Category "Sales"

How I learned not to fear the Reaper

Kurt J. Bilafer - October 25, 2018 - Leadership, Sales

As you go along in life, there are some aphorisms that stick in your brain, sometimes for no apparent reason at all. Other times, it’s because they resonate in a variety of situations, and because of that their meaning seems to deepen as time goes by. I have a few of these that I carry around with me. One is, “Don’t fear the reaper.”

It’s actually a line out of a 1976 song about death and eternal love by Blue Oyster Cult, but the way it got burned into my brain was through business, so I’ve always associated it with that.

Why sales should never lose alone

Kurt J. Bilafer - March 22, 2017 - Sales

Sales can be a very lonely role. You’re out on the front lines with everything exposed. You put out a forecast, pipeline or end of quarter report, and everybody in the organization feels like they can take pops at you. You can quickly go from being the hero–which every salesperson lives for–to being a zero because you didn’t post anything.

With half your income riding on your ability to sell, the only thing worse than posting a zero is having your colleagues throughout the company second guess you. The best way to combat this is for sales leadership to create a culture in which no one loses alone. It’s not easy to do, but it’s a win for the entire company.

The most important skill needed to become more strategic: Patience

Kurt J. Bilafer - January 27, 2017 - Leadership, Sales

I’ve read several blog’s under LinkedIn Pulse #SkillsGap series focused on skills that people are acquiring or refining this year and thought I’d add one more to the list.

If I could acquire one skill, it would be patience. Everybody laughs when I say that. They are probably laughing at me, not with me, because in my informal skills gap poll of work colleagues and family members, everyone was in agreement. There was no hesitation.