"The Navigator" News Blog
How Do I Sell to a Buyer Who Already Did the Research With AI?
The AI-researched buyer is a different animal than the Google-researched buyer. Don’t correct them first. The AI-researched buyer arrives with a conclusion and reasoning behind it, not a pile of links, and they’re proud of the … Continue reading How Do I Sell to a Buyer Who Already Did the Research With AI?
How Do I Coach a Veteran Rep Whose Style Isn’t Working With Younger Buyers?
The problem is usually the first five minutes of the call. So is the fix. Go on a ride-along and listen to the opening, because that’s where this problem lives. A veteran whose numbers are sliding … Continue reading How Do I Coach a Veteran Rep Whose Style Isn’t Working With Younger Buyers?
Can My Sales Team Still Sell to Today’s Younger Buyers?
Your buyers changed faster than your sales team did. If your team was built on personal-relationship-first selling, the answer is probably not yet, and it’s a style problem rather than an age problem. Forrester’s Buyers’ Journey … Continue reading Can My Sales Team Still Sell to Today’s Younger Buyers?
Who Should Manage My Sales Team When I Don’t Have a Sales Manager?
Four options. Your headcount decides which one is right, and it isn’t a close call. Start by counting salespeople. Three or fewer, and you should manage them yourself. Four to twelve, and you need a dedicated … Continue reading Who Should Manage My Sales Team When I Don’t Have a Sales Manager?
How Do I Prospect When I Already Have a Full Book of Business?
Your accounts will absorb every hour you give them. That’s the problem, and it’s also the opportunity. Treat prospecting as a standing appointment you keep with yourself, not as the thing you do when the week … Continue reading How Do I Prospect When I Already Have a Full Book of Business?
How Do I Get My Account Managers Prospecting Again?
They’re rusty, not incapable. The fix is time, a list, and inspection, in that order. Start by assuming your people can prospect and haven’t had to in years. Getting account managers prospecting again takes four things … Continue reading How Do I Get My Account Managers Prospecting Again?
Should My Company Diversify Into a New Product Line?
Diversification is not a strategy — and “we can make it” could be a trap If you own or run a B2B company — a dealer, a distributor, a manufacturer — and your core business is … Continue reading Should My Company Diversify Into a New Product Line?
The Word “Control” Is Overused and Obsolete
I got into it a little with a manufacturer’s rep at a conference recently. He was frustrated, and his complaint was one I’ve heard a hundred times. His dealers’ salespeople send pricing when a customer asks … Continue reading The Word “Control” Is Overused and Obsolete
“I’m a Consultative Salesperson” is the Most Claimed Title in Sales, and the Least Earned
Watch a salesperson who calls himself “consultative” run a discovery call. He’s got his questions. What are your goals this year. What’s your current setup. What’s your budget range. What’s your timeline for a decision. He … Continue reading “I’m a Consultative Salesperson” is the Most Claimed Title in Sales, and the Least Earned
LinkedIn Blew Up the Lunchroom. Everybody Noticed. Almost Nobody Understands.
Think of LinkedIn as a high school lunchroom. Under the old model, you picked your table. You invited people to sit with you, and those invitations were your connection requests. Others said, in effect, “I want … Continue reading LinkedIn Blew Up the Lunchroom. Everybody Noticed. Almost Nobody Understands.
