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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 always seem to lift my spirits. With every green light, my confidence grows, a smile settles on my face, and the day begins to feel full of promise. When the Lights Turn Red Of course, there are days when the opposite happens. I get in the car and meet one red light...

07 July, 2026

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 characteristics they often shared. One important trait, however, did not make that list: while some top performers were highly coachable, many strongly resisted change. At one company, I first achieved success as a salesperson and later became Vice President of Sales. Our sales model assigned separate representatives to each product. As...

26 June, 2026

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 wheel. The company describes itself as “the world’s first autonomous ride-hailing service.” Waymo, owned by Alphabet (Google), has developed undeniably impressive technology. Watching these vehicles navigate busy city streets is fascinating. They obey traffic laws, maneuver smoothly through traffic, and appear to handle complex driving situations with remarkable precision. According to...

22 June, 2026

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 ceremony, the audience stood to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Seated in front of us was a Muslim family celebrating the graduation of a daughter. While most attendees stood, members of that family remained seated. Their lack of patriotism was apparent. During the ceremony, one graduate draped a Palestinian flag over...

22 June, 2026

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
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