Category Archives: Blog Posts

Sales As A Core Business Competency, Part 1: The Customer

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SIBP-3Creating a professional sales competency in your business is the single biggest success hack there is. I’ve seen firsthand the impact that a professionalized sales process can make. Not only can it make you a lot of money, it can also completely change how your company is seen by investors, competitors and potential customers.

It’s easy to tell when a business hasn’t developed its sales core competency. They give off the impression that they are just “winging it,” reinventing the process for every prospect and opportunity as they go. At best, this is in inefficient and wildly inconsistent way to generate sales. At worst, it can prevent real traction and turn off both prospective customers and investors, contributing to premature failure. Continue reading →

The 10 Core Elements of Sales Competency

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SIBP-1No matter what kind of company you build, sales should be a core business function. If there’s one mistake I see entrepreneurs consistently make, it’s giving the sales side of their companies the short end of the stick. As a result, the sales processes tend to be treated as afterthoughts, rather than top-level priorities.

That’s always struck me as a strange attitude for an entrepreneur to have. After all, the most important thing for any growing business is traction, and there’s no faster way to grow traction than having truly professionalized sales process. When a company is “winging it” with their sales process, it shows. It’s only when a business develops a truly professionalized sales competency that the bulk of investors start to pay attention.

The tricky part for many entrepreneurs is lack of experience with a truly competent sales process. Even those with a background in sales might not know how a professional sales process works at the higher levels. And even when you do know how it works, implementing it can be a challenge. Continue reading →

Top 10 Red Flag Sales Rep. Expressions

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Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jenny-pics/

Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jenny-pics/

By their very nature, salespeople tend to be optimists. They have to be. When you deal with daily rejection from prospects, the one thing that keeps you going is the idea that the next big sale is just around the corner. In that setting, having an optimistic outlook is invaluable.

That said, it’s all too easy for unchecked optimism to get the better of a well-meaning sales rep. As an entrepreneur, small business owner, or sales manager, it’s important to evaluate sales opportunities objectively, and to learn how to filter out the inherent optimism of a sales rep. This allows you to avoid countless headaches and uncertainties down the line. Continue reading →

Sales As a Core Business Process

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IMG_2523When it comes to organically growing a company, you can’t beat the value of a strong sales process. Strong sales isn’t just important for your bottom line, it’s also a powerful indicator of traction, which is absolutely vital for attracting investors.

The big question for many entrepreneurs is “Where do I start?” It’s one thing to know that sales is important, and to know that you need to build a strong sales process, but another thing entirely to know the steps for building one. Continue reading →

The Importance Of Traction

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Traction is where the rubber meets the road. Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevensnodgrass/

Traction is where the rubber meets the road. Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevensnodgrass/

What happens when your car doesn’t have traction? If you lose traction before you get moving, your wheels may spin, but you won’t be going anywhere. Worse than that is losing traction while you have momentum. If you lose traction on an icy road, for instance, you could easily crash.

The same basic principles of traction apply in business. When a startup is young and most vulnerable, gaining traction in the market is hugely important to making progress. For more established businesses, losing traction can all too easily result in disaster. Continue reading →

Aligning Short-Term Needs With Long-Term Goals

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IMG_2481When you’re an entrepreneur, you’re driven by passion. Creating a successful business is about more than having a great product or service idea. It’s about pouring your energy and time into accomplishing a big, audacious goal. In the process, your dream is going to regularly collide with the realities of life.

After all, we have to support ourselves. We have mortgages to pay, bills to take care of and groceries to buy. The challenge then becomes aligning those short-term needs with your long-term goals, allowing you to accomplish everything you’re looking to achieve. Continue reading →

How To Tear Down A Brick Wall

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Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/zunami/

Image credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/zunami/

As you build your startup from idea to functioning business, it’s inevitable that you will run headfirst into something that seems like a brick wall. Maybe it will be something external, like a thorny legal logistical issue or a backer suddenly getting cold feet. Or maybe it will be something internal, like exhaustion or a growing fear of failure.

I have some good news for you: Those brick-wall moments happen to every entrepreneur. They’re a normal part of the process. Success is often a matter of understanding how to tear those brick walls down so you can get back to building your business. Continue reading →

Breakthrough Business Models: An Introduction

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“How do I turn my product or service idea into a viable business?” As a business coach and entrepreneur, it’s one of the questions I’m asked most often. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, there are some very reliable methods and tools available to make the process of turning an idea into a business easier.

It’s a huge topic, a real elephant of a discussion, and over the next several articles I’ll be breaking it down into bite-sized pieces. I’ll introduce you to some of the ideas and techniques I’ve found to be the most effective for myself, my friends and my clients. Continue reading →