David Allman
President and CEO
Knowledge-Advantage

Welcome to all! Friends... Customers… Prospects... Job Seekers... Partners... Competitors...

I have had the distinct privilege to work with great people and great organizations over the past 18 years. I started Knowledge-Advantage with a simple business idea and a relentless passion to solve it. The business idea was to provide a common set of skills, methods and tools for buyers, sellers, CXOs, and project owners to use together as they work through their respective day-to-day processes. Working together they would all produce better results.

Almost 20 years later, the original idea is the same and passion to solve it has not wavered.

I have experienced many trials and triumphs over the past two decades. My learnings boil down to a number of key lessons. I share them as a way for us to quickly get on the same page, for you to hopefully take advantage of my experiences to avoid the full expense of learning them on your own, and as a means to qualify each other (If you take offense then we are mostly likely not a fit).

Lessons Learned:

• LOW TIDE: Current B2B sales capabilities (leaders, salesmen) are at their lowest level in twenty years.
• ALL HAT, NO CATTLE: Sales leaders often confuse their title with their ability to sell (ask sales reps).
• SAY vs. DO: Sales leaders are the primary reason for discounting and transactional behavior by salesmen.
• SOLUTIONS ARE THE PROBLEM: Sales leaders and producers do not understand the difference between "selling solutions" and "solving problems".
• DO NO HARM: Buyers want help to identify and solve their problems, sellers do not know how to help.
• HIRED GUNS SHOOT BLANKS: Seasoned professionals made their "track record" selling in a different era.
• NO REFLECTION IN THE MIRROR: Sales leaders rarely have the courage and humility to change their own behaviors required to improve sales.
• THREE RING CIRCUS: Sales leaders are easy targets for buying entertaining events from sales training and sales development providers.
• FALSE STARTS, NO FINISH: Programs of the year reward salesmen to sell the way they have always sold.
  

Finding a needle in a haystack! Knowledge-Advantage is not for everyone. Our best customers are those that recognize the above risks and are committed to taking the appropriate steps to avoid them. We stand ready to serve those who are truly ready to fix the problems preventing sales!

Warmly, Dave Allman