Greg Sutherland

On "trust" and Its 2025 comeback tour... There was a time when deals got done over handshakes and happy hours...When “I know a guy” was a business development strategy and relationships were the proof point needed. Then came the era of objectivity obsession... why buy inputs when I could buy outcomes? Performance dashboards, procurement scorecards, technical demos reigned. If you had the receipts, they weighed more than the the happy hour king. But now? Generative AI has made it easy to sound like a visionary...RFP responses have zero spelling errors. Ideas are novel (though all the same). The messaging is tight and tailored. And just like that... everyone’s a strategist... and we're quickly learning that just because you can use public AI tools to generate your sales content, it doesn't mean YOU have the delivery mechanism to execute on the promises ChatGPT made. The result, it seems, is that we're returning to the world where the real differentiator isn’t what’s said. It’s who’s saying it. And whether you trust them to follow through. Looking someone in the eye and believing they'll show up when it matters... that's as important as it's been in years. So yes...proof points still matter. But character? Consistency? Credibility? And a willingness to get vulnerable with other humans. I feel fortunate to work with people like Chris Ferrara, Joe DeRugeriis, Jason Fishbein and Clinton Schasteen at rockITdata who excel in these areas.

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Sales Leaders. We're into the second half of the year, 2025 is ~60% done. Does your bookings pipeline support hitting your number? Is your team on track to goal? How will your team approach hitting their quota? Will your sales reps be Aggressive or Thoughtful? We see it on the road all the time. The lane ends, dude. There have been three signs and bold paint on the road for a mile. But yeah, you're special. No appropriate merging for you. You've chosen to tear at the very fabric of what makes for a civilized society. <insert expletive here> They know, they have to know that they're running out of time, right?!?! The same is true for sales professionals, and as sales leaders it's our job to be more than a road sign. We have to proactively direct traffic, early and often. We've all seen the 'sales flail'...this is where the sales rep compares their 12 month calendar to their CRM performance to goal...👀...60% of the year gone, trending at a 30% to quota and a woefully short pipeline. Enter the obnoxious LinkedIn messaging, the generic, aggressive Outlook distribution-all emails, and the pressuring of existing clients. This is not a plan, it's ineffective and obnoxious. As a sales leader you have to be doing more than regular reviews of your sales team's prospect lists, pipelines and activity KPIs...though those are a critical part of the process. Effective sales leaders will: 1. Ensure there is goal clarity. If you didn't manage to this at the start of the year, work with your reps now to create a specific, actionable plan to get on track. Clearly document the plan so it's easy to follow. 2. Focus your reps natural high achievement drive by breaking the necessary actions down into a daily, weekly and monthly plan. This will allow the sales professional to believe the goal is possible and to have the desire to achieve it. Review progress often. 3. Engage with your sales people in a way that resonates with them. Everyone responds to pressure differently. Understand how their feelings and emotions impact their behavior. Reflect on Behavior Styles* and insights on personal communication preferences. 4. Just as your sales professionals must gain rapport with their prospects, you, as their manager and coach, must do so with your rep. During weekly coaching sessions and progress reviews, listen for subtle meanings, including those revealed through non-verbal communication. This is a stressful time for a sales person. Coaching wins over managing every time. It's always best to 'merge' early, but it's never too late to do so appropriately. < A few helpful links included in comments, below Integrity Solutions > #quota #sales #salesmanagement #coaching #salesleader #revenue

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#questionoftheday - How would you like to get your prospecting message in front of any decision maker GUARANTEED? Learn how in this Lee's Lessons episode. If you enjoy this video, please like, comment, and share. #prospecting #salestip #win Mark Hunter Mike Wise Sales Architects - Building SalesPEOPLE into World-Class SalesFORCES Vincent Melograna

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In this one-minute clip from a recent interview with Mehrak Hamzeh, I discuss how emerging technologies are boosting the performance, productivity, and effectiveness of today's sales teams. Sales pros: What tech tool has helped your performance the most? #salesleadership #salestechnology #salestech #cro Surge Growth Consulting

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“Our pipeline is empty and we don’t know what to do.” I hear this all the time — almost exclusively from execs and sales leaders who have forgotten the basics. There are FOUR super simple reasons why pipeline is dry: 1️⃣ Sucky/Non-existent messaging 2️⃣ No meaningful way for prospects to self-educate 3️⃣ No proof their solution works 4️⃣ The CTAs are “talk to sales” or “learn more” or “book a demo” You don’t need a new channel, your campaigns aren’t stale, and AI isn’t stealing your business. You just aren't any more compelling than the alternatives and you’re being ignored and forgotten. Have a strong message, help buyers learn on their own, prove your solution works, and stop getting people to talk to sales. There’s a million other things they’d rather be doing.

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One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is focusing too much on pitching their product instead of gathering the right information.  Many sales reps go into meetings eager to present their offer, but they fail to truly understand what the prospect wants and needs. A simple yet powerful question can transform the sales conversation: “What would an ideal solution look like for you?” This question does two things: 1. It allows the prospect to describe exactly what they need, which provides valuable insight. 2. It gets them to start envisioning the benefits of your solution, making them more likely to buy. When prospects articulate their ideal solutions, they are mentally preparing themselves to commit. On the other hand, if they struggle to answer, it indicates uncertainty—which provides you with an opportunity to help them clarify their needs.

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