One tenth of a second, that’s just 100 milliseconds. According to research, it’s also how long it takes for someone to form their first impression of you. For what feels like decades, we’ve been taught that our first impression is the key moment that will absolutely make or break any relationship. But how is it […]

As a sales manager, you may be glad to put the days of handling rejection behind you. Let’s be frank: selling is a hard job. Getting hung up on, losing a deal, and being told no sucks. This is why having some empathy for your team is critical. “Salespeople are burning out faster than ever […]

Steve Jobs may have left us seven years ago, but even to this day, the mere mention of his name sparks a range of responses. One of the many things Jobs was known for was his mastery of persuasion. The Walter Isaacson biography of Steve Jobs discusses the “reality distortion field” that was Jobs’ ability […]

The house is dark inside and night has fallen. The babysitter is unfamiliar with the home she’s in, the kids have been put down to bed, and she is just passing time. Suddenly, the phone rings: Riiiiiiiing…. Riiiiiiiing… “Hello??” :heavy breathing: “Have you checked on the children?” Scenes like these from classic horror movies feel […]

When you meet new people, how do you connect with them quickly? Why are some people able to connect deeper, faster than others? Perhaps  shared interests, mutual activities, similar feelings do play a role, but social psychology says a more primal subconscious process is at play. For sales, this is a process that can be […]

The traditional definition of growth hacking involves doing more with less but still driving an increase in performance. In sales, we love to measure usage of a prospect’s name, keyword mentions, and even conversation length, however there are variables that can be exploited as “hacks” order to garner immediate returns. These include both verbal and […]

The most powerful tool a sales manager can have is data, but it is often their biggest liability. Quality sales data allows managers to accurately predict, forecast, and develop sales strategies to ensure reps are successful and meet their goals. The problem is the information is often not trustworthy because salespeople do not have the […]

In sales, the discovery phase involves smart questions and active listening skills. Any sales training will mention both. However, it is possible to ask questions and use sales listening skills without real empathy. Consider the data from a HubSpot Research study of B2B buyers and sellers: The #1 buyer expectation (69%) is a sales rep […]

There are many professions that review footage of themselves during practice or after competitions. Professional athletes review game footage, musicians listen to recordings of themselves, actors re-watch their reels, pilots check their simulations… the list goes on and on. As a sales rep, you should do the same thing every single time you lose a […]

Everyone in sales has likely made a discovery call at one time or another.  The discovery call is a crucial component of the sales process. It allows reps to qualify a prospect and gather information to be leveraged throughout the sales process in order to generate a win. However, not all discovery calls are created […]

Leaving voicemails is part of the sales process. It’s like every other essential sales activity that can be measured, analyzed, and improved. Depending on the size of the sales team, reps could be leaving thousands of voicemail messages every week. But thanks to features like voicemail drop, leaving these messages is no longer an arduous, […]

The Best Response Time Wins A recent experiment revealed that only 42% of B2B companies responded to leads within 5 days (yes, you read that right — days). What’s even more shocking is the fact that the other 58% never bothered to respond. Given the fact that B2B marketers are projected to spend over $4.6 […]