The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Long gone are the days of dancing babies and pop-ups to entice consumers to click on display ads or sponsored content online. Gone also are the days when savvy marketers counted clicks as the only measure of value in an online ad campaign.

The beginning of the year is excellent for reflecting on the year that passed us by (in a flash), and planning ahead for the year to come.

Before the holidays, I asked my colleagues what they read on a daily or weekly basis. Their answers were varied, and they were all excellent. We're a well-read bunch at The Center for Sales Strategy.

Here's what piqued our interest this week:

1. Seven Things Learned in Seven Years {From Brain Pickings}

This was lovely. Change your mind. Ignore extrinsic motivators. Be generous. Give credit. Be a celebrator, not a critic. When people tell you who they are, believe them. When people tell you who you are, ignore them. Don't worship at the altar of productivity. Remember, everything worthwhile takes a long time.

During the holiday season, most of you consumed more than your typical share of desserts and goodies. That reminds me of something I think about whenever I cut into my holiday pie or cake: 

Hiring the right person takes the perfect blend of art and science; you bring the art and we bring the science. Let me explain.

Many of us know people in our lives—whether at work, in our family, or among our circle of friends—who take their athletic pursuits pretty seriously. Whether they're amateur runners, swimmers, lifters, tennis players, or triathletes, they approach their workouts, their competitions, even their fun in a very methodical, purposeful, almost scientific way. They know it's the only way to grow and improve.

Surprisingly, many of these same people treat their chosen profession with a much less serious or methodical approach. They have much to learn—from themselves! In the brief slide show below, we share just five attributes successful salespeople have in common with successful athletes.  

Who should you be sharing this with?

Today is the first day of a new year. Time to put the successes and disappointments of last year behind you and focus on the year ahead. If you want to be sure you have a happy new year, challenge yourself to improve your performance in at least one area. But which area?

As 2014 comes to a close, we like to take a minute and reflect on the posts that resonated the most this year. Here's a year in review of our most popular posts regarding leadership. It's a great way to end 2014. See you next year!

Burn Your Ships: A History Lesson About How to Be a Great Leader

Those who know how to be a great leader understand what it means to burn their ships.

As 2014 comes to a close, we like to take a minute and reflect on the posts that resonated the most this year. Here's a year in review of our most popular posts regarding the sales process. 

Sales and Business Clichés We Should All Stop Using

When trying to uncover really important client needs, shouldn’t we at least spend a few minutes writing more creative, specific, meaningful questions that have not been used a ka-billion times?

As 2014 comes to a close, we like to take a minute and reflect on the posts that resonated the most this year. Here's a year in review of our most popular posts regarding salespeople. 

What Keeps Media Salespeople and Their Managers Awake at Night?

We fielded questionnaires in mid-2013 to approximately 2,600 salespeople and over 900 sales managers asking them "What Keeps Media Salespeople and Their Managers Awake at Night?". Download the report.

As 2014 comes to a close, we like to take a minute and reflect on the posts that resonated the most this year. Here's a year in review of our most popular posts regarding needs analysis. 

A Silver Bullet Needs Analysis Question

Having a solid needs analysis that uncovers your clients needs is important. Don't forget to ask the question - What else should we be talking about?