Trending Articles

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Shortcuts Salespeople Should Never Take, According to Experts

Hubspot Sales

Not all sales shortcuts are created equal. Some, like scheduling follow-up emails or creating a repeatable framework for researching prospects, streamline your day without harming the quality of your work. Others save you time but damage your results meaning youll ultimately be less productive for using them. As the expression goes, If you dont have time to do it right, you wont have time to do it again.

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Why the Basics Still Beat Fancy: The Unsexy Skills That Close Deals

Sales Gravy

Everybody wants the hacks. The quick fix. The shiny new tool. The LinkedIn post that magically draws leads like moths to a flame. But let me give it to you straight: Sales isnt won with hacks. Its won with habits. And the habits that win are the ones most reps abandon the minute things get uncomfortable or boring. If youre not hitting your number, its probably not because you need better leads, better tech, or better timing.

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Q1 Sales Performance Gut Check

Sales Gravy

This is a very important Monday because this is the first Monday of the second quarter and its time for a major gut check and assessment of where you are against your number, coming out of Q1 and what you need to adjust and think about as we move into Q2. Start with setting aside a dedicated, focused time block of one to two hours for reviewing your: Q1 Results Current state of your pipeline 2025 goals & Personal business plan Evaluate Your Q1 Performance Against Your Sales Goals Begin with an h

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How to Drive Sales with a Customer-Centric Strategy

Brooks Group

Retaining customers is the number one priority of sales leaders this year, according to the 2025 Sales Leader Report. Holding on to your current accounts is just smart business. Acquiring new customers can cost as much as five times more than retaining existing ones, and a 2% improvement in customer retention is equivalent to the profit generated by cutting costs 10%.

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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.

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Power Up Your Zoom Meetings With AI in Nutshell

Nutshell

Zoom meetings can be an essential part of any teams sales, customer onboarding or ongoing account management processes. By integrating Zoom with Nutshell , your team can log Zoom calls as activities for better tracking and reporting and save notes about each meeting to keep everyone in the loop and improve the customer journey. Now you can also leverage AI to quickly summarize and transcribe your Zoom calls, just as you can with click-to-call conversations using the AI-powered click-to-call feat

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How Leaders Leverage Data to Boost Sales Performance and Revenue

Force Management

In today's competitive market, leveraging data effectively can be the key to unlocking higher sales performance and increased revenue. Most leaders understand they must harness the power of data to drive success. But in order to effectively use data, you must first ensure you have the right structures in place to collect data about your sales activities and apply findings in a way that's relevant and actionable.

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How to Generate Better B2B Leads That Convert (Ask Jeb)

Sales Gravy

Wes from Flower Mound, Texas, has a familiar challenge: how to attract more qualified B2B leads and convert them before they slip away. Hes already tried a variety of channels, including inside sales, social media, and email, but is struggling to ramp up both volume and quality. Below are the key insights from our conversation, along with practical strategies to multiply your lead count and build a system that secures face-to-face meetings with the right buyers.

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How to Write A Strategic Planning RFP - A step by step guide

Strategic Planning and Management Insights

What to consider doing before strategic planning (stakeholder engagement) If you need research & benchmarking, consider doing it first rather than within the same RFP/vendor (this is a very different area of expertise than strategic planning and facilitation) Things that arent essential within a strategic plan but that can be done before, alongside or afterwards (but will add to the time, budget, scope) such as scenario planning, competitive analysis/P5F, benchmarking, etc.

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Dive Into Email Engagement With the Link Report

Nutshell

Tracking engagement with your marketing emails is a critical part of determining whether your strategies are working. And measuring marketing effectiveness is more than just looking at metrics like email open, click, and unsubscribe ratesits also about seeing which recipients are clicking your high-priority calls to action (CTAs), so you can gauge your audiences interests and behavior.

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Latest Podcasts: Sales Leadership Best Practices

Force Management

Last month on the Revenue Builders Podcast, our guests shared experiences in revenue leadership and what they've learned about how to prove your worth as a leader and secure the best possible outcomes for your team. We had several must-listen episodes for go-to-market leaders this weekfrom leveraging data to enhance team performance, to managing top-tier talent programs, to helping your teams build and close high-value pipeline, March brought some heavy hitters.

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AI Strategies for Sales Managers: How to Cut Down on Tedious Admin Work

What if you could help your sellers stop wasting 72% of their day on non-selling activities and focus on bringing in revenue? Incorporating AI in your enablement workflows can help you cut down on busy work, get projects done faster, and let your team (and you!) focus on making a bigger impact. We put together this guide to show you how to use AI to cut time and costs for projects, including collateral creation, development of training videos, and automating tedious processes.

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Turning a C Player into a B+ Player by incorporating AI: A Guide for Sales Leaders

The Center for Sales Strategy

As a sales leader, one of your most critical tasks is to elevate the performance of your team members. Turning a C player into a B+ player requires a blend of effective coaching techniques, skill development, and motivational strategies. With the integration of AI, this process can be streamlined and enhanced, providing personalized support and actionable insights.

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Tech Leaders Are Rethinking Software Delivery. Here’s the Evolution Taking Shape

Planview

When it comes to software delivery, the topic of outcomes often comes up. Are we creating value rather than just features? Are we achieving specific business results that make these massive technology investments worth it? These questions are worth asking because, alarmingly, the answer is often no. For every dollar a typical company invests in software development, only about 25 cents supports the companys highest-priority business outcomes.

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HubSpot's 2025 State of Cold Calling Report [Data From 350+ Sales Professionals]

Hubspot Sales

Im not sure theres any activity more closely associated with sales than cold calling. It can be the trial by fire that preps SDRs for a career in the field, the day-to-day responsibility that keeps reps diligent and engaged, and the basis for a ton of sales org's prospecting infrastructures. Its been a staple of several salespeoples professional lives one that can be every bit as obnoxious as it is essential.

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A Poor Pricing Strategy is Driving Your Customers Away

SBI Growth

If youre not pricing correctly, youre driving customers away. In an uncertain economy, your pricing strategy has a greater impact on revenue retention than traditional churn strategies. SaaS companies have started to take notice with 94% updating pricing every year and almost 40% tweaking pricing every quarter. In 2025, the real pricing opportunity is therefore not related to the frequency of pricing changes, but the pricing approach you employ.

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2024, The Year of the Customer

2023's struggles fueled a shift: companies are ditching wasteful strategies in favor of data and AI-powered growth. Enter 2024, the year GTC takes center stage. Discover 5 ways a customer-centric approach unlocks new revenue and delivers lasting success.

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The Comfort Trap: Why Playing It Safe is Costing You

Whetstone

While being comfortable feels good, in strategic account management, its a silent killer. It lulls teams into predictable routines, fosters complacency in long-term relationships, and creates a false sense of security. In an era where artificial intelligence, shifting buyer behaviors, economic uncertainty, and rapid digital transformation are reshaping industries, it is a trap that stalls growth and erodes competitive advantage.

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How Coaching Transforms Sales Performance and Culture (Ask Jeb)

Sales Gravy

Dennis from Chesterfield, Missouri, wants to know if sales coaching truly moves the performance needle, especially when shifting from transactional approaches to more consultative selling. Below are the key insights from our conversation on why coaching matters, how it boosts sales and culture, and what leaders should do right now to make it happen.

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How to scale a business: Strategies for growing your SMB effectively

ACT

Jawbone, Sprig, WeWorkwhat do these businesses have in common? Each company reached impressive heights of success before crashing down and becoming a cautionary tale for new startups. Aggressive growth, exacerbated operating costs, and intense competitionthese are just a few factors responsible for the downfall of these companies. However, that doesnt mean small business owners should focus on stability and shy away from growth.

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Partner Ecosystems: How Partnerships Can Help You Expand Your Offerings and Retain Business

Hubspot Sales

When I think of ecosystems, I picture the rainforest, and Im not too far off. Sure, in the business world, there are fewer plants and animals. However, there are still interconnected entities that coexist, compete for resources, and work symbiotically. Some members of your ecosystem are your competitors. Others are partners who can work with you to enhance your offering.

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1st, 2nd, and 3rd Party Intent Data: Which Is Right for You?

How do 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party intent data compare? 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party data each have specific advantages and disadvantages. It comes down to four factors: accuracy, cost, control and quantity. This infographic explains the pros and cons of each and helps you understand which one is best for meeting your business objectives. Intent data can be a great way to fill your pipeline and close more deals.

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How Women in Leadership Are Mastering Influence, Credibility, and Tough Conversations

SBI Growth

The path to leadership is more than climbing the corporate ladder. True leadership comes with overcoming obstacles, creating space for others, and mastering the art of negotiation and influence. This theme was reflected in the March 2025 Womens Growth Forum , where a group of female executives came together for a candid conversation on navigating leadership challenges.

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How to Qualify Sales Prospects the Right Way

Brooks Group

Chasing unqualified prospects who will never close is one of the biggest wastes of your sales teams time and effort. For this reason, its important to help your sales professionals quickly assess whether a prospect is qualifiedso they can move on to the next if necessary. Having a well-defined lead qualification process will improve your forecasting accuracy, decrease wasted time and resources, and allow your sales professionals to focus their attention where it has the greatest impact. 5 Tips f

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Top 5 Sales Improvement Tips From Q1 Podcast Episodes

Sales Gravy

Great advice is everywhere, but most of it is fluff. In sales, you dont need clichsyou need real strategies that help you win more deals. Weve pulled together five of the biggest game-changing sales tips from the Sales Gravy Podcast so far this year. These are proven tactics from top sales pros who know what it takes to close deals, stay sharp, and dominate the competition.

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Seamlessly Manage Contacts With Smart Lists

Nutshell

Lists and audiences have always been a sneaky powerful part of Nutshellthey let you seamlessly filter and sort all of your companys contacts and leads so you can send the right message to exactly the right people. Now when creating a list of your contacts, you can easily choose whether its a smart list or a fixed audienceso you pick whether it updates dynamically or includes a set group of your customers.

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How to Leverage Intent Data for Better Outcomes

Speaker: Susan Spencer, Principal of Spencer Communications

Intent signal data can go a long way toward shortening sales cycles and closing more deals. The challenge is deciding which is the best type of intent data to help your company meet its sales and marketing goals. In this webinar, Susan Spencer, fractional CMO and principal of Spencer Communications, will unpack the differences between contact-level and company-level intent signals.

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Leveraging Indirect Sales: How I Learned to Sell More by Selling Less

Hubspot Sales

In a previous role selling software, I kept running into the same issue. Despite winning demos from researched and personalized pitches, I struggled to convince prospects to rip and replace a competitors solution. Most of them had used the industry incumbent for years. The cost and uncertainty of a migration just wasnt worth the effort despite our products advantages.

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Before You Invest in a New Sales Tool, Ask Yourself These Questions

SBI Growth

Sales enablement has boomed. The State of Sales Enablement Report for 2023 found that the number of businesses with a dedicated sales enablement team has grown to 90%, up from 75% in 2022. The Growing Role of Sales Enablement Sales enablement is a catch-all term applied to any practice that attempts to increase sales productivity. Its not uncommon to find sales enablement departments responsible for a plethora of disciplines such as strategy, sales processes, analytics and reporting, lead genera

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Best Practices for Hiring and Retaining Millennials

Brooks Group

There are 56 million millennialsthose born between 1981 and 1996working in the U.S. today, representing 35% of the labor force. As a sales leader, youre likely managing a team that spans multiple generations. Currently, millennials are the largest working generation in the U.S., surpassing Gen X and baby boomers. But theyre not following in the footsteps of previous generations.

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What Consultative Selling Really Means and Why It Matters More Than Ever (Ask Jeb)

Sales Gravy

Steve from Portland, Oregon, faces and an all-too-common consultative selling dilemma: how to sell to prospects who claim they already know everything, have already done the research and question what value he can bring. In this Ask Jeb episode we break down what true consultative selling entails, how to detach from always be closing, and why being a genuine expert is more vital now than ever.

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The GTM Intelligence Era: ZoomInfo 2025 Customer Impact Report

ZoomInfo customers aren’t just selling — they’re winning. Revenue teams using our Go-To-Market Intelligence platform grew pipeline by 32%, increased deal sizes by 40%, and booked 55% more meetings. Download this report to see what 11,000+ customers say about our Go-To-Market Intelligence platform and how it impacts their bottom line. The data speaks for itself!

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Measuring Operational Excellence: Key Metrics & KPIs for Continuous Improvement

Kainexus

Operational Excellence isn't just about improving processesits about sustaining and scaling those improvements over time. But how do you measure success? Organizations that excel in Operational Excellence rely on key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to track progress, align efforts with strategic goals, and drive data-driven decision-making.

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What is cross-selling? Everything you need to know to increase sales and customer value

PandaDoc

If youre looking to increase revenue without acquiring new customers, cross-selling is one of the best ways you can do that. Its all about offering complementary products or services so you can maximize every transactionall while improving the customer experience. Sounds like a win-win, right? Effective cross-selling helps customers find new products they genuinely need, so theyll leave more satisfied with your business and remain more loyal, too.

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5 Effective Ways to Optimize Your Sales Account Strategy

Revegy

Every sales person knows that just because the initial deal has closed, that doesn’t mean the sales cycle has ended. In fact, many of your existing accounts still offer tons of untapped revenue potential. Forming a sales account strategy starts with identifying your most potent opportunities, and how you can foster a long-term relationship with […] The post 5 Effective Ways to Optimize Your Sales Account Strategy appeared first on Revegy.

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4 Tips for Maximizing the Sales Hiring Process

Brooks Group

Selecting the best people for your sales team is crucial to the success of your organizationthats a given. But its not easy to find the perfect candidate. The sales hiring process can be long and challenging. From reviewing resumes and online applications to conducting one-on-one interviews, hiring assessments , executive reviews, and reference checks, the process can span six or seven stepsor more.

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How to Prove Marketing Value: Demonstrate Content ROI and Contribution to Sales

Every marketer knows how important it is to prove their efforts drive sales opportunities, but that’s easier said than done. When problems like sales and marketing misalignment, lack of data, and wasted efforts persist, marketers can’t measure, prove, or increase their impact on revenue at a time when demonstrating marketing value is critical. Using analyst and expert data, this guide to marketing impact and content attribution explains: How B2B buyers use content The most common types of conten