Adaptive Business Services

Nimble CRM Tips & Updates – June 3, 2026

Craig M. Jamieson — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:00:21 +0000

We have a few new updates to report so let’s get to it!

Activities are now a part of sequences

The first is that the ability to add activities (tasks, calls, events, etc.) to sequences has been released! What this means is that you can now integrate activities at any time within your sequences. This might include setting a task or even scheduling a phone call, for example, two days after your second email message goes out. Read more about it here. Here’s some ideas!

The main purpose of this feature is to introduce the human touch(s), such as text or phone, into the automated process that is sequenced email outreach. This gives you a personalized one-two punch!

More AI coming this year!

Some very soon. Some during this year …

AI Sequences – Sequences drafted from your actual relationship history. Personalized openers, not generic templates. I have access to a beta version of this, however, I do not know whether or not this has been widely released.

Relationship Graph – “Hey Nimble — I have 30 minutes. Who matters most today?” AI analysis across every signal in your network.

Email Signature Enrichment – Nimble reads email signatures to build and enrich contact records — for one email, or across your entire history.

Prospector gets a slightly new format

I have also spotted a minor update, not reported. The best example will be found on your Today Page. Perhaps you have noticed that, when you roll over a contact name that is showing in a widget, a snapshot of that contact pops up. Now, that popup is much larger and greatly expanded. If you are using Prospector, this is the new interface within Nimble.

You will also see this in your messages inbox and probably in other areas as well! On that topic, and I’m not sure if I mentioned this before, Prospector as it appears outside of Nimble such as on LinkedIn and Gmail, has also received a format update. With the exception of Gmail, It used to kind of overlay on top of the current window. Now it creates its own dedicated sidebar.

This sounds minor, but it really isn’t. If I was using Prospector on LinkedIn, and I wanted to copy and paste data from a profile, I constantly had to shift the box from left to right or right to left to reveal data that it was covering. Problem solved!

Now, I don’t use Outlook so you might test this. Outlook has its own dedicated Prospector add-on and it is not anywhere near as nice as the Chrome extension that is also used for Gmail. You may be able to use this extension in Outlook as well.

That will do it for today! Thank you again for placing your trust in my services!

If you would like to explore whether or not Nimble CRM, my sales training, or Sales Coach Pro might be right for you, please book a free 30-minute Zoom consultation with me by going to my calendar.

To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page.

I would also be happy to connect you to a marketing professional who I know and trust or to an automated yet personalized and human-to-human LinkedIn prospecting system. Please reach out to me at craig@adaptive-business.com for an introduction!

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Is That Your Sales Pipeline or Your Pipedream?

Craig M. Jamieson — Wed, 27 May 2026 14:00:55 +0000

I could also add … “What the hell have you been smokin’?!” If you have been in sales for as long as I have, you have likely come to the conclusion that not all pipelines are created equal. While a few may be accurate, it seems that the vast majority are based on … wishful thinking. Some sales pipelines are nothing more than pipedreams.

Why this happens

First off, I don’t think that anyone manipulates their pipeline in an effort to be deceitful. Mind you, I have seen this. More commonly …

You get busy, lazy, or complacent – Pick your poison. Maintaining your pipeline is not a priority. It is drudgery.
You see this as management keeping their foot on your neck – This is a big one! Salespeople are notoriously independent. Many see any request from management as an effort to exert control over their activity. The simple fact is, even when I was the only person in the room, with or without a CRM, I maintained a pipeline on my own because I wanted to know how much money I was likely going to make that month!
Skipping stages – A pipeline, if constructed correctly, represents a proven process. Sure, it is not so rigid that stages are never skipped. However, more often than not they are there for a good reason and skipping steps is a sign of complacency.
Not updating deals with current correct information – A pipeline is used to create a variety of sales reports including forecasts. Opportunity details change during the sales process. The most critical of these are: deal value, projected closing date, and percentage chance of closing. The last of these is used to determine a weighted deal value. Nobody closes 100% of their sales. Therefore, a $10,000 deal with a 50% chance of closing has a weighted value of $5,000.
Not reviewing each deal and your overall pipeline daily – This is the only way I know to maintain pipeline health and to stay on top of your important opportunities.

Why this is a problem

False sense of security – If your pipeline is loaded with deals that either have closed, or were lost, or will never close due to a variety of reasons … what you are looking at is totally worthless.
You have no idea of what is going on – See above.

Red alert indicators

Deals are stuck – If they are not moving, there is a reason. It may be valid but, if so, the reason should be visible. Often, the projected closing date is no longer accurate.
Deal data is incomplete – Whatever data you consider to be important to any deal, if that data is not there, that is a problem. For example, I like to make sure that a salesperson has identified the correct decision maker(s). If I don’t see that …
No visible activity – A deal record goes into a pipeline and that record had better show activity and that activity needs to be recent!

Why deals don’t close

Not qualified – Boy, I’ll tell you what. Without a doubt, this is the single biggest reason for deals not closing. It is so huge and all encompassing, I don’t even need to use bullet points. It is so huge that I can tie this one factor back to literally any reason for a deal not closing.

Do this instead

Always ask – What is my next step? How can I move this forward?
Set tasks for follow-up – Don’t rely on your memory. It will always let you down!
Edit – Dollar value, close dates, probabilities, and any other data that you may track. Keep things clean and up to date!
Take good notes – See memory. Seriously, I can’t keep track of anything that I don’t write down. Furthermore, if you keep good notes, you can refresh your memory prior to your next engagement with this opportunity.
Qualify, qualify, qualify – I don’t care what alphabet methodology strikes your fancy … follow it!

Used correctly and rigorously maintained, a pipeline can be a salesperson’s, and a manager’s best friend. Not only does it depict financial health (yours and the company’s), it is also an excellent tool for rep development. It can quickly pinpoint those areas where coaching is most in need!

To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page.

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Nimble CRM Tips & Updates – May 20, 2026

Craig M. Jamieson — Wed, 20 May 2026 14:00:18 +0000

Web chat and web form reporting have an entirely new interface and they are awesome! Both employ a 3-column format.

Column #1 lists all form submissions or chats.
Column #2 gives you the expanded view of the submission or chat selected.
Column #3 is the vertical format of that person’s contact record where you can edit, and notes or tags, do whatever you wish!

Also, contact records are now automatically created with web chats. As far as I can tell, these enhancements have not yet been added as a support article, but they are live in your account right now provided that you have purchased the add-on. Reminder, the add-on is $12 per month and that includes any combination, up to 10, of web forms, web chats, or web hooks.

On to some best practices and let’s focus on the basics!

The 5 R’s – Sales & CRM 101

It seems as if I am always touting how simple CRM, and by extension selling, really is. The entire secret to sales is creating, maintaining, and building client relationships. You do this by consistently exceeding expectations and by demonstrating R.U.M. characteristics. You are perceived as being remarkable, unique, and memorable.

These 5 R’s will allow you to excel in these areas …

You will have the appearance of a photographic memory.
You will exhibit exceptional listening skills.
You will be perceived as being super responsive.
Your customer outreaches will become personalized.
You will consistently engage with clients and build relationships.
You will demonstrate the ability to keep your commitments.

You can then leverage your CRM to assist you with staying on track. Everything below is part of a contact record in your CRM. The contact record is the literal heart of any CRM! Here’s how …

Prior to your first engagement …

Research your client and their company

Review their social profiles and take notes.
Review their website and take notes.

Then for each engagement …

Review previous engagements before reaching out

Review your previous notes and prior engagements.
Check to see what they have been up to since you last spoke (social networks).
Ask yourself what you want to gain from this call and then plan your call.

Replay your last engagement with the client and to the client

Particularly if this is your first engagement, let them know that you have done your research, your due diligence.
Review with them what you last discussed.
Ask what’s new or if anything has changed.
State and cover the purpose of this call.
Set the expectation for what will happen next and when.

Record the results of this engagement

Update your notes from this session. What happened? What did you discuss?

Reschedule by setting a task for your next engagement

Plan your next step(s). What, when, and why?
Set a follow-up task and be sure to describe the reason for the follow-up.
If appropriate, create a stay-in-touch reminder.

That’s it!! Rinse and repeat! I’m not sure how much simpler it can get. I can also pretty much guarantee that you will be the only person who practices these behaviors and that will allow you to stand head and shoulders above your competitors!

That will do it for today! Thank you again for placing your trust in my services!

To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page.

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The 10 Keys to Maximizing Your Networking Investment

Craig M. Jamieson — Wed, 13 May 2026 14:00:16 +0000

I owned and operated professional networking groups from 2007 through 2022. Prior to that, I had built another networking group in 1992. What follows is based on my personal experiences during those years. Outside of the groups, my business model was always largely based on referrals and one-to-one relationships. It’s all networking!

Please note that I used the term investment vs. expense. Speaking for myself, I don’t invest in anything unless I expect a return and groups like NetWorks! have brought me well over, substantially over, $1,000,000 in sales through the years. Pays for a lot of dues!

However, you can’t just show up occasionally and expect results. You still have to earn the right and you do so by becoming a valued member of the group. Here are 10 ways to do that …

Show up and do so on time! – If you are not attending at least 75% of your meetings, you are squandering your investment. Being on time is late. Send an alternate! You will miss out on … a. Getting to know your fellow members better b. Letting members know more about you c. Discussions and opportunities not in writing d. Making your contribution to the group e. Helping to grow the group when visitors attend!
Bring something to every meeting – It’s not hard if you keep your eyes and your ears open!
Follow-up – And follow-through. This is what professionals do.
Give before getting – Referrals are earned, not given. Giving referrals engages the law of reciprocity. Give quality referrals and teach others to do the same. “I gave your name to someone and they should be calling you” is not a good referral.
General business intelligence leads have great value – Don’t worry about who in the group might benefit. The members will sort this out for themselves.
Thank other members privately and publicly – Bonus points for politeness and for promoting others! Make sure that referrers are kept advised of your progress with their referrals!
Take every opportunity to present to the group – This is your chance to share more about you, your services, your target market, and what makes a great lead for you!
You will be judged by others based on your observable behaviors – When I give a referral, I need to be confident that it will be handled appropriately. Your behaviors in the group will tell me what I need to know.
Develop relationships with members outside of the group – One-on-one time is an excellent opportunity to build trust and camaraderie!
Leverage your power partners – You have power partners in the group. These are members who call on your same target markets, at the same time or earlier, and on the same people. You can, and should, make a dynamic team!

Are you thinking about a CRM? If you would like to explore whether or not Nimble CRM might be right for you, please book a free 30-minute Zoom consultation with me by going to my calendar. To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page.

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Nimble CRM Tips & Updates – May 6, 2026

Craig M. Jamieson — Wed, 06 May 2026 14:00:54 +0000

We do have one new imminent update to report. A month or two ago, Nimble added an HTML compose block to design templates. Now, they have also created a series of HTML templates for your use along with an HTML viewer. Coming soon!

The bigger picture here is, and I am not a graphics guy, I believe that you will now be able to create something, in say Canva, and then copy and paste that coding into Nimble. In other news, we are expecting some upgrades to web forms and web chat in the very near future. On to some best practices!

This question actually comes up quite often. Nimble has three main methods for organizing your contacts into groups. You might do this when you wish to look more closely at contacts within a group or, probably more commonly, you want to send this group a message or add them to an email sequence. Which to use? Let’s look at all three.

Tags – Tags are applied manually to contact records and you can create these on the fly. In actuality, Nimble offers three different tagging systems: contacts, activities, and deals. We will focus on contacts. Key features …

Tags are applied manually to a record and can be done from the record itself or by checking the box next to the record on a list and then selecting the “add tag” option.
Using this same tag option for a list, you can bulk update (add the same tag) to a group of checked records. Conversely, you can now bulk delete a tag using this same routine.
A contact record can have, as far as I know, as many tags as you wish.
You can select contacts who have either all of two to five tags or who have any of two to five tags.
Tags can also be merged and given the name of either one of those tags or a new name altogether.
Tags are shared with all team members.
Tags are also a part of record imports and web form submissions. They can also be added via workflow automations.

Search – Segment searches are designed to allow you to find contacts who either meet, or do not meet, any contact record field or fields. This can be done using a form of Boolean searches. This is much more powerful, but a little more complex, than using tags. Some things to keep in mind …

You can, and should, save your searches. You won’t have to reinvent the wheel every time and you can easily edit the search should you want to, for example, change one criteria only.
Searches, by default, are locked meaning that only the creator can access them. However, there is a little padlock icon next to the name of each search and clicking on that will lock or unlock it to share it with your team.
While tags can be a part of a search, unlike tags that are added manually, a search will also automatically include any new or edited record that meets that search criteria.

Email Lists – Email lists are a part of Nimble’s optional email marketing add-on for $15 per month. While any contact record will show if they are on one of these lists, they kind of stand alone by themselves. Key features …

Lists will show whether or not that email address is deliverable. When first added, they will be marked as unknown. However, this label will change following a message send.
Using enrichment credits, you can verify email addresses within any list. Your standard Nimble account will allow you to verify up to 50 email addresses per user per month (shared) and you can purchase more credits. Note that enrichment credits are also used when finding contact info.
Email lists do offer limited reporting capabilities.
Web form submissions can automatically be added to an email list.

Which is best for you? Like most things, it depends:) Tags are best for simple contact organizing and are very easy to use. Caution! Don’t try to tag everything! It can get messy very quickly. For more complex tasks, segment searches. You could even do a search and then bulk add a tag to the results. Lots of flexibility!

For dedicated email marketing, email lists. However, you can use tags or searches with email marketing and that does include group messages and sequences. While the email marketing add-on includes a dedicated sending account that bypasses your connected email account(s), you can send from a connected email, but avoid bulk sends (allowances vary by provider).

That will do it for today! Thank you again for placing your trust in my services!

To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page.

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Why Are You Practicing Your Sales Calls With Your Customers!?

Craig M. Jamieson — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:00:45 +0000

As a professional salesperson, one of your key skills needs to be having the ability to think while on your feet. You have to be able to respond correctly, and quickly, to the unexpected. In fact, being able to do so is a point of pride.

However, as Mike Tyson once said … “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face!” It’s how you react to the unexpected that will often determine whether or not you will win this sale. You must train, plan, and practice for each contingency. You need to practice sales role plays!

The unexpected yet expected

While there are a lot of areas where practice becomes critical, we can start with these. Although expected, they don’t always present themselves at our most convenient and planned times …

Prospecting – Whether outbound or inbound. Phone, email, social, or face-to- face … prospecting is an art.
Networking – Business networking can be done socially, in a group session, or one-on-one. It is critical for building those relationships which will lead to referrals.
Initial sales call – Too many important elements to list here!
Qualifying – If not properly qualified, your chances of securing this sale are greatly diminished!
Presenting – Your presentation will be key in establishing your value proposition.
Handling objections – Inevitably, they will always come up. You must practice to clarify, cushion, conquer, and confirm.
Closing – While I have always considered the close to be the natural culmination of a sales call done correctly, pen must still be applied to paper.

The question for the salesperson then becomes, will you …

Rely on your quick wits and practice with each customer?
Role play with your manager? If not a manager, a trainer or a coach?
Or … how about practicing with A.I.?

Let’s look at each …

Practice with your customer

I’ve been in B2B sales since 1977 and you would think that, in this time, I had heard them all. I haven’t. Customers, as creative as they are, always seem to be able to throw me a curve ball. The first skill that you need to have in these instances is … don’t panic! How you respond initially is in itself a trained skill.

Hopefully, your answers will pass muster with this client and they won’t be punctuated by profuse sweating and “uh” or “um” not becoming your new favorite words. With this conversation behind you, the next one is just around the corner. Once again you will have the opportunity to practice with your customer. Can this be our only solution?

Practice with a manager, coach, or trainer

Given the choice of practicing in front of a potential customer or a third-party, I will always choose the latter. However, as someone who spent over 90% of his sales career in management, role playing with sales reps has never been much fun for either of us.

Both are faced with the pressure of performing with a peer. Inevitably, the practice session is interrupted by proclamations of … “What the hell are you thinking!?”. Reviews tend to focus on more of what you did wrong rather than what you did right along with suggestions for improvement.

Conducting role plays with a rep was never one of my favorite things. I would much rather go out on a call where … we could both practice in front of a customer. Lastly, you both need to find a convenient time where you can be together for this practice and that appointment is a constantly moving and shifting target. Now throw in repetition. Fuggetaboutit!

Practice with A.I. (Sales Coach Pro)

I have recently partnered with Sales Coach Pro. I’m not one who is typically drawn to shiny baubles, but the shine on this one was so impressive that I had to dive in! This opportunity came to me at exactly the right time. I am pursuing sales training for signage companies (my background), and Sales Coach Pro was the missing piece to the puzzle!

I’ll give it to you simply. We first teach the application about your company and your products and services. This is much easier to do than it might be seen on the surface as this, and all aspects of the platform, is supported by A.I.

Next we create sales scenarios specific to your business. This includes initial calls, presentations, or really anything that you would like to practice. Sales Coach Pro then creates a realistic customer agent who will practice this scenario with you. This is a verbal conversation that is also being recorded for review later.

Following completion of the scenario, a score card is generated which points out areas where you performed admirably as well as those that you did not. This also includes suggestions for those areas where you could have done better. This is a rinse and repeat process, each time watching your score rise because … practice makes perfect and permanent.

Finally, your results might be jointly reviewed by you and your manager or coach. The beauty of this system is that it allows the participant to practice anytime and anywhere without the stress of someone looking over their shoulder. While I have never been big on gamification, I have to admit that it works well in this process. The competitive nature of most salespeople will drive them to improve their scores and, if deployed in a team environment, it becomes friendly combat.

In closing, I can tell you that I have used it myself and tested it with other salespeople. Not just newbies. Seasoned reps with a proven track record. The results are outstanding and I will be sharing this good news with salespeople from all industries.

To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page.

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Nimble CRM Tips & Updates – April 22, 2026

Craig M. Jamieson — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:00:23 +0000

No new Nimble CRM updates to report today. I’ve been pretty busy with a couple of projects both personal and professional. Here’s a question for you …

What are some of the aspects of Nimble that you would like me to cover in future newsletters? Lemme’ know!

I do have a new toy to share!

I recently connected with a gentleman on LinkedIn and we got to talking. You may or not be aware that one of my services is sales training. While I can do this for anyone, my specialty is the custom electric sign industry which I am targeting right now for both Nimble as well as sales training.

Well, blow me down! This gentleman has an application, Sales Coach Pro, that generates realistic A.I. powered sales scenarios for any industry. The beauty of this platform is that it allows you to practice elements of sales calls while at your desk as opposed to practicing in front of a potential client. Which sounds better to you?

The application, under your direction, creates these scenarios complete with a personalized agent for you to practice with. Yes, this is a verbal back and forth conversation. Following the completion of each exercise, a score card is generated including helpful tips on where you might improve.

This also gives a manager or coach an opportunity to provide immediate feedback where needed. Sign me up! I am now partnering with this company to provide this awesome new service. Please let me know if you would like to learn more!

What I have learned from list building

Let’s start with this. Don’t:) I’m not going to lie to you, if you want your list to be highly targeted, this is not something where you push a couple of buttons and poof, there it is! No matter how tightly I have tried to set the filters, a ton of companies and contacts, not even close, show up in search results. I end up looking at each company individually including their websites.

Next you want to make sure that emails that you want to “unlock” are valid. The service that I am using, UpLead, verifies email addresses as being deliverable prior to downloading and charging you for them. My best guess is that about 25% of the contacts I have selected have had valid email addresses.

Here’s a real-life example. I run a search and it returns 350 companies. Out of this 350, I might select 50 contacts (one per company) that meet my criteria (15%). Out of those 50, 15 have valid email addresses (30%). In fairness to UpLead, my research has indicated that these results are not out of line with industry norms. Dohhhh!

These are a few of the things that I wish I had known before I dropped $1,000 and God only knows how much time. However, as I tell my chatbot Hal, never get between a dog and his bone and somehow I will figure out how to make this work and recoup my investment!

That will do it for today! Thank you again for placing your trust in my services!

To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page.

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Chasing Shiny Baubles

Craig M. Jamieson — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:00:40 +0000

The term “shiny bauble syndrome” has been around for a very long time, but compared to what we have today? Not even in the same universe! If you don’t believe me, scroll through LinkedIn. Every other post is touting some new A.I. platform or hack. While I like shiny new things, I’m not about to fall into that trap. Paralysis by analysis.

My tech stack remains simple: Nimble CRM, Zoom, and all things Google although I lean towards ChatGPT for A.I.. Certainly I have some other minor tools, but that’s about it. It comes down to this. Time is finite and I would rather spend mine generating revenue rather than evaluating the bigger, better, deals (BBD).

I happen to collect guitars. There is a feeling that, if I just get this one new guitar, I’ll be a rock star. So far, no joy. Friends who play golf experience a similar expedition. If I only buy this new putter or driver, I’ll be playing on the tour. That rarely works out either.

Now, God bless you if your shiny baubles deliver results! I’m probably missing out. However, my business model is not so sophisticated that I need to constantly explore my options to maximize my team’s effectiveness. For one thing, I don’t have a team so those resources are not available to me and I’m not about to go outside to remedy that.

My personal preference is to maximize what I can from my existing tools. Then, and only if I can identify a specific need that will return specific benefits, will I go snark hunting. I also will not go so deeply into the weeds in my quest to find the perfect solution because … I don’t think that one even exists. The last thing that I need is to be a dog chasing his own tail.

While chasing shiny baubles can be fun … caution. If not properly controlled, it can easily become addictive and your results may actually end up as being counterproductive. Think R.O.I. You will be investing time and money. What will your expected return be?

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Nimble CRM Tips & Updates – April 8, 2026

Craig M. Jamieson — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:00:07 +0000

A separate “Email has Bounced” button has been added to contact records where previously an “Unsubscribed” button was used to identify either a bounce or an unsubscribe. Nice!

A clarification on unsubscribes – When first introduced, we had no options. If you unsubscribed, you “unsubscribed from all”. When categories were released, that one “unsubscribe from all” category ceased to exist other than as a legacy for those who had unsubscribed previously. Now, in order to unsubscribe from all, check off every category when creating your link.

Email verification – As a part of the $15 per month email marketing account, you also get email lists as well as the capability to verify emails. Verifying emails will cost you 2 enrichment credits each and your standard account comes with 100 enrichment credits per user per month (shared). You can buy more.

Here are some best practices …

If an email address has already been verified, take care not to verify it again. You will be wasting credits.
You can filter your email list to only show, for example, only “unknown” emails.

When an email is first placed in the list, it is “unknown”. Once you verify an email, it will return one of the following …

Unverified – maybe yes, maybe no, we’re not sure
Bounced – no explanation needed
Risky – see “unverified”
Confident – see “deliverable”
Deliverable – you are good to go!

What’s the difference between unverified and risky? Hell if I know:) For my money, they are both risky and I would pass. Confident vs. deliverable? See above. I see these as both being deliverable. According to Nimble, they are expressing nuances. What those nuances are, I have no idea. I like K.I.S.S.

Workflows vs. Pipelines

In our last newsletter, we discussed workflows. How about Pipelines? What’s the difference between the two?

A contact record goes in a workflow whereas a deal record goes in a pipeline.
A contact can be in more than one workflow at any given time. A deal record cannot.
Workflows have available automations. Deal records, at this time, do not.
A deal record is generally associated with a contact record, but it does not have to be.
A deal record will include specific data that can be used to create sales reports including forecasts. This data includes a projected closing date, a deal value, and a percentage chance of closing.

How about similarities?

Both represent a process, or the stages needed, to complete the task.
You can create multiple workflows and pipelines.
Both workflows and pipelines can contain custom fields specific to each.
Workflows and pipelines can work together.

About working together … A common example would be using a workflow for lead qualification. Once qualified, from within the workflow, you can simultaneously create a deal record, add it to a pipeline, and remove that contact from the workflow.

While I have clients who use both workflows and pipelines, I also have a large percentage who only use one or the other. For example, most of my consultants only use workflows. Technically, for example, stages typically found in a pipeline can be placed in a workflow or vice versa.

How about you? If you don’t care about tracking sales related figures and forecasts, a workflow will likely do what you want negating the need for a pipeline. There are other considerations, of course, but start with this as a qualifier. Questions? Contact me!

That will do it for today! Thank you again for placing your trust in my services!

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Why Sales Training Fails-And What to Do About It

Craig M. Jamieson — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 14:00:09 +0000

As a long-time Nimble CRM Solution Partner, I’ve worked with sales teams across a wide range of industries. More recently, I introduced signage-specific sales training based on my ebook, Selling Signs – Lessons From the Trenches.

And I kept running into the same problem. Salespeople understood the training … but struggled to execute in real conversations.

The Problem Isn’t Knowledge—It’s Execution

Most sales training looks like this:

Learn the process
Understand the concepts
Maybe do a little roleplay

Then everyone goes back to work. And what happens? The first time a prospect says: “Just give me a price…” Everything breaks down.

What’s Missing? Practice Under Pressure

Let me ask you a simple question:

Is it better to practice with a real prospect…or in a controlled environment first?

Most salespeople are learning on live opportunities. That’s expensive.

A Better Approach

I’ve recently integrated Sales Coach Pro into my training.

This allows salespeople to:

Practice real-world signage sales scenarios
Have actual conversations (not scripts)
Receive immediate feedback on their performance

After each session:

They are graded
They receive suggestions for improvement
I review their performance and provide coaching

Then they repeat the process.

Real Scenarios. Real Conversations.

These are not generic exercises. They’re based on:

My 15+ years in the signage industry as a rep, manager, and owner
Nearly 50 years in B2B sales

Scenarios include:

The initial call
Qualification
Managing expectations
Creating value vs. price
Selling EMCs
Permitting and variances
Closing

Why This Works

When I started my sales career in 1977, I went through intensive training. We memorized presentations. We practiced.

But when things went off-script? We struggled. Too much information. Not enough real-world repetition.

This is different.

It’s self-paced
Available 24/7 for as long as you are subscribed
Adaptive to how the salesperson responds

It turns practice into reflex. And reflex is what shows up in real sales conversations.

Bottom Line

Training is important. But training alone is not enough.

Execution is everything!

The salespeople who succeed are the ones who can perform under pressure—not just talk about what they’ve learned. If you would like to learn more, please schedule a free Zoom consultation with me!

Sign companies evaluating CRM software often ask what system works best for their industry. I created a detailed guide explaining how a CRM for sign companies can help organize contacts, track quotes, and improve follow-up using Nimble CRM. Here are some other resources.

Our services for sign companies

Learn more about our signage sales training

Signage sales training with real-world practice

“Selling Signs – Lessons From the Trenches”

See all signage related articles and guides here

If you would like to explore whether or not Nimble CRM or my sales training might be right for you, please book a free 30-minute Zoom consultation with me by going to my calendar. To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page.

I would also be happy to connect you to a marketing professional who I know and trust or to an automated yet personalized and human-to-human LinkedIn prospecting system. Please reach out to me at craig@adaptive-business.com for an introduction!

The post Why Sales Training Fails-And What to Do About It appeared first on Adaptive Business Services.