LeadG2, on July 28, 2017
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.
Typical link outreach is a tired sport, and we've all but alienated most content creators with our constant link requests. This video outlines five smart ways to earn links to your site without having to beg.
Kurt Sima, on July 27, 2017
When a colleague conducted a "time spent selling audit" for one of her clients, the data showed the organization's best sellers spent slightly over 20% of their time actually selling. Keep in mind, the audit included the best sellers in the organization! Here are five reasons why this happens:
Mindy Murphy, on July 26, 2017
Recently I went to my daughter’s last soccer game of the season and it was thrilling to see how much the girls have grown in the past year. They are a talented group with a couple of great coaches who have helped them develop their talent.
The day of the game, their moves on the field were impressive. They were superstars, but I noticed during halftime that despite incredible talent on the field, one of the girls needed help tying her shoes. Without hesitation, her coach bent down and tied them. This same child dribbled the ball around everyone and scored twice against a great defense, but she still needed some very basic help from her coach before she could get back in the game.
Sometimes you have to tie shoelaces to be a good coach!
It immediately made me think about coaching a talented sales team.
Their strengths are impressive. The more you coach them, the more they grow, but each one of them may need very specific support and coaching in order to perform at their best.
How do you get even more out of your top performers?
LeadG2, on July 21, 2017
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.
After a great presentation to a prospect that you feel certain will close, it's frustrating when the prospect just disappears on you. It's tempting to go off the rails at that point, but follow up mistakes can cost you the sale. Here’s a list of nine deadly follow up mistakes to avoid after a pitch.
Alina McComas, on July 20, 2017
Yes, it’s a strange question to be asked, but it led to a great conversation. I remember the workshop so clearly. Someone once asked me what I felt was the easiest way to lose a sale.
Jim Hopes, on July 19, 2017
Generally when most people think “training” they envision a classroom with an instructor, a workbook, and some Power Point slides. For most jobs, this is not training — it’s classroom education. By the way, there is nothing wrong with classroom education. Just don’t confuse it with actual training.
Training is really a one-on-one activity between a manager and the person he or she is looking to develop, whereas classroom education is a group activity — big difference. Training is best accomplished on the job. In The Knowing-Doing Gap by Jeffrey Pfeifer and Robert Sutton, they point out that the best companies “Embed more of the process of acquiring new knowledge in the actual doing of the task and less in formal training programs.”
Beth Sunshine, on July 18, 2017
I spent some time on the phone this morning talking with a new client. Brand new to the world of talent assessments and strength management, this sales manager was trying to wrap his mind around everything he was learning.
He called me because he was frustrated to learn that one of his lowest-performing salespeople had one of the strongest talent profiles on his team. He could not figure out how that could be possible!
Have you ever felt the frustration of managing a seller who was not performing on the job even though you knew the person had the potential? It’s maddening! And if it has happened to you, you’re not alone.
There are many reasons why a salesperson may fail to perform, even though they’ve got the potential.
LeadG2, on July 14, 2017
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.
The more you can personalize your conversation to the prospect and their business, the greater the chance that you’ll capture their interest — and hopefully their business. Here are 18 places to do your research.
Jim Hopes, on July 13, 2017
Why have a manager who cannot move their people to performance?
That would be useless, right?
But the reality in today’s business is there are too many managers who fit this description. Why is that? Why would a manager, despite his or her best effort, be unable to activate their people? There are two primary reasons, and they have an interactive relationship with each other:
Lots of managers have a friendly, or at least cordial, relationship with their people. But not what we call a robust relationship. A robust relationship is one that’s useful to the manager wishing to improve the salesperson’s performance, and, therefore, the organization’s performance. It’s a relationship that gives the manager the power to accomplish this essential aspect of his or her job.
Matt Sunshine, on July 11, 2017
There is an old saying that goes like this: When is the best time to plant a tree? 20 years ago, of course. When is the next best time to plant a tree? TODAY!
That saying is the perfect way to describe what is going on with sales and marketing these days. So many organizations are tasking their salespeople with 100% of the lead generation as well as having them figure out on their own the very best way to pull prospects through the sales process.
John Henley, on July 10, 2017
On my final approach into the Atlanta airport recently, I noticed how interesting the view was from 10,000 feet. The planes moving about, the cars arriving, the Porsche Experience Center, and all the surrounding hotels (the new Renaissance Atlanta Gateway is pretty cool by the way). So much to observe.
This made me think about how the 10,000-ft. view is often more interesting and illuminating than the proverbial 30,000-ft. view. This is true when looking at a sales organization as well. The 30,000-ft. view that you tend to take with something like a SWOT analysis or other strategic exercises is good, but the 10,000-ft. view might be more appropriate.
LeadG2, on July 7, 2017
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.
A natural affinity for speaking can only take you so far — to become a truly skilled speaker, you’ll need to identify your weaknesses, learn rhetorical strategies, and consistently practice.
You might be wondering how you’re supposed to find time for those things when all of your work hours are spent selling. Good news: These seven apps will improve your speaking skills quickly, effectively, and best of all, in real-time.
John Henley, on July 6, 2017
I love this African Proverb, “If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk together.” Every time you find yourself tempted to push everyone on your team aside because you can “move faster” on your own, stop and ask if the speed you are gaining is worth it. You can definitely walk faster on your own, but you can walk much further if you allow others on your team to develop and grow as opportunities come along. Instead of thinking about how to get the work done through your people—think about how to get your people done through the work.
Matt Sunshine, on July 5, 2017
It happens every day in nearly every sales organization. Regardless of the industry, the size of the sales department or the complexity of the sale. It causes intense frustration for every salesperson and every sales manager. Know what it is?
It’s the uncomfortable meeting that takes place when a salesperson is not hitting their numbers.
That meeting has to happen in order to get the seller back on the path to success, but it is filled with frustration.
Those of us in sales and sales management know this situation and those frustrations all too well. You can probably guess how this conversation will go…
LeadG2, on July 4, 2017
The 4th of July is a great time for gathering with friends and family, eating food fresh off the barbecue, and, if you're lucky, going swimming in the nearest body of water. We hope you're enjoying the day off! Today we're sharing some inspiring posts that you can check out as sitting by the pool or waiting for those hamburgers to cook.
Brad Ramsey, on July 3, 2017
If you follow the stock market you know McDonald’s stock has been on fire of late! Maybe the secret to their success is hiring people who can open and close!
Closing gets all the love, and all the headlines. The big closes lead to high fives and mentions in the company newsletter, and keep you coming back for more! If you can’t close, you can’t sell. “Coffee is for closers!”
But can you OPEN? Not open the conversation, open the door to the opportunity. One sure fire way to close more deals is to get more, higher-quality appointments. It’s tougher than ever to get attention and establish credibility, and you need to do both to get the first appointment with the very best prospects. It’s no longer sufficient to pick up the phone and leave a “get to know you and your business” voicemail, or pop in for a cold call with confidence. To be a great “opener” you have to do your homework, and your homework has to result in a valid business reason for the prospect to meet with you.
A great valid business reason should express why the prospect would want to meet with you (not the other way around) and has three core elements:
