Author: Steve Blogs

The Counterfeit Epidemic in the Celebrity Autograph Market The autograph market is booming, with signed memorabilia from celebrities, athletes, and historical figures selling for extraordinary sums. But where demand and money surge, fraud follows—and the flood of counterfeit autographs has become impossible to ignore I have some familiarity with the autograph market from my years both as an investor in a sports memorabilia and baseball card store and as a longtime hobbyist collector. Based on that experience, I can say with confidence that the autograph industry is saturated with forgeries. Counterfeit signatures routinely appear in retail stores, at memorabilia shows, and across...

19 May, 2026

So, Who Exactly is the Key Decision Maker, aka Economic Buyer? While many use the term “key decision maker,” I prefer the term “economic buyer,” as popularized by sales trainers and authors Robert Miller and Stephen Heiman.1 There is always one person—or sometimes a small group—who fulfills this role for a given sales opportunity. They possess both influence and authority. They can approve a deal when others cannot, and just as easily veto a decision that others support. While they may not attend every meeting, they are typically present when a final recommendation or proposal is presented. In recent years, particularly in enterprise...

12 May, 2026

The Myth of “Anything’s Possible” Can an amateur golfer sink a 50-foot putt while blindfolded? Sure. It’s also possible to survive going over Niagara Falls—and a small number of people actually have.1 But in both cases, the keyword is possible, not probable. A professional golfer sinks a 50-foot putt only about 3 percent of the time.2 What do you think the odds are for an amateur to do it blindfolded? Slim to none. And that’s where sales is different. Sales Is Not a Game of Luck In enterprise sales, “anything’s possible” is not a strategy. Success is not random, and it certainly isn’t accidental. In my experience, sales...

06 May, 2026

We have all seen cartoons of a dog chasing the garbage truck down the street.  What happens when the truck stops and the dog catches it? Frequently, the dog is left uncertain, unsure of what to do next, and simply barks in confusion. A similar scenario often unfolds in enterprise sales. A sales pro invests significant effort in developing a lead into a qualified prospect. After persistently pursuing an in-person meeting, the contact finally agrees. At this pivotal moment, what should the sales pro do next? Once the contact confirms an in-person meeting, the sales pro’s role should transition from pursuit to purposeful...

20 April, 2026

Lessons From Bad Managers Over the course of my career, I’ve worked for more than a few poor managers—enough that choosing just one as the worst would be nearly impossible. Instead, I’ve narrowed it down to three who left the deepest impression. Ironically, I’ve also been fortunate to work for some truly exceptional leaders, whom I’ll write about separately. The contrast couldn’t be sharper: the best managers elevated my career, respected me as a person, and recognized my strengths. The three below did exactly the opposite. Richard I joined Richard’s petrochemical construction company as a Budget Manager after being referred by the Controller of...

13 April, 2026

Think about the last time you attended a meeting where a seller utilized PowerPoint slides to present their offerings. Did the presentation effectively persuade you to give more serious consideration to their company? Many have bored me to fight to stay awake. This is probably because the seller utilized the company’s PowerPoint deck. Stop Letting Your Sales Deck Sabotage You Most companies arm their sales teams with a standard PowerPoint deck—polished by marketing, visually appealing, and packed with content. On the surface, it looks impressive. In reality, it often works against you. What’s Typically in These Decks? A standard sales presentation usually includes: Title slide Presenter...

07 April, 2026

Reasonably accurate sales forecasting has been a persistent challenge in every sales organization I’ve encountered throughout my career. The question is simple: why can’t sales pros forecast their deals to close this month and next month with even 60% accuracy? On the surface, it should be straightforward. In reality, it is anything but. The data confirms this is not an isolated issue—it is systemic. According to Gartner CSO Insights (2020), only 45% of sales leaders are confident in their forecast accuracy.1 More recently, Forbes reported that 67% of sales operations leaders believe forecasting has become more difficult in just the past...

19 March, 2026

Why use the Player/Coach Model? This hybrid approach combines hands-on contribution (Player) with team management and mentorship (Coach). It is common in startups and agile organizations. The model offers leaders who both do the work and shape strategy.  It can be deployed in sales and non-sales positions. Rethinking the Player/Coach Model in Sales Leadership Late in my career, I held a role as a sales manager while also carrying an individual sales quota. Although I achieved considerable success in that position, it was also one of the most stressful periods of my professional life. Looking back, I am convinced that my team would...

19 March, 2026

Can a sales pro with little formal training—and only a limited understanding of the enterprise sales cycle—consistently exceed quota? Most sales leaders would probably say no. After all, today’s complex selling environments demand structured methodologies, disciplined qualification, and carefully managed sales processes. Yet during my career, I encountered a salesperson who seemed to defy that logic. I'm not talking about seasoned sales pros who, thanks to years of experience, have reached the point of unconscious competence—that is, selling comes as naturally to them as breathing. Experts often describe this as the highest stage of sales mastery, marking the progression from unconscious incompetence to...

12 March, 2026

Demonstrations Don’t Always Go as Planned—Here’s How to Recover Have you ever experienced a product demonstration going awry in front of a prospect? Perhaps the internet connection failed, a technical glitch appeared at the worst possible moment, or a critical feature didn’t perform as expected. Maybe some attendees struggled to join the video conference—or worse, you couldn’t access the platform at all, bringing the entire presentation to a halt. In today’s remote and hybrid selling environment—accelerated by the reliance on videoconferencing—these situations have become increasingly common. Unfortunately, when technology fails, the product you confidently described as “easy to use” can suddenly appear complicated...

27 February, 2026
Show more
Loading...