have to do to be successful with you!

So how do you know which salesperson is the right hire for your business? >>> READ MORE

Sometimes when you generate leads via inbound marketing, you can get a lot of information about your prospects and leads when they fill out a lead capture form. It really depends, though, on what you're willing to ask. You can ask things like name, phone number, email, company name, industry, revenue, and more. There's a lot of different variables you can ask for.

The tricky part is, when you ask for too much information, you might limit the number of people that are willing to provide all of that to you. Consequently, this might limit the number of leads you could generate. >>> READ MORE

An empty sales funnel is a relatively straightforward (albeit not necessarily easy) problem to solve: enhance your prospecting efforts to produce more qualified leads.

A leaky sales funnel is another beast entirely. When we’re driving sufficient leads, but too few are reaching the finish line, the causes aren’t always obvious. This can lead to wasted prospecting efforts, seller frustration, and organizational discord. >>> READ MORE

Every time we think we've gotten a grip on the weird, wonderful world of sales, we learn something new that forces us to change our perspective and question our beliefs. Like just 17% of salespeople think they're pushy -- compared to 50% of prospects.

And along similar lines, only 3% of buyers trust reps. The only professions with less credibility include car sales, politics, and lobbying. Ouch. Luckily, not all sales-related data will bum you out. This list of sales statistics has invaluable nuggets of wisdom on everything from which words to avoid in your email subject line to the optimal number of questions to ask during a discovery call. >>> READ MORE

Deals aren’t qualified just the one time and then locked down as golden opportunities forever more; they need to be constantly tested and retested, with the goal of exiting (either one direction or the other) as soon as possible. 50+ sales leaders at companies like Dell, Workday, Oracle, and Cornerstone were interviewed, and based on what was learned, it’s clear the best sales teams practice proactive disqualification (DQ). >>> READ MORE

These days, there's a lot of talk about influencing sales through social media or "social selling." However, I firmly believe you must measure what's effective in order to be successful. This post looks at how a podcast I developed has helped our company significantly influence the sales pipeline. It also explores how social media fits into a true multi-channel approach. >>> READ MORE

Who's likelier to make a mistake: The rookie sales rep who's never sold a day in their life, or the veteran rep who's been on the front lines for nine years? The reality is, they're both going to screw up. Experienced salespeople simply make different mistakes. This post shares 5 big mistakes seasoned reps make -- along with the steps you can take to avoid them. >>> READ MORE

In the movie “Dirty Harry,” Clint Eastwood’s character asks one of his “bad guys” what has become an iconic question… “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”

Sadly, many salespeople feel like they’re facing off to Dirty Harry every time they have a Pipeline Review. He’s staring down at them while they squirm and sweat. This approach makes for a successful movie, but it’s important to remember: Your salespeople are not the bad guys, and you are not Dirty Harry. >>> READ MORE

Did you know that businesses that document their strategies receive a 538% greater chance of succeeding in their efforts? No, that wasn't a typo. When everyone in your organization understands how they should be performing, where their weaknesses and strengths are, and why the business is proceeding the way it is, it becomes easier for everyone to work as a cohesive team and to reach business goals... no matter what department you're in.

There are countless metrics that businesses can track, but over-reporting can create confusion and take away from the value of the statistics. Instead, businesses should pay close attention to the numbers that align best with their appointed goals. >>> READ MORE