http://www.brooksgroup.com/blog 100% Sales Information, Conversation, & Observation Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:32:19 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en While the image of the disengaged employee was captured by the actor Ron Livingston in his portrayal of “Peter Gibbons” in the movie Office Space, spotting this hidden thief within your organization may not be quite that easy. Gallup recently found that almost 70% of all workers are ... http://www.brooksgroup.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/19/the-hidden-thief-within-disengaged-workers/ “Mad Men” is getting ready to kick off its fourth season on TV. It’s my favorite show partly because there are so many sales lessons packed into it. It’s about a 1960’s New York advertising agency and is an accurate depiction of the times (or so I’m told -- I ... http://www.brooksgroup.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/17/sales-training-and-mad-men/ “The only thing about change is that it changes things.” - Yogi Berra We’ve been hosting Sales Buzz Radio -- our free monthly internet radio show -- for a couple of years. We always get excited about the shows and this month’s (12:00 p.m. Eastern Time this Thursday, March 18) is no exception. ... http://www.brooksgroup.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/15/how-sales-managers-can-create-sales-behavior-change/ I’m just back from the Sales 2.0 Conference. I went with the hope that it would give me a clear idea of what “Sales 2.0” is. Unfortunately, it’s still too new. Conference organizer and Selling Power Magazine founder, Gerhard Gschwander, put it well when he said that, “Sales 2.0 is ... http://www.brooksgroup.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/11/is-sales-2-0-technology/ Lots of companies seem to struggle with job titles for their salespeople. For some reason, many seem leery of our favored, simple descriptor: "sales professional." In a few circles people go to even greater lengths to hide their real function behind an innocuous name (think "real estate agent.") So I ... http://www.brooksgroup.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/05/the-worlds-most-complete-list-of-job-titles-for-salespeople/ Next week, I’m heading to the Sales 2.0 Conference in San Francisco. I’m going because I desperately want to learn as much as possible about how technology is influencing (dramatically changing?) the sales role. I’m most interested in what technology will do to the relationships between salespeople and their ... http://www.brooksgroup.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/04/sales-2-0-conference/ Next week I have the honor and privilege of presenting and moderating at the Device & Diagnostic Sales Training Conference in Phoenix. I will meet and learn from top sales performers in the Medical Device industry. The theme of the conference, “Maximizing Sales Force Effectiveness in the Device and Diagnostic ... http://www.brooksgroup.com/blog/index.php/2010/02/03/medical-device-diagnostic-sales-training-and-development-conference/ In working with and coaching salespeople, particularly new ones, or untrained ones, I have noticed many stumbling with how to initiate sales calls. Whether “cold” or scheduled appointments, many have difficulty deciding how to open the sales call. Why not simply be honest and express your intentions? Your prospect/customer ... http://www.brooksgroup.com/blog/index.php/2010/01/21/opening-the-sale-because-youll-never-close-without-opening-well/ “When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people.”—Chinese Proverb With all the talk of New Year’s Resolutions, it’s easy to think about the future now. But, here at The Brooks Group, we try to always look ... http://www.brooksgroup.com/blog/index.php/2009/12/31/strategic-planning-for-a-successful-new-year-and-beyond/ Training, Training and more Training—The Real Secret to Success We’ve taken a strong look with some very revealing questions in a myriad of areas that determine the overall effectiveness of your sales efforts. However, the real driver of success to any team is the players on the team. Every ... http://www.brooksgroup.com/blog/index.php/2009/12/21/determine-the-effectiveness-of-your-sales-efforts-25-crucial-questions-you-should-be-asking-part-5-of-6/