I've spent the better part of the past 20 years selling.  Selling is just plain h-a-r-d.  But it is also a LOT of fun... I love selling!  In my mind, there is almost nothing that you can do as an entrepreneur that gets you to the heart of capitalism better than selling what you have created and satisfying customers. 

But far too often, the sales just don't happen.  There are often myriad excuses coming from all parts of the company (maybe even yourself) on why sales are not happening.  But in the end, recognizing that you have a problem is the first step to fixing it.  To that end , here is a list of Top Ten Signs that You Need Sales Help:

1. Opportunities that look good frequently are collapsing before the final sales close

2. Your sales reps "recycle" the same opportunities again and again ("I'm still working on that one")

3.  You don't get appointments with the right decision makers on a consistent basis

4. Your best reps don't stick around, leaving the company just when they are hitting their stride

5. Your reps always seem to have reasons (sometimes good-sounding ones) for missing their sales numbers

6. You're always missing your company-wide sales forecasts to your board/investors

7. You know in your gut that you can do better, but somehow the pieces just don't come together

8. Your competition is winning competitive bids too often, even when you have the better solution

9. You find yourself using "hire and fire" methods to try to find the best reps instead of screening the right talent up front

And the scariest one of all:

10. Your investors are breathing down your back and you are running out of time

In my next post, I'll talk about some steps that you can take to help fix these problems...