Blog

Welcome to the NineRuns Blog—where we share proven strategies, practical advice, and fresh perspectives on building high-performing sales teams. From leadership development to sales process optimization, our insights are designed to help you lead with intention, drive measurable results, and stay ahead in today’s competitive B2B landscape.

Won't You Be My Neighbor

Last night we watched the documentary on Fred Rogers, “Won’t you be my Neighbor”. I was not a great fan of “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood” so I...

Jerry Phillips

Feb 11, 20202 min read

Hire a Star, Invest in a Star!

I’ve spent a great deal of effort in the past few months to help people understand the value of finding talented rock stars for their...

Jerry Phillips

Nov 12, 20192 min read

The Value of Strong Mentors

The path for many of us, is not a straight path. We believe we are going to be something or do something, and then our life plan changes....

Jerry Phillips

Nov 4, 20194 min read

He has industry experience so he must be good.

Earlier this year I worked with a client to define the skills and values for their sales team. They had never defined the skills needed...

Jerry Phillips

Oct 25, 20192 min read

Hire and Develop Talent

I have a theory that I shared with my team throughout my career. My role as a leader was to find great talent, give them the tools to do...

Jerry Phillips

Oct 23, 20193 min read

Listening with empathy and building trust!

Most of us over 25 years old remember where we were on September 11, 2001. I was a Regional Manager for Grainger at the time, based in...

Jerry Phillips

Oct 11, 20193 min read

I can really read people, and other lies we tell ourselves!

I’m not sure any of us expected it. When Black & Decker launched the DeWalt brand of power tools in 1992, the demand was staggering. So...

Jerry Phillips

Oct 7, 20192 min read

Building Relationships: John Allenbach

“If someone has intelligence and a work ethic, everything else can be developed.” - John Allenbach, President, AgoNow John Allenbach is...

Jerry Phillips

Oct 2, 20193 min read

Finding A level salespeople

I really wasn’t expecting it. In fact, I really took it for granted. At DeWalt, we hired off the campuses of major state universities. We...

Jerry Phillips

Sep 25, 20193 min read

Trust: A firm belief in the intention, reliability, and competence of a person or a process.

My daughter sells software and she is very good at it. However, from time to time she has a crisis of confidence, as we all do. She will...

Jerry Phillips

Sep 14, 20195 min read

You need a hiring process tool!

“We don’t have a large workforce, and we don’t have a lot of turnover. I think it’s a waste of our time and money to build a recruiting...

Jerry Phillips

Sep 4, 20193 min read

Just get to the road!

When I was interviewing Mike Birch, CEO of Action Target Inc, he shared with me a story that is a perfect metaphor for how he leads. We...

Jerry Phillips

Aug 28, 20195 min read

It’s tough finding talent, so what do you do when you find it?

While there are many things that can affect a company’s ability to reach its financial goals, fewer things affect it more than the...

Jerry Phillips

Aug 21, 20192 min read

Have you ever hired someone you wish you had never met?

I was having coffee with a friend of mine who is the CEO of an early stage software company. I asked him how much it cost him to hire the...

Jerry Phillips

Aug 21, 20192 min read