SalesForceXP: July-August 2010

The Pitch
Simple Solutions Often Hide In Plain Sight
These days, useful information comes at us from all angles. Often - and unfortunately - it's cleverly disguised. [324-word article]
Cover Story
10 Tips to be a Better Listener
Sales are made with your reps' ears, not their mouths. [245-word article]
4 Steps to Better Lead Qualification
Salespeople won't focus on "hot leads" if they can't first define what constitutes a qualified lead. [248-word article]
5 Ways To Unlock Others' Energy
Frances Hesselbein, the former CEO of the U.S. Girl Scouts, once said, "the leader's job is not to provide energy, but to release it from others." [192-word article]
From its direct and channel pricing strategy to its retail and online storefronts, Apple sells its products like no other company in the consumer electronics space. It never discounts through its direct channel, and it keeps reseller pricing stable. [295-word article]
Collaborative Trumps Consultative Among Effective Strategies
The top 5% of sales achievers have moved on from consultative selling to a more "collaborative" style, says sales management blogger Jonathan Farrington (thejfblogit.co.uk). [234-word article]
The modern workplace is structured completely wrong - it's optimized for interruptions, says Jason Fried, CEO of productivity app maker 37signals. [226-word article]
Figure Out What Business You're In?
Not knowing what business you're in is an easy mistake to make. Most film lovers think cinemas are in the movie business, but they're not. [142-word article]
Research by Gallup shows that 30% of sales teams can be significantly lacking in the required talents to be successful in your organization. [257-word article]
There's a reason that numbers are the universal language of business, says Bill Taylor, co-founder of Fast Company magazine. When used well, they tell a compelling story. [225-word article]
Partners Succeed Where Managers Fail
Partners in the workplace get more done, are more successful, and have a better time than singletons plugging along in isolation, say Rodd Wagner and Gale Muller, authors of the book Power of 2: How to Make the Most of Your Partnerships at Work and in Life. [229-word article]
Price Objection is a Battle of Wills
No one cuts your price except you, says sales trainer Tom Reilly (tomreillytraining.com). [114-word article]
Team Work Is Terrific - To a Point
We typically picture HR departments as fostering cooperation, but Andy Porter, a vice president of human resources and organizational development with Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, asks, "What's so wrong about good old competition?" [370-word article]
When there were old-school parking meters in New York, quarters were precious, blogs author Seth Godin. So Godin was curious when he was approached by a man one day who asked, "Do you have a dollar for four quarters?" He held out his hand with four quarters in it. [167-word article]
Closers
Sales management insights [521-word article]
On The Web
Bonus features found on the Web. [122-word article]
Top Performers - Incentives & Recognition
Incentive products from our advertisers [2031-word article]
What Works - Cruises
Keep Your Meetings From Capsizing
Consultants Josephine Kling and Stewart Chiron offer these tips for keeping meetings at sea on course and on budget: [210-word article]
Up a creek without a paddle is not where most managers want to be with their off-site meetings and events, but Josephine Kling says it can actually be a great situation to be in depending upon how you look at it. Kling, however, pictures something a bit more enticing than a creek as ideal for your next off-site: the Danube River in central Europe, for example, or the Rhone, or the Rhine. [737-word article]
What Works - Off Sites and Incentive Travel
Conversations Can Help You Move Forward
The best meetings essentially are conversations, and the best conversations are essential for moving processes, people and organizations forward. [163-word article]





