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Sales Managers
Before you can hit a target, you need a target worth hitting
Happy New Year! Let’s make this year the best one yet.
This is the first note in a short series on goal setting. You might have already set your goals for the new year—in which case, congratulations. Or you might have started them but not completed them yet, which is great, too. Or maybe you can’t really finish your goals and targets until you get your individual contribution-to-the-team numbers…also good.
Wherever you are, you are here—which is the best place to be.
Before you can hit a targ…
Sales Managers: How to train your team to sell intangibles
Selling the Intangibles: Why This Is Where Sales Are Being Won (or Lost) Right Now
If you’re a sales manager, you don’t need another reminder that sales are harder right now.
Traffic is lighter.
Customers are more cautious.
Price pressure shows up earlier and more often.
And what I’m seeing everywhere is this: Salespeople can still sell the product — but they’re hesitating on the conversations that actually protect margin.
So let's talk about it!
I recently hosted a live session for sales ma…
BE Proactive: Create the Sales You Want
This is the third installment in our series on Being Proactive. If you missed the previous two, I encourage you to go back and read them — they set the foundation for everything we’ll talk about today.
If you are a salesperson in a showroom (retail or trade), or if you manage one, it’s likely that you rely heavily on incoming opportunities — traffic — for new business. That’s understandable.
It’s also understandable that you may consider your greatest competitors to be other showrooms offering…
Proactive or Reactive? Here’s the Difference
This is the first in our December series on Being Proactive. Before we talk about actions, habits, or outreach, it’s helpful to revisit a term that’s become so commonplace — maybe even overused — that we’ve lost some of its power.
Stephen R. Covey introduced “proactive” in Habit 1 of his landmark book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. He wrote that human beings are responsible for their own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. We can subordinate fee…
Reflections from November’s BE Series: Use Gratitude to Drive More Sales—Here’s How
Every month, I look forward to gathering for the Sales BE Series. These sessions always ground me, and our November conversation on gratitude did exactly that. What began as a seasonal topic quickly opened into a deeper discussion about presence, appreciation, team culture, and the small habits that shape our daily work.
I started by admitting that my own gratitude practice had slipped this year. I wasn’t as present or patient as usual, and I could feel it. At a friend’s suggestion, I picked up…
What’s the One Action That Builds Momentum?
Being Coachable: What ONE Action Can You Take Today to Start a New Habit?
For Sales Leaders Everywhere
This is the final post in our series on being coachable. Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored what lies at the very center of it all—who you are, what your goal means to you, and what you’re willing to do to achieve it. Good work!
This closing reflection is for both coaches and students. At its heart, coaching is about keeping the process simple and attainable.
Start Simple
At the begin…
Feedback or Criticism? How You Hear It Matters
Being Coachable: What Have You Been Resisting?
For Sales Leaders Everywhere
This is the fourth post in our series on what it takes to be coachable. In the last post, we looked at how ready you are to be coached and explored questions to help you identify where to look. Let’s continue that work. As you consider being coached toward a new level of achievement, ask yourself:
- Does coaching have to look or sound a certain way for me to accept it?
- Do I only want encouragement, or can I also hand…
Be Series 9-16-25 Being Coachable: Open Yourself to Feedback for Sustained Improvement
This month in the Sales BE Series, I focused on the powerful theme of being coachable—a mindset that accelerates both personal and professional growth. With sales managers, business owners, and entrepreneurs gathered, we explored how openness to feedback creates space for learning, growth, and long-term success.
What Does It Mean to Be Coachable?
I began by asking a simple but important question: Do you have a coach right now? Whether in business, wellness, or even learning a new skill, having…
The Hidden Gap Between You and Your Goal
Being Coachable: What Has Been Missing or in the Way of Your Achievement?
This is the third installment in our series on what it takes to be coachable. In the last post, we explored your history and present circumstances as they relate to achieving your goals and working with a coach. Now, let’s take it further. Ask yourself:
- How straight have I been with myself—about how I operate, how I respond to new situations, unfamiliar actions, and input from others?
- If I’ve tried this before, what s…
Real Progress Begins With This Question
Being Coachable: What Have You Already Tried?
This month’s theme is being coachable, and this week we’re focusing on one essential question: What have you already tried?
Working with a coach is a process—one that helps you explore areas that can be hard to face alone, or easy to ignore in favor of something more urgent, or something that gives a quicker emotional reward.
A coach will guide you through the layers of your situation, uncovering insights and information along the way. That proces…
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