Sales and marketing management is struggling. A study from CSO Insights has the hard evidence. They found that for the last six years, the percentage of salespeople meeting their quota is declining steadily. George Bronten, founder and CEO of Membrain, has an idea what’s causing the downward trend… and how to turn it around. Management […]
Sales teams, manufacturing plants… whole companies. Every part of every business needs effective leadership to thrive. But what makes for a good leader? Consultant and author Amir Ghannad explains how to become the type of leader that gets buy-in from employees… and inspires them to do their very best work. It’s a process that often […]
Operational excellence is Joseph Paris’s specialty. With his work at consultancy Xonitek he’s all about making companies more productive, efficient, and effective. We talk about the techniques and strategies he uses to give his clients a boost, including in the sales and marketing departments. Lean and Six Sigma can be part of that, says Joseph. […]
As a company grows, your approach to sales must change, says Dave Vranicar, founder of Redwell B2B. Even the type of sales leader you hire must change. We explore the different sales systems and methodologies you must implement in order to spur continued growth as you go from startup to well-established market leader. We talk […]
As believers in process improvement, we know the importance of the Voice of the Customer and the value of reliable data. In today’s conversation with Don Carli we discuss the difference between Voice of Market and Voice of Customer, and how they apply not just to products, but to engaging prospects before and during the […]
Many companies embrace the lean philosophy and seek business excellence. But best practices aren’t just something you can plug-and-play. And it’s not all about efficiency and cost-cutting for its own sake. Consultant and lean manufacturing expert Bill Waddell says before you do anything to your process, you have to look at how critical aspects of […]
Bill Blair, founder and CEO of Blair Business Solutions, helps his clients work through issues with leadership development, sales coaching, employee retention, and more. Every business has its own issues, of course. But, says Bill, there is definitely a common thread he almost always sees… a misconception about what an effective sales culture looks like. […]
The shift from the mass production of the 20th century to just-in-time to on-demand to lean has forced companies to radically change the way they operate – and not just in manufacturing, says Nick Katko. As a CFO of several companies, consultant, and now president and owner of industry leader BMA, Nick has seen first-hand […]
It’s typical for 20% of the salespeople in an organization to be responsible for 80% of production, says Josh Pitchford, a consultant with Sandler Training. It’s also common to not recognize what sets those superstars apart… it’s a mystery even to the salespeople themselves. Josh shares strategies for distilling what top performers do into a […]
Burr Oak Tool, a leading manufacturer in the HVAC industry, has long implemented lean practices in their operations. But when Tim Doot arrived as a corporate VP he made sure that philosophy carried into the sales department as well. By examining data from every part of the sales process, the Burr Oak team was able […]