With most of the world still on lockdown, 2020 events cancelled and business travel at a near standstill, we are nearing unprecedented levels of video chats, webinars and podcasts.

There’s been a lot of debate around what’s differentiating companies that are faring well during the pandemic versus those that are struggling. Obviously products, offerings and the ability to pivot, if needed, play an important role in a company’s success, but commercial activities are critical too. We asked a few industry sales leaders to share what they’re doing to drive their teams’ success right now. Here’s what they’re up to:

A wave of new graduates and those affected by COVID layoffs, combined with companies in hiring freezes or slow playing their hiring cycles, equals a flooded talent market. Great news for companies who are still hiring, right? Maybe not.

While small businesses are especially vulnerable to the financial impact of the coronavirus, organizations of all sizes are trying to stay on top of the changing economic landscape. Whether you’re battling beyond pandemic paralysis, or you’re arming yourself with information “just in case," here are 3 financial tips to help you manage cash flow:

If you’re flummoxed by how to sell or market through COVID-19, you’re not alone. That said, it doesn’t mean we should stop trying to figure it out. As with any major disruption, “business as usual” is likely to result in tone deaf outreach. I find that companies are in 1 of 3 modes right now.

If you’re on the hunt for additional profit, your current product portfolio may hold more treasure than you realize. Whether it’s identifying new buyer segments, increasing margins, identifying areas to leverage technology or identifying products primed for divesting, there may be a number of spots marked with an X on your product map. Here are 4 ways to optimize your current product portfolio:

This month we’re pivoting our focus to help those of you who are suffering from what is clearly “pandemic paralysis.” We are collectively in a time of “business unusual” which is causing a lot of uncertainty and business volatility.

Having helmed businesses that survived the dot com crash of 2001, and the massive economic downturn from 2007 - 2009, here are my three best pieces of advice to help you weather this pandemic storm.

One of the most important relationships for a founder, and at times the most tenuous, is the one with their investors. Whether you’ve raised money from friends and family, angel investors, or a Venture fund, here are our top three strategies for building and maintaining strong relationships.

You have $100. You can either acquire 4 new customers or keep 20 of the ones you have. Which would you do?

Some of you will hedge, “Well, it depends on the customers.” True. “How much are the new customers worth?” Valid point. Simple example aside, new customer acquisition can run at least 5x more than the cost of retaining existing clients. And yet, companies spend considerable time, energy and resources on new customer acquisition, often relegating retention efforts to the back burner.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur going out to look for funding in Q1 or a sales person looking to drive higher conversion rates in 2020, pitch decks are paramount to whether you close a round or a sale. Here are our top tips for successful pitching.