Until the Sun Shines Again
Stay close to your customers and do right by your sales reps
Building a Sales Culture of Respect and Fairness
Gender neutrality is trickier than expected
Disband the Sales “Boys Club”
Three ways to improve equality, parity and a level playing field.
Comedian Trevor Noah: How Humor Helps Us Lead in Times Like These
Award-winning comedian and The Daily Show host Trevor Noah released The Daily Social Distancing Show on YouTube March 15. The intent was to promote the idea of staying home (before...
Soledad O’Brien: Give People a Chance to Lead in a Crisis
In times of unprecedented crisis, like the one we are living in, there are opportunities for true leaders to rise to the occasion.
Sales Departments Seek to Protect Sellers’ Incentive Pay
Alexander Group’s COVID-19 Sales Comp/Quota Survey. Conducted during the week of March 23, 2020, the survey had responses from 203 sales departments representing 340,000 sellers in the US. Sales leaders...
Adjustments to Sales Quotas due To Market Disruption
The COVID-19 crisis is compelling sales leadership “to act” and to defend the variable pay of their sellers. The extent of this protective action depends on the expected length and...
Does Being On Commission Make You Untrustworthy?
I read a discussion between some wickedly smart people. One person took a position that one could not be a “Trusted Advisor,” and be on commission. He later extended the...
Why we need Role Clarity
Role clarity is important. People need to understand their jobs/roles–not just the activities they do, and their metrics/comp plan.
“I Don’t Have Time To Coach/Do Reviews!”
I sit with management teams discussing Sales Execution Discipline and the importance of a regular coaching and review cadence. Inevitably, during the discussion, one manager has the courage to say...
“The Right Commission Plan Will Fix Everything….”
It’s that time of year. Many senior sales execs are starting their planning for next fiscal year. Inevitably, the commission plan becomes part of the discussion. “Dave, if only we...
Sales Managers are Killing the Sales Organization!
It may be that time of year. or maybe I’m just more aware of it, but it seems that too many sales managers are focused on killing the sales organization....
What Makes a Learning Initiative World’Class?
Reflecting on the numerous client conversations I have had throughout my career, and the projects that have generated significant impact, I identified five specific differentiators that made some learning initiatives...
Rolling Out Sales Comp Plans
9 Steps for Rolling out Sales Compensation Plans
Sales Comp Trends
Sales compensation trends are dynamic and new ones arise each year. This year, there are seven that stand out, according to the 2019 Sales Compensation Trends Survey, which had input...
Measures for Success
Keep Your Sales Reps Honest with Specific Performance Standards
Why Is it so Hard to Get Sales Incentive Plans Right?
Sometimes the root causes of all-too-common problems are deceptively simple.