By listening to Barbara's interview you will learn: Why hiring "independent contractors" can be a risky proposition; How to avoid getting hit with a huge bill for back overtime; How to avoid hiring "nightmare" employees; How to avoid "professional sexual harassment" claims; How to reduce the risk of post-termination lawsuits.

A question I hear frequently is, "Should I promote my top sales performer to a sales management role?" To answer this question, I suggest you consider the three questions that are discussed in this article.

Consultative Selling is a sales process, not a lead generation system. Is Consultative Selling the right fit for you? The three factors discussed in this article will help you decide.

This article explores several of the most common ways to define sales territories.

This article explains how minimizing "windshield time" can help you make maximum use of your only inventory - time!

Customer testimonials can be tremendous sales closing aids. If the testimonials include specific quantified impacts, they are even more effective in helping salespeople close business.

Do your company's salespeople have unlimited access to your company's technical resources? Do they take technical experts with them to first meetings with prospects? Does your management team make conscious decisions to allocate technical resources to opportunities, or do salespeople make those decisions on their own?

If you want to maximize your sales performance, take a strategic approach to selling. After all, wouldn't you agree that "the 80/20 rule" applies to customers, where approximately 20 percent of customers produce approximately 80 percent of sales?

How you prioritize your sales territory management activities depends upon whether you are managing a territory that has existing customers, or whether you are building your customer base from scratch.

If you assign each salesperson responsibilities that fit with their relationship preferences and selling styles, you should maximize the return you receive on your sales team investment.

Quality salespeople are a relatively expensive resource. Yet, many companies ask their salespeople to perform administrative tasks that could easily be handled by $8 to $10 per hour administrative employees. Why does this happen?