Take a moment and think about your last sales call. Were you truly connecting with your prospect, or were you just going through the motions? Here's a sobering truth: You have just 7 seconds to transform yourself from "another annoying salesperson" to someone worth listening to.

Ever notice how we talk about "partnering" with clients while unconsciously creating barriers? We sit across the table, metaphorically and literally, locked in an adversarial dance: We push for higher prices; they push back. We want immediate implementation; they need six months. We showcase our solutions; they shield their real concerns.Let's be honest - this isn't partnership. It's a sophisticated form of combat that's costing us all.

Are you struggling to stand out in today’s saturated B2B market? As a sales professional, we know that capturing and retaining attention is harder than ever. At a sales conference in Colorado last week, I recently shared my insights with a group of women sales experts on how to repurpose video content to enhance lead generation. This approach, even if you're a team of one, can transform a single video into a powerful tool that drives measurable results.

Why so often, after our first few emails, do we hear crickets? Despite our best follow-up attempts? In my practice, I see most outreach is seller-focused. The beginning of the email is full of “we” … we want to meet them; we are the #1 provider of… We are sharing an update on our product/service, and we are in town with our boss. WIFM is playing in our buyers’ ears, What’s in it for me?

As the last 90 days of 2024 approach, are we staying focused on Q4 activities while setting the stage for a fruitful 2025? How can we ensure our team finishes strong without burning out? Here are three key areas to prioritize.

As sales leaders and sales reps, how much do we rely on data and science to predict our success? We refer to the art and science of sales, and the data is the science. But are we levering it? Looking under the hood to see what and why things are happening for the good or not so good.

As salespeople, when our eyes are fixed too tightly on the prize and we are emotionally attached to the outcome, we only see things from our perspective. We run the risk of skipping steps, asking superficial questions, and deal with symptoms vs root cause.Our prospects get half the story, not fully aware of the problem we solve, the value we provide and the outcomes we deliver.This is where empty objections are presented. If we are too focused on the prize, we steam-roll through them defensively. Their questions and clarifications remain unanswered, and they stay on the fence.

As children, our favourite word was “why” we always had to know why, usually it was “Why” we couldn’t have something. But as we grew up our curiosity dampened and, in some adults, it is gone.We read in job descriptions that being creative, curious, analytical, and results-oriented are sought-after skills for salespeople, but why can’t some of us go there?

Most companies I work with are not typically struggling to close deals - they have no deals to open. They lack a qualified pipeline. Is this you? If so, it is easy to hit the desperation button and provide knee-jerk reactions to the situation, offer discounts and take calls with just about anyone. We need a process. A systematic, predictable set of steps lacking emotion that advances you and your buyer along the buying phases.

As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of B2B sales, we must continually refine our strategies to stay ahead in a saturated look-alike, sound-alike market. When you think of any word that has the prefix "re" it suggests the original word no longer holds true. Repair, Replace, Remodel. Sales is no different.‍

Are You Effectively Navigating the Buyer's Journey and Gaining Consensus in B2B Sales?

Like in sports or music, practice is essential, it is the main part of the activity." Practice makes permanent, not perfect". My kids have a piano recital next week, it will be an hour-long event. They have been practicing for months leading up to the event. The amount of practice time compared to performance time is imbalanced, sales are no different. We can't expect to read a script, pick up the phone and have an insightful conversation without practice. Too many variables to control, including nerves and the pressure we place on ourselves.

What 4 iconic words will have your audience leaning in? …. Once upon a time.Well, perhaps not those exact 4 words, but how many of us share stories with our prospects or clients? Stories to highlight an insight, expose a gap, or draw a parallel tosituations that ended positively or negatively.In the past few decades, neuroscientists have learned more about emotion and its role in persuasion. According to molecular biologist John Medina, emotionally arousing events using words, pictures or objects that trigger fear, joy, hope and surprise tend to be better remembered than neutral events.

The business-to-business (B2B) sales role is shifting. Yes, sales teams need to walk prospects through the many features and benefits of their company’s offering, but the job now requires a broader scope of relationship building, making connections, and thought leadership. HubSpot’s 2024 Sales Trends Report confirmed what we already know—sales professionals say selling has been harder this year than it was before..."

Are You Delivering the Right Digital Experience for Your Buyer?

I'm sure you've all been in a position where you felt cornered, pitched at and pressured into hearing what someone is selling without showing any interest in purchasing. The focus is on them the seller. They typically deliver a monologue and rarely invite thoughts or comments from the buyer's side or even come up for air.

What will you do today that will get us one step closer to #BreakTheBias, closing the gender equality gap, for our friends, sister and daughters?

Have you ever thought about where you stand with one or more of your clients? How effective are you at building connections with potential clients? Are you delivering value? Helping them achieve their goals? Solving their problems? Are you even getting to the point of showcasing how your product/service can help your client? If you are not engaging them first thing on your initial outreach, chances are you are not. 

As sales professionals when we craft an email, our goal is to get a response. Whether it is an automated cadence or a well-crafted email, this metric is part of how we are incented, it's kind of a big one. But why so often do we hear crickets after 2,3 or even 4 follow-up attempts? In my practice, I see most outreach is seller-focused, we want to meet them and share updates on our produce/service, our boss is in town, and WIFM is playing in our buyers' ears, What's in it for me? The reason I know these, I did some of them earlier in my career as well.‍

It's no secret that the current economic slowdown has affected us all. As companies cut back on spending, deal velocity, size, and opportunities may have decreased. As sales leaders, how can we guide our teams through these trying times? Here are some suggestions to support, motivate, and keep everyone engaged.

Welcome to 2024. There is always something refreshing about writing the date with a new year. It gives us a re-start, re-fresh, Take 2 feeling. What I have found myself guilty of in the past is jumping into the new year without closing off the old year. There are so many learnings, celebrations, A-ha's, and memories to cherish before we say farewell.

Gaining access to your prospects now can be difficult. Most folks are in the unaware phase. They are heads down putting our internal fires, unaware things could be different, better, more enjoyable. When we eventually get their attention, get time on their calendar and finally book a call we have access! This is where those who pitch here fall off and fall off fast. Think of how many steps went into getting the meeting, don't blow it now!

As humans, we often have a negative mindset. When things don't go as planned, we immediately assume the worst and look to blame others. This hinders our ability to learn and grow. So, how do we change this? The first step is to define what our ideal selves look like. Read more about The Power of Positive Thinking: Striving to Be Our Best

Your #network is a goldmine of support, filled with folks who vouch for you and have your back. Time to cash in on that relationship. Here are my top 5 ways to kick things off that are sure to make waves in the B2B world using a simple, effective, and powerful tool - LinkedIn! #prospecting #b2bsales #outbound

What do you need to feel like your best you? To feel like you are performing your best and honouring your body, mind, and soul. Read this blog to learn about giving yourself what you need for the best level of success.

If we have been in sales for a few years, we most likely have a good foundation in the form of a skillset. Our will may be lacking for various reasons. Our will influences our skills. Our self-awareness hopefully kicks in to let us know something is off. Take a holistic approach and explore approaches to success that will not only benefit your skills as a sales professional, but as a human.

Over the past few months, I've had the chance to sit through many demos, some for coaching purposes and some as a consumer. I see clear trends that separate the average from the top performer.

When reps get ghosted, deals fall into the graveyard territory you can draw a line back to the questions that weren’t asked. Effective sales discovery is about purpose. Why are we here? Following that a light agenda, and alignment with prospect expectations. Here are some of the main fundamentals that must take place for an effective Discovery call.

Most companies I am working with are not typically struggling to close deals, they lack a pipeline. They have no deals to open.Is this you?If so, it is easy to hit the desperation button and provide knee-jerk reactions to the situation, without a plan. This is where I stress the importance of a process. A systematic, predictable set of steps lacking the emotion that advances you and your buyer along the buying phases.

Are you using LinkedIn to effectively connect with your audience? Review this blog for tips, techniques, and LinkedIn "hacks" to work with the algorithm, not against it.

For those of us who have been in sales for quite a few years, think back to what characteristics you possessed that landed your first sales job... If you were applying today would they be the same?

How can you become a great #leader? 🤔 #Leadership can be a tough journey, but how can you overcome pain points to become an incredible leader? Read Karen's 3 Leadership Tips to find out! #B2B #salesleadership #salestraining #quicktips #successinsales #k2perform

Everywhere we turn, we are surrounded by the exciting - and some may argue daunting - world of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In this newsletter, I break down how we can leverage it to enhance our sales motions. 

Many Sales professionals are afraid for their future in sales. Will their jobs be replaced by chat GPT? Sadly, the answer for some is yes. Those top performers who continue to work on themselves upskill, role play, hone their craft, and apply the coaching from their managers; these folks will continue to thrive and cut through the noise. But what are some of the things they are doing?

Sometimes we let fear, uncertainty and doubt get the better of us. We have never done something before and our natural tendency is to stay safe and complacent. Our brain likes this mode, but we are not growing while we’re in this state. What will you say Yes to? Where will you go toe to toe with fear and win?

Leadership is a tough role; the average tenure is approximately 19 months. Our title does not make us a leader. Our thoughts, actions and behaviours regardless of our role allow us to display leadership qualities.

In 2008, I didn’t know who Katherine Switzer was. I saw her in the crowd at the Boston Marathon holding flowers and smiling. Back in my hotel room, I googled her and quickly realized why she was getting praised and honoured. She was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon back in 1967 ... Photo by Vonecia Carswell on Unsplash

Time is our Currency. There is one thing that binds us as humans, we all have 24 hours in the day. It is up to us how we choose to use it... It is the currency we trade, value for time.

When we started our sales career we went through the learning quadrants, starting as unconsciously incompetent. We were unaware of our lack of skill; we didn’t know what we didn’t know. As experienced salespeople, we are motivated to drive results for our clients, and put their needs above ours. To achieve this sometimes we need to move past our ego.

Most of us have felt the impact of layoffs, deal velocity grinding to a halt or reduced pace, and more red tape...What will you do differently today that will invite your prospects to see you in a different light, and deviate from their perception of a typical salesperson looking out for themselves?‍

Sales professionals are often seen in a negative light. Knowing this is the perception of our buyers and the chips are already stacked against us, how can we be more intentional, purposeful, service driven to help? Check out my article to debunk some of these negative perceptions and improve your sales game.

Happy New Year !‍It is 2023 and a new year. Our chance to re-set, reflect and play our cards differently based on our outcome and level of fulfillment last year. Start 2023 with a lean mindset

How will you modify or perhaps create your onboarding process to attract and retain top talent?

How can we be on the same side of the table as our client? Typically, it feels like us vs them. They have a problem we have the best solution. They want it for a certain price we want to sell it 3X that price, they want to implement in 6 months we want to recognize revenue now and implement this month.....

Our goal in Sales conversations is first to build trust. One great way to do this is to use stories to develop an authentic, human connection. But first, let’s look at what’s foundational to selling.‍This may sound like sales 101 but how often do you put yourself in your buyer’s shoes?

As salespeople, how can we ensure we are keeping a healthy pipeline? Selecting the right opportunities top of the funnel to ensure we are closing at the other end of the funnel...

As we prepare for Canadian Thanksgiving this coming weekend, we find ourselves thinking about what we are thankful for - but are we expressing gratitude for what we have?

What are your Superpowers?‍ What do you have that others don’t? What are your superpowers, and strengths? Insights, perspectives that are unique to you?

When I scroll through my email, I read in the opening, Hi Karen, "We are"…. "Are you interested in?… "I'm reaching out because" ‍ These types of emails will never get opened. Why?

We are all feeling the slowdown in the economy. Deal velocity, deal size and perhaps several opportunities may have decreased with companies prioritizing their spending.How as sales leaders can we support, motivate, and keep our team engaged during these difficult times?

As salespeople, looking to gather information from our prospects, we create a list of questions we need to get answered. However, we can sometimes sound like we are in an interrogation. Firing question after question, with minimal pausing or thought in between.

While on my run yesterday, I saw another runner ahead, but because I didn't have my glasses I couldn’t tell if they were running towards me or away from me. Only after time, did I realize we should have met by now if they were running towards me, that was my indicator. It got me thinking, in our sales interactions how often are we unsure if the deal is coming closer to us or slipping out of our hands?

Curious how storytelling can up your sales game? Have your buyers leaning in and understanding the benefits of your product, service, or offering by integrating storytelling and emotional connection in your sales' journey!

How many of us enjoy being pitched? Safe to say, very few unless we are actively seeking a solution.For the most part, buyers are unaware they have a problem. It is our job to heighten their awareness and invite them to consider a different way of getting the job done or realize what they are doing may not be sustainable. How do we do that in a way that is not pushy, salesy and genuinely has their customers' best interest?

What does it mean to be salesy? I’m sure you’ve been in a position where you felt cornered, pitched at and pressured into hearing what someone is pitching/ selling without showing any interest to purchase. The focus is on the seller. They typically deliver a monologue and rarely invite thoughts or comments from the buyer’s side. Why do people do this?

As children, our favourite word was “why”, usually it was “why” we couldn’t have something. But as we grew up our curiosity dampened and, in some adults, it is gone. How can we leverage our curiosity to connect with our clients? Seek to understand on a deeper level, allow them to feel heard and get a true sense of the challenges they are facing? What will you do today to lean in to your curiosity? Photo by Gary Butterfield on Unsplash

Are you pivoting with the current trends in the market? Find out how the pandemic is impacting the market and how you can navigate these trends to stand out. Photo by 愚木混株 cdd20 on Unsplash

As a practitioner of Simon Sinek’s “Know your Why“, most of my workshops start with different iterations of ‘your Why’, your purpose, and the legacy you want to leave. As partners, we come up with a crystalized version that represents us at this moment. 

This past weekend I celebrated a birthday and this year, unlike the last two birthdays, we went away for the night. We ate at an actual restaurant and danced to live music, funny the things we took for granted are the things we now crave. Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

As sales leaders and sales reps, how much do we rely on data and science to predict our success? How can we remove emotion and bias and see what is actually happening? In short, data. Photo by UX Indonesia on Unsplash

As salespeople when our eyes are too tight on the prize and we get thrown an objection, our brain says, how can I take what they are saying and turn it around to my point of view? How can I overcome this objection? Image via Bruce Mars on Unsplash

More than 95% of what we do is in our subconscious, we automate most things we do. Why do we tie one shoelace before the other? put our seat belt on without thinking about it, somehow wonder how we made it home so quickly, were we fully present? Image via GR Stocks on Unsplash

With the turn of a new year comes a new page in our journal, agenda or vision board. While these are all great, I find the goals look very similar year over year. We have to ask ourselves, why are some achieving their goals and others not? Photo by Blessing Ri on Unsplash

While waiting in the 4-hour passport line up today, it brought me back to my days of Ticketmaster in the ’90s, it also reminded me of certain elements in sales. Photo by Jaimie Harmsen on Unsplash

As humans we enjoy talking about ourselves, more than 60% of conversations are spent talking about our favourite topic, us. But why when it comes to asking us questions in a meeting, presentation, demo why do we choke up, freeze, panic and want to flee the scene? Image via Campaign Creators @ Unsplash

After nearly 2 years of working through a pandemic, is it acceptable and welcomed to raise our hand and take a break, pause and reset? The pendulum has significantly shifted pre-pandemic, will it ever return to what it was before or are we continually chasing the proverbial carrot while flirting too closely with mental health? Image via Jackson David on Unsplash

Our audience forms a first impression of us in the first 6 seconds of meeting us. How can you create a great first impression and enhance your relationship with clients? Working in the hashtag#virtual environment, our attention spam has drastically shrunk. How can you connect with your audience? show them you care and understand their challenges while observing the underlying emotion? Brett Jordan via Unsplash

How can we help our sales reps increase their self-awareness? Start looking for patterns, triggers within themselves to be more proactive, think through things from the customer lens and be others-focused? Well the answer is…..provide coaching for them Photo via Amy Hirschi

Clarity in communication is measured by the response and actions of our audience. As Sales Leaders, when we look at the activities, actions and performance of our team, there may be different results due to many variables. Have you considered, some of this may fall on you and your ability to deliver a message with clarity? Read my blog to see how you can become more clear and the impact it has on your team. Photo by Edgar Soto on Unsplash

Is your language killing your deals? Your communication will directly position you with the level of influence you sound like. Are you leading with features and benefits, well let me introduce to the user of the product. Are you focused on strategy, goals, ROI, meeting overall corporate objectives, well let me introduce you to the C-suite. One value proposition is not enough to satisfy both audiences, they are measuring different things. Analyze your language to ensure you are targeting the right level and your message is inline with their thinking. Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

Are you prepared for Q4? As we enter this crucial time of year, I share tips to support you with reaching and exceeding your goals. Q4 is like New Year’s, a time to correct and implement changes to end the year strong. Reflect, take your lessons learned, winnings and build them in to Q1 to repeat the cycle. Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash

Are you having trouble getting responses from clients? Here are three important tips to help you get a response and close the deal. Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash

What Role do Emotions Play In Negotiation? It is so important to be cognizant of the buyer's emotion. Identify them to influence them. In my blog I share 3 tips on how to consider emotions in negotiation based on Christopher Voss book, Never Split the Difference. Please see an exciting K2 Performance's SURPRISE announcement at the end of this blog Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash

As leaders, are we using the same soft skills with our sales team as we do with our prospects? Now more than ever effective sales reps must use their soft skills to produce hard results. Read this article to find out just how important soft skills are when it comes to producing results for your tech sales team. Photo by AbsolutVision on Unsplash

What are you doing to ensure you are on track to meet your goals? Lagging indicators give us the end result. What can we do intermittently to stay the course? Read my 7 tips here Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash

Photo by rupixen.com on Unsplash

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Little did I know my time as a #flightattendant would help me through a pandemic."Zoom gloom" is real, we all feel it, being on all the time is exhausting.Read below for some solutions for yourself and managing your sales team to stay motivated and play the long game. Photo via S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash

It's a well known fact that people buy with emotion. Finding the fine balance between talking features and benefits and appealing to your prospect's emotional side is critical having successful sales conversations. How can you do this in an authentic meaningful way? Start by building trust.

In my recent conversations with clients, family and friends, I’ve noticed an interesting trend that has emerged as we’ve been living and working through this pandemic. We’re slowing down. And that’s not a bad thing.

If you have a thriving and profitable business with raving clients across the globe but you are not digital, without an online presence you are missing a large reach. 60 percent of all transactions are now done online. This is our new world.

Have you ever thought about where you stand with one or more of your clients? How effective are you at building connections with potential clients? Are you delivering value? Helping them achieve their goals?

When it comes to the question of ways to create more sales, most sellers will tell you “the mantra is to work harder” to double or triple the current efforts. But the real equation is to work smarter.

Not getting a response from your outbound reach with potential buyers makes it impossible to engage and differentiate yourself and your product or service.