Changing The Sales Game

"A bad habit appearing at many companies is to put reps in the unenviable position of trying to hit their quota by feverishly working through as many opportunities as they can. But this isn't necessarily the ideal solution. Data-driven sales teams are finding that it is usually more effective to spend more time on qualification earlier in a sales cycle in an effort to only deliver the best opportu...

"Let tech do all the heavy lifting. Let it do all the research. Let it even write all the emails. But right before you engage with the human, that's where you have to put that human factor in." – John Barrow. Unless you have been living under a rock, AI is everywhere.  So, how do we use AI effectively without watering down our brand and, more importantly, our reputation as a trusted provider?   Du...

"If people like you, they'll listen to you, but if they trust you, they'll do business with you." - Zig Ziglar . Trust is such an interesting and important word. We think we know what it means but don't always know how to earn it.  Becoming a trusted partner isn't about discounting the fees you charge; it's about the relationship you continue to build through the years. It takes effort, honesty, c...

"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." -  Zig Ziglar. I had a huge paper to write for one of my business classes in college. As part of my research, I read a Zig Ziglar book (yes, a real book, not online references), and my life was changed forever! His brilliant approach to business and life was all I needed to know I had chosen the right major: business.  It is funny h...

"When you say ROI, do you mean return on investment or risk of inaction?"  – Paul Gillin, I love this quote. Having been in sales for many decades, I know the importance of measuring ROI. However, many leaders try to measure ROI by managing their sales teams solely through numbers.  I believe using numbers as your only metric may be dangerous.  If we do not look at the behaviors that are driving t...

"The confidence you have going into the sales call will determine the level of profit you have coming out." -  Mark Hunter. Being in sales for many decades, I have had my share of prospecting wows. Sometimes, I didn't feel like prospecting. Getting motivated to make cold calls, follow-up COI calls, and warm prospect calls to meet my revenue goals has not always been easy.    During today's show, m...

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Wishing is not enough; we must do." – Johann Wolfgang. I love this quote because it is about taking action.   Everything was analog when I started my business, so there was no internet or social media.   Wow, how times have changed!     Looking back, the learning curve for using social media, email campaigns, and other digital resources was like learning a fo...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – Andrea Mignolo, "I want to do business with a company that treats e-mailing me as a privilege, not a transaction."   When COVID hit, and many business activities stopped, the one thing that continued was email campaigns.  Now that things are kind of back on track, are email campaigns still relevant?    This is an essential question for all types of bus...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – John D. Rockefeller, "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." Good is the enemy of great, yet sales leaders hire the wrong team members or hire correctly but don't provide long-term support.    I have more stories than I'd like to admit here where I've had the worst of the worst sales leaders throughout my corporate career. Hiring the...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – Nick Haase, "You only have so many hours in a day; let others make the money for you!"   I always felt like no one could deliver or duplicate my deliverables in my career and business.  Well, our working life teaches us differently.  This quote nails today's topic.  We can't do it alone, and if we do it right by building a high-performing team, man, th...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – Napoleon Hill,  "If you can't do great things, do small things in a great way."  Okay, I am a Napoleon Hill geek and love his quotes.  The one I've chosen for today's show is no different.    For the past 40 years, I have lived my personal and professional life working on or creating micro habits that I could learn, execute, master, build upon, and the...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – Bruce Lee, "Knowledge will give you power, but character respect." I love talking about sales.  Most of you have been following me for a while and know my motto for sales is selling through love, care, and respect.  Respect is probably my most important word to live and sell through!    We have one of the most important jobs in the world.  Serving and...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – Carlos Ghosn, "Every single time you make a merger, somebody is losing his identity.  And saying something different is just rubbish." I remember that in the '90s, banks underwent a huge metamorphosis of banks merging.  We called it "merger mania. "  Being part of the transition team for two different mergers, I found that with open communication, even...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – Brian Cornell "Technology is going to disrupt the future of work, perhaps sooner than we thought. We are exploring everything from AI to VR, but we see no substitute for our stores and employees. We focus on building talent and personal service."   Since starting my career in the 80s, I have learned to go from analog tracking to digital over four decad...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – Ryunosuke Satoro, "Individually, we are one drop.  Together, we are an ocean.'"   Recently, have you read any articles about new leadership skills needed to succeed?  Leadership skills like agility, empathy, respectful communication, listening to employees, and more.  As I reflect, leaders from around the globe are waking up to what true leadership sho...

Today James Clear and I are going to discuss his book  Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones .  We are going to break down how to actually change or form a habit that will stick.   Do you have any bad habits?  Come on, you know what I am talking about!  If we know what is considered a good versus a bad habit, why do we still have so many that often seem to be ou...

Connie's motivational quote is by - Harvey Mackay, "To me, job titles don't matter. Everyone is in sales. It's the only way we stay in business. I love this quote.  Whether your child is trying to sell you that a dog or cat is a must for your household, or you're trying to get an idea out to stakeholders in your organization or business, we are always selling!    How we do this varies, but at the...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – Lou Holtz, "Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it." As the new year fast approaches, many of us are either looking for a new sales position or need to hire quality sales professionals.   The cycle is never-ending for various reasons.  So how do we s...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – Alexa Von Tobel, "A good financial plan is a road map that shows us exactly how the choices we make today will affect our future." Being a Financial Advisor and Wealth Manager for over 18 years before starting my business helped me understand the importance of having a financial plan for my personal and professional lives. Without a plan, we allow life...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by - Matt Cutts, "SEO is like a resume, you polish it, so you have your best foot forward." As you can see from today's quote, our topic is SEO rankings.  I have asked my guest today to come back for a second time to discuss SEO since I am still working on leveraging SEO for my business because I still lack knowledge on this topic.    So, I am personally ex...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – @iSocailFanz, "You have to stop treating your social media like a billboard.  Turn one-way broadcasting into a two-way conversation.  NO ONE has ever had a relationship with a billboard."   YouTube: https://youtu.be/oInZCVGWfk8   Check Out These Highlights:    Since COVID, I have spent a lot more money and time on my social media and email campaigns to...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – Fergal Glynn, "A bad habit appearing at many companies is to put reps in the unenviable position of trying to hit their quota by feverishly working through as many opportunities as they can. But this isn't necessarily the ideal solution. Data-driven sales teams are finding that it is usually more effective to spend more time on qualification earlier in...

My motivational quote is by - Daniel Lubetzky, "Empathy is one of our greatest tools of business that is most underused."  OMG, when I found this quote, I knew it was the winner for today's topic. For the past 40 years, Empathy and understanding have been a core piece of how I developed my career and, for the past 22 years, my business.       Empathy isn't about being weak. On the contrary, it's w...

Connie's motivational quote for today is by – Napoleon Hill, "If you can't do great things, do small things in a great way." Okay, I am a Napoleon Hill geek and love his quotes.  The one I've chosen for today's show is no different.    For the past 40 years, I have lived my personal and professional life working on or creating micro habits that I could learn, execute, master, build upon, and then...

My motivational quote for today is by – Red Adair, "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur." You know that old saying, penny wise, dollar foolish?  I see it when organizations hire to fill a job and are not necessarily the perfect fit for long-term growth and employment. The revolving door is the circumstance we often find ourselves in. So, is there a be...