In our first post on the Year-End Sales Push, we exposed why deals stall at year-end: the unquantified cost of delay. In this week’s post, we reveal the second truth most sellers never confront. Buyers don’t go dark because they’re disinterested. They go dark because they’re overwhelmed. December is the single most cognitively overloaded month […]
Every December, companies lose millions of dollars not because the market slows down, not because budgets dry up, and not because buyers “need more time.” Deals die because sellers push urgency when buyers desperately need clarity. Research from Gartner confirms that the #1 cause of stalled deals isn’t objection or price—it’s internal misalignment and buyer […]
Let’s assume you’ve read the other blogs in this series. You’ve realized your strategic plan is mostly budgeting in disguise. You’ve stopped rearranging your org chart like a game of corporate Rummikub. And you’ve come to terms with the fact that last year’s SKO was a PowerPoint-palooza with dry chicken and a team that remembered […]
It’s that time of year again: Flights are being booked. Ballrooms are being reserved. Executives are pretending they’re motivational speakers. Yes, it’s Sales Kickoff (SKO) planning season. SKOs should be the ignition point for the year’s go-to-market strategy. They should inspire, align, and sharpen execution. But too often, they deliver fatigue, confusion, and a branded […]
The connection between corporate strategy, sales strategy, and a Sales Kickoff (SKO) is both critical and often underleveraged. When aligned well, these three elements form a closed loop of strategic clarity, executional alignment, and frontline empowerment. When disconnected, they create confusion, misallocation of resources, and underperformance in the field. Let’s unpack the connection through a […]
There’s a strange ritual that happens in boardrooms every fall. Executives gather to review “next year’s plan,” and somewhere around slide 38, someone suggests that what the company really needs is… a new org structure. Cue the whiteboard marker. Circles. Boxes. Dotted lines. Innovation achieved! If you listen closely, you can hear Peter Drucker facepalming […]
Let’s just say it: most strategic planning processes are neither strategic nor particularly planned. They’re mostly budgeting exercises and wearing a strategy hat. They masquerade as thoughtful, future-focused sessions, but in practice, they resemble a mix of political theater, spreadsheet jockeying, and a PowerPoint rehash of last year with minor tweaks. Welcome to Q3 […]
Why Changing the Game Starts with Ditching the Couch Welcome to the paradox of sales transformation, where everyone agrees something needs to change… as long as it doesn’t make them too uncomfortable. Think of it like upgrading from your favorite, sagging couch to a standing desk. One promises better long-term health and performance. The other? […]
Hey there, fellow sales warriors! If you’ve been in the B2B sales game as long as I have, you know that getting time with busy buyers is no walk in the park. But fear not, because I’m here to share some tried-and-true strategies that will help you crack the code and score those coveted meetings. […]
In our previous posts, we explored the high-level struggles facing B2B sales teams, the frustrations of procurement, and the challenges of sales enablement. Now, let’s shift gears and take a look at what it’s like to navigate this world as a millennial entering the sales arena. Hey! So, you’re fresh out of the gate and […]