I’m Presenting At The Sales 2.0 Conference In Boston. Join Me.

I’m delighted to be both presenting and participating in a panel discussion at the Sales 2.0 Conference in Boston on May 21st.
Using recent research from ESR’s Sales Training Vendor Guide, I’ll talk specifically about technology-enabled learning—how technology is changing learning and why today, effective sales learning requires technology.
I’ve not been shy in voicing my concerns [...]

You Won’t Believe What’s New In Sales Training!

For those of you who follow the ups and downs, ins and outs of the sales training industry, here is the latest, as of today, April 1, 2009:

Miller Heiman and furniture manufacturer Herman Miller have announced a merger.  The new business, to be called Herman Miller Heiman, will be offering a new, upgraded version of [...]

Miller Heiman. What A Brand!

When it comes to marketing, Miller Heiman leads the pack.  I recently spoke with Elizabeth Vanneste, their Chief Marketing Officer. Elizabeth brought Miller Heiman into four telecommunications companies where she had previously worked. She joined the Miller Heiman team last June as a sales VP and took over marketing three months ago.
Elizabeth shared with me that [...]

Social Media In B2B Sales: Is The Time Right?

There have been some interesting conversations taking place on The Customer Collective on the subject of the adoption of social media and the changes required in approach and skills for B2B salespeople.  If you’re interested in a little entertainment—snarking, social media-style—I would suggest looking at these two posts and more important the comment thread that [...]

ESR’s 2008 Sales Training Arena

Each year ESR publishes its annual Sales Training Vendor Guide.
The 2008 Guide, which was published last December, compares and contrasts 19 leading sales training providers across many different capabilities such as depth and breadth of offering, program effectiveness, educational design, available customization, post-program reinforcement, learning technology support and measurement.
Although the 2008 Guide came in at [...]

Embedded Sales Learning

Chris Hens, President and COO of White Springs, presented at the Richardson client forum last week.  The subject was in-context sales learning and reinforcement.
With a background in sales training, Chris has a deep understanding of the challenges companies face with respect to sales performance improvement.  White Springs has worked with Complex Sale, Holden, Huthwaite, Miller Heiman, ValuSelling [...]

An Open Message to Sales Trainers, Authors and Experts

To: Sales Trainers, Authors and Experts
If you haven’t been keeping up with the Bob Beck story this week, it’s worth learning about.  Here are four posts to get you started:

Hey! Stop Plagiarizing My Content! (This blog)
Noted Sales Guru Caught Plagiarizing? (Geoffrey James’s Sales Machine Blog — Thanks, Geoffrey)
Plagiarism, Concealment or Coincidence? The Case of Bob Beck (Charles Green’s TrustedAdvisor.com)
Plagiarism, Concealment or [...]

Innovation in Sales Training

Training Magazine recently published an article I wrote.  It’s about innovation in sales training. 
There are a couple of points in the article I’d like to comment on.  The first:
“Innovation has been slow to come to some of the larger training companies, as well. There are two major reasons for that. First, some of the companies [...]

Thinking Strategically

During a discussion with a CEO client Wednesday about his VP of sales, the subject of strategic thinking came up.  Here are some thoughts on that subject and a recommendation.
One of the many capabilities required for success in complex selling and most sales management positions is the ability to think and act strategically.  Too many people [...]

Miller Heiman Acquired by Sterling

Earlier this month Miller Heiman was acquired by Sterling Investment Partners of Westport, Connecticut.  From the press release: “The business was acquired from Leeds Equity Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, for an undisclosed price.”  (Disclosure:  Miller Heiman subscribes to ESR’s research.)
On Monday, I spoke with an enthusiastic Sam Reese, Miller Heiman’s CEO.  Sam [...]