Skip to main content

Ray Makela

Ray Makela is the General Manager of the Sales Readiness Group, A Part of SBI. He oversees all client engagements as well as serves as a senior facilitator on sales management, coaching, negotiation, and sales training workshops. Ray has over 20 years of management, consulting, and sales experience and writes frequently on best practices for coaching and developing sales teams.

Sales Management | Sales Coaching

By: Ray Makela
August 30th, 2023

Sales coaching is one of the most important activities a manager can do to increase performance. Yet managers often confuse sales coaching with having one-on-one meetings and telling their reps how to improve. Let’s dive into 6 coaching activities that will reshape your coaching style.

Managing Objections | Negotiating | Presenting Solutions

By: Ray Makela
August 14th, 2023

Attracting new clients and negotiating deals in today's economy can be challenging. And on top of that, you might be asked to renegotiate existing contracts or propose fee increases to keep up with market conditions and company profitability requirements. Here are some tips and strategies to navigate these negotiations.

Sales Management

By: Ray Makela
August 10th, 2023

It seems you can’t open your news feed these days without seeing an article about how AI will transform the workforce. But while getting overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information is easy, it shouldn’t be an excuse to sit on the sidelines. Let’s see what sales managers can do amidst this revolution to merge the gap between humans and technology.

Sales Process | Negotiating

By: Ray Makela
July 31st, 2023

As a sales leader, you know how important it is to work with Procurement to get a deal closed. However, navigating the procurement process can be difficult and time-consuming. By understanding the procurement process, identifying the business need, knowing who has authority, and being tenacious in your follow-up, your team will be in a better position to close deals on time. Let’s dive in on what sales reps can do to get to "yes" faster.

Sales Management

By: Ray Makela
July 4th, 2023

Sales and account management are vital in driving revenue growth and cultivating strong customer relationships. Although these functions may overlap in some ways, there are distance differences in their objectives, responsibilities, and skillsets. Let's take a closer look at the differences between sales and account management and how to leverage them to optimize sales strategies, train teams, and effectively nurture the existing client base.

Sales Management

By: Ray Makela
June 28th, 2023

The role of a frontline sales manager (FLSM) is challenging. From supporting sellers and providing coaching to handling administrative tasks and reporting to leadership, they have a lot on their plates. At the same time, sales managers are becoming even more overloaded with administrative responsibilities, reporting requirements, and countless internal meetings. Let's look at some ways generative AI can help frontline managers free up time for coaching, leading, and developing their teams.