Tirzah Thornburg, on September 29, 2015
Given how busy Sales Managers are, sometimes recruiting candidates and developing a Talent Bank seems like one thing too many. Many managers we talk to are so swamped with daily tasks that the idea of recruiting and interviewing people for a job opening that doesn’t exist yet seems like a complete waste of time. But the question is, does it feel like a waste of time when you have an unexpected opening?
LeadG2, on September 25, 2015
It's Friday, and it's time for us to share what we've been reading online this week. Here are our "best" from around the web.
Ad blocking is causing a lot of concern lately, most recently brought into the spotlight by Apple's release of iOS 9. This article explains how ad blocking works and what you can do to work around it.
Emily Estey, on September 22, 2015
Recently I had the pleasure of facilitating a group of managers through a four month long program called Coaching New Business. We asked each manager to select two members from their team to work side by side through the How Selling process with a select group of Target Accounts.
LeadG2, on September 18, 2015
We've come to the end of the week again, and it's time for us to share what we've been reading online this week. Here are our "best" from around the web.
Banner Ad Blindess is a real phenomenon. Stats show that only 14% users recall the last display ad they saw and the content it promoted. But Banner Blindness doesn't have to scare you, if you know how to beat it. This article explains how Banner Blindness works and offers 6 tricks and techniques that can minimize it to make your ads stand out in front of users.
Alina McComas, on September 17, 2015
Like most people nowadays, I spend a lot of time online. Due to my profession, a lot of that time is spent looking at the ads on the screen. I find myself analyzing and critiquing the message, the look, and the layout of the ads, without even realizing that I am doing it. I have seen some good and some bad.
Greg Giersch, on September 15, 2015
The mantra that "you need a personal, professional brand" is no longer new. If you're like most sales professionals, you're open to the idea, but it can seem like such a major project. Let's look at three myths you need to move past to get started building a brand for yourself.
LeadG2, on September 14, 2015
Although in some ways technology has made salespeople’s jobs harder (think email auto-filing), in many ways it’s also made work easier. This list of the top six apps we recommend for salespeople definitely falls into that second category. We not only recommend these apps, we also use them ourselves.
LeadG2, on September 11, 2015
It's Friday! Hope you've had a great week, and it's time for us to share what we've been reading online this week. Here are our "best" from around the web.
Hiring salespeople is a lot like qualifying a prospect. You have a position you need to fill, but if a candidate is a bad fit, it’s important to find out sooner rather than later so you can spend precious time on more promising applicants. This presentation suggests the top 6 traits that winning salespeople share.
Matt Sunshine, on September 9, 2015
Ask a sales manager about the most important decisions he or she makes, and you will probably hear about exceeding budget, growing market share, or achieving year-over-year growth. While those decisions are critically important aspects of the job, and they require a great deal of attention, none of them can be accomplished without an even more important decision being made first.
The most important decision you will ever make as a manger is the decision of who to hire. If you don’t have great people working in the sales department, you can’t accomplish the rest.
Think of the very best salesperson you have working for you. Not the highest biller or the person that has been there the longest. I want you to think about the best seller. Imagine if you had an entire sales department of people just like that. Would sales go up? Of course.
If you want to accomplish more, there is something you can do about it.
John Henley, on September 8, 2015
Great salespeople are always on the lookout for leads and are weighing each lead against a list of criteria to see which leads are the better leads. This happens in organizations where salespeople are responsible for generating all their own leads and in those where some leads are provided to the salespeople.
Leads are good, but even better if they are good leads. One trick you can use as a salesperson to make sure your leads are better leads is to look more for opportunities as opposed to just looking for leads. We like to say that it’s more powerful to search for opportunities than it is to search for prospects.
LeadG2, on September 4, 2015
It's the end of another week, and we're sharing the top articles and resources we've read this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.
More and more companies are beginning to realize the importance that culture has to their business. A strong company culture positively influences recruitment, retention, productivity and overall employee satisfaction. But if you want a stong culture, you have to hire people who reflect the culture you're working towards. This article explains how.
Tirzah Thornburg, on September 3, 2015
Each year on the first Sunday in May, over 150,000 elementary and middle school kids set up lemonade stands in 31 states for Lemonade Day. The founder of the program, Michael Holthouse, who was named Inc. Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year, developed Lemonade Day to help kids learn how to run a business. He had this idea that economic messes could be avoided if kids were taught basic business skills and financial common sense that they can use when they are running the country.
Brian Hasenbauer, on September 2, 2015
Over the years, as sales and marketing has become more automated, it’s become increasingly important for salespeople to differentiate themselves from others and to provide value throughout the sales process. With control of the sales process having shifted from sellers to buyers, the B2B buyer now holds the cards, and does approximately 60% of his or her research before ever feeling the need to contact a salesperson.
Some of the ways that a salesperson can provide value throughout the sales process is by being seen as a thought leader and credible member of the industry that they are a part of. Social media has come to play a big part in establishing yourself as an expert in your field and having your profile elevated.
Here are three ways that salespeople can stand out using social media:
Beth Sunshine, on September 1, 2015
You already know that turning talent into performance requires a true understanding of talent. Spotting talent, hiring talent, developing talent, and coaching talent. . . it’s mission critical.
Here’s a little something you may not have thought about before, though: every innate talent at an extreme level of intensity, can have its downside. One of my clients recently observed, “Talent can be used for good or evil!”
