At Business Development University (BDU), we often hear salespeople share the same struggle: they’re working hard, filling their pipeline and closing deals, yet still falling short of their numbers. Why? They’re spending too much time chasing small, low-value accounts that won’t have a meaningful impact on their results. BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin knows this challenge very well. Early in her … Read More
How to Be Persistent in Sales Without Being Pushy: Mastering the Line in the Sand
Every sales professional — and many non-selling professionals who still need to develop business — know there’s an invisible “line in the sand.” On one side, you’re a confident, professional salesperson. But cross it and suddenly you’re the stereotypical pushy “used car salesman” type that no one wants to deal with. For many, the fear of stepping over that line … Read More
Sales Management Best Practices: The 5 Rights of Sales Leadership
If you lead a sales team, you know the pressure is real to drive revenue, motivate the team, hit targets and keep everything aligned with company growth. But great leadership doesn’t need to be complicated and there are some sales management best practices that are easy to implement. In fact, some of the best-performing teams follow one clear and simple … Read More
Why Salespeople Quit (and How to Keep Your Best Performers)
If you manage a sales team, chances are you’ve probably seen quite a bit of turnover throughout the years. Some turnover is to be expected but often you lose top performers who are critical to your team’s success. It’s important to ask yourself some questions: Why are my salespeople quitting? What can I do as a sales leader to reduce … Read More
How Customer Service Supports Sales: Driving Revenue from Your Frontline Team
In many companies, it’s never thought about how customer service supports sales. They are viewed mainly as a reactive department—put out the fires, keep customers satisfied and move on. However, what if your service team could do more than just resolve issues? What if they could actually help to drive revenue? The most customer-facing professionals in your company interact with … Read More
Best of BDU: Summer Sales Leadership Tips for Success
Summer can be a tricky time for sales leaders. With team members taking vacations, prospects pushing off meetings and warmer weather tempting everyone to mentally check out, it can be tough to keep momentum going. However, summer doesn’t have to be a slow season. With summer sales leadership tips and the right approach, it could even be one of the … Read More
How to Boost Close Ratios in Sales: Stop Sending Out Proposals!
If you’re looking for one of the biggest ways to grow your sales, it’s right in front of you: your close ratio. Your close ratio is the percentage of quotes and proposals that actually turn into sales. It’s calculated by dividing the number of closed deals by the total number of proposals sent. For most B2B companies, the average close … Read More
The White Space Matrix: How to Unlock Untapped Client Revenue
If you’re like many salespeople – and companies – your clients may only be using one or two of your products or services even though you offer so much more. The problem? They don’t know about everything you have, and often you or your team isn’t asking them what they need. That’s where the white space matrix comes in. … Read More
The Smartest Way to Boost Revenue: Maximize Your Share of the Wallet
One of the most overlooked (but most powerful) ways to grow your revenue is sitting right in front of you: increasing your share of the wallet from your existing clients. It’s easier — and faster — to grow your revenue by getting more business from the clients you already have than it is to chase down brand-new ones. But are … Read More
Spring Cleaning Sales: 10 Easy Ways to Refresh, Refocus and Reignite Your Results
Spring is in the air and it’s the perfect time to do a little cleaning, and not just around your house – try spring cleaning sales! Spring cleaning sales is all about evaluating what’s working and what’s not, and refreshing your goals and strategies so you can set yourself up for continued success in the months ahead. Much like clearing … Read More
The CEO’s Guide to Better CEO Sales Leader Meetings
As a CEO or business owner, you know that your sales leader plays a key role in driving revenue and developing your sales team. But are you holding regularly scheduled meetings with your sales leader to ensure they’re maximizing their impact? Way too often, CEOs assume their sales leader has everything under control. However, without structured, strategic one-on-one CEO sales … Read More
Mastering Sales Triage: A Sales Leader’s Guide to Boosting Team Performance
Sales triage focuses on the top three areas that, if improved upon, will have the biggest impact on performance. Here’s why performing a sales triage analysis on your direct reports, and your sales team as a whole, is critical in helping them to not only meet but exceed their goals. As a sales leader, your job can be summed up … Read More
Embracing Kaizen in the New Year: Continuous Improvement in Sales
As we begin a brand-new year, it’s the perfect opportunity to reflect on the year that’s passed, reassess our strategies and set ourselves up for even greater success. At Business Development University (BDU), we believe in the power of Kaizen, a Japanese philosophy centered on continuous improvement. By embracing Kaizen and consistently reevaluating what’s working and what isn’t, we can … Read More
Lisa Peskin’s Sales Secrets: Highlights from “Leadership with Darrell W. Gunter” Interview
Salespeople and sales managers, you’re going to want to hear what Lisa had to say – find out her sales secrets now! In a recent interview with Darrell W. Gunter from Seton Hall University, BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin shared game-changing sales secrets from her decades of experience. Whether you’re managing a team or looking to achieve your own sales goals, … Read More
Why Sales Training Matters: Boosting Results for Your Team
In today’s business world, effective sales training isn’t just a bonus for your sales team – it’s a must-have. Frequent, high-quality sales training helps your team stay motivated, sharp and ready to tackle every challenge. If you’re a sales leader, can you recall the last time you helped your salespeople “sharpen the saw” and provided growth opportunities for them? If … Read More
Sales Stories and Lessons Learned: Insights from Lisa Peskin’s Interview on the Sales Pro Network
Everyone in sales has a story, but BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin has a collection of stories that are as inspiring as they are game-changing! In a recent interview with Jeff Goldberg on the Sales Pro Network, Lisa didn’t just share advice. Instead, she dove into the real-world experiences and hard-earned lessons that have shaped both her own career and her … Read More
You Can’t “Cookie Cutter” Sales: Why There’s No One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Success
Let’s face it – there’s no magic formula for success and you can’t “cookie cutter” sales. What works for one person might not work for someone else, and something that worked great for someone today might not work for that same person tomorrow. Whether you’re in sales or sales leadership, or have another role, success is all about finding what … Read More
How to Achieve Sales Success: Watch Lisa Peskin’s Interview on Giant TV
Are you a salesperson struggling to hit your own targets or a sales leader looking to boost your team’s performance? In this interview on Giant TV, BDU’s CEO Lisa Peskin shares game-changing insights on how to achieve sales success. Hosted by Paul Hitchcock, the conversation takes a deep dive into proven strategies that help sales professionals and teams consistently deliver … Read More
Why Every Sales Team Needs a Playbook: Scoring Consistent Touchdowns and Wins
In football, every great team has a playbook. It’s a strategic guide that maps out how they’ll score touchdowns and win games. Without it, teams would be lost, running around the field with no clear direction. The same is true in sales. A sales playbook serves as your team’s game plan, ensuring everyone is on the same page, working together … Read More
Understanding Fractional Sales Management: The Benefits of Flexible Sales Leadership
In today’s fast-paced business world, flexibility is key. You may have come across the term “fractional sales management” but aren’t entirely sure what it means or how it could benefit your business. Whether you’re a startup with a small sales team or an established business looking to scale without breaking the bank, fractional sales management might be the perfect solution … Read More
Sales Team Performance: What Yard Line Are Your Salespeople On?
Sales team performance isn’t always about instant results. Sometimes your salespeople might not seem successful, but they’re closer to a breakthrough than you realize. Think of each team member as a football player on the field, each positioned at different yard lines. Some are stuck in their own zone, struggling to gain momentum, while others are on the 20-yard line, … Read More
Maximizing Sales Management Impact with Five Key Touchpoints
Sales managers have a one-line job description: to help their direct reports be as successful as possible. And sales managers play a pivotal role in that success, shaping the strategies and practices that drive performance. Maximizing sales management impact is crucial to a company’s success, and well-honed sales management techniques can significantly influence not only team performance but overall business … Read More
What is a Sales Kickoff? The Purpose and Power of Kickoff Meetings
Imagine a room filled with enthusiastic sales reps, eager to tackle the upcoming year with fresh strategies and a renewed sense of purpose. Welcome to the sales kickoff meeting! But what exactly is a sales kickoff, and why is it so crucial for sales teams? What Does Kickoff Mean in Business and Sales? In the business world, a kickoff marks … Read More
Sales Leadership Training: Building a Strong Foundation in Sales Management
In the world of sales, it’s essential to understand the difference between a sales leader and a sales manager. While a sales manager simply handles the operations day to day and ensures the sales strategy is executed effectively, a sales leader goes above and beyond by inspiring and guiding their sales team towards success. Understanding this distinction is the first … Read More
From Good to Great: Coaching a Sales Team to Excellence
In today’s competitive business landscape, having a high-performing sales team is not just an advantage—it’s a necessity. However, even the most talented sales reps can stall without the right guidance. This is where expert coaching comes into play, transforming good sales teams into great ones. But what is the secret to coaching a successful sales team? Keep reading to discover … Read More
“Squeeze the Lemon” and Be Comprehensive
By now, you probably know all about BDU’s philosophy of “squeezing the lemon” to get the most from everything you do, but are you being comprehensive to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of “juice”? “Squeezing the lemon” is not just about being purposeful; it’s also about being thorough and doing everything you can do to cover all … Read More
Fourth Quarter Incentives – It’s Time to Motivate Your Team
Sales leaders, how are you helping your direct reports hit their fourth quarter – and annual – numbers as we approach the end of the year? It’s time to motivate your team with incentives! It’s Time to Incentivize You already know that it’s better to motivate your direct reports with the carrot instead of the stick, and it is truly … Read More
One-on-One Meetings: To Have or Not to Have
Sales leaders, how often do you schedule one-on-one meetings with each of your direct reports? Are you making it a priority to have individual meetings with each of your salespeople on a regular basis? Lisa recently held a private leadership training for a group of sales managers and was surprised to hear that they don’t regularly meet one on one … Read More
Six Key Metrics for Sales Managers to Monitor
There are six key metrics all sales managers need to monitor for each of their direct reports to determine if they are thriving, where any areas of opportunity might lie and how best to put a plan of action in place to help them not only meet but exceed their goals. If you’re a sales leader, you know that you … Read More
A Lesson in Sales Success from Lisa’s Horoscope
Lisa was recently listening to a morning radio show when she heard the horoscopes for the day. While she is not one to typically listen out for her horoscope, she decided to do so that day. She listened as the show’s host went through the other zodiac signs and when they finally reached Lisa’s, she was thrilled that she had … Read More
Sales Playbook: Your Blueprint for Success
Selling without a sales playbook is akin to building a house without a blueprint. Are you setting your salespeople up for success by giving them the tools and roadmap necessary to get there? Every industry, company and individual has their own way of selling. Even the most well-established organizations will have different managers within who lead their teams in their … Read More
Squeezing the Lemon: The Power of One More
You know about BDU’s philosophy of “squeezing the lemon“, and part of what makes this philosophy so impactful is the power of doing just one more activity, no matter how small, as it can lead to big results. Lisa recently had the pleasure of conducting a training session for one of BDU’s clients on “The Power of One More.” Why … Read More
Ten Tips for Time Management
Time is our most valuable resource so it’s important that we know how to make the most of it. You know about BDU’s philosophy of squeezing the lemon to maximize every opportunity and get the most “juice” out of everything you do, but what else can you do to make sure you’re being productive each and every day? We’ve created … Read More
How Do YOU Avoid or Get Out of a Sales Slump?
Everyone who is in sales has probably experienced the dreaded sales slump. Your numbers are down, you have no great leads in the pipeline, and you feel stagnant with your progress and efforts. What do you do when it hits? How do YOU get yourself out of a sales slump and back on track, and what do you do to … Read More
Sales Leaders, Does Adding Pressure Help Your Underperformers?
It can be challenging to figure out how to best handle a direct report who is just not performing well. Our first inclination as sales leaders may be to put more pressure on the underperformers. While you may have a few salespeople who perform better this way, adding pressure might end up doing more harm than good. Sometimes underperformers have … Read More
Sales Leadership Tip: Setting Key Numbers and Getting Buy In
Want your direct reports to buy in when setting key numbers and quotas for them? It’s all about steering the conversation and allowing them get involved in the process of determining their own goals. By doing so, they’ll ultimately be more willing and committed to achieving them. As sales leaders, we know the importance of having frequent conversations with our … Read More