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January 3, 2013 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF Share | Sign up | Archive | Advertise The Leaderboard  Get started on the road to becoming a better leader in 2013 There are plenty of ways to improve your leadership in the new year, writes Daniel McCarthy. A few ideas: Improve your presentation skills, seek out better feedback, pledge to hold yourself more accountable or simply reach out to and thank your mentors. "Don't overdo it -- just pick one and commit to it," McCarthy advises. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (1/1)       Sales Strategies  5 ways to help "B players" achieve their potential One step for maximizing the productivity of your sales organization is to help your average representatives reach their fullest potential, writes John Kenney. So-called "B players" require work-life balance, and they need coaching, he writes. Sales Benchmark Index/Sales Force Effectiveness Blog (12/31)       Building a better sales pipeline You can improve the health of your sales pipeline by building a high-quality database of prospects, writes Sean McPheat of MTD Sales Training. "Yes, you need lots of prospects, but if they are not a great fit, they will only dilute your focus on the best opportunities." Emphasize the value that your company can provide when you introduce yourself to prospects, he advises. MTDSalesTraining.com (1/2)       What type of culture results in the most sales? Some sales organizations use a competitive culture, while others use a more cooperative approach that encourages representatives to help one another, writes Mukesh Gupta of SAP. A cooperative culture may be more effective in the current business climate, Gupta writes. B2C Marketing Insider (1/2)       Daily Data Points  Manufacturing expansion boosts U.S. economic outlook U.S. manufacturing activity shifted from moderate contraction in November to modest expansion in December, brightening the outlook for economic growth in 2013. An Institute for Supply Management index rose from a three-year low of 49.5 in November to 50.7 in December, on a scale in which anything higher than 50 indicates growth. Bloomberg (1/2)       CEOs and lawmakers look to next fiscal debate The Hill/On the Money blog (1/2)       Small businesses report higher borrowing for November Reuters (1/2)       This Week's Sales Cartoon  On the Road  How hotels are pampering the weary, jet-lagged traveler Luxury hotels are appealing to travelers dealing with jet lag. At the InterContinental London Park Lane, the spa offers a flotation bed, which wraps guests in a foil blanket. The DeepSleep Package at the Swissôtel Berlin offers a mix of light therapy, aromatherapy, dietary supplements and more to help guests achieve satisfying rest. HotelChatter (12/26)       App Update  Comparing cloud-based and on-premise CRM systems Cloud-based CRM systems can be good for small businesses, because they may be more cost-effective and can be more energy-efficient. However, on-premise CRM solutions may be better for companies that require high levels of security and that need a lot of control over customer data. TechRepublic/The Enterprise Cloud blog (12/31)       Making Small Talk  Gorilla develops tightrope-walking skills Kidogo, a gorilla who was recently sent to a German zoo, apparently has a talent for walking on a tightrope. The 12-year-old male gorilla was acquired because a previous gorilla was infertile. The Telegraph (London) (tiered subscription model) (12/31)       Position Title Company Name Location Regional Director, Sales Development Pandora New York, NY Director Affiliate Sales Starz Entertainment Atlanta, GA Director, Inside Sales ORS Nasco Tulsa, OK Click here to view more job listings. SmartQuote  Assessing talent should be an annual initiative." --John Kenney, senior consultant with Sales Benchmark Index, writing in the firm's Sales Force Effectiveness Blog       SmartBrief on Sales Partners SmartBrief delivers need-to-know news in over 100 targeted email newsletters to over 3 million readers. All our industry briefings are FREE and open to everyone—sign up today! 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