Join Focus

Connect with the world's leading business experts.

Get instant access to their expertise via world–class Q&A, Research, and Events.

Follow Following Unfollow

Sales

Ask a Question

Scott Albro answered this question

4 hours 2 minutes ago

Are your company's sales cycles growing longer or shorter? Why?

Our sales cycles are growing shorter due to a number of very intentional decisions:
1. We try to make the product that we sell more valuable every day. It sounds obvious, but a product that provides more value usually results in faster sales cycles.
2. ... more

Sales

Sales Cycle

Sales Management

Cale Helmer answered this question

6 hours 9 minutes ago

What are some of the best "cheesy" sales approaches you've seen in use?

What about over-endorsing your own product or puffing up your ego to feign confidence? Better yet, what about commenting on your own post to get the ball rolling? more

Mike Muhney answered this question at this roundtable

7 hours 48 minutes ago

20 Years of Selling—A Discussion of Truth [2/3 @ 11 am]

I've been hearing a lot about social selling lately- do you see this becoming a main practice for sales reps?

Hi Bryce. Yes, I do, but with some caution mixed in with a little bit of cynicism still. Mind you, I personally and my company greatly benefit, or can, from social media, so I am not against it by any stretch of the imagination. I ... more

Michael A Brown and 1 other person answered this question at this roundtable

8 hours 5 minutes ago

20 Years of Selling—A Discussion of Truth [2/3 @ 11 am]

What are some sales practices that were acceptable 20 years ago but should now be avoided at all costs?

Hi Nicholas! A glaring example: a string of closed-ended qualifying questions, usually driven by the data fields in a contact management or CRM system.
In 1996, I actually saw a 22-question (all closed-ended) call guide/script at a software company! It sounded like an interrogation rather ... more

Mari Anne Vanella answered this question at this roundtable

8 hours 50 minutes ago

20 Years of Selling—A Discussion of Truth [2/3 @ 11 am]

What skills are essential for success in sales today?

Hi Jay,
1. Get familiar with the research platforms out there, i.e, Data.com, InsideView. Hoovers, Google, LinkedIn, etc. Understand how to find information on your prospects--not just getting contact names but understanding the data you find. Just a few examples, is a large percentage of ... more

Steven Moody asked a question at this roundtable

10 hours 39 minutes ago

20 Years of Selling—A Discussion of Truth [2/3 @ 11 am]

With so many channels, what is the most effective method to reach B2B prospects today (phone, Focus, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)?

24 people recently signed up for this roundtable

10 hours 50 minutes ago

20 Years of Selling—A Discussion of Truth

Belldon Colme and 8 other people answered this question

12 hours 7 minutes ago

What does marketing need to understand about sales to align toward common goals?

Dave Brock is on the right track, though I want to take it a step further.
Marketing, Sales and Customer Service are separate functions within a company, perform separate tasks and carry separate accountability. But is that how it should be? They all, after all, ... more

Marketing

Sales

Goal Alignment

Management Best Practices

12 more topics

Andrew Rudin answered this question

12 hours 15 minutes ago

What kind of ROI have you seen for employing social selling in your sales department?

Hi Lauren: Sales executives bring up this question regularly. I think it reflects an overall trepidation about what social media can do, or has done. But there are two problems. First, the ROI equation doesn't consider two of the most important variables for financial decision ... more

Bob Gately and 9 other people answered this question at this roundtable

12 hours 24 minutes ago

Modern Sales Management: How the Best Sales Managers Thrive in Today’s New Environment [10/6 @ 11 am]

Why are only 50% of sales people making quota?

If hiring managers hire for competence and sales talent, their salespeople will be more successful than if they hired for competence alone.
1. How do you define talent?
2. How do you measure talent?
3. How do you know a candidate’s talent?
4. How do ... more

Belldon Colme and 9 other people answered this question

12 hours 29 minutes ago

What level of education do you look for or require when hiring new sales reps?

If I am hiring sales staff I have to look at this full circle.
My first consideration, be it right, wrong, fair or not, is the perspective of my buyer. For certain products my buyer will likely research, not just me, but also the rep ... more

Eric Wittlake and 2 other people answered this question at this roundtable

14 hours 8 minutes ago

Top Technology Marketers to Watch in 2012 [1/31 @ 1 pm]

Do social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter offer deep enough levels of engagement for B2B marketers?

Scott, I think the question is "deep enough for what?" Sites like Twitter and Facebook offer enough engagement to help make new connections and they can help keep in touch with potential prospects that are not really in the buying process yet.
Of course, this ... more

Cale Helmer and 1 other person answered this question

14 hours 33 minutes ago

What deals can you close without face-to-face negotiation?

Helen, it really depends on your industry. Having worked in the call center world for a number of years, I can assure you that I've seen multi-million dollar deals closed over the phone. As much as I'd like to think that it's a smiling face ... more

Sales

Inside Sales

Telesales

Cale Helmer and 4 other people answered this question

15 hours 22 minutes ago

What is the most effective way to secure a meeting with higher ups in a company?

Good morning Jake.
I'd like to go back and emphasize a point Matt made earlier in this string. In his 4th bullet; "Influence their direct reports", he mentions having them evangelize the idea for you. I wholeheartedly agree. It's critical that you establish brand champions ... more

Beth Avery and 4 other people answered this question at this roundtable

15 hours 22 minutes ago

Power of “Face-to-Face” in a Technology World [1/24 @ 11 am]

Do you eliminate candidates from positions that are not a match to their previous titles?

Deanna -
I don't think it makes sense to disqualify a job candidate on title alone. If you were clear in your job description in the job listing, and require that your candidates submit a cover letter with their resume, you should have a great ... more

Candyce Edelen and 7 other people answered this question

15 hours 57 minutes ago

Have you made a sale using social media? Tell us your success stories!

We write content for our blog, which we promote in several social channels including Twitter, LinkedIn, and on industry forums and knowledge communities. We've won several clients in part because they follow us in those channels. But in most cases, we also had some sort ... more

Olga Gabdulkhakova and 2 other people answered this question at this roundtable

17 hours 47 minutes ago

Getting the Most Out of Google+ For Your Business [1/12 @ 11 am]

What is the best example of a business using google + well?

Here's a list from Mashable of the Top 10 Brand Pages on Google+: http://mashable.com/2011/12/21/top-10-brand-pages-on-google-plus/. It features the most circled brands.

Matt Heinz and 7 other people answered this question

yesterday

What are the most meaningless sales metrics you have seen?

Yeah, I agree that number of dials is misleading at best. A couple teams I've worked with recently have converted that to measuring 10-minute calls. The rationale is that this more effectively combines dials and talk time into something that expects a 10-minute conversion goes ... more

Sales

Sales Management

Sales Metrics

Belldon Colme and 13 other people answered this question

yesterday

How do you reconcile problems when selling ethically and making goal are not in alignment?

Not sure I agree with you, Jacques. As a standalone statement this is myopic.
You said, "I repeat- in part: If you have to compromise your ethical standards it's probably because your sales skills are lacking."
Robert talked about the construction industry, for example. During ... more

Events

Round Two: Getting the Most Out of Google+ For Your Business Feb 7 @ 11 am PT
The Social CMO - Integrating the Efforts & Connecting the Dots Feb 8 @ 11 am PT
How to Sell B2B Products and Services via Paid Search Feb 9 @ 11 am PT
Social Media and Content Marketing For Business Q&A Feb 14 @ 11 am PT
The Rise of Pinterest in B2B Feb 15 @ 11 am PT

Top Contributors

more less

Craig Rosenberg

Points: 2523

Vice President, Sales and Ma... Follow Following Unfollow

Dave Brock

Points: 1966

President and CEO Follow Following Unfollow

Matt Heinz

Points: 1630

President Follow Following Unfollow

Chris Selland

Points: 1254

Chief Marketing Officer Follow Following Unfollow

Michael A Brown

Points: 1202

President Follow Following Unfollow

Lauren Harper

Points: 1125

Community Manager Follow Following Unfollow

Tamara Schenk

Points: 1122

VP Sales Enablement Follow Following Unfollow

Carlos Hidalgo

Points: 1077

CEO Follow Following Unfollow

Tibor Shanto

Points: 1051

Sales/Marketing Follow Following Unfollow

Trish Bertuzzi

Points: 1034

President Follow Following Unfollow

Scott Albro

Points: 1029

Founder, CEO Follow Following Unfollow

Brian Vellmure (@BrianVellmure)

Points: 970

Principal/Founder Follow Following Unfollow

Kevin Gaither

Points: 796

CEO and Founder Follow Following Unfollow

Michael Fox

Points: 783

CEO Follow Following Unfollow

Caty Kobe

Points: 741

Community Manager Follow Following Unfollow

Connect with the world's leading business experts.

Get instant access to their expertise via world–class Q&A, Research, and Events.

Sales

Recent Activity

Events

Top Contributors

Related Topics

Search for...

Connect with the world's leading business experts.

Get instant access to their expertise via world–class Q&A, Research, and Events.

Sales

Recent Activity

Events

Top Contributors

Related Topics

Log In

Not a member yet? Join Now

Join Now

Already a member? Login

Focus is free.

Focus is simple.

As Featured In