Business Growth

All companies want to grow organically through manageable, self-sustaining sales pipelines. Often it’s a lack of strategy that holds them back. In some cases that lack of strategy is obvious; companies aren’t willing to undergo the pain of change. Just like people, companies fear the unknown; downsizing staff is risky. So is hiring. Increasing expenditures […]

  I was thrilled to host an event featuring Actionable Consulting’s Founder Chris Taylor, speaking about The Engaged Organization: Thriving in Change through 21st Century Collaboration. I got the chance to talk with leaders and managers in enterprise organizations about the problems they were facing in transforming their businesses. And of course, I was happy […]

I decided to take my own advice. That’s why I’m adding value to our services in the form of Actionable Conversations (It’s officially launching at the beginning of 2017, though I invite any current and prospective clients to call me up this week and learn more about it). Companies have to learn. Markets change and […]

There’s no catch-all formula to guarantee success of a new sales hire. But in successful companies I’ve helped, you do spot patterns. The ones that get traction are willing to undergo the pain of change. They set outcome-based targets when they start hiring sales people, so both the company and the new hire know what […]

Recently I was interviewed for an article that appeared in the Globe & Mail: The Downside of Seeking Business Advice on the Cheap. Journalist Guy Dixon says that if you’re going to invest in hiring a business consultant, it’s worth paying a little more for someone one who’s going to deliver the results you’re after. Naturally, […]

I recently attended the Unbounce CTA Conference in Vancouver, where Aaron Orendorff of iconiContent made a brilliant presentation entitled Let’s Get Rejected: 3 Counter-Intuitive Tactics for Successful & Brand Defining-Content. It touched on the right way to build sales with content strategy. I’ve often touched on integrating sales and marketing here and I just felt […]

It’s never been easier to find talented people to hire for your sales team — but are you using outcome-based targets to do it? In a twist on LinkedIn, some hiring companies and recruiters are now going on apps like Tinder and Snapchat to find new talent. Whether you’re using a recruitment agent or handling […]

There’s a funny blind spot that comes up a lot in my work, as I help companies grow their sales pipelines: great sales people don’t always become great sales managers. A rapid-firing startup can see a phenomenal few quarters and promote their star sales professional into management – and not much happens. Sales plateau. The […]

The big deal, the sure thing, the sale that’s going to take your company to the next level… doesn’t happen after all. Eventually, it happens to everyone in business. Even for seasoned sales professionals who have become adept at riding the waves in a sea of rejection in our hunt for the big fish, we […]

Selling is getting harder. What we are effectively doing is selling change.  If you want a company to thrive long-term, that’s often what’s needed. I was reminded of this while consulting for a company that was undergoing a restructuring. It was long overdue, but also essential if they were going to stay in business. Their […]