By now, you probably know all about BDU’s philosophy of “squeezing the lemon” to get the most from everything you do, but are you being comprehensive to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of “juice”? “Squeezing the lemon” is not just about being purposeful; it’s also about being thorough and doing everything you can do to cover all your bases. You wouldn’t go to the supermarket for just one grocery item at a time. Instead, you try to think of everything you’ll need, make a list before you go, and then shop purposefully so that you can get all your groceries in one shop. With every meetin ..read more

Sales leaders, how are you helping your direct reports hit their fourth quarter – and annual – numbers as we approach the end of the year? It’s time to motivate your team with incentives! It’s Time to Incentivize You already know that it’s better to motivate your direct reports with the carrot instead of the stick, and it is truly incredible how much creating incentives can have an impact on sales numbers. Recently, Lisa was thinking back on her days in sales at ADP and recalling how motivating it was to win the large contests they ran and achieve President’s Club status. Once she won these aw ..read more

Sales leaders, how often do you schedule one-on-one meetings with each of your direct reports? Are you making it a priority to have individual meetings with each of your salespeople on a regular basis? Lisa recently held a private leadership training for a group of sales managers and was surprised to hear that they don’t regularly meet one on one with their direct reports. Despite knowing the importance of holding these individual sessions to plan and develop each individual on their team, they mentioned that they simply don’t have the time to meet one on one with everyone weekly, monthly or e ..read more

There are six key metrics all sales managers need to monitor for each of their direct reports to determine if they are thriving, where any areas of opportunity might lie and how best to put a plan of action in place to help them not only meet but exceed their goals. If you’re a sales leader, you know that you have one job to do and one job only: help your direct reports maximize their performance and potential so they can be as successful as possible. However, do you know what to look at in order to measure their progress against their goals and determine the areas in need of improvement to fu ..read more

Selling without a sales playbook is akin to building a house without a blueprint. Are you setting your salespeople up for success by giving them the tools and roadmap necessary to get there? Every industry, company and individual has their own way of selling. Even the most well-established organizations will have different managers within who lead their teams in their own way, and each of the salespeople underneath them has their own unique approach to selling. Without consistency within a sales team or company, how can you ensure that your salespeople have all the tools necessary to succeed ..read more

You know about BDU’s philosophy of “squeezing the lemon“, and part of what makes this philosophy so impactful is the power of doing just one more activity, no matter how small, as it can lead to big results. Lisa recently had the pleasure of conducting a training session for one of BDU’s clients on “The Power of One More.” Why is this concept so important, and how does it relate to “squeezing the lemon” and getting the most out of everything you do? There really isn’t a huge difference between the average and the good salesperson, the good and the great, and the great and the sales superstar ..read more

Time is our most valuable resource so it’s important that we know how to make the most of it. You know about BDU’s philosophy of squeezing the lemon to maximize every opportunity and get the most “juice” out of everything you do, but what else can you do to make sure you’re being productive each and every day? We’ve created a handy infographic for you that outlines ten tips for time management to help you better plan out your activities, get organized and ultimately manage your time more wisely. Need more help managing your time and making the most out of your efforts? These BDU Blog posts ca ..read more

Everyone who is in sales has probably experienced the dreaded sales slump. Your numbers are down, you have no great leads in the pipeline, and you feel stagnant with your progress and efforts. What do you do when it hits? How do YOU get yourself out of a sales slump and back on track, and what do you do to avoid sales slumps in the first place? Lisa recently had the pleasure of speaking with a group of sales professionals at their monthly sales roundtable held at the Pyramid Club in Philadelphia, PA. While there are so many reasons one might face a sales slump, Lisa and the group discussed som ..read more

It can be challenging to figure out how to best handle a direct report who is just not performing well. Our first inclination as sales leaders may be to put more pressure on the underperformers. While you may have a few salespeople who perform better this way, adding pressure might end up doing more harm than good. Sometimes underperformers have already put so much pressure on their own shoulders to set meetings, close sales and hit their quotas that adding more can be stifling and ultimately debilitating. A Quick Story When Lisa was in sales in 1990 at ADP, she struggled with hitting her numb ..read more

Want your direct reports to buy in when setting key numbers and quotas for them? It’s all about steering the conversation and allowing them get involved in the process of determining their own goals. By doing so, they’ll ultimately be more willing and committed to achieving them. As sales leaders, we know the importance of having frequent conversations with our direct reports, especially when it comes to their numbers. There are plenty of key numbers to be discussed, from the number of prospects in their pipeline and how many new appointments they’ve set to how many proposals they have out and ..read more