Why 2021 Will Be The Year Of Guided Selling

Sales teams have always needed to be agile. The marketplace is constantly changing, with new trends emerging among buyers all of the time. To stay ahead of the curve, sales organizations have to adjust to address buyers’ needs and expectations. Years ago, this meant opening new avenues for sales and experimenting with different kinds of demonstrations. Now, sales organizations are faced with a massive shift to remote selling strategies, digital experiences and virtual onboarding. READ MORE

He may hold the winning ticket in tech and Silicon Valley knows it

Between March and November last year, even as the coronavirus upended lives and devastated economies around the world, India's richest man was handed more than $27 billion to make a bet on the future of the internet.

More than half that eye-popping amount came from Silicon Valley. It started with $5.7 billion from Facebook in March, one of the biggest investments in the American company's history. Silver Lake Partners, the private equity firm based eight miles from Facebook's (FB) Menlo Park headquarters, followed with its own investment just weeks later, as did Palo Alto's General Atlantic and San Francisco-headquartered TPG Capital.

Smaller investments from Qualcomm (QCOM) and Intel (INTC) came next, before Google (GOOGL) swooped in with $4.5 billion to swell the impressive war chest. READ MORE

It's review season: Here's how to talk to your boss

It's that time of year again...review season.

Was that a groan? I get it, performance reviews are tough during normal times. And who really wants to look back at 2020?

While many companies are taking a different approach to evaluations this year, some experts say that having a one-on-one discussion with your boss about last year while also setting goals for the new year will help establish your priorities and continue your career growth. READ MORE

Elizabeth Holmes' $4.5B fortune, luxury lifestyle 'created powerful motive' for fraud, prosecutors say

Prosecutors working the fraud case against blood-testing startup Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes have fired back at the defense’s claim that her wealth and social standing are not relevant to the crime scheme, arguing that her six-figure salary, billion-dollar stake in the company and jet-setting lifestyle were motivating factors behind the alleged lies, court papers show. READ MORE

Employers deciding if they’ll require COVID-19 vaccines

Employers are in the midst of discussing and deciding if they’ll require their workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

A new survey of 211 business and talent leaders from human capital research firm i4cp finds that most organizations (41%) say they are still deciding whether they will mandate COVID-19 vaccination for their employees. Just 5% say they will require employees to get the vaccine, while 39% say they won’t. Another 11% say they don’t know yet. READ MORE

She helps Google workers be productive. Here are her pro tips

We can all use a little help when it comes to being more productive, especially these days.

Whether we're working from home or still going into the workplace, many of us have struggled to stay as productive as we were before the pandemic.

Google said last month that its employees won't be returning to the office until September. That means the company will have to make a concerted effort to keep its workforce motivated and effective. READ MORE

Low on workers, manufacturers recruit their executives for the factory floor

Wendy Marcus was midway through a recent meeting with senior leaders at Newell Brands Inc. when word came that she needed to leave immediately.

The Newell-owned factory that makes Yankee Candles was once again short on workers, and the plant needed Ms. Marcus, an R&D manager, on the assembly line to help pack the famously scented knickknacks into gift baskets.

“I told them, ‘I have to work the overtime shift,’ and they just said, ‘OK, thank you and go ahead,’” recalled Ms. Marcus. READ MORE

PreSales: The Secret Weapon In Customer Experience

PreSales is a pretty hot buzzword in the B2B tech industry right now. Unfortunately, not enough people actually understand what it is, what it does, and why it’s the key to creating a customer experience that keeps your customers coming back over and over again. 

Because of the increasing complexity of SaaS products and the larger demand for demos and free trials before a sale is made, PreSales is becoming more vital to a successful sales process.  READ MORE

What to expect at the first ever all-digital CES 2021

Disinfectant gadgets, next-generation fitness equipment and robots that help you cook dinner.

Those are a few of the countless new products expected to be unveiled next week at the Consumer Electronics Show, the annual splashy tech conference that typically sets the tone for the biggest trends of the year. Home automation, health and 5G will once again be buzzy topics, but many companies will also introduce pandemic-specific features to reflect our increased time at home. READ MORE