The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Everyone knows that sales is a numbers game, right? Of course! The more you have out there, the better off you are, so I’ll agree that sales is a numbers game. But, today I am going to argue that you may be looking at the wrong numbers.  

When Boston Scientific CIO Rich Adduci attended the first iPad reveal two years ago, he instantly knew the device would be a game changer for sales and marketing teams. He described the moment watching Steve Jobs walk onto the stage like a light bulb going off in his head.

Get the power of unity and diversity working for you! To build a great sales team, you need to hire a talented and diverse team… and then unify them with a common purpose. 

Cold calling can be an inefficient use of a sales person’s time and talent. As a manager, I want sales people spending the majority of their time on activities that are directly tied to revenue. It’s important for our sales people to be in front of clients and prospects helping to address business challenges—which is why we at Cox Media Group Louisville recently launched an inbound marketing effort, led by our blog LouisvilleEdge.com. We believe it’s the perfect next step to elevate ourselves from our competition. It gives us the ability to provide real-time information on topics that are important to our clients. Here are six reasons that we thought an inbound marketing campaign was the right investment for us.

A few weeks ago, The Center for Sales Strategy hosted Talent Focused Management, a workshop designed to help managers develop and coach their sales teams by identifying individual talents, providing guidance and developing coaching based on the defined talent and proven tactics to increase overall performance.

A friend of mine was recently complaining about a computer vendor that had failed to deliver on some training that was promised as part of a major purchase. Oh, the training was conducted… it just wasn’t effective (at least, in the buyer’s opinion). For weeks after the equipment was deployed, “People were still spinning their wheels, trying to figure out the new system,” he explained.

What do a great party hostess and a great manager have in common? They take ownership of the outcome. Whether you are planning an amazing party or ramping up a new sales person, there are similar strategies you can follow to make sure everyone is engaged, and everything runs smoothly.

As a sales manager, sales person, or sales leader, you certainly know the value of a great lead. I’m not talking about a name and number that someone hands you and says, “You ought to follow up with this!” No, I'm talking about a quality lead that is beyond the “kicking tires” phase and is what we will refer to as "sales ready.” Someone who knows about your product and service and has already given some thought to how they might want to work with your company. Sounds good, right?  

On a recent business flight, I happened to engage a fellow passenger in conversation. His business was selling steel to manufacturers who make things (almost anything) with steel components.

Let me create the scene: you’re meeting with your new prospect for the first time, and your goal is to build rapport and begin a needs analysis that will build your credibility as an expert in your field, and as someone who really cares about their business. You want your prospect to believe you’re someone who can truly help them solve their complex business problems. To accomplish this, you intend to metaphorically put yourself behind your client’s desk to uncover key challenges and prime opportunities their business is facing so that you may become their partner and work with them to create customized solutions. You’re completely prepared for the meeting and you know exactly how you’re going to lead the meeting. You sit down, exchange pleasantries and your prospect says… “Let’s just cut to the chase. Tell me… how much is this going to cost?”