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The list shows the most widely read articles on this site.

1. Sales Compensation: Should You Calculate Commissions on Revenue or Gross Margin?
   by Alan Rigg
   

   A common question is whether sales commissions should be calculated based upon revenue or gross margin. The answer is...it depends.

   
   
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2. Sales Compensation: Should You Pay a Salary or a Draw?
   by Alan Rigg
   

   Sales compensation plans that attract and motivate quality salespeople usually include some type of "income floor". The question is, which type of income floor produces better results - a salary or a draw?

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3. SPECIAL REPORT: The Secret to Closing More Sales
   by Alan Rigg
   

   Many sales skills training courses focus considerable attention on closing techniques. However, the real secret to closing sales is doing a great job at the front end of the sales process!

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4. Sales Recruiting: How to Hire More Top Sales Performers - Part 1
   by Alan Rigg
   

   Why do 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales? What is it about top sales performers that enables them to achieve such vastly superior results? How can you "tweak" your company's recruiting process to enable you to consistently identify and hire top sales performers?

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5. Strategic Selling: How to Sell Strategically
   by Alan Rigg
   

   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?

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6. Why Most Sales Training Programs Fail
   by Alan Rigg
   

   When companies invest in sales training, the desired outcome is usually a change in how their salespeople do their work... in other words, a change to the salespeople's behavior. Unfortunately, most sales training programs are not designed to accomplish behavioral change. As a result, companies do not receive the desired return on investment!

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7. SPECIAL REPORT: How to Develop an Effective Sales Compensation Plan
   by Alan Rigg
   

   Learn how to develop a sales compensation plan that will motivate your salespeople to do what you want them to do!

   
   
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8. Sales Territory Management: How to Define Sales Territories
   by Alan Rigg
   

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

   
   
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9. Negotiation: The Other Closing Technique
   by Jeanette Nyden, J.D.
   

   Back in the day, when money was flowing and people were feeling fine, giving a little without getting anything in return was not a problem. Today, it's a problem. Volumes are down, margins are shrinking and you have to add more to the bottom line. This article provides five suggestions for things you can do right now to improve your negotiation skills and the quality of the deals you land.

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10. How to Maximize Sales by Changing Your Product/Service Training Focus
    by Alan Rigg
    

    When your company introduces a new product or service, you make a pretty sizeable investment to train your salespeople to sell the new product or service, right? Doesn't it drive you crazy when only a fraction of your salespeople actually sell the new product or service?

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11. SPECIAL REPORT: How to Consistently Hire Salespeople that Perform
    by Alan Rigg
    

    Does your company struggle with 80/20 sales team performance, where 20 percent of your salespeople produce 80 percent of your company's sales? Learn how to avoid expensive hiring mistakes and consistently hire top sales performers!

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12. CRM Software Information and Recommendations - Part 1
    by Alan Rigg
    

    Part 1 of this article examines three common flaws that negatively impact CRM system adoption.

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13. Win More Business by Selling Value Instead of Price
    by Alan Rigg
    

    If price is the focus of your discussions with prospects or customers, the unspoken assumption is that your products or services are basically identical to competing products or services. Is this assumption valid? Are there really no identifiable (and quantifiable) differences between your products and services and competing products and services?

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14. Increase Your Sales by Going for the "NO"
    by Alan Rigg
    

    Neither you nor your employer can any make money unless a prospect says "yes". However, getting prospects to say "no" can be equally critical to your success!

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15. SPECIAL REPORT: The Ultimate Follow-Up System
    by Alan Rigg and Wendy Weiss
    

    This special report explores key reasons why follow-up is so critical to sales success and explains how to create your own Ultimate Follow-Up System!

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16. How to Increase Sales Through Resellers
    by Alan Rigg
    

    This article explores key reasons behind poor/insufficient reseller/channel partner sales performance and identifies specific actions your company can take to help resellers increase sales of your company's products and services.

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17. Reference Check Best Practices
    by Alan Rigg
    

    Recently a client asked me to provide them with a list of reference check questions as a component of a sales recruiting project. My gut reaction was, "Reference checks? Why bother? All most companies will provide is confirmation of very basic information such a dates of employment." Realizing that my reaction was based on old information, I decided it was time to take a fresh look at the current state of reference checking and summarize my findings in an article.

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18. Sales Training: How to Help Salespeople "Get Dangerous Quickly" With New Products and Services
    by Alan Rigg
    

    If you want to produce rapid sales results, redesign your product and service training curriculums to help your salespeople "get dangerous quickly." This article tells you how to do it.

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19. How to Improve Your Own Sales Performance and Your Sales Team's Performance
    by Alan Rigg
    

    If you want to improve sales performance (either your own sales performance or your sales team's performance) start by taking a close look at what you (or your salespeople) do and how you (or your salespeople) do it.

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20. Audio Recording: Guest Expert Interview with Steve McCann - Client-Conscious Prospecting: Learn How to Overcome Call Reluctance and Achieve Your Full Sales Potential
    

    During this interview Steve addresses the following topics: The difference between selling yourself and serving others; Why those who serve others sell so much more; How to truly put the spotlight on the prospect's needs (and not just pay them lip service); How to shift your focus to alleviate your fear of prospecting.

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