Can you imagine trying to sell a product on a busy sidewalk? The people walking by are totally random and all have unique interests. You have to go out of your way to get their attention, and even then, there's a good chance that most people who stop to talk won't want what you're selling.

Sounds frustrating, right?

In the digital age, where remote work has become the norm, mastering the art of communication has never been more critical. The ease and convenience of emails, texts, and Slack messages come with challenges, from misunderstandings to missed cues. Joining us on the Predictable Revenue Podcast, Christina Brady from Luster.ai shares her expertise on enhancing communication in virtual teams, discusses common pitfalls, and offers actionable solutions for a more connected workspace.

What if I told you there was a secret set of people who would help you break into and expand the biggest accounts in your book? That sounds like science fiction. Except, they’re out there, no matter where you work. We call them hidden allies. And research shows top performers are already identifying them at scale and working with them to close deals.

We are not born with certain skills, though it could be such a great default option, right? If we could choose the level of patience, emotional intelligence, and empathy right away, we would overcome all life challenges much easier. So, what are soft skills? Can you learn them? Why can they add some extra points when you are networking or looking for a job?

Being a CEO and leading in today's business world can often feel akin to orchestrating a high-stakes symphony performance in front of thousands. While it's not a literal performance, the continual complexities and changing landscape of business can leave executives feeling as though they're conducting a high-stakes symphony due to the necessary strategy, resilience, pressure, and adaptability required for success.

During my 21 years in corporate America, I spent thousands of hours observing others. Now, as a coach and consultant, I often get asked what attributes I value most in people — and these five stand out. If you're looking to achieve new levels of happiness of success this year, consider how well you embody the following five attributes. Not only do they drive success in leadership, but they drive success in life.

As a keynote speaker, I simplify and break down leadership into its most basic form: helping people and supporting them to be and do their best. When employees don't have the right tools, training, time, or support, their morale drops, and they might not put in much effort. This can happen right from the start, within their first few weeks. It's important to realize that not all managers are created equally, and many must learn how to lead effectively.

While the subject of internal team alignment is discussed among many of today’s sales teams and its importance is universally acknowledged, few truly understand how to organize and engage their teams to become more strategic and co-create value with customers. Given the challenges of ill-defined roles, conflicting goals, compensation discrepancies, and account control issues.

Negotiation skills play a crucial role in professional sales. Expertise in negotiation is a skilled practice. While some individuals are naturally strong negotiators, the best ones learn and work hard to strengthen their knowledge and learn new techniques– and they continually practice perfecting their approach.

Losing customers without understanding why can be incredibly frustrating and damaging for a business. As much as we like to think we know our customers and have our fingers on the pulse of their needs, there are often hidden reasons behind losing customers that catch us by surprise.

You walk into your general practitioner's office. You have some pain in your knee from an old sports injury and it's starting to cause concern. When the doctor comes in, she doesn't start by asking questions about your condition. Instead, she hands you a short survey with some broad questions -- including things like, "When it comes to selecting a heart medicine, what do you look for?

“Procrastinators of the world unite!… Tomorrow.” This pithy saying appears on novelty t-shirts all across the internet. But behind the joke, it hints at a major habit haunting millions of adults today – the habit of putting off until tomorrow, or the next day, or someday soon, what can be done today. From the Latin pro, meaning “forward,” and crastinus, meaning “of tomorrow,” the practice of procrastination has plagued humankind for centuries.

Many global organizations are looking to Asia as the center of future growth. The International Monetary Fund forecasts real GDP growth of 6.5% in India and 4.1% in China in 2025, and more than half the world’s consumers live in Asia. The region also has an outsized proportion of future talent, with 60% of the world’s youth. According to Rupali Gupta, a Korn Ferry Senior Client Partner based in Singapore, this is an opportunity for global companies to leverage the innate (and sometimes undervalued) strengths of the region’s leaders.

Back in the late 1980s, when I was in the early stages of establishing my advertising agency, an invitation came my way to speak at a Chamber of Commerce event in Upstate New York. I turned it down. At that moment, the idea of declining might have seemed counterintuitive, especially given my aspirations to grow my business. The reason? I was afraid. Fear held me back from seizing an opportunity that could have propelled my agency forward.

When someone rises to a leadership position, they are often expected to have both technical expertise and the ability to think strategically. However, what happens when an individual becomes a leader without demonstrating essential people skills? A leader who lacks soft skills can inadvertently lower team morale and damage interpersonal relationships, ultimately hindering productivity.

If you're a sales professional, prospecting is a skill you need to perfect—and with the start of a new year and a brand-new quota, that comes into sharp focus. With a low percentage of sales reps consistently hitting quota, according to several surveys, it’s time to pay close attention to prospecting and avoid these common mistakes.

Reps spend only 28% of their week actually selling, according to the State of Sales Report. What’s more, 69% of sales professionals agree their jobs are harder now. And yet, they’re under enormous pressure to hit their targets. That means sales teams need to hone in on the highest quality leads to make their numbers. That’s where lead qualification comes into play. Let’s talk about what it is and how to do it right.

As the business world evolves at lightning speed, shifts in B2B buying behavior have revealed a significant disconnect between what modern buyers expect and the ability of go-to-market (GTM) teams to meet these expectations. Consider today’s B2B buyers: They are savvier than ever, performing as much research as they can before talking with a sales rep. And even then, they prefer digital interactions.

The skills-based revolution isn’t the future, it’s already here: It’s been over a year since major employers like Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Apple, eliminated their long-held degree requirements for jobs to remove barriers to entry and recruit more diverse talent—much to the dismay of those who have splashed out thousands on a college degree. Now, LinkedIn has put the final nail in the coffin for those hoping that a stellar education alone is enough to land you a killer job.

In the high-stakes world of professional sports, I've often seen leaders feel the pressure to present themselves as infallible, unerring, and flawless. I've seen coaches act as if they needed everyone to know they hold the playbook for every possible scenario, and athletes constantly feel the urge to justify their mistakes, not to have to accept their imperfections.