When did, “just good enough,” become the standard for performance? Too many sellers and leaders seem to be going through the motions. They are putting in the hours, many measuring their success by the hours they work, rather than the results produced. Seeing inspirational or even driven performance has become a rarity. Mediocrity seems to […] The post Just Good Enough, The New Standard For Performance? appeared first on Partners in EXCELLENCE.| Partners in EXCELLENCE
Recently, I was having a conversation with a group of sellers about ICPs and qualification. During the conversation, we were trying to refine their targeting and qualification. They were relatively sophisticated, but something wasn’t quite working as effectively as they hoped. I introduced the idea of “Urgency Alignment.” I asked, are you and the customer […] The post Urgency Alignment appeared first on Partners in EXCELLENCE.| Partners in EXCELLENCE
Sometimes, I sound like a broken record (Hmmm, I need to update that metaphor). Selling isn’t about pitching solutions. It’s about helping customers understand and solve their problem. It’s about helping the customer develop and maintain change urgency. This shift drives higher levels of customer engagement, builds greater trust, and higher win rates. It reduces […]| Partners in EXCELLENCE
I was struck by a LinkedIn post with the opening line: “Microsoft just made QBR prep obsolete. And CSMs everywhere should be celebrating.” The rest of the article talked about how Microsoft has integrated AI into it’s products, eliminating all the work needed to prepare the charts for a QBR. And there is post after […] The post The Deck Was Never The Point! appeared first on Partners in EXCELLENCE.| Partners in EXCELLENCE
As I clean out my inbox, texts, social messages, I often ask myself the question, “Do they actually ever read what they are sending me? Do they care about how they are representing themselves? Are they establishing the impression they want?” Your inboxes probably look the same as mine. You are inundated with people who […] The post How You Sell To Me Shows How You Will Sell For Me… appeared first on Partners in EXCELLENCE.| Partners in EXCELLENCE
A colleague shared an observation from a CRO. The CRO had discovered the secret to his team’s competitive advantage. Drum roll…….. The secret to your competitive advantage has nothing to do with your products, your pricing, even your company and it’s reputation. The secret to your competitive advantage is “Mediocrity!” Not yours, but your competitors! […]| Partners in EXCELLENCE
In certain circles there seems to be a lot of preening around the concept of “AI Native.” When I start asking what that means, it’s difficult to get a definition. For some, it’s start-up companies bringing products to the market that are wholly AI based. And like many startup, there is a lot of bragging […]| Partners in EXCELLENCE
Let me run a thought experiment: “What would you do if your weren’t told what to do?” You know the goals you must achieve, let’s say quota-based, or similar revenue based attainment goals. If you are in a non-selling role, think about project goals/deadlines or other important goals. You have all sorts of resources to […] The post What Would You Do If You Weren’t Told What To Do? appeared first on Partners in EXCELLENCE.| Partners in EXCELLENCE
Leadership is not about personal heroics or individual brilliance. Unfortunately, our ideas of leaders are often influenced by heroics or people who seize the spotlight. Or our understanding of leadership is tied to a title or position of authority. Real leadership has nothing to do with any of these things. Leadership is about stimulating the […]| Partners in EXCELLENCE
I’m participating in an AI Conference where so much of the discussion is around agentic AI. A number of speakers have focused on the concept of “Real time AI coaching.” I’m also seeing a lot of this in many of the new AI selling platforms, it seems to be THE next thing in driving seller […] The post The “Miracle” Of Real Time AI Coaching appeared first on Partners in EXCELLENCE.| Partners in EXCELLENCE
My feeds are filled with the miracles and mysteries of prompt engineering. I’m attending an AI for Sales Conference, where the underlying theme is “we have to master prompt engineering.” I scratch my head, thinking, “What’s the fuss? I’ve been doing prompt engineering all my career. We just never called it that!” Not long ago, […]| Partners in EXCELLENCE
Our work in selling is tough. There are details to manage, conflicts to resolve, shifts in direction. Some of the work is tedious, even unpleasant. Much of it is exhausting. When the work gets tough, our natural reaction is avoidance. At the same time, we mask that avoidance with busyness and activity. We avoid the […]| Partners in EXCELLENCE
Paraphrasing my friend Hank Barnes, “Buyers don’t hate sellers, they hate bad selling!” Sellers struggle to reach and engage prospects and customers. Every outreach is ignored. Buyers actively seek other channels to learn about solutions and products, avoiding sellers as much as possible. When they do engage, it’s as late in their buying process as […]| Partners in EXCELLENCE
When was the last time when you stepped out from behind your screens and reports to actually talk to and engage the people doing the work? In the late 70’s Tome Peters and Bob Waterman started talking about the concept of Management By Walking Around . In was a cornerstone of In Search Of Excellence […]| Partners in EXCELLENCE
“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore…” Dorothy in the Wizard Of Oz Most of us experience those feelings of uncertainty today. Everything is changing, at rates we’ve never experienced. Complexity, ambiguity, overwhelm, uncertainty, and ambiguity dominate everything we and our customers do. It is in this complexity that sellers and leaders create […]| Partners in EXCELLENCE
There’s a lot of excitement from sellers about the power of AI tools like ChatGPT, we can inflict infinite amounts of content on unsuspecting prospects. We can meet and exceed Gartner’s projection of 66 touches per meeting with all sorts of sequences that can be generated in a few minutes. Sellers of all types are […]| Partners in EXCELLENCE
