http://www.mkspartners.com/index.htmlHot News!enmsullivan@gmail.comCopyright 2009 Michael K. Sullivan2009-06-17T08:31:20-04:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:03:52 -0400msullivan@gmail.comCustomer Focus2009-06-17T08:31:20-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/5d3af4b6110c24717652107df9a14644-25.html#unique-entry-id-25http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/5d3af4b6110c24717652107df9a14644-25.html#unique-entry-id-25CRM (Customer Relationship Management) at its best allows you to integrate the organization’s efforts in order for you to do a better job of serving your customers. At its worst, it contributes new weapons and ammunition to the war between sales and marketing. What can be done to ensure that you get the best outcome?]]>msullivan@gmail.comCustomer FocusPlanning2009-04-30T07:01:54-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/56b74bdb873749e3039214c10be8641f-24.html#unique-entry-id-24http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/56b74bdb873749e3039214c10be8641f-24.html#unique-entry-id-24I got to thinking about this post after hearing the word unilateralism during one of the news shows. You’ll hear the term unilateralism used most often when people are talking about a foreign policy based upon one-sided action. It has its parallels in the business world, and we have all seen it. I prefer to call it something easier to remember -- breathing your own exhaust. This blog addresses some key questions we should be asking to ensure that we’re not breathing our own exhaust. when making important decisions that have an impact on others.
]]>msullivan@gmail.comTestingInnovationEndurance2009-04-14T07:40:18-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/0fdc69676d9d84d0372530dc9a5787eb-23.html#unique-entry-id-23http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/0fdc69676d9d84d0372530dc9a5787eb-23.html#unique-entry-id-23Today’s post, Part V of a series on continuous sales process improvement, was written by Marci Reynolds. Marci is a Sales & Operations Vice President and one of the strongest operational leaders I have had the opportunity to work with. She is particularly strong in performance planning, performance management and employee development.

View some of Marci’s recent work at The Sales Operations Blog or catch her tweets at marcireynolds12
]]>msullivan@gmail.comInnovation2009-04-08T14:26:08-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/cdeaa645940f8b80429bf3ffba886773-22.html#unique-entry-id-22http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/cdeaa645940f8b80429bf3ffba886773-22.html#unique-entry-id-22Today’s post was written by Mark McCarthy. Mark is the best and most inspirational sales development and training leader I have had the pleasure to work with. His passion, caring and commitment are unmatched, as is his depth of understanding of what makes customers tick.

Mark provides advice and counsel in Sales, Marketing and Education for businesses and those who partner with them. I’m following him on twitter at GrowTheBusiness]]>msullivan@gmail.comNone2009-04-07T07:06:46-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/f2362789c450616abe7c220cc0ccd931-21.html#unique-entry-id-21http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/f2362789c450616abe7c220cc0ccd931-21.html#unique-entry-id-21I was talking with my sister over the weekend and she was getting ‘pipeline pressure’ - pressure to make more prospect visits (and opportunities) at a time when prospects are not willing to see you because they either don’t have the time or don’t have the money. Whether you are in a call center, supporting sales people or ‘carrying a bag’, you are getting pressure to deliver more. This post includes some suggestions for what you can do to deal with the pressure.]]>msullivan@gmail.comPlanning2009-04-01T07:26:53-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/2063dad61ffc96b1330b30a75358fac1-20.html#unique-entry-id-20http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/2063dad61ffc96b1330b30a75358fac1-20.html#unique-entry-id-20"You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming." - Frank Shorter.
I recently completed the Little Rock marathon and I am in the process of a resting and recovering, actively focused on restoring my previous conditioning. Do our organizations need the same after significant endurance tests?]]>msullivan@gmail.comTestingPlanning2009-04-03T07:06:30-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/6e13dcc9e33452e0689e72fe38188aba-19.html#unique-entry-id-19http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/6e13dcc9e33452e0689e72fe38188aba-19.html#unique-entry-id-19Have you ever heard a sales manager refer to the 80/20 rule or the “thirds” rule when giving a performance assessment of their sales reps? The 80/20 is where 20% of the reps are going to deliver 80% of the sales. The “Thirds” rule is where 1/3 will exceed goal, 1/3 will meet it, and 1/3 will fail to meet it. This caused me to create the 100% rule. 100% of these sales organization have work to do.]]>msullivan@gmail.comInnovationTesting2009-03-31T07:56:26-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/6eda9fa0f7c075e615f9e448317184af-18.html#unique-entry-id-18http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/6eda9fa0f7c075e615f9e448317184af-18.html#unique-entry-id-18”Make calls, not excuses” Jack Falvey Makingthenumbers.com. This is the quote I got this morning in Jack’s daily sales update and it fits well in the context of continuous sales process improvement.

]]>msullivan@gmail.comInnovationTesting2009-03-27T07:14:36-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/22721100a70118c2e588991f3c738664-17.html#unique-entry-id-17http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/22721100a70118c2e588991f3c738664-17.html#unique-entry-id-17The concepts of continuous improvement through process management & control are not just manufacturing concepts. ]]>msullivan@gmail.comPlanningEndurance2009-03-25T07:57:46-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/3842ed8ba4da5676b122fb1b717c6ed0-16.html#unique-entry-id-16http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/3842ed8ba4da5676b122fb1b717c6ed0-16.html#unique-entry-id-16...the person that had took a bull by the tail once had learnt sixty or seventy times as much as a person that hadn't, and said a person that started in to carry a cat home by the tail was getting knowledge that was always going to be useful to him, and warn't ever going to grow dim or doubtful.
-Tom Sawyer Abroad

Today’s post is about experience and consequences : a reflection on a battle between me, armed with a sledge hammer and crowbar, and a kitchen floor.
]]>msullivan@gmail.comCustomer Focus2009-03-24T07:26:53-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/84e2f37731da3a658f0a0b03b8a82953-15.html#unique-entry-id-15http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/84e2f37731da3a658f0a0b03b8a82953-15.html#unique-entry-id-15“When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion.” Unsourced and often attribued to Lincoln. Today’s post is a summary of a lecture I attended last night on the topic - Ethical Implications of the Current Financial Crisis.






]]>msullivan@gmail.comTestingCustomer Focus2009-03-23T08:19:52-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/71eb6f5ccd008fd023dd5b1762a631fc-14.html#unique-entry-id-14http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/71eb6f5ccd008fd023dd5b1762a631fc-14.html#unique-entry-id-14Experience is a comb which nature gives us when we are bald. ~Belgian Proverb

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. ~Douglas Adams



]]>msullivan@gmail.comInnovationTestingTechnology2009-03-20T10:36:54-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/c35b4cf371fafb28faff8bb8761d4f99-12.html#unique-entry-id-12http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/c35b4cf371fafb28faff8bb8761d4f99-12.html#unique-entry-id-12Market researchers need to be proactive in order to preserve the significant value that market research can bring to any organization. Alternatively, there is this image from Michael Bedard (www.mbedard.com)




]]>msullivan@gmail.comInsights & Opinions2009-03-19T17:08:50-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/ac564e8df117ffeb3791092f2abfb368-11.html#unique-entry-id-11http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/ac564e8df117ffeb3791092f2abfb368-11.html#unique-entry-id-11Not all customers are created equal -- at least in terms of the value they ultimately contribute to your business. Using lifetime value analysis (LTV) as the basis for your investment decisions will improve your long term performance.]]>msullivan@gmail.comInnovation2009-03-15T08:14:03-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/dd7163fea81e5fbd2aabbfcb12945f35-10.html#unique-entry-id-10http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/dd7163fea81e5fbd2aabbfcb12945f35-10.html#unique-entry-id-10I'm not certain how the phrase originated. Maybe it was back in the late 80's with Young MC. When I hear it, it makes me think of someone breakin' out, making their move, setting themselves apart from the crowd. There is no better time than the present for you to "Bust a Move". ]]>msullivan@gmail.comTestingEndurance2009-03-16T18:08:39-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/f21e8f6f75984f9ebec07c7bba0d8d8d-8.html#unique-entry-id-8http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/f21e8f6f75984f9ebec07c7bba0d8d8d-8.html#unique-entry-id-8Dissatisfied with the results you’re getting? Stuck on a performance plateau? Finding yourself unprepared for the surges of your competitors? Take a lesson from the training programs of endurance athletes like runners, swimmers, and cyclists.]]>msullivan@gmail.comInnovationTesting2009-03-14T19:41:32-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/607da21c180cea6a4cc760fe1d6654f4-6.html#unique-entry-id-6http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/607da21c180cea6a4cc760fe1d6654f4-6.html#unique-entry-id-6This was a common expression back at the time of the dot bust and seems to have resurfaced as the down-economy really tests those out-of-date business models living off their inheritance. There are still some positive actions you can take to ‘stay high in the bowl’ while you work your way out.]]>msullivan@gmail.comInnovation2009-03-15T16:30:37-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/6119c65c9a1bab938179d95706319efb-5.html#unique-entry-id-5http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/6119c65c9a1bab938179d95706319efb-5.html#unique-entry-id-5What happens when the dull fog of sales training ends and your reps scatter? A corporate sales training colleague has taken to using Twitter to continue his proselytizing. ]]>msullivan@gmail.comInnovation2009-03-15T17:33:29-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/56780dbc781be8759a5bb5a1b1c11a66-4.html#unique-entry-id-4http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/56780dbc781be8759a5bb5a1b1c11a66-4.html#unique-entry-id-4“Putting Lipstick on a Pig” is a phrase that came into the public spotlight during the campaign for the 2008 presidency. I first heard it about 10 years ago in reference to a business plan for ‘reviving’ an old product line. Since that time the phrase ‘polishing a turd’ has become a more popular descriptor for the practice of making superficial or cosmetic changes to something, hoping that it will make that something more attractive. This piece is about the value of taking off the lipstick and the polish.]]>msullivan@gmail.comInnovationTechnology2009-03-18T14:27:25-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/c17821efe484df0176604e5f4585c71b-3.html#unique-entry-id-3http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/c17821efe484df0176604e5f4585c71b-3.html#unique-entry-id-3The work of competing organizations is the same. What makes them competitively distinct is how the work is done which is ultimately driven by the organization’s principles, beliefs, and values. ]]>msullivan@gmail.comTesting2009-03-15T19:49:08-04:00http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/ced8e8a949402b359c55c845f8f3510e-2.html#unique-entry-id-2http://www.mkspartners.com/blog/files/ced8e8a949402b359c55c845f8f3510e-2.html#unique-entry-id-2

Sometimes we can get stuck in doing things as we’ve always done them, seeing the world through the same eyes. This is a lesson from the “Master of the Mechanical World” -- He who’s good with a hammer, tends to think of everything as a nail.]]>