The Wolf, the Eagle, and the Sheep: What Does It Have to Do with Sales? In the 2001 movie Training Day, the lead character, Alonzo Harris, a Los Angeles police officer played by Denzel Washington, makes these memorable statements: “You got to decide whether you’re a wolf… or a sheep” “A wolf...
What Surprised Me Most About Sales I have been asked this question many times over the years, and it has never been easy to answer. After more than three decades in enterprise sales, sales leadership, and executive management, I have learned countless lessons. But because the question asks what surprised me...
I joined a large consumer goods market research company as Vice President of Client Services (Sales), replacing a highly respected executive who had led the sales organization for more than twenty-five years. He was understandably surprised that he was being replaced, but that is a story for another day. For more...
A Day of Green Lights Have you ever had one of those mornings when everything seems to go your way? You wake up refreshed, enjoy a good breakfast, and then drive to work—or wherever the day is taking you—without hitting a single red light. I have had those days, and they...
During my career, I have managed or worked with more than 1,000 sales pros, ranging from top performers to those who struggled to meet expectations. I studied high performers closely so I could better identify, hire, coach, and retain them. In my first book, Above Quota Performance,1 I described thirty...
Waymo and Autonomous Vehicles: Technology in Search of a Problem? We recently visited San Francisco and were amazed by the prevalence of Waymo autonomous vehicles throughout the downtown area. For those unfamiliar with them, Waymo operates self-driving robotaxis that transport passengers 24 hours a day without a human driver behind the...
Recently, my family attended a graduation ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of San Francisco. What I witnessed left a lasting and alarming impression—not because of the graduation itself, but because it reflected broader generational and political changes taking place throughout America. At the beginning of...
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...
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...
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...