Why start planning now? Because Q4 is the best time to set next year’s goals. Planning in October through December builds clarity and momentum so when January arrives, your team hits the ground running. Here’s how you can make it happen.

When top performers start to disengage, the problem is rarely the team itself but usually the structure of the comp plan. A strong plan aligns with business goals, incentivizes the right activities, stays simple, evolves with the company, and includes accelerators that drive reps to exceed targets. At its best, compensation is more than math; it is leadership that connects effort with reward and keeps top performers engaged, motivated, and loyal.

The Heart of the Head, Heart, House Framework is the emotional center of a team, shaped by values, recognition, and resilience. Motivation thrives with aligned values, appreciation, accountability, intrinsic drive, and resiliency, but falters with misalignment, neglect, burnout, and knee-jerk feedback. Leaders who amplify drivers and reduce detractors build cultures of sustained performance.

Building SOPs isn’t just about back-office processes. When applied to customer experience, SOPs ensure that every touchpoint in the buyer’s journey is intentional, consistent, and measurable. By mapping the customer journey and designing SOPs around the moments that matter most, small businesses can create loyalty, drive growth, and deliver experiences that set them apart.

Most sales teams don’t have a product problem. They have a listening problem. In this article, Mike Belin of Nacre Consulting explains how mastering active and reflective listening can unlock stronger client relationships, build trust, and drive better sales outcomes.

Many growing businesses blame underperformance on bad hires, when the real issue is broken systems. This article unpacks why clarity, structure, and process must come before adding new team members. Before hiring again, make sure your business is set up to help people win.

Founder-led sales often drive the early success of a company but they rarely support long-term scale. As small and midsize businesses evolve, the founder’s continued role as primary salesperson can limit growth, create internal friction, and stall strategic planning. This article outlines how to recognize the tipping point, what challenges to expect, and how to make a successful transition to team-led sales operations.

Your sales team’s personal brand is often the first impression buyers get. If it does not align with how they show up, you are losing trust before the pitch begins. Building that alignment is not just about image; it is about driving credibility, consistency, and closed deals.

Sales and marketing are often treated as separate functions, but when they operate in silos, companies lose momentum, clarity, and revenue. This article explores the cost of misalignment, how to spot the breakdowns, and what it takes to create a unified revenue engine that delivers measurable, scalable growth.

When a small business changes ownership, most conversations center around the numbers: valuation, cash flow, margins, and synergies. But very few acquisition models account for the asset that is most likely to walk out the door and take your growth with it. That asset is your people.

In today’s B2B landscape, revenue leaders drown in dashboards, yet still struggle to predict next quarter’s numbers with confidence. Why? Because more data doesn’t automatically equal better insight.

Hiring a Sales Director isn’t just about filling a leadership seat. It’s about choosing who will drive your revenue engine, shape your team’s culture, and lead your company into its next season of growth.

Leadership isn’t just about strategy, KPIs, or organizational goals. It’s about people. And people are complex. Over the years, I’ve worked with hundreds of leaders and discovered a simple yet powerful way to understand and support individuals, whether professionally or personally.

A well-managed pipeline isn’t just a sales tool, it’s your blueprint for consistent growth, better forecasting, and higher conversion rates. Optimizing your sales pipeline is key to driving growth and hitting your revenue targets. At Nacre Consulting, we know that effective pipeline management is the backbone of a successful sales strategy. Here are six practical strategies to help you fine-tune your sales process, keep your team on track, and close more deals.

Your network isn’t just a list of contacts, it’s your most valuable asset, your referral engine. I’ve built mine to generate leads that bring in investment dollars for my deals and to connect with consulting clients. But here’s the key: I’m also the first to make referrals and create introductions that benefit everyone involved. A strong network doesn’t just happen; it’s something you build intentionally. Here’s how I create a referral engine every day:

Thinking about selling your business in the next few years? The most successful exits don’t happen by accident; they’re the result of early planning and strategic decisions. In this guide, we’ll break down five essential steps to help you maximize value, minimize stress, and prepare for a smooth and profitable sale.