Increase Your Virtual Selling Effectiveness

To say the last few years have been odd is a gross understatement. There are so many things happening domestically and globally that we haven’t seen before; we will spare you the exercise of naming them all. For us, the most relevant and pressing issues for our customers and prospects are the radical shift in buying that the Work from Home (WFH) environment has created and talk of economic headwinds.

So, what have you done about it? As a sales or commercial leader, you’re doing your best to keep your team focused. Sellers and other front-line employees in customer-facing roles (CFRs) (which include sales, marketing, technical specialists, product development, customer service, project managers, etc.) are working to get the attention of prospects and keep the momentum for deals that used to move through reasonably quickly.

The new buying behavior can be fragmented and frustrating for both buyers and sellers. And one of the conduits to it all is virtual selling which relies on your ability to navigate relevant technology platforms like Zoom, TEAMS, GoTo Meeting, Google Hangouts, etc. The word we have received from buyers and sellers is that it’s still a mixed bag of good and bad on how well the technology is being understood and used. The meetings that you’re conducting with your internal teams are often the same—some attendees are plugged in and ready, while others need to ramp up their participation and stop multitasking during calls.

Our Virtual Selling Effectiveness (VSE) workshop is designed to help improve the use of technology to connect in the scenarios described above, as well as others. There are several things that hosts and attendees can do before, during, and after the meetings to increase the overall effectiveness. How well you and your teams are able to manage this new (ab)normal is a large factor in your overall success.

The ability to embrace and utilize virtual communication is here to stay, regardless of when we are fully back in our offices huddling around water coolers again. Now’s your opportunity to take the time to make sure you and your team get this right.

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Weathering the Storm: Sales Coaching Where It Matters Most

On a recent flight in a small propeller plane during a Costa Rican thunderstorm, I was reminded of the importance of training. The pilots faced torrential rain, zero visibility, and lightning. They didn’t stop to pull out a manual on “what to do when a storm pops up from nowhere.” Surrounded by red on the radar screen, they relied on their preparation, instincts, and practice to adjust in real time.

How well can your sellers navigate their own storms? Difficult buyers and complex situations will always “pop up,” and in those moments, your team won’t have time to flip through a playbook. They’ll rely on the skills built through training, practice, and time with a qualified Coach. Below are recommendations we help you put in place to make sure they’re ready.

Establishing the right environment for coaching is as important as the actual coaching exercise. In my early sales career, some of the best information I received from my sales managers came after hours in ad hoc conversations on how to best position an opportunity or attack the competition, which helped me establish winning behaviors and habits.

Sales Manager Responsibilities

Sales managers have many responsibilities. Although the buyer/seller engagement gets most of the attention, the second most important relationship is between the seller and his or her manager. Do the sales management behaviors you have in place put you in the back or front position in line? Are you proactively leading from the front of the line, or trying to push your team from the back?  Which position would be the most advantageous for you and your team?

In many organizations, sales managers take pride in the fact that they are “behind” their team.  They take pride in being available whenever they are needed to come in and close a deal, discuss what went wrong after a loss, and check-in on progress throughout the sales cycle. These are examples of pushing from the back of the line. However, being at the front of the line is much more beneficial to both managers and their direct reports. How do you ensure you’re leading from the front of the line? Consider these four must-dos:

1. Manage Expectations – This concept is the polar opposite of figuring out what went wrong after losing a sale. Clearly defined sales process expectations are valuable in winning a sale. Ken Blanchard, author of the “One Minute Manager” makes the following statement: “As a manager, I’ve found that people are amazingly good at meeting my expectations, but only when they understand exactly what those expectations are.” If you set clear expectations for your team at every stage of the sales cycle, they are more likely to plan ahead to achieve a more productive sales engagement, increasing the probability of a win.

2. Review and Plan – This is where accountability comes in. A verbal summary of a conversation between a sales representative and a prospect is only subjective without customer validation. Require a consistent follow up to each sales call which includes a brief written summary of the conversations and clear agreed upon “next steps.” Schedule weekly performance assessments with each member of your team to encourage skill attainment and to address skill deficits.

3.  Coach and Confirm – Once skill deficits are uncovered, use the following tips for leading a coaching session:

  • Be honest, open, respectful
  • Give feedback in private (praise in public)
  • Review expectations
  • Be specific about deficit components
  • Ask for their perspective on deficit and possible causes
  • Ask for their ideas for skill fulfillment
  • Be prepared with some suggestions
  • Determine clear next steps and follow-up

4. Reinforce – Make sure your selling behavior is something worth emulating for all of those in line behind you. Remember the child’s game of “Follow-the-Leader”?  Management behavior will reinforce habits that are good or bad. As you lead, they will follow.

Get behind your sales team by doing an “about-face” and leading from the front of the line. Manage expectations, review and plan, coach and confirm, and then reinforce.

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On The Road Again: Costa Rica

Every professional role requires initial and ongoing training. Doctors and lawyers have to renew their licenses annually. I am certainly glad the pilots we had were trained. How prepared are your sellers for buying gauntlets? Click on the video to hear more.

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Travel Builds Character: The Spence Connection

Travel has always been a core part of my life. The excitement, mystery, hassle, fun, and occasional confusion it brings fuels my creativity, propels me toward the next destination, and makes returning to my home in San Diego even more special.

As one of my favorite storyteller, writer, and chef Anthony Bourdain once said:

“Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown.”

My friend John Spence knows this feeling well. With more than 30 years in the travel industry, John and his wife, Emma, have crafted experiences for travelers across the globe. Over the past decade, they built their own successful agency, sold it to a larger firm, spent several years within that organization, and then took a well-earned sabbatical. They went traveling, of course.

Now, they’re back and have launched The Spence Connection (TSC). Their approach is simple but powerful: assemble the very best talent, resources, and experiences from across the industry to create a cohesive, custom travel plan for each client. Because they’re not bound to a single company’s offerings, they have the flexibility to hand-pick the right experts and services for your exact itinerary.

To get a feel for the kind of travelers they serve, I recommend reading John’s recent article:
The Power of Planning Your Five-Year Travel Plan

If these services spark your interest, let me know. I’m working with John to create travel memories for my family and for the customers we serve in our core business.

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Tips For Sales Coaching On The Front Line

August 12, 2025

Establishing the right environment for coaching is as important as the actual coaching exercise. In my early sales career, some of the best information I received from my sales managers came after hours in ad hoc conversations on how to best position an opportunity or attack the competition, which helped me establish winning behaviors and habits.

Sales Manager Responsibilities

Sales managers have many responsibilities. Although the buyer/seller engagement gets most of the attention, the second most important relationship is between the seller and his or her manager. Do the sales management behaviors you have in place put you in the back or front position in line? Are you proactively leading from the front of the line, or trying to push your team from the back?  Which position would be the most advantageous for you and your team?

In many organizations, sales managers take pride in the fact that they are “behind” their team.  They take pride in being available whenever they are needed to come in and close a deal, discuss what went wrong after a loss, and check-in on progress throughout the sales cycle. These are examples of pushing from the back of the line. However, being at the front of the line is much more beneficial to both managers and their direct reports. How do you ensure you’re leading from the front of the line? Consider these four must-dos:

1. Manage Expectations – This concept is the polar opposite of figuring out what went wrong after losing a sale. Clearly defined sales process expectations are valuable in winning a sale. Ken Blanchard, author of the “One Minute Manager” makes the following statement: “As a manager, I’ve found that people are amazingly good at meeting my expectations, but only when they understand exactly what those expectations are.” If you set clear expectations for your team at every stage of the sales cycle, they are more likely to plan ahead to achieve a more productive sales engagement, increasing the probability of a win.

2. Review and Plan – This is where accountability comes in. A verbal summary of a conversation between a sales representative and a prospect is only subjective without customer validation. Require a consistent follow up to each sales call which includes a brief written summary of the conversations and clear agreed upon “next steps.” Schedule weekly performance assessments with each member of your team to encourage skill attainment and to address skill deficits.

3.  Coach and Confirm – Once skill deficits are uncovered, use the following tips for leading a coaching session:

  • Be honest, open, respectful
  • Give feedback in private (praise in public)
  • Review expectations
  • Be specific about deficit components
  • Ask for their perspective on deficit and possible causes
  • Ask for their ideas for skill fulfillment
  • Be prepared with some suggestions
  • Determine clear next steps and follow-up

4. Reinforce – Make sure your selling behavior is something worth emulating for all of those in line behind you. Remember the child’s game of “Follow-the-Leader”?  Management behavior will reinforce habits that are good or bad. As you lead, they will follow. 

Get behind your sales team by doing an “about-face” and leading from the front of the line. Manage expectations, review and plan, coach and confirm, and then reinforce. 

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How Skills Development Fills Your Sales Pipeline

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Many sales executives are laser focused on filling their pipelines for the year. Successful sales leaders know that a pipeline filled with qualified opportunities is essential to building sustained and repeatable revenue results, which is ultimately the fuel that drives organizational success. 

But the path to get to a healthy pipeline is not necessarily well understood and includes a number of variables, including the talent of the sales reps, market shifts, government regulations, and the competitive landscape. Despite these factors, there is one element that remains constant – selling skills. In order to have sales reps who successfully fill the pipeline with qualified opportunities, they must know how to identify, qualify, develop opportunities. 

Most sales managers are well versed in deal coaching. This means they know how to help their reps assemble the right mix of product and pricing to meet a customer’s requirements. While this is important, it does not address the fundamental need to understand how well the rep has qualified the opportunity, identified key players, and aligned your product/service offerings to meet the prospect’s business objectives. Each of these three steps requires specific skills, and managers who help their reps improve these skills are ones that will see the biggest impact to their overall sales pipelines and year-end results. 

Want to understand what prevents your sales managers from prioritizing skills coaching? Check this article out. And Look here for tips on successful skills coaching strategies.  

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What Buyers Really Want: A Conversation with Renato Beninatto 

Renato Beninatto and I have been having conversations for 25 years. The first was in Los Angeles in 2000, when he hired me to lead the North American sales team at Berlitz GlobalNET. The most recent? A conversation we recorded last week for this podcast, What Buyers Really Want.

Between those two milestones, we’ve had dozens of conversations across 11 countries, in dialogues with over 250 attendees at sales process workshops, and during more than a few memorable meals. One of the most special? Sharing dinner with our wives while overlooking the Mediterranean from a villa in Tuscany.

In the video above, Renato shares a wealth of insights on how to Establish Value with your customers to stay relevant in the conversation and uncover new business opportunities with both existing and prospective clients. This research is based on 60 meetings with buyers conducted in Europe, North America, and Australia.

If you’ve been wondering: 

  • How do today’s buyers really make decisions? 
  • Where can I bring more value into my customer conversations? 
  • What’s changed (and what hasn’t) in buyer behavior? 

Renato and I cover these topics, and tactics to improve your results.
 

After you watch and listen, please reply and let us know:  

  • What parts of this exchange resonated the most for you? 
  • How are you working to establish value with your customers today? 

Until next time, thank you Renato!

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Four Skills That Make a Good Sales Manager Great

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I am often asked by management teams to participate in their sales meeting. They look for me to provide feedback, as well as perspective, based on my customer experiences around revenue development. Many of these meetings incorporate team-building events – perhaps at a tropical location or golf resort – while others are more dialed down and focus on a theme such as setting the company’s vision. Whatever the atmosphere, I enjoy the opportunity to provide insight into customer needs, preferences and pain points while observing the company’s top performers.

Not long ago I reflected on what makes a good sales manager outstanding, after all, a terrific sales manager is central to the success of a sales team and the overall performance of a business. We know a manager’s primary role is to develop the sales rep and the sales rep’s main responsibility is to develop opportunities and win business.

But not everyone gets from A to B. Here are four skills that a sales manager must master to become great and keep the pipeline moving.

  1. Determine Objectives: I have seen managers who set objectives based on their personal experiences with no buy-in from their sales reps. Does this sound familiar? “All sales reps must call on five opportunities a week and make 20 cold calls a day.” While this method may work, a better approach is to establish objectives with your sales reps. For instance, “Here are the revenue objectives we are trying to meet this year. What do you think we need to do to achieve this objective?” Managers who can secure buy-in from their sales reps and set clear, well-defined objectives will foster amazing performance.
  2. Schedule Reviews to Share Agreed Upon Information:Once objectives are set and expectations are clear, what happens next? Letting your sales rep “wing it” is not the answer. It’s crucial to provide guidance and structure. If the objective is to win $500,000 of new business, you and your reps should discuss the types of customers they need to talk to. How many of each of those customers should they talk to to reach their goal? Are corporate systems in place where reps execute follow-up correspondences? Emphasize the importance of being proactive, addressing client needs and maintaining professionalism in all communications. Have reps share their customer touchpoints with you for accountability. Walking them through follow-up expectations and processes will create a framework for repeatable success.
  3. Evaluate and Coach: In my experience, you can learn a lot about a sales rep’s performance from a prospect’s reply to a follow-up correspondence. Are enough letters being sent to show an ample pipeline? Is the rep talking to the right people? Are customer goals clearly stated and can your service or product move the customer closer to those goals? Letters should tell all these things and more. After your evaluation, choose one or two skills to coach your reps on. Do more than that and your limited time together will feel jam-packed and your coaching will be overwhelming. Tackle one skill at a time to foster improvement. For example, try role-playing with a rep and listen to how he or she positions your company’s capabilities. Tackle another skill the next time you talk or meet and solicit feedback on how the skill is developing.

 

  1. Offer Feedback and Reinforce:Look for what your sales reps do well. You’ll need to continually reinforce the positive to maintain the foundation you are building on with your reps. If objectives have not yet been achieved, focus on what’s going right and how a particular skill helped to get them halfway there. Then, work together on skills that will get them the rest of the way.

American business magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller said, “Good management consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.” By mastering these four skills managers will get superior people producing superior results.

If interested in developing these skills, reach out to learn more about our workshops and services.

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My Favorite Sales Job Ever (Except This One): Nextel Communications

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The first time I hit the Push-to-Talk (PTT) button and reached my entire team in real time—it felt like magic. No dialing. No waiting. Just click and talk. That moment hooked me. And the company behind it, Nextel, quickly became my favorite sales job ever (aside from this one).

From my graduation at San Diego State in 1987 to launching a Nextel dealership in 1998, I spent 11 years in roles that shaped how I work, lead, and think today. My time as an Account Executive at Nextel stands out for three simple reasons: Atmosphere, Technology, and People.

Atmosphere Forget “culture,” Nextel had atmosphere. The kind you could feel the second you walked in. The VP of the region John Combs trusted the GM of San Diego Chris Duggan, who trusted my Manager Sally Fleck, who trusted me. That chain of autonomy made us fast, focused, and fearless. The founders—Brian McAuley and Morgan O’Brien— were serial entrepreneurs, and their spirit ran deep in the company. I ended up working with them again later at Pacific DataVision. But perhaps the biggest spark came when Nextel opened indirect distribution, and Brian Moses brought me an opportunity. I co-founded Aadvanced Wireless, our own Nextel dealership. That hands-on experience launched my journey into entrepreneurship.

Technology We were selling the first digital voice/data combo in the country—TDMA, for those keeping score. In 1994, our first Motorola-made handset (the Lingo) looked like an old school two-way radio with rounded edges. It weighed enough to act as a self-defense tool. But the Push-to-Talk feature? Game-changing. Tech Magicians like Jack Demers kept innovating. By 1999, the units got smaller, features and functions leapfrogged ahead and you were suddenly holding a mobile computer in your hand.

People At the heart of it all: the people. Sally Fleck assembled a crew of sales pros I’m still in touch with today. John Stevenson came into sales leadership next and brought in more top-tier talent. We pushed each other. We won big. And we celebrated even bigger. Our 1997 Presidents Club trip to Jamaica? Unforgettable, mon (as seen in the attached picture). And we will be together again soon—reuniting in Long Beach this August after 30+ years.

Looking Back—and Forward Nextel didn’t just give me a paycheck—it gave me a blueprint. Empower your people. Trust their instincts. Lead with energy. I’ve carried those lessons ever since.

If you don’t enjoy what you do, it shows. Nextel was the kind of place where I wanted to show up. And that still makes all the difference.

Wendy Carter, Tracey Fryer, Mark Schechter, Zara Sclar, Jeff Dalton, Glenn Bowie,  Roxanne, Lynnda Shepherd, Eric Meehan, Jack Demers, Bill Leversee, Keith Schneider, Tamara Chamberlain, Pam Wylie, Troy Parish, Marc Savas, Chantal Turenne des Pres, Shannon Skaff, Don Girskis, John Pescatore, John Zarb, Troy Knuckles, Ned Bliss, Margaret Carroll

 

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On The Road Again: New Orleans, Louisiana

In the swamps by the bayou, you can’t often see what’s coming at you. How about in your revenue pipeline? Click the video to listen more on increasing your visibility to revenue.

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