My Marketing Course at Tufts is quickly winding down with the first of the exam days yesterday afternoon. For the last 13 weeks, six teams of five very talented students have labored, learned, questioned, and, most importantly, collaborated on very complex marketing projects given to them by six companies at the beginning of July.
Presentations were made to the senior management of three of the companies yesterday, and the same will happen next Wednesday with the last three companies. Basically, every piece of marketing content, strategy and tactic that was taught over the semester has been incorporated into these marketing plans complete with market and competitive research, primary inbound and outbound strategies and a host of carefully planned and budgeted tactical recommendations.
Lots of very hard work, a number of speed bumps and surprises, like the unplanned acquisition of one of the companies mid-semester, but overall, very successful both for the companies in that they've received marketing deliverables that would have cost them thousands, and for the students, who have been paid both in real world experience and in grades.
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sales,
sales management,
sales management coach,
selling,
improved sales management,
sales plans
First, no apologies about the term, "Sales Warriors" since some may not feel that it is not politically correct.
In fact, I did learn long ago that this wonderful profession of Sales is not about "doing battle". It's not about negotiation or manipulation or trying to outwit the person on the other side of the table. It's no longer about "good-old-boy" relationships
The true excitement about Sales today is the realization finally that the real job of all of us as sales warriors is not to do battle, but to deliver to our customers one simple word: "VALUE". And, the other equally important realization that if I cannot provide true and long-lasting VALUE to those new prospects and existing customers, then I'm going to ultimately totally fail in my job.
But, of course, warriors do not fail !
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sales,
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sales hiring
I was at a board meeting a few weeks ago as a new director for a well established public company. As I sat there at my first meeting thinking about boards, board roles, board interactions and a myriad of other director related stuff, I reflected on what I've learned over the years about being a director.
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Sales Optimization,
Sales Management Best Practices,
sales management,
sales effectiveness,
sales enablement,
selling skills,
Sales quota,
sales training,
sales listening
Here we are at the beginning of the last month of the quarter, and as managers and sales professionals, we're consistently reviewing ....
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sales productivity,
Sales Optimization,
Sales Best Practices,
Sales Management Best Practices,
sales and marketing best practices,
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sales management,
sales plan process,
sales effectiveness,
sales enablement,
sales planning,
sales management training,
sales management boot camp
Happy 2015!
And, with the coming of this new calendar year...of life, of Sales, of relationships, of exploring, and, most importantly, of learning, also comes the requirement to take a look around and assess where you personally are in your sales and marketing career. Part of this personal responsibility comes merely as a result of turning the page in the calendar and being able to broadly look out over the landscape of the next 12 months that are about to unfold...whether you're ready or not. Make a few resolutions if you must, but, most importantly, place a firm stake in the ground now, and take control of where you want be and what you want to have accomplished at this exact time in January, 2016.
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sales productivity,
Sales Optimization,
Sales Management Best Practices,
sales management,
sales effectiveness,
sales planning,
sales tools,
Sales quota,
sales training,
sales plans,
sales effictiveness
Ever been on the other side of the Team?
- Not included by the Cool Kids?
- Left out of the really important front-office activities?
- Relegated to "those people back in the factory"?
How did not being on the Team feel?
...Not so good , I expect.
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Sales Optimization,
Sales Best Practices,
sales and marketing best practices,
sales management,
sales effectiveness,
sales enablement,
sales management training,
sales training,
sales producitivity,
how to write a business plan,
improving sales productivity
Just about ready for winta'. As part of my never-ending "drive-1,000-miles-a-week" travel schedule, late Thursday night and Friday morning found me in the towns of Colchester and Williston, VT. I thank the inventor of GPS every single trip when I head off with absolutely no idea where I'm going other than... "It's north (or some other direction) somewhere." A Mobil station dinner and a Hampton Inn breakfast later, I found that the management team at the Colchester and Williston plants were truly engaging, have complex opportunities, and I'm looking forward to our two day planning session in December.
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Sales Best Practices,
sales management,
sales management coach,
sales effectiveness,
sales enablement,
sales management boot camp,
sales boot camps,
sales checklists