Category Archives: Sales Management Articles

Many sales managers accept the 80-20 rule – that 20% of their reps make 80% of the sales – which I suppose is acceptable if the sales manager is consistently meeting targets, but it certainly is not a recipe for superior results. There are many downsides to allowing under-performers to exist on your sales team. Sales leaders

I answered the following question over on clarity.fm: What do (bootstrapped) startups offer to new sales hires? Commission only? Here I reiterate and expand upon my answer. Having spent the last 25 years launching my own companies and working with start-ups, I understand the pressure to hire sales people that can accelerate the acquisition of customers

From time to time all sales managers will have at least one rep who is under-performing and not demonstrating the right attitude. Considering the amount of time and money it takes to find and develop each rep, it serves to be patient with a slumping rep especially when they are demonstrating the right behaviors, but successful sales

Sales Managers are supposed to be kingmakers—their job is to inspire and guide sales superstars towards glory – and effective sales managers unlock the potential of their sales team, especially when rewards and retribution alone aren’t driving sales results. They boost their team’s confidence during sales slumps and rally them to work together in the pursuit

Pressure can be paralyzing for some and energizing for others. Just as top athletes experience butterflies before an important event, top sales people experience nerves before a big meeting or negotiation, but what separates the elite level talent from the rest is how they react. Stress is Linked to High Performance Author Dr John Eliot,