Canadian technology companies [...] read more »

In a week where another nail seems to have gone into the Nortel coffin (or at best a dismantling continues to progress), amid a set of less than impressive 3 ^rd quarter results and dismal news from local [...] read more »

There are a vast array of sales processes, methods and books on the market place.  There are also numerous evangelists and trainers ready to provide their sales expertise to organizations for a fee.  However, just because [...] read more »

Sales teams have a way of creating conflict and tension within an organization.  [...] read more »

If you read one of my earlier blogs about the Buying Cycle, you'll understand that I view there is a part of selling that is in the hands of the Buyer, and that's a hard thing to forecast [...] read more »

Having participated in the interviewing of hundreds, hiring of dozens, and firing of quite a few Sales people over the years, I've certainly seen my share of gems and bad apples.  In this blog I wanted to share a few of my experiences that may perhaps guide you on your next Sales hire.

I wrote in two earlier blogs [...] read more »

Compensation can be one of the hardest things to tune and get right in a Sales organization.  I've seen a wide variety [...] read more »

Last time I talked about 3 of the6 habits that I have observed in successful Salespeople.  They were being Highly Organized, being Pessimistic, and that they have a Win As a Team, Never Lose Alone Attitude.   Now for the other 3.

Maximize Customer Face Time

We always need to remember that successful Sales are driven by extensive and deep relationships with the customer.  [...] read more »

There has been much attention given over the years to Stephen Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People".  And certainly all of those things are applicable to Salespeople.  However over the years I have come to see patterns that lead me to believe there are 6 key ingredients to being successful in a Sales role - be it account management, inside sales, territory sales, technical pre-sales, or sales management.  I'll introduce what in my experience are the 6 Habits in two parts - here and in my next blog.  So here are the first 3 - these are not in any specific order nor is one prioritized over [...] read more »

Every startup or early stage company needs a lead customer to build market credibility.  We do a lot for that first customer - special pricing, preferential access within our organization, product customizations, free services,...  All in exchange for that golden first customer reference.

The questions that every product company needs to ask is where to draw the line with that lead customer, and are you really ready for them?

So let's start with the good stuff. [...] read more »