Ground-breaking trends, training innovations, business issues, solutions and more.

Take Advantage Blog

You absolutely need to know if the right sales people are in the right sales roles. That’s obvious, isn’t it?

Well, among the hundreds of sales organizations we’ve helped, almost none of them make “getting the right people on the bus” a priority. That needs to change.

Advantage uses validated sales force assessments (from our Thought Leader partners, HR Chally) to reveal people’s fit for current and future sales roles. Once you know who fits where, you’re halfway to managing talent better and improving overall sales results. Read how this made the difference for a global building industry leader beset with turnover challenges. Then profile your own people -– before your sales bus takes off in the wrong direction.

View the success story »

A territory manager told us the other day, “We can’t train our sales people this year because it costs too much and nothing happens.” Huh? A couple of minutes later, he was ready to present his Sales EVP with a strategy for optimizing sales performance.

All we did was explain that learning does NOT “cost too much” when the right thing happens afterwards. When your sales people – with coaching and support from managers — are able to execute strategy better and achieve optimal sales results and business impact. Our Advantage WaySM system and its Impact Map technology make sure that every learning experience does just that.

Don’t let sales learning cost too much. Optimize with Advantage Way.

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Join us April 17, 2012, in Chicago for a complimentary breakfast briefing

Research consistently confirms that exceptional coaches increase employee engagement, improve productivity and accelerate the achievement of business results. High-performing companies make coaching a priority for their leaders, managers, and supervisors.

Coaching for Execution, an exciting new one-day program from Advantage thought leader partner BTS, provides the power of a pragmatic, easy-to-use coaching model and four supporting principles. The new Coaching for Execution program will help you create leaders and managers who not only communicate, but also inspire, and who get employees’ attention and help them to focus on key initiatives.

We will have a breakfast briefing at BTS Chicago Headquarters on Tuesday, April 17, 2012, from 9am to 11:30am with a continental breakfast served at 8:30am. Space is limited, so please register soon. Plan now to attend!

More information and registration »

Adapt – Or Die Trying

February 7, 2012

If you’re asking people to change course in 2012, take an honest look inside your organization. Here’s how to help your people adapt and win.

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What Creates Customer Trust?

January 31, 2012

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and always make sure they know you’re on their side.

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Delegate to Build Bench Strength

January 24, 2012

Learning to delegate is at the very core of leadership.

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Countering Hardball Negotiation Tactics

January 17, 2012

The best way? Simply change the game.

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Get Fired Up About 2012 Learning

January 10, 2012

Innovative ecosystem simulation earns praise as ‘phenomenal and unprecedented’.

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Create a Customer Experience Strategy

January 3, 2012
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Because social media and virtual communities have trained customers to want and expect more, customer touchpoints need to focus on improving customers’ business success.

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Why a Journey Needs a Map

December 27, 2011
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JJ Pastore from Root Learning explains the value of using storyboards to help people connect the dots.

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Business Acumen Demystified

December 20, 2011
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In the first of a 3-part series, BTS Executive VP Rommin Adl explains that having business acumen means more than just being able to read a financial statement.

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ASTD’s 2011 BEST Awards

December 13, 2011
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Top winners this year: Shell Oil and Jiffy Lube.

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Maintain Your Year-End Momentum

December 6, 2011
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Will your sales plan help the team power through the rest of 2011 and finish strong?

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What IS Crowdsourcing, Anyway?

November 29, 2011
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Read this blog to avoid your own red-faced moments.

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Leadership Traits That Guarantee Failure

November 22, 2011
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It’s easy to recognize these traits in other leaders. How about in ourselves?

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Are You Paying Sales Superstars Twice?

November 15, 2011
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Howard Stevens, Chairman and CEO of Chally Group Worldwide, on why we’re ‘Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places’

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Has Leadership Changed?

November 10, 2011

In today’s highly networked, global world, has leadership changed? When Fast Company’s 30 Second MBA posed that question to a group of leaders, the answer was “yes” – and here’s why.

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Complimentary Webinar: Coaching for Execution

November 8, 2011

A replay of our webinar from Dec. 16, 2011, is now available! Log in to view.

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How to Live Before You Die

November 3, 2011

If you’re not one of the 4,850,000 who have viewed the late Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University commencement speech, now’s the time.

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Experience ‘Coaching for Execution’ Dec. 13th at Stanford

November 2, 2011
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Create leaders and managers who not only communicate, but also inspire, who get employees’ attention and help them focus on key initiatives.

Read more »