Selling often means speaking to people who've never heard of you. You might think of them as "cold leads," which is a bit impersonal. After all, they might very well become your best customers — in time. The problem is credibility. Without it, customers won't be receptive to your sales pitch. You can't blame their cynicism, either — the perils of overpromising in sales are well-known, even among the public.

It’s no secret that the business world runs on leads, opportunities, and sales. But sales managers, sales reps and support staff now have AI-powered CRM tools to do a lot of the heavy lifting. With so much rich information at our fingertips, businesses can confidently look to the future more accurately than ever before, confidently projecting future financial activity.

If there's one thing John Imah has learned from his decade-long career helping tech giants like Samsung, Twitch, Meta, and Snap, with business development and marketing, it's how to tell--or rather, sell--a story. "Whether it's an anecdote that humanizes the technology or a statistic that captures the market opportunity," says the serial entrepreneur, "the goal [of sales] is to leave the room with the audience not just understanding but believing in the vision.

With more baby boomers putting off retirement, the share of older adults in the workplace is greater than it’s ever been. Indeed, workers aged 75 and older are the fastest-growing age group in the workforce. But the biggest news is this: We’re experiencing the widest-ever age gap at the office, with workers ranging from 22 to 75 years old. Four different generations are in the office together at the same time—baby boomers, Gen Xers, millennials, and Gen Yers.

In our fast-paced and volatile environment, every leader is now a change leader. The time when leaders could operate in isolation, focusing on the day-to-day without acknowledging the rapid pace of change, has long passed. Whether you're at the helm of a Fortune 500 company, a mid-level manager or an emerging entrepreneur, your role as a catalyst for change is more critical than ever before. But what makes a great change leader?

In order to achieve a healthy and productive workforce you need trust. Doug Conant, the former CEO of Campbell’s Soup, called it, “the foundational element of high-performing organizations.” When he took the helm at Campbell’s, Conant made “Inspiring Trust” his first mission in turning around the company’s performance, which eventually led to shareholder returns in the top tier of the global food market and among the highest levels of employee engagement in the Fortune 500.

Mentors often impact their mentee’s career in a life-changing way. Because of this profound influence, they have a responsibility to embody certain characteristics and behaviors. How do they excel in mentoring leadership?
And what steps can they follow to ensure a successful relationship?

Customer service organisations today are fighting an uphill battle. Service agents face record case volumes, and customers are frustrated by growing wait times. Often, to manage the case load, agents will simultaneously work on multiple customers’ issues at once while waiting for data from legacy systems to load.

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.