The Power of Habit

I was just reading a book called the Power or Habit by Jack Hodge.  The primary narrative of the book is that we, more than anything else, are defined by what we do, and close to 90% of what we do is determined by habits both good and bad. I am not sure how he determined the 90%, but we all know … Read More

Establishing a Culture of Performance

Having discussed the internal drivers of sales culture, the next step is to explore what leaders can do to establish a culture of performance. Since culture is largely defined by human behavior and decision making, it’s important to understand there is no one size fits all approach. The variability within the three internal drivers makes that clear. Companies have unique … Read More

Beware the Cassandra Complex

Cassandra was a princess of Troy, who had the gift of prophesy, but who could not persuade anyone because was cursed with a severe credibility gap.   Can you imagine her frustration?  She knows she is right, but lacks the credibility to persuade anyone.  Why should staffing executives be aware of the Cassandra complex?  Because they are responsible for defining the … Read More

Are You Selling to the Right Accounts?

An effective sales strategy starts with well defined segmentation of your current and target accounts.  However, many companies struggle with defining the right criteria to build an effective account pipeline, which then significantly reduces the productivity of their entire sales process.    This post will discuss three examples of how to qualify the accounts you decide to pursue; the existence of … Read More

Sales Management or Micromanagement?

Are you a Micromanager? I conducted an informal survey the other day discussing the roles of sales process within the staffing industry. Most of the respondents responded positively to the need for greater structure within sales organizations in order for sales people to maneuver through an increasingly competitive environment. One respondent caught my eye, primarily because he captured the downside … Read More

Change: Your Future Depends on it

Most companies embrace change when they first enter the market, because change presents opportunities for start-up companies to outmaneuver larger organizations that are less adaptable and more reliant on the status quo.  Anyone who has been part of a quickly growing start-up organization knows the feeling of stealing away market share simply because it’s more in tune with the buyer … Read More

Drivers for Sales Success

Identifying key sales drivers and being able assess the health of those drivers is critical in building and successfully managing a sales force.  There are many staffing executives who believe that most sales issues begin and end with the quality of their sales force.  While the quality of sales personnel is an important factor it is not the only one. … Read More

The Strategy Focused Organization (Part 2)

Principle Three: Make Strategy Everyone’s Everyday Job Does this sound familiar? A company crafts a strategy. They develop a thorough presentation to communicate the strategy and motivate the team. They call a team meeting and present the strategy. Employees are excited about the new direction seeing a better future ahead. Then the excitement fades, old habits reemerge, and six months … Read More

The Strategy Focused Organization (Part 1)

In 1991 Kaplan and Norton wrote the highly influential book called “The Strategy Focused Organization”. One of the first things they address is the key principles a company must hold in order to create a break through strategy that drives profitable growth. There are five principles overall, today I will write about the first two. Principle one: Translate the Strategy … Read More