Top Sales Articles - the best 10 sales articles every week

The 2017 Top Sales Articles & Posts

Below you will find the posts that were selected each month as our top post. These have now gone into the 2017 Top Sales & Marketing Awards contest.

We will commence in January selecting new posts each week.

 

January

Trish BertuzziThe Five Whys of Sales Development

Recently, I had a conversation with the CRO of an exciting SaaS startup. He had just built a sales development team and was frustrated with the results to date. Prior to his current role, he was Director of Sales for a well-established, big name company. Now at a startup, he faced no name recognition and ... by Trish Bertuzzi

February

Bill ButlerBlending the Old and New Schools of B2B Sales

Over the last few years within the B2B sales world, the notion that tech-powered new school strategies and techniques are here to conquer the old school has been getting a good deal of buzz. It’s this idea that we’re at a fork in the road and one of them dead-ends. But we believe that instead of ... by Bill Butler

March

Jay MitchellDive Inside the Mind of Your Buyer — and Discover a Solution to Serve Them

I see this issue often: A salesperson engages their buyer a couple times, getting a feel for their business and needs, and quickly responds by spewing a scripted pitch, focusing solely on landing a deal. They wonder, after their after their buyer passes on their ... by Jay Mitchell

April

Drew ZargesHow to Spot 'B' Players Masquerading as 'A' Players

‘A’ players generate 5x more revenue than ‘B’ players and 10x more than ‘C’ players. Validate your ‘A’ players to ensure you have what you think. Listed below are three examples of pseudo top-performers, and how to determine if your if your “A” Player is one... by Drew Zarges

May

Deb CalvertHow Getting Clarity on Your Sales Philosophy Will Boost Your Sales

At a sales conference last week, that's how a young, professional woman introduced herself to me. When I asked for clarification, she told me she was too honest, too loyal and "too much about people" to every really be a seller. When I told her she was the perfect fit for the ... by Deb Calvert

June

Tamara SchenkGetting Clarity on the Facets of Sales Force Enablement

Sales enablement is a fast growing discipline: In 2013 19% of our study participants reported having an enablement initiative or function . In 2016, 34% reported having an enablement initiative or function.. That’s an impressive growth Unfortunately  enablement success is not growing with ... by Tamara Schenk

July

Tony J. HughesQuestions Missed By Qualification Frameworks

Qualification is an important phase of opportunity management because pursuing business you cannot win wastes precious resources and damages morale and credibility. We all suffer from a shortage of time to sell rather than a shortage of prospects in the marketplace to sell to... by Tony Hughes

August

Dave KurlanHow Executives Fail to Understand the Reasons for Poor Sales and Revenue Performance

"That wasn't what I expected!"...You might say that after reading an awesome book, waiting for months and years in anticipation of the movie version, only to be extremely disappointed when the much hyped film failed to live up to what you remembered feeling when ... by Dave Kurlan

September

Mark HunterQuit Blaming What You Sell as the Reason for a Sales Slump

Salespeople are quick to call me to ask how they can be successful in sales when they’re stuck selling what they believe is something their customers don’t want. It’s time to stop blaming what you sell as the reason for your struggles...Not only is it time stop blaming what you sell, but it’s also time to ... by Mark Hunter

October

Colleen StanleyWhy Emotionally Intelligent Sales Teams Outperform the Competition

The value of emotional intelligence (EQ) in the sales profession is finally getting the recognition it deserves in helping sales teams achieve their revenue goals. Emotional intelligence has been taught and embraced in the executive leadership world for a long time; however, sales leaders have not ... by Colleen Stanley

November

Jason JordanIs Your Real Problem with Your Forecasts or Your Sales Team?

Sales forecasting is a hot topic. From allocating company resources to communicating expectations to investors, sales forecasts play a key role in maintaining a healthy enterprise. Over the past two years, in conversations with senior sales executives, most have expressed anxiety over their team’s ability to forecast accurately.  And in ... by Jason Jordan

December

Tiffani BovaMarketing’s New Role in Pursuit of Customer Experience Excellence

If business was a rowing team, exceptional customer experience would be the coxswain. Without one, you have no guidance for how to win in today’s marketplace, and your race is over. Customer experience is the principal regatta that companies are competing in, but the rules aren’t yet carved in ... by Tiffani Bova