Deborah Fulghum, on August 30, 2016
As managers, we want to get everything we can out of our sales team. The harder they work, the more they will deliver, right? What if we looked at our sales teams differently? What if we asked instead, "What can we do to see results and stay on target, while keeping our team happy and ready to take on more?"
Jim Hopes, on August 29, 2016
I surely hear a lot of talk these days about success in setting new-business appointments. Sales managers often say with a degree of pride, “Our team set 28 appointments last week.” Or, “We had a very good appointment-setting session and got 31 new appointments in only two hours.”
These numbers are impressive, and the logical sequence of events from there would be a steady increase in new business volume. But, too often, when those new business metrics come in, the cause and effect doesn’t exist. New business does not spike as one would expect after four straight weeks of appointment setting.
So, what is wrong?
LeadG2, on August 26, 2016
We hope you've had a great week! It's Friday, and today we're sharing what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.
Most salespeople use LinkedIn to connect, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The platform is also a relationship-builder, brand advocate, research tool, publishing platform, and marketing asset. If you don’t know how to utilize the power of LinkedIn in all of these areas, this post will help.
Matt Sunshine, on August 25, 2016
The need for quality case studies has never been greater than it is right now. B2B salespeople are encountering more competition than ever before, and they are working harder to earn the business and attention from both their prospects and their current clients. There’s a lot of information out there online, and businesses are increasingly conducting their own research and independently garnering information that allows them to evaluate your products and services.
Dani Buckley, on August 24, 2016
From the moment I started working with the team at Zimmer Radio & Marketing Group, I had a feeling they were going to do a stellar job with inbound marketing. Then, once I met with them at their office in Columbia, Missouri for our Inbound Marketing & Sales Strategy Workshop, which kicked off our partnership, I was convinced.
Collectively, they “got it” and understood that because the advertising buyer’s experience has changed, the role of the media salesperson had to change too. As a LeadG2 and The Center for Sales Strategy Consultant, it’s always exciting to work with a company who not only wants the results but is also willing to invest their time and money to get the job done. And in this case, not only because they want to grow new revenue, but also because they care about their advertisers and the people they work with. They believe in educating them and being a true partner to small and large businesses alike. They understood that inbound marketing is more than a campaign here and there or a great keyword strategy. It’s about creating a conversation with potential and current customers. It’s about being a thought leader, making an impact in their industry, and reaching buyers appropriately in the sales process.
I’m not writing this article to simply brag about my awesome client (though they are pretty awesome). I’m writing this to let other media companies know they can improve the way they communicate with prospects, and they can get real, tangible results by implementing the right strategy and the right tools.
Beth Sunshine, on August 22, 2016
My words of wisdom for the day: When you love something, don’t set it free. Hold on tight and grab a back-up just in case!
LeadG2, on August 19, 2016
We hope you've had a great week! It's Friday, so today we're sharing what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.
Sales and trust. Not exactly two words today’s buyers think of as synonymous. According to HubSpot Research, only 3% of people consider salespeople trustworthy. Here are 9 ways to build trust with your prospect.
Alina McComas, on August 17, 2016
I am often asked by salespeople, “How do you know which is the right digital capability to pull into a solution?” or, “What is the right budget to recommend for a prospect or client?” The answers to both of these questions stem from the same place – understanding the client's challenge and their goals.
LeadG2, on August 16, 2016
Every sales manager has, at some point, come to realize that sales talent isn't enough to reach revenue goals. The key is to hire talented salespeople and then help them optimize their performance.
These 3 resources will help you, as a manger, turn sales talent into performance.
LeadG2, on August 12, 2016
We hope you've had a great week! It's Friday, so today we're sharing what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.
What creates trust, engagement, and confidence within the workplace? This article looks at seven ways new leaders can get off to a solid start, and how they can build essential credibility from the beginning.
Beth Sunshine, on August 11, 2016
Our sales departments are filled with Sales Managers, Directors of Sales, VPs of Sales, and even Chief Sales Officers who are charged with generating sales and growing business. What we don’t typically find in a sales operation is a “Talent Manager” or “Talent Coach" — even though the best sales leaders out there know that the best way to drive sales is to hire exceptionally talented salespeople.
Kim Alexandre, on August 9, 2016
If you’re the type of salesperson who focuses on maintaining existing accounts by being more responsive and service oriented, you may soon find yourself out of job. It’s the harsh reality (and opportunity) of the explosive expansion and use of chatbots.
LeadG2, on August 5, 2016
We hope you've had a great week! It's Friday, so today we're sharing what we've been reading online this week! Here are our "best" from around the web.
The upsell might be the most underrated play in sales. Once you’ve built up a customer base, you can start farming — that is, mining your existing customers for opportunities to upsell or cross-sell. This article offers five signs to look for to know when you should go for the upsell.
Matt Sunshine, on August 4, 2016
Today's superstar salespeople aren't doing things the way they were fifteen years ago—they've aligned their sales process with the way that people buy today. Today’s superstar salespeople are also taking advantage of today's technology, which allows them to have a significant advantage over their sales counterparts who are still practicing the 20th century sales methods. These modern day sales warriors are using what we call lead intelligence to maximize their selling effort. This advantage is making an amazing difference in sales performance and it’s worth taking note.
While many of the sales fundamentals of the 20th century still apply, the fact is that with the advancement of technology, the use of email, social media, and the mobile phone, there have been some significant changes that have allowed salespeople to improve and deliver better performance.
Greg Giersch, on August 3, 2016
There was a time when business people needed to be persuaded to get active online. Most of you are already active on social media. The big question now is how to use social media to build your business.
LeadG2, on August 1, 2016
We recently spoke with Karen McCandless, market researcher at GetApp (a sales management software review company) about her latest study, which sampled 250 sales professionals and 200 consumers. The study sought to uncover today's key challenges for salespeople as well as what successful salespeople are doing to overcome those problems.
