Sure, We Train Employees (wink, wink)

By Kelly Riggs | Sales + Leadership

As a leader, you have absolutely no excuses; you either choose to train your employees or you don’t. But most don’t. In fact, the odds that your company is adequately training and developing people is somewhere near zero. The problem is that a failure to train your employees – really train them, not just hand them a manual, or expect them to get up to speed on their own – lies on the border somewhere between insanity and blatant stupidity. After all, don’t trained employees do better work? Don’t trained managers lead more effectively? Isn’t training a critical part of employee engagement?

Continue reading

The Arrogance of Experience

By Kelly Riggs | Sales + Leadership

All things being equal, when faced with a “very important” task, most companies will choose a person with successful experience to take it on. Whatever that task looks like – a big project, an important new customer, a critical product launch – most leaders will choose experience to get the job done. No question about it, experience counts. Until it gets arrogant. The arrogance of experience can be quite costly.

Continue reading

Today’s Short-Cut Culture and the Impact on Selling

By Kelly Riggs | Sales + Leadership

So, how many times do you hear salespeople say “selling is about relationships?” It’s absolutely true! Unless the sale is strictly transactional and highly commoditized, relationships are essential to success. Unfortunately, however, there are no short-cuts or “hacks” for building relationships, but that hasn’t stopped salespeople from trying to end-run the relationship side of selling.

Continue reading

Systemic Sales Failure – What is to Blame?

By Kelly Riggs | Sales + Leadership

According to one study, 43 percent of all salespeople fail to reach their revenue objectives. That is a systemic sales failure. In some industries, it’s even worse. Way worse. And every so-called “expert” can tell you the reason. But are they right?

Continue reading