Account planning brings together critical information about your customer, your competitors and your strategy to win business. All sales organizations can leverage the following five imperatives as landmarks on their path to long-term account planning success and more predictable revenue growth.

Just as sales has become more consultative or customer-centric, sales management must become more individualized or employee-centric. How can you motivate your protégés to get what they want from their job if you don’t know what they want?

On April 6, leaders from across the meetings and events industry came together to support the second annual Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID). GMID events were held across the globe to demonstrate the measurable impact that meetings have on businesses, economies and communities.

Warren Buffett’s annual letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders are pored over by millions of investors who hope to glean every ounce of wisdom the “Oracle of Omaha” has to offer. One philosophy Buffett has espoused for years is the idea of investing in companies that have an “economic moat” — a long-term competitive advantage that allows a company to earn oversized profits over time.

Mobile-first mandates are taking sales and marketing organizations by storm. Yet too often, “go mobile” directives from the top get stalled in the execution phase. Teams are overwhelmed with the possibilities, unsure how to get started and where to apply mobile for the biggest impact. Chances are you know the “why” – but what about the elusive “how?”

In my previous life as a baseball umpire, I learned a lot of valuable lessons about management, diplomacy, and the need for honesty, accuracy and clear thinking in a fast-moving environment. Here are nine sales and business development lessons I learned from a 22-year career behind the plate.

Account-based marketing (ABM) is the most-talked-about strategy in B2B sales, yet it's been around forever. What is making this long-used technique innovative?