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Articles by Jeffrey Steen
10 Ways Opportunity Management Software Improves Sales Performance
Every sales opportunity represents a fresh start and a potential breakthrough. Because every deal matters, missing one could be a costly setback. For small and medium businesses (SMBs), the opportunities that come in are a sum of everything you do — and the tools you use. According to the State of Sales report, sales reps spend 60% of their time on non-selling tasks like manual data entry, lead research, and tool-switching. That’s time your team simply can’t afford to waste.
Selling With AI Agents? Here’s What You Need to Know
You didn’t start your business to manage spreadsheets. You started it to build something — and that ambition deserves a sales operation that can actually keep up. For small and medium businesses (SMBs), the path to growing revenue isn’t always about growing headcount. It’s about giving your existing team the tools to execute at a level that used to require a much bigger team. That’s exactly what today’s customer relationship management (CRM) and AI agents make possible.
Customer Trust in An AI World: If You Build It, They Will Come
“If you build it, they will come.” It’s one of the most iconic lines in movie history — and for lean businesses navigating the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), it’s also a question worth asking. Because when it comes to customer trust, building the right thing matters just as much as building fast. Your customers want the speed and personalization that AI makes possible. But they also want to know their data is in safe hands.
12 AI Sales Strategies for Startups That Actually Work
It’s 11:47 p.m. and Maria, the founder of a growing startup, finally closes her laptop. She just spent the last four hours manually sorting through leads, drafting follow-up emails, and updating her spreadsheet — again. Sound familiar? For millions of startup founders, the sales process isn’t a pipeline. It’s a pile. And no matter how hard you work, the pile never shrinks. But something’s changing.
11 Free Lead Generation Tips for Small and Growing Businesses
Every small and medium business (SMB) owner knows the feeling of a quiet inbox and the pressure of a shifting market. You spend your morning managing operations and your afternoon trying to find new customers, often leaving very little time for actual growth strategy. This constant balancing act makes it hard to focus on high-value tasks because you’re too busy manually tracking down every potential interest.
Customer Feedback Loops: Lasting Tips for SMBs
What’s the difference between reactive and proactive feedback? Reactive feedback is what you receive after an event, such as a customer leaving a review or submitting a support ticket. Proactive feedback is what you actively ask for, like sending a survey after a new feature launch. How often should a small business ask for feedback? It depends on the touchpoint. For transactional feedback (like after a purchase), you should ask immediately.
6 Sales CRMs For Small Businesses: Low-Cost Tools For Big-Ticket Selling
What is a low-cost CRM, and how is it different from an enterprise solution? A low-cost CRM is typically designed for small businesses and startups, offering essential sales features like pipeline management, contact tracking, and basic reporting at an affordable, per-user monthly price. How much should a small business expect to spend on a quality CRM?
Upsell Without Losing The Sale: A Quick Guide For Startups
Upselling is the process of recommending upgrades, features, or additional products to a customer. A CRM is the key for smart upselling, helping to identify customer signals like high usage metrics, feature exploration, and service history that showcase the need for an upgrade. An AI-powered CRM like Salesforce is good for ensuring upsells are relevant and timely, transforming sales from reactive to proactive. Congratulations! You just made a sale — time to get it in the books.
Journey Mapping For Startups and SMBs: Map Out More Sales
Every day, your customers go on a journey — one that shapes how they find, engage with, and buy from your business. This process, known as journey mapping for small business, helps you understand each step customers take — whether they “heart” a campaign on Instagram or click a referral link from a friend. What does your customer journey look like for your startup or small or medium businesses (SMBs)?
How To Create The Perfect Startup Pitch Deck
Ever feel like you’re shouting into a void when trying to explain your small or medium-sized business (SMB) idea? You’ve poured your heart and soul into your startup, but when it comes to pitching your idea, you’re met with blank stares or polite nods that don’t lead anywhere. Many business owners struggle to translate their passion into a compelling pitch that resonates with investors. In the high-stakes world of startups, landing sales and securing funding often hinges on one thing: a pitch deck.
Is a Small Business Sales Coach Worth It?
Closing deals isn’t luck — it’s a combination of the right strategy, skills, execution, and support. If your small and medium business (SMB) struggles to turn leads into wins, improve sales efficiency, increase customer retention, or scale effectively, you may be wondering: what is a sales coach for small business owners? The right coach provides expert guidance and proven techniques to refine your sales approach and increase sustainable growth.
10 Sales Automation Tips For Startups (Tools & Techniques)
As a small business owner, you’re doing it all: an endless cycle of to-do lists, last-minute fixes, and trying to respond to every lead that comes in. Sound familiar? If so, sales automation might be the next step for your startup. Before you say it’s too complicated, let’s simplify it: sales automation and trusted artificial intelligence (AI) are your secret weapons.
Best Startup Sales Strategies to Win More Customers
Startups and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are already juggling a million priorities, so why add changing sales strategies to the list? But, startups are built for speed and adaptation. Big companies are bogged down by layers of approvals and meticulous planning. Instead of trying to mimic corporate giants, startups should lean into their unique strengths for sales — and, of course, use the right tools.
How to Get It Right
If you’re a startup founder, trying to predict sales might feel like a challenging task in an already overwhelming list. With limited data and unpredictable markets, it’s easy to feel stuck and unsure if your next move will drive growth or drain resources. Yet, without a clear forecast, you risk missing key opportunities — or worse, making decisions that could hurt your startup. That’s why sales forecasting is super important.
7 AI Strategies to Boost Sales For Small Businesses
Running a small or medium-sized business (SMB) can be both exciting and overwhelming. Getting customers is the number one priority for any entrepreneur, and now with the power of artificial intelligence (AI), you can reach your sales goals and still have time at the end of the day. AI can help by acting like a personal assistant, automating tasks and giving real-time insights to make things better, faster, and easier.
Envisioning the evolution of substance use services: Social work and the establishment of overdose prevention center
Advanced search Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions Latest Articles Submit an article Journal homepage Full Article Figures & data References Citations Metrics Reprints & Permissions Read this article /doi/full/10.1080/1533256X.2024.2423925?needAccess=true Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Disclosure statement No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
27 Sales Compensation Statistics That Will Help You Build a Competitive Comp Plan
The average sales organization loses 25% of its team every year, according to our research. That’s a lot of talent walking out the door. But here’s the kicker — with the right compensation strategy, you can flip the script. Market research can help you plot a data-driven plan to shape and grow your sales force. By understanding sales compensation trends and benchmarks, you’ll know what you need to pay to retain top talent.
How to Motivate Sales Managers with a Thoughtful Compensation Strategy
Once a rep is promoted to sales manager, expectations change. Where they once were laser-focused on their own goals, they’re now responsible for training and enabling a team of successful reps. This raises the question: How do you motivate sales managers, and how is that different from managing a sales rep? In this article, we’ll explain how to set up sales managers for success – and zero in on one key element of sales motivation: compensation strategy.
Uncapped Earnings: The Benefits of Limitless Commission
Commission incentivizes sales reps to close as many deals as possible – but should there be a limit on just how much commission they can earn? Read on as we define uncapped earnings potential and explain why limitless commission benefits both sales employees and a company’s bottom line. Motivate your reps with automated incentive pay Discover the power of automating commissions with Incentive Compensation Management, and easily create incentive programs that scale.
Why Are Commission Caps So Rare in Modern-Day Sales?
Sometimes, for the sake of the business’s wellbeing, a sales organization must implement strategies that are at odds with their reps’ best interests. Is that true of the commission cap? In this article, we’ll explore the why, when, and how of commission caps and explain why so few modern sales organizations embrace this compensation strategy.
What Is Sales Analysis and How Does It Help You Close More Deals?
Data and intuition walk into a bar. Data orders a gin martini — strong, reliable, and no-nonsense. Intuition, on the other hand, asks for something off the menu. Data knows what it wants and orders based on experience, evidence, and time-honored tradition. Intuition isn’t interested in those things. It wants to push the envelope, get creative, and try something new. Your team might be filled with intuitive sellers. But to hit your sales goals, there’s nothing stronger than data.
How to Use Clawback Clauses in Your Sales Compensation Strategy
Designing sales compensation plans is a delicate balancing act. An effective comp plan simultaneously incentivizes sales performance and protects the company against financial crisis. These competing priorities lead many organizations to implement one of the most consequential — and sometimes controversial — provisions you’ll find in a compensation plan: the clawback clause.
How to Build A Sales Process That Lands Deals Every Time
Business growth expert Tiffani Bova said it best: “How you sell matters. What your process is matters.” Think of your sales process like a map. It shows you how to get from point A in the sale (finding your prospect) to point Z (closing the deal), highlighting necessary steps along the way. Without it, you get lost, fumble, or stall out. The best sales processes make selling easy by helping you optimize sales conversations, delivering the right value at the right time.
Reversing The War On Drugs, One Overdose At A Time
“Drug use is a very, very solitary sport and it’s fraught with despair, isolationism, and desolation, and real darkness. And when you’re using a safe injection site, you’re using…in the social context, so it breaks all that.” These compelling reflections describe the benefits an overdose prevention center (OPC) in Canada, one of the 100+ sites operating worldwide.
Reversing the war on drugs, one overdose at a time
“DRUG USE IS a very, very solitary sport and it’s fraught with despair, isolationism, and desolation, and real darkness. And when you’re using a safe injection site, you’re using…in the social context, so it breaks all that.” These compelling reflections describe the benefits an overdose prevention center (OPC) in Canada, one of the 100+ sites operating worldwide.
9 Sales KPIs Every Sales Team Should Be Tracking
Ever been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of sales data you’re tracking — and confused by the metrics that matter? You’re not the only one. Research firm McKinsey highlighted this as a troubling trend: Too much data and no focus has made it difficult for sales leaders to reach clear “aha” moments that drive confident decisions and sustainable growth. Fortunately, there’s a clear path forward.
How to Get the Most Out of a Sales Call
Market research done? Check. Prospects qualified? Check. Looks like you’re ready to make a sales call. This isn’t just a quick pitch, however. The most successful sales calls include tailored presentations and focus on building trust with prospects by addressing their unique pain points.
Make Your Sales Kickoff the Party of the Year
Sales leaders know well: Never throw a boring sales kickoff. These key early-year planning events are not about boring slides, but inspiring, motivating, and engaging sellers to deliver their best every quarter of the year. How? It starts and ends with a simple principle: Put yourself in your audience’s shoes, and give them something good.
Pipeline Reviews Are the Worst — Here Are 10 Easy Ways To Fix Them
Self-proclaimed “old school to new school” sales leader Richard Harris remembers the first time someone quit on him. “No resignation letter — she just left.” The reason? A series of painful pipeline review meetings. “During reviews, I would ask for X and she would give me Y. She had her own path to closing deals, but I never took the time to understand her process,” said Harris, who now runs the Harris Consulting Group, a sought-after sales training company.
13 Ways Revenue Leaders Can Deliver Growth in the New Year
Jan 03, 2022 7 min read Predictable growth is the name of the game in the new year, and you need the right tools, tips, and techniques to make it happen. As our recent Sales Summit revealed, the old ways of selling — aggressive quotas, in-person sales calls, nagging pipeline reviews — just don’t work anymore. It’s time to #ThinkOutsidetheQuota. That’s why we tapped frontline sales leaders to help.
What Recovery From Meth Addiction Taught Me About Harm Reduction
“You’re too well put together to be an addict.” I beamed at Jake’s comment, overwhelmed with relief. He squirmed as he disclosed his struggles with addiction, pushing aside the wine list as we both opted for water. The restaurant was dimly lit. I hoped it would soften the twitches in my face and limbs. Jake and I had exchanged messages on Grindr, and this was our first time meeting face-to-face. As I got ready for the date, I was overcome by nervousness, my mind racing with insecurities.
6 Top Georgia Real Estate Post-license Courses 2020
In Georgia, new real estate agents are required to take a 25-hour, career-building post-licensing course and pass a course exam within one year of receiving a license. To help you choose the best post-licensing course, we evaluated various schools and chose the top six based on course format, variety, price, customer support, and reviews.
6 Best Accredited Real Estate Schools 2020
To offer valid courses for real estate education, all real estate schools need to be state-approved. However, some students also want schools accredited by industry organizations like ARELLO and IDECC. To find the top accredited schools, we analyzed more than a dozen and chose the six best based on price, courses, reviews, and support.
6 Best Real Estate Broker Classes 2019
While state requirements vary, becoming a real estate broker generally requires you to have an agent’s license and some experience in the field, then complete broker-specific coursework. There are many online schools available for broker classes. To help aspiring brokers pick the best, we chose the top six based on price, available coursework, and support.
Real Estate Continuing Education MA: Best Schools 2019
To renew your real estate agent or broker license in Massachusetts, you need to complete 12 hours of continuing education courses every two years. Each real estate school offers a different method of learning, so we chose the best Massachusetts real estate continuing education courses based on price, reviews, course format, and course variety.
6 Best NC Real Estate Post-licensing Courses
North Carolina is a single licensure state, only issuing broker licenses. As part of licensing requirements, brokers must complete mandatory continuing education (CE) and post-licensing coursework in on-site classes. To help them meet post-licensing requirements, we chose the six best real estate schools in North Carolina based on price, course schedules, location, and customer reviews.
Texas Real Estate License Renewal in 4 Steps
Texas real estate license renewal is required for every Texas agent every two years. As an active real estate salesperson or broker, you must complete at least 18 continuing education (CE) course hours and submit the appropriate documents by the due date with your renewal fee, which ranges from $110 to $457. If you’re looking for an easy online education solution, consider Real Estate Express for first-time renewal.
Strange Brews in Boulder County
Grab a beer. I’ve got a joke for you. Three buddies walk into a bar—one from Massachusetts, one from Wisconsin and one from Colorado. The Ivy League Bostonian sidles up and asks the bartender for a cold Sam Adams. The college kid from Wisconsin pulls up a stool and proudly orders a Leinie. “Why did you order a Coke?” his friends ask, taken aback. There are countless versions of this joke, so I can’t really take credit for my adulteration. But it does strike a chord.
DiningOut Denver/Boulder
Two years ago, I made the ambitious resolution to spend five evenings a week in the kitchen cooking meals using local ingredients. I succeeded—by some measure, anyway. Most of those evenings involved slinging together a gin and tonic (using local gin, mind you) and wondering what on earth to do with my farmers’ market greens. Whatever my inner mixologist might say to such spirited achievements, I ultimately failed to do much cooking. 2016 is different.
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