Wilson Learning Americas
In conversations with clients about the impact of the current economic downturn, I keep hearing one concern everyone seems to share: "how can we help our people manage the strain of all the budget cuts, layoffs, and reorganizations?" Read More...
Over the years I’ve heard from many sales leaders who have been frustrated by efforts to get their salespeople to call wider and higher in their accounts. Although we all have a strong belief that there are opportunities outside the safe "green zone" of familiar contacts, many salespeople are particularly intimidated by trying to get appointments with executives. Read More...
You know the feeling . . . Low enthusiasm, low energy, not a lot of motivation. You’re tired out and feeling oppressed by "making do with less" for way too long. Chances are your employees are feeling this way too, stretched too thin and tired of putting out extra energy to cover work that used to be done by employees who are now gone. Read More...
Originally published on TrainingMag.com / Whats-New.
Training 2012 Conference & Expo speaker Carl Eidson answers the question, "What can we do to make training stick?"
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I hear a lot of questions these days about how to differentiate in a weak but highly competitive market. The challenge affects clients from both ends of the spectrum—those selling premium high-end solutions with high costs, and those whose solutions are regarded as commodities. Read More...
Nothing is quite as profitable and rewarding for a supplier as a strategic account. There is a myth embraced by far too many organizations that the health of this type of relationship is the province of the sales department. Let’s challenge our thinking on that. Read More...
Many of our clients who start utilizing mobile learning are quickly confronted with the issue of whether to implement it as a mobile app or via mobile web. The decision can have broad implications for accessibility, cost, quality, and maintenance of a mobile learning strategy. Read More...
We posted a blog in 2009 titled Leading by Remote Control in which we discussed the challenges of leading a remote team. Several readers commented that they found the title troublesome since it conjured up images of a leader controlling others or purposely pushing others’ buttons. These critiques had good merit. After all, engagement research tells us that employees don’t want to be controlled. And clinical psychology research tells us we all have buttons, yet none of us wants them to be pushed by others. With all of this criticism, does the Leading by Remote Control title have any legitimacy? Read More...
As the saying goes, pop culture often imitates life. In today’s media-driven culture it seems you cannot have a reality show without a largely tell-assertive cast. Television executives are well aware that Expressives and Drivers in back-up mode equal good ratings.
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A few days ago I posted this question on a LinkedIn discussion group focused on sales effectiveness in the chemical industry, a market segment that employs many scientists and technical experts as part of the sales force. While this discussion was focused on sales in the chemical industry, the same issues apply across many industries including laboratory equipment, high tech systems, aerospace, alternative energy, and more. Read More...
This question was recently asked by PharmaVoice: Given the shifting pharmaceutical landscape, what do you believe will be the biggest trend impacting training in the coming year? In five years? Read More...
Consider this scenario: The customer says, “The competition has the same thing you have, but the price is lower.” What does the sales rep do? Possibly point out differentiators and highlight the value to the customer. If that doesn’t work, free value-adds might be thrown out to entice the customer to buy. And what if the customer continues to maintain a hard price position? In my experience, the salesperson will often end up giving in to the customer’s demands, lowering the price or margin or both, sacrificing profitability to save the sale. Read More...
Not long ago I was talking with a senior executive about the barriers confronting salespeople who want to meet with their customers' top leaders. I mentioned the common complaint that executives are hard to access and often refer salespeople right back down the line to their functional department heads. His response stuck in my mind: "You get referred to who you sound like." Read More...
A culturally diverse project team breaks down because team members can’t make a key decision that is core to the team’s mission. Some team members claim others are spending too much time off task and failing to share critical information. Other team members say the team leader is forcing decisions too quickly without allowing time for conversation, thought and consideration of alternatives. The executive sponsor is mystified. She wondered: “What’s the problem with this hand-picked team of high performers and how do I get them back on track?” Read More...
Many of our clients tell us that they are interested in virtual learning and want to understand how to ensure the success of a virtual learning initiative. We discuss with them the various factors that affect the virtual learning environment—great design, the right technology, etc. But in recent conversations with some of our most successful facilitators, I was reminded of just how critical their role is in a virtual learning environment. Read More...
