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Three Yards And A Cloud Of Dust

Keeping up momentum in sales

Sales is an area of business that has been drowned in consultants, seminars, books, lectures, programs, and essays, and I can see why. I find it is the most difficult of all departments to build and manage. Many times, leaders become so tangled up in our underwear trying to build sales processes, infrastructure, and KPIs that we forget that the sales team is supposed to be selling.

Sometimes, the first steps are the hardest, whether for a new salesperson or simply during a down business cycle, getting the momentum going is the number one priority. To get the ball rolling, I deploy a strategy I call “three yards and a cloud of dust.” For football fans, you know this means grinding it out over four downs to gain ten yards and starting again. It might take a while to reach the end zone, but you reach it in the end and have smaller celebrations along the way.

Many organizations are structured more for the Hail Mary pass, which is by design high risk. How you get it done doesn’t have to be pretty.

Kim Shepherd
Kim Shepherdhttp://www.dtoolbox.com/
AS CEO of Decision Toolbox, Kim Shepherd leads the company’s growth strategy, primarily through developing partnerships, alliances and as an active member of the Los Angeles and Orange County human resources community. A recognized thought leader by HR organizations nationwide including the Human Capital Institute, Kim is a regular speaker at national and regional events on various business models. Kim joined Decision Toolbox in 2000, and brought her unconventional approach to the company she had admired as a client. Today Decision Toolbox is 100% virtual, with more than 100 team members working remotely across the U.S. This company is a Certified Women’s Business Enterprise. This unique business model has played a key role in the company being awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Decision Toolbox was also named one of the "Fastest Growing Private Companies" by the Orange County Business Journal in 2012. In addition, they have been named 3 years running to the INC 500/5000 List of Fastest Growing Private Companies and have been a 7-time recipient of the HRO Today’s Baker’s Dozen for Midmarket and Emerging Markets. Calling Kim unconventional is an understatement – her former endeavors include 10 years as a TV and Foreign Correspondent, a stint at Club Med and a near miss at a spot on the Olympic ski team. Kim is an active member of the Adaptive Business Leaders Executive Roundtable and the National Association for Women Business Owners (Orange County Chapter). She served on the Executive Board of Trustees for Girls Incorporated of Orange County and is also the Board Chair for Working Wardrobes. She is also a former member of Impact Giving. Kim is the recipient of the National Association of Women Business Owners (Orange County Chapter) 2013 Innovator of the Year Award, the 2014 Enterprising Women Magazine’s Enterprising Women of the Year, and the 2015 Family Matters Award from WomanSage.

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