Intro by Craig Nelson, CEO, iCentera

Over 5 years ago I met Dan Strunk, Managing Director of the Center for Sales Leadership at DePaul University, at a Dreamforce conference.  He was eager to hear how a sales enablement solution enabled the success of a new sales hire.  It was a great conversation that touched on everything from process to tools.  There was one thing that stood out in our conversation, the charter of Dan’s organization.  Ever wonder why unlike Marketing, HR or other disciplines, schools typically don’t offer graduate or undergrad programs that focus on sales as a profession?   Read More

Craig Nelson, CEO, iCentera

Recently I was reminiscing about one of those many flights coming back from a sales call in the 90s.  I recall brainstorming with a sales rep about a better way of delivering information to prospective buyers.  As with many long return flights you find yourself thinking about better ways of doing business that will differentiate you from the competition, but… you also know the next day brings the hectic schedule of your daily grind. As I recall the conversation went like this: Read More

By Craig Nelson, CEO, iCentera

Maybe there was a day when selling B2B technologies, like software and telecom, was easy but I sure don’t remember that day.  As many have said, the high tides are behind us for the foreseeable future.  It’s always been tough to get decision makers to pull the trigger, and getting a “yes” gets tougher every year.  No question, advancing a sale is challenging in today’s risk-averse environment as buyers just have too many people, technologies and problems vying for their attention and their budget dollars.  And buyers are smarter today thanks to the Internet and our always-on, interconnected information dissemination machine.  As products and competitive solutions continue to churn out at an ever-increasing pace, sales pros must work harder and more efficiently to stay one step ahead of prospects and competitors in order to advance the sale and ultimately get that coveted “yes.” Read More

Here we go Again!  Build or Buy…
By Craig Nelson, CEO, iCentera

Today we’re focusing on the ways in which Sales Enablement can be delivered to the marketplace.  In a nutshell, there are basically two choices; 1) build the Sales Enablement solution on-premise or in the cloud, or 2) leverage an on-demand Sales Enablement solution delivered as a software service.  For mid- to large-size companies, the first option has historically been in many cases the only route, but today things have changed. Read More

Changing Tides Makes Co-Creating Value with Your Customers Essential
By Craig Nelson, CEO, iCentera
My Guest blog from 1to1 Magazine

In the not too distant past, the old saying “a rising tide lifts all boats” was true for many markets.  It didn’t seem to matter your industry — incredible growth and expansion meant that many firms benefited from the high economic tides that brought double and, in some industries, triple-digit annual growth.  To drive and support growth, the management team simply needed capital and a plan to expand sales channels to achieve revenue growth.  Ah, yes, it was all about the top-line revenue number, the need to increase revenue, just adding “feet to the street.” We all miss those high-tide days. Read More