April marks the anniversary of my dad’s passing. I think often about the ways he influenced me over the years. He owned his own business and was in sales for most of his entire career. One of my favorite stories about him takes place early in his career when he was...
Many make personal resolutions to ring in the New Year. But have you considered making a professional resolution as well? Each year business leaders and upper management set annual goals that often include things like 'grow top-line revenue' or 'meet more prospects'...
Why spend the last two weeks of December cleaning your office when you could be filling next year’s pipeline with new business? Most business leaders and salespeople believe that trying to reach prospects at year-end is pointless and instead spend time getting...
If I had a dime for every business leader who says, “When we are in front of the right prospects we close sales most of the time, we just need to get in front of more prospects!” I would be a VERY wealthy woman. Why hold off making changes or trying something new that...
The perfect pipeline includes a consistent incoming flow of new prospect relationships with the exact right decision makers. Most business leaders and sellers say they can close sales most the time when they are in front of the right prospects. The problem is they...
Recently, an attendee on my Biz Dev Done Right webinar asked the following question: "Despite trying different direct messaging techniques including phone calls, emails, LinkedIn messages and warm introductions through employees of the target company, one decision...
The biggest sales challenge companies now face Most companies face a consistent challenge when it comes to sales. Those responsible for business development either don’t have the skills to get in with the right decision makers or their time is better spent on closing...
Next time you’re in a room full of business owners, try asking ten of them to define business development. Chances are, you’ll get ten different answers. Some might use the term interchangeably with “marketing,” while others think of business development as whatever...
Is the salesperson you rely on to meet your goals (perhaps it’s you!) maniacally methodical? After running a company for almost 20 years whose primary focus is to get our clients in the door with their important prospects (Door Opener® Service), that’s what we’ve...
Picture this: you’re meeting with your dream prospect. It’s the meeting which took months to land, the one which could lead you to make your challenging sales goals this year. As the conversation progresses and the prospect shares more about what he needs, you start...
This article is not about whether it’s important to have a playbook…it’s important. If you don’t have one, do your company a big favor and take the time to get it done. Rather, this article is about what is sometimes missing from playbooks which is crucial for getting...
It was a very busy Monday at Kopp Consulting. As I was going through each task on my checklist, I needed to call a potential client. But before I even picked up the phone, I prepared what I would say if I reached his voicemail instead of him. No matter how busy I am,...