Lee Novak

  Dear Lee, I have worked in sales for the past fourteen years and have seen fads come and go. The latest is CRM that, my company has forced upon me. Isn’t CRM just another way for my company to act like BIG BROTHER to watch and monitor my every move? Stan, Tx Dear Stan, Would you board a commercial airline if you knew, 1) the plane was lacking a navigational system, 2) you would be flying to the busiest airport in the world without the aid of an air traffic controller or radar, and 3) the pilots would not have any radio contact to direct their take off or landing approach? Most likely not. CRM is not a fad nor is it a way for your company to act as BIG BROTHER! CRM is a navigational tool that, when used properly it will increase your profitability, productivity and en... (more)

My Quota is Gigantic!

Dear Lee, Last year I was a record setting sales rep at my company selling high tech solutions. Today I received my annual quota for the new year and was shocked to see that my account list shrunk by 10% and my quota is the highest in the company.  I am  very frustrated with this. I attempted to negotiate a reduced quota with my manager but he dismissed my request, saying that he has fu... (more)

A Sales Success Story - Overcoming the Price Objection

Sales & Marketing on Ulitzer A few years ago, I was asked by one of my best sales executives to assist in salvaging a large contract with an Arizona client. The Sales Executive and his team had performed extensive business analytics, developed strong support from the client’s management team and had even received a verbal approval from the key decision maker, Mr. C. However, at the last mi... (more)

The Ten Attributes of the Magnetic Sales Professional

Google “what it takes to be a successful salesperson” and one will get 121,000 different perspectives on what it takes to be one. However, in today’s competitive landscape what companies are truly looking for is, the rare individuals who can overachieve the sales and revenue goals, retain and increase the share of wallet of the existing client base and have the ability to drive new busin... (more)

Eight Timeless Pearls of Sales Wisdom

Recently, a former sales mentor of mine named John Tuohy passed away. Mr. Tuohy was an award winning field sales representative who seemed to have an endless array of tactics and sales strategies that he used to sell his products. I was fortunate to have him take a liking to me a, “green pea sales rep” and although he and I worked on two different sales teams, Mr. Tuohy was always willin... (more)