Symptoms:
Bill and Pat were returning from their monthly poker game and while riding back in the car they both agreed they had witnessed a situation that they could apply as a "lesson learned" to their business careers.

By Monday Morning Manager on Jun 29, 2026 6:00:01 AM
Bill and Pat were returning from their monthly poker game and while riding back in the car they both agreed they had witnessed a situation that they could apply as a "lesson learned" to their business careers.
By Monday Morning Manager on Jun 22, 2026 6:00:00 AM
Roger could not believe what he just heard. The conversation with one of his most challenging prospects ground to a halt after Roger had asked if the deal just did not make sense. Despite the fact that this was one opportunity that could significantly impact his bonus, Roger just could not think of one more thing to say. So, he just stood there and contemplated how he swung and missed again. “I guess I have to accept your program, so let’s write this up and get that first order in here next week.” What just happened, did someone else walk into the office or did a dream just pop into his subconscious mind? The deal just closed, and Roger was not talking when it happened.
By Monday Morning Manager on Jun 15, 2026 6:00:00 AM
Symptoms:
The Purchasing Agent started the sales call with: "So, what do you have for me today?" It struck Jennifer that she was hearing this line far too frequently when she showed up for a sales call with both prospects and current customers in her territory.
By Monday Morning Manager on Jun 8, 2026 6:00:00 AM
Unskilled salespeople are so predictable! They use the "pull" approach, constantly trying to convince and persuade the buyer to buy from them. Of course, the buyers are on to these tactics and are doing their best to "push" the salesperson away. Often, even buyers who are ready to buy will feel trapped and push the salesperson away because they don't want to be sold.
By Monday Morning Manager on Jun 1, 2026 6:00:00 AM
Diane returned from the product demo certain that the features and benefits she shared with her prospect had wowed them. The buyer nodded when Diane asked if the product fit into the product categories they offered to their customer base, and everyone else that sat in on the meeting told her how much they liked what she had presented. She felt as good about this call as she had in a long time, but now six weeks later there was still no purchase order and the prospect had gone radio silent. How did their excitement turn into Diane's frustration?
By Monday Morning Manager on May 25, 2026 6:00:00 AM
Symptoms:
The silence was deafening. Both Valerie and her prospect sat there looking at each other waiting for the other person to speak first. Valerie had finished her presentation of the new products' features and benefits and was expecting the Director of Operations to give her some indication of how well she had done.
By Monday Morning Manager on May 18, 2026 6:00:00 AM
Symptoms:
Joe teed up a nice little order at one of his smaller accounts. It wasn't a make or break type of deal, but it created some additional opportunities to expand the product mix and make a lesser account more profitable. In an effort to keep his sale on track, Joe emailed the customer to confirm his appointment for a week later and mentioned that he thought this should be a decision meeting on the product program he was offering.
By Monday Morning Manager on May 11, 2026 6:00:00 AM
Symptoms:
Jerry was having a year that was slightly ahead of last year, but he was frustrated that he wasn't doing as well as he thought he could be or should be. Although he had taken some sales training and learned some unique words, phrases, and approach tactics, he felt like he was struggling to say and do the "right" things when it came to managing his activities and sales calls. He wondered what he needed to change so that his daily work became more natural, fun, and productive.
By Monday Morning Manager on May 4, 2026 6:00:00 AM
Like many business development people these days, Robin won't be going on her appointments tomorrow by herself. This time she is bringing Rich, and he is the VP of Sales from one of her largest vendors.
By Monday Morning Manager on Apr 27, 2026 6:00:00 AM
Symptoms:
Having earned a small commission check last month from her sales job, Marta was doing her best to replace her old refrigerator and had already hit the local appliance stores, as well as a few of the Big Box outlets.