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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Weekly Roundup: Questions to Ask Yourself Before a New Sales Hire + More

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- MOTIVATION -

"WANTING SOMETHING IS NOT ENOUGH. YOU MUST HUNGER FOR IT. YOUR MOTIVATION MUST BE ABSOLUTELY COMPELLING IN ORDER TO OVERCOME THE OBSTACLES THAT WILL INVARIABLY COME YOUR WAY."

-LES BROWN

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

7 Critical Questions to Ask Yourself BEFORE a New Sales Hire — Sales Hacker

2021 Media Sales Report - download nowThe reality is not all salespeople are created equal (and neither are startups). Just because a rep has amazing sales numbers doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a good hire. What they had to do to achieve those numbers may be totally different than what they’ll have to do to be successful with you!

So how do you know which salesperson is the right hire for your business?
>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

A Sales Process that Matches the Buying Process

sales process to match the buying process

Some say that the holy grail of sales is consistent and predictable revenue. Many are on this seemingly never-ending quest, but find it both elusive and always just out of reach. A strategic sales process is the only thing that will help you reach your goals.

Topics: Sales sales process Buyer's Journey

Weekly Roundup: Lead Qualifying Hacks + More

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- MOTIVATION -

"SETTING GOALS IS THE FIRST STEP IN TURNING THE INVISIBLE INTO THE VISIBLE"

-TONY ROBBINS

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

Simple Lead Qualifying Hacks [VIDEO] — LeadG2

2021 Media Sales Report - download nowSometimes when you generate leads via inbound marketing, you can get a lot of information about your prospects and leads when they fill out a lead capture form. It really depends, though, on what you're willing to ask. You can ask things like name, phone number, email, company name, industry, revenue, and more. There's a lot of different variables you can ask for.

The tricky part is, when you ask for too much information, you might limit the number of people that are willing to provide all of that to you. Consequently, this might limit the number of leads you could generate.
>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

10 Things the Best Salespeople NEVER Do: The Un-Checklist

salesperson-technology-451709-editedEDITOR’S NOTE: This post is by the late Steve Marx, and was written and published in 2015. To keep it current, we’ve updated the content to be relevant, but preserved the knowledge that Steve shared.

There are countless lists of what the most successful salespeople actually do. It’s time for a list of what they don’t do.

Let’s call it "The Un-Checklist"—the list you review when no one is looking over your shoulder (so you can be entirely honest), and where you hope that your honesty doesn’t force you to check off any of the items.

Get out your pen, ink, or virtual notes. I hope you won’t need to use them.

Topics: Sales

Seller Not Setting Appointments During Field Coaching Days? Do This.

sales calls appointmentsIn a previous post, A Step by Step Guide to Coaching Salespeople, I provided a guide on how to coach sellers. Some sellers find it a challenge to schedule quality appointments during their scheduled coaching days. Here are some things you can do to fix this problem. 

Weekly Roundup: Plugging Leaks in the B2B Sales Funnel + More

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- MOTIVATION -

"EITHER RUN THE DAY OR THE DAY RUNS YOU."

-JIM ROHN

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

Plugging Leaks in the B2B Sales Funnel — LinkedIn Sales Blog

2021 Media Sales Report - download nowAn empty sales funnel is a relatively straightforward (albeit not necessarily easy) problem to solve: enhance your prospecting efforts to produce more qualified leads.

A leaky sales funnel is another beast entirely. When we’re driving sufficient leads, but too few are reaching the finish line, the causes aren’t always obvious. This can lead to wasted prospecting efforts, seller frustration, and organizational discord.
 
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Topics: Wrap-up

4 Things Sales Management Should Do to Improve Sales Performance

Recently, I spoke to a sales management group on four things that they can do to improve sales performance, and this is what I shared with them.

1. Recruitment

Always be recruiting. 24/7. 365. The battle for top sales talent these days has never been harder. You always have to be recruiting. Not just when you have an opening.

Topics: sales performance

A Step-by-Step Guide to Coaching Salespeople

sales-coaching-in-fieldThe best managers know spending time in the field coaching sellers is an important part of developing salespeople (and improving sales performance). Here’s a step-by-step guide to use the next day you are in coaching mode.

Weekly Roundup: 75 Key Sales Statistics That'll Help You Sell Smarter + More

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- MOTIVATION -

"OUR GREATEST WEAKNESS LIES IN GIVING UP. THE MOST CERTAIN WAY
TO SUCCEED IS TO TRY JUST ONE MORE TIME."

-THOMAS EDISON

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

75 Key Sales Statistics That'll Help You Sell Smarter in 2019 — Hubspot

2021 Media Sales Report - download nowEvery time we think we've gotten a grip on the weird, wonderful world of sales, we learn something new that forces us to change our perspective and question our beliefs. Like just 17% of salespeople think they're pushy -- compared to 50% of prospects.

And along similar lines, only 3% of buyers trust reps. The only professions with less credibility include car sales, politics, and lobbying. Ouch. Luckily, not all sales-related data will bum you out. This list of sales statistics has invaluable nuggets of wisdom on everything from which words to avoid in your email subject line to the optimal number of questions to ask during a discovery call.
 
>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

8 Steps to Improve Your In-Field Coaching

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I know about coaching. 

When my twin daughters were learning to drive, I spent countless hours working with them as they practiced behind the wheel. I owed it to all of you to do my job well!

On my quest to mold them into great drivers, I learned one certain truth: this kind of coaching can only be accomplished from inside a moving vehicle. You cannot teach someone how to drive a car by handing them a book, suggesting an informative video, or lecturing them on safe driving techniques.

(The same is true for sales, but more on that later…)

Our learn-to-drive boot camp did begin with some classroom-style learning. The girls read the information booklet provided by the Department of Motor Vehicles from cover to cover and they attended formal driver’s education classes to ensure they obtained the knowledge required to pass their written exam. They squeaked by on that exam which then earned them a driver’s permit so they could legally join the rest of us on the road as long as they have a family member in the car. Me.

Another certain truth: just because someone passes a written test does not mean they drive well. 

To Confirm or Not to Confirm? That is the question.

confirm appointmentsWe all know how difficult it can be to set an appointment with a prospect these days, and the last thing we would want to do is let that appointment slip away after making multiple contacts in order to secure it.

The question always seems to come up about whether a salesperson should confirm that appointment before making the call or not. I have sales professionals who argue on both sides of the question.

So, let’s compare the reasons for confirming or not confirming.

Topics: sales process

A New Way to Solve the Revenue Challenges Facing Media Sales Organizations

iStock-468438195In the past media sales organizations employed a tried and true approach to solving dips in revenue. Here’s a summary of the approach: 

When revenue is down, develop a product, service, or tactic, and sell more!

Unfortunately, these days this approach is more tired and untrue than tried and true.

Selling more is not the solution to the current challenges faced by media organizations because it’s a new day, and it is not filled with rainbows and unicorns. The declines faced by media sales organizations today are consistent enough to be called the new reality!

Topics: Lead Generation sales process