Shaye Smith, on August 31, 2018
-STEVE JOBS
Jim Hopes, on August 30, 2018
When was the last time you asked for a referral? Go ahead and fill in the date here ______________. If the answer is yesterday, congratulations. If you can’t remember any time recently, you should stop and figure out why you are not doing this.
Think about it. When you are looking to hire a professional what do you do? Of course, you ask people you know and trust who they would recommend, right? Well, a referral is an implied recommendation. Clients who give you the name of someone to contact feel comfortable about the expertise you bring to the table and its potential to help the business or person they are referring. So, again, how often do you ask satisfied customers for a referral? I bet you are thinking, “Not often enough.”
Tirzah Thornburg, on August 29, 2018
SCENARIO:Your top-performing, seasoned seller just turned in their notice. You are prepared because you were diligent and have a full talent bank with well-qualified candidates. But even with all of this prep, you realize how overwhelming the task of examining the candidates in your talent bank can be.
Where do you start? The job title is the same, but the challenge is different each time.
Kurt Sima, on August 27, 2018
As I’ve mentioned before in previous blog posts, I’m a long-suffering fan of the Cleveland Browns. My team loses more games than they win. The Browns are also infamous for something else: the team has started 28 different quarterbacks since 1999! Many of these poor souls were drafted by the Browns and then thrown into the fire before they were adequately prepared, only to fail.
Shaye Smith, on August 24, 2018
-NELSON MANDELA
Outbound sales tactics are alive and well. The key is that your sales organization can't survive relying solely on this alone. That's where inbound comes in... In this webinar, we'll explore how inbound and outbound efforts work together to help your salespeople improve sales performance and reach revenue goals. We'll also explore tactical inbound sales strategies that you can start implementing right away. REGISTER HERE.
Matt Sunshine, on August 23, 2018
Did you know that your chances of making a sale go up a gazillion percent when the prospect actually asks to be contacted by you? Of course you knew that! So how do you make this happen?
Tirzah Thornburg, on August 22, 2018
When onboarding new hires, managers have a lot of things to think about. What is the onboarding plan? Will there be pre-boarding? Who will train them? Who do they need to meet and who will show them around and introduce them to the office, co-workers, etc.?
But just as important, what is your new hire’s onboarding plan? If they walk in and have no plan and no goals, chances are they will struggle to find success in their new role. Some new hires will start day one with a clear plan or will have a plan and goals set within a few weeks, but some will need help and guidance in this area.
Kurt Sima, on August 20, 2018
When a problem comes along, you must whip it.
When something's going wrong, you must whip it.
Now whip it into shape… shape it up, get straight, go forward, move ahead.
Try to detect it… it's not too late to whip it!
Whip it good!
-Devo, "Whip It"
Shaye Smith, on August 17, 2018
-SIMON SINEK
Outbound sales tactics are alive and well. The key is that your sales organization can't survive relying solely on this alone. That's where inbound comes in... In this webinar, we'll explore how inbound and outbound efforts work together to help your salespeople improve sales performance and reach revenue goals. We'll also explore tactical inbound sales strategies that you can start implementing right away. REGISTER HERE.
Dani Buckley, on August 16, 2018
A research study by McKinsey Global Institute reported that salespeople on average spend less than 13 hours a week actually selling.
Considering that going out and selling solutions is what salespeople actually are best at, and what is most profitable for them and the company they work for, it’s a little disheartening that so much time is spent doing other things like office tasks, answering emails, researching leads, and internal communication (I’m guessing this includes one too many meetings a week).
However, I’m not so sure we can eliminate those other tasks and give salespeople back another 20 hours a week. And even if they had that extra time, I’m not sure they’d be spending it in the most effective way. It’s not about how much time we have to actually sell. It’s about how much time we waste on trying to get to that point of the selling process.
Alysa Hinshaw, on August 15, 2018
IMAGINE THIS: After countless attempts to connect with a prospect, your persistence has paid off. You did it! You've got the meeting on the calendar, you are feeling great! Now, you have one chance to make a great first impression, and it needs to count. Luckily, you have a few days to prepare so you can ensure the meeting runs smoothly and the prospect views you as a trusted and valued partner.
While it’s important to prepare yourself for the meeting, you also want to prepare the prospect. This is one thing that salespeople often overlook prior to a meeting. Most prospects are going to expect you to come in and tell them why they need to buy your product or service. It’s up to you to go out of your way to be sure they know you are different and you are not going to do that. Don't just prepare yourself... also prepare your prospect.
Trey Morris, on August 14, 2018
People crave feedback. We want to know if what we are doing is good, bad, or just plain ugly.
It starts when we are little kids. We all desperately wanted our parent's attention. We wanted them to "watch us" run fast, jump high, or sing a song. We wanted them to be proud of us, but also to give us feedback. Were we doing it "right?" How can we do it better?
Well, not much has changed since we were children. We still want to know how we are doing. Yet, so many managers seem to think that their people don't need feedback or even want it. WRONG! Your people desperately want to know how they are doing. Feedback is a fantastic way for a sales manager to improve their team's sales performance by reinforcing good behaviors and improving upon weak behaviors.
Kurt Sima, on August 13, 2018
I get it. I know it is important, but I’m sick and tired of hearing about new business. Truth be known, most sellers are sick and tired of hearing about new business… and their managers are sick and tired of talking about it!
The majority of sales organizations are obsessed with new business because of one reason: they do a terrible job of keeping and growing existing business (AKA: customers).
Not all customers are created equal. World-class sales organizations segment them like this:
Shaye Smith, on August 10, 2018
-THOMAS EDISON
Outbound sales tactics are alive and well. The key is that your sales organization can't survive relying solely on this alone. That's where inbound comes in... In this webinar, we'll explore how inbound and outbound efforts work together to help your salespeople improve sales performance and reach revenue goals. We'll also explore tactical inbound sales strategies that you can start implementing right away. REGISTER HERE.
Marketing and sales should work together. It sounds so simple and obvious, in theory. In practice, however, many sales and marketing teams work independently, leaving them unaware of otherwise obvious opportunities. There’s a better way, and that way is account-based marketing (ABM). It’s a strategy that doesn’t just call for alignment between sales and marketing teams, but generates it.
Kurt Sima, on August 6, 2018
"My sellers do not go on enough sales calls."
- Every Sales Manager
I hear this all the time from sales managers. I also hear a similar version from sellers:
“I could sell more if I had more quality appointments.”
- Almost Every Seller
Imagine if every seller had one additional call per week, every week of the year. That’s roughly 50 additional appointments per year.
Shaye Smith, on August 3, 2018
-JIM ROHN
Why should you pursue a career in sales? Hear from CSS Managing Partner, Matt Sunshine, as well as other industry experts as they speak to this topic and what skills a sales professional needs to increase their salary.
