Today’s world bombards us with data. Whether it be looking for information, reading or watching the news or being inundated with advertising, it can be overwhelming to sort through the “haystack” for the desired “needle,” especially when it comes to making sense of technology.

Sometimes the key to better results lies not in the use of new ideas, but in getting rid of old ones.

For most organizations, getting their salespeople and account-based selling teams consistently asking for referrals is like getting a kid to consistently eat their vegetables. It just doesn’t happen.

Everyone wants their sales team to be more productive. And despite all the hype about the internet and emerging technologies, the basics of selling have remained pretty much the same over the past 40 years.

Three weeks ago, I was speaking to a large group of salespeople in a variety of different industries. I was asked about what salespeople should never do.

Most salespeople hate the weekly sales meeting. You know the one. Everyone on the sales team gathers around for an hour-long discussion about which rep got closer to making a sale, while also covering menial housekeeping issues.

As I walked the floor at ISC West this year, I was amazed at the amount of money spent by companies promoting themselves at the show. Here was a huge problem, though. Everybody looks and sounds the same. It’s nearly impossible to differentiate one product from another or one company from another.

Now think about how things are in your local market.