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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Weekly Roundup: Create a Webinar That Converts, Make a Good Sales Pitch + More

Create a Webinar to Increase Conversion Rates, Make a Good Sales Pitch

- MOTIVATION -

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

-Laozi

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

Creating a Webinar That Increases Your Conversion Rate – SalesPOP

The online world is filled with an endless variety of businesses all trying to sell their products or services on their websites. The way to be successful is to find a way to stand out from the crowd. You can do this by figuring out what other companies are not offering their customers and offering it to yours.

One of the best ways to make a direct connection to your audience is through a webinar. Whether you are demonstrating a new product, giving instructions or sharing new ideas, a webinar is a great way to get one-on-one with your customers. Your goal is to increase your conversion rate, thereby boosting your sales. The way to do that is to create a sales funnel system that brings interest back to your site. You can garner a lot of interest and market share with a purposely designed marketing webinar. >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

5 New Year’s Resolutions for Struggling Sellers

New Year’s Resolutions for Struggling Sellers

A New Year's resolution is a tradition in which a person resolves to change an undesired trait or behavior, to accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve their life. The New Year brings a fresh start and the opportunity for sales managers and sales teams to set goals and intentions for the coming months. 

Perhaps you, or a salesperson on your team, had a lousy 2019 and are ready to make some changes in 2020. A resolution can help reset the compass — here’s a list of options to help kick off the New Year and improve your (or your sales team's) sales performance.

Topics: sales strategy sales process

Improve Your Company Culture in 90 Days or Less: Part 3

Improve Your Company Culture in 90 Days or Less Part 3

In part one of this three-part blog series, we addressed the overall power of employee engagement. In part two, we learned how transparency could be used to boost overall employee engagement. In a nutshell, workplace transparency helps set the stage for employee engagement — the essential element of a positive and productive workplace cult

In this final part of the blog series of how to improve your company culture in 90 days or less, you’re going to learn how to take your employees from feeling motivated about your company culture vision to acting on ideas that will increase employee engagement.

Topics: company culture employee engagement culture

Do You Make Leadership Mistakes Like Freddie Kitchens?

Do You Make Leadership Mistakes Like Freddie Kitchens

We often use sports to relate to management behaviors to avoid. 

Reflecting back to 2011, there’s How to Build a Winning Team for your Sales Organization, then there's, Do You Onboard New Sellers Like the Cleveland Browns Onboard New Quarterbacks? Both articles provide insight on how to learn from coaches and teams' mistakes and apply lessons learned to sales today.

In this installment, let's focus on leadership — specifically, how a leader should respond and react when they make a mistake. Warning: sports analogies are included in this post.

Weekly Roundup: Things Sales Managers Should Stop Doing, 2020 Sales Trends + More

Weekly Roundup Things Sales Managers Should Stop Doing, 2020 Sales Trends

- MOTIVATION -

"Become the person who would attract the results you seek."

-Jim Cathcart

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

8 Things Sales Managers Should Stop Doing – CloserIQ

As a sales manager, your job is to empower your team members to succeed. You are responsible for overseeing your sales process, providing regular coaching, and monitoring the KPIs of your sales reps. Everything you do has one goal: to help your team achieve its maximum potential.

However, many sales managers focus their energy on things that aren’t productive. If you want to be an effective manager, these are the things that you should stop doing. >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

The 2019 Holiday Gift Guide for Salespeople

Holiday Gift Guide for SalepeopleNo doubt, the holidays are crazy. You're working hard to close out the year, planning for the next year, and trying to finish as strong as possible. Outside of work, there's a list a mile long —holiday parties, shopping, family, friends, wrapping, cooking, etc... 

Topics: holiday

Be Like Mike: The Power of Practice for Improving Sales Performance

Power of Practice to Increase Sales Performance-1

Besides being arguably some of the best athletes ever, what do Michael Jordan, Tom Brady, and Tiger Woods have in common?

They’re all, or were, known for being the hardest workers during practice. Jordan and Brady were famous for being the first on the court and practice field and the last to leave. Tiger hit thousands of golf balls on the range every day. They began their careers practicing hard and with a mindset that they would get out of the game exactly what they put into it.

Persistence, discipline, competitive spirits, drive, and resilience — athletes and salespeople share a lot of common traits. However, one noticeable difference is that salespeople rarely practice or rehearse.

Topics: Needs Analysis

Improve Your Company Culture in 90 Days or Less: Part 2

Improve Your Company Culture in 90 Days or Less

In part one of this three-part blog series, we addressed the overall power of employee engagement. Engaged employees mean a reduction in regrettable turnover, increased productivity, and an increase in key customer retention. 

In part two of this series, we’re incorporating transparency as a way to boost overall employee engagement. When done well, transparency creates trust between employers and employees, helps improve morale and lower job-related stress, and therefore increases employee engagement, boosting performance. An added bonus being transparent is absolutely free, which gives it a notable ROI.

Topics: company culture employee engagement culture

Weekly Roundup: 51 Inspiring Quotes, New Strategies to Achieve Sales Quota + More

51 Entrepreneur Quotes, New Strategies to Achieve Sales Quota + More

- MOTIVATION -

"You have to see failure as the beginning and the middle, but never entertain it as an end."

-Jessica Herrin

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

51 Entrepreneur Quotes That'll Get You Out of Bed in the Morning – HubSpot

Starting a business, or any career, is like planting a sapling. First, you have to invest your time and money. Then, you must take care of it while expecting nothing in return. But when your startup blossoms, it makes all the patience and hard work worthwhile.

However, like saplings, many startups fail to grow -- and many die one-to-three years after launch. While there are many factors leading to the failure of a startup, one of the main reasons is the lack of expert startup advice founders receive. Here are 51 pieces of startup advice from seasoned entrepreneurs to help you propel your businesses in the right direction and stay motivated when you need it the most. >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Effective Feedback is Key to Developing an Elite Sales Organization

Effective Feedback is Key to Developing an Elite Sales Organization

Great sales managers truly want to grow and develop the salespeople that report directly to them. And, we’re not just talking about the new hires to the organization. We’re talking about all the salespeople they are responsible for.

At our Talent Focused Management workshop a workshop that sales managers who are clients of The Center for Sales Strategy attend we highlight a famous quote from Peter Drucker:

“It is the people who determine the performance capacity of the organization.”

The best investment a sales organization can make is to commit to grow and develop its people. The great news is that salespeople want to learn and develop. In fact, the 2019 Media Sales Report found that 95% of salespeople said that learning and development are important to them. One of the best ways to grow and develop your salespeople is through the effective use of feedback.

Topics: talent focused management feedback

4 Ways to Find Great Salespeople

4 Ways to Find Good Salespeople

Sales managers in every market say the same thing finding great salespeople is hard. We empathize, but of course, it is! Salespeople are often really good at selling themselves, and when you do hire, it takes six months to a year to know whether you made the right decision.

This is one reason you must develop a plan and execute that plan at all times. Managers often reach out to us looking for creative ways to recruit people to their companies. Unfortunately, most wait until they're in need. If you're waiting for an opening on your staff to begin recruiting salespeople for your talent bank, it's too late! 

Topics: recruitment talent bank

2019 Media Sales Report-Company Culture Statistics

Culture

Corporate culture has arguably always been important, but in recent years it’s become a popular point of discussion. To some, it’s become a buzzword, with an overabundance of content and discussions surrounding it. However, our 2019 Media Sales Report revealed some telling information related to how salespeople and sales managers feel about the culture of their company and industry today. 

Company culture is becoming even more important as the modern workplace continues to evolve. This is proven throughout the report as the biggest takeaways are related to how prepared salespeople feel to face the future and how likely they’ll be to recommend their company as a great place to work.

Topics: media sales report employee engagement culture

Weekly Roundup: Hit Your 2020 Sales Goals, Find the Decision Maker + More

Hit Your 2020 Sales Goals, Find the Decision Maker + More

- MOTIVATION -

"Always do your best. What you plant now, will harvest later."

-Og Mandino

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

4 Keys to Hitting Your Sales Goals in 2020 – LinkedIn

With 2020 around the corner, it’s time to begin thinking about and planning for your sales success in the year ahead. Buying is changing.

With technology, buyers have a wealth of information and an endless number of options at their fingertips. They are well-educated and know more about you, your company and solutions, and your competitors. They’re also more distracted than ever.

While some sellers are struggling with these changing buyer dynamics, others are consistently beating their sales goals and experiencing tremendous success. Here are four keys you can follow to join their ranks. >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Sales Training: The Illusion of a Quick Fix

Sales Training: The Illusion of a Quick Fix

These days, there's a quick fix for everything. From a 21-day diet to a 3-step skin care plan and a 24-hour credit repair, it's our natural instinct as humans to look for quick solutions to our problems. We’re impatient by nature, and we want the kind of solution that turns everything around now.

While some of these quick fixes may work in the short-run, most are not sustainable and they leave you in worse shape than you were before. Ironically, the quick fix delayed the real solution.

In our world of quick fixes for everything, we also expect a quick fix to be applied to sales. However, the best sales performance solutions combine a jump-start plan to deliver immediate results together with a long-term plan to assure sustainability. And, the long-term plan must include three fundamentals.

Topics: Sales sales training

Tips to Improve Your Culture in 90 Days or Less: Part 1

Tips to Up Your Culture in 90 Days or Less Part 1

When it comes your bottom line, employee engagement is a powerful source you must have for growth and profit. 

Employee engagement is based on trust, integrity, and a two-way commitment and communication between an organization and its people.  A strong company culture means employees are engaged.  In turn, there is:

  • A reduction in regrettable turnover
  • Increased productivity
  • Increase in key customer retention

In part one of this three-part blog series, we'll address each attribute of a strong company culture, as well as tips on what you can do right now to lead the charge of increasing employee engagement at your own organization.

Topics: company culture employee engagement culture

2019 Media Sales Report - Get Back to the Basics With Sales Enablement

Sales Enablement

Why is sales enablement important? Because buyers are more informed, and selling is more challenging than ever before. Our 2019 Media Sales Report found that some of the major challenges in sales today are that sales reps’ time is not actually spent selling and salespeople are simply not equipped with relevant materials.

Sales enablement is a strategy that aligns marketing, sales, and operations while lowering costs, increasing revenue, ensuring brand integrity, and ultimately closing more deals. Even the most talented sales reps can benefit from the right support, structure, and technology.

So, why did nearly 1 out of 4 sales managers feel that they don’t have the right sales collateral pieces to help their sellers in all stages of the sales process?

Topics: content marketing CRM sales enablement media sales report

Consensus Decision Making: Trust the Process

Consensus Decision Making - Trust the Process

You’ve secured the appointment with the decision maker. You’re excited and feeling positive about the sales call. You’ve prepared for the meeting and think you have all the right questions. You move in for the close and just when you think it is about to happen, they throw you a curveball, “I need to talk this over with some other people in my company, can I get back to you next month?”

Other people? But aren’t you speaking to the decision-maker with the power to say yes? Of course, but you didn’t conduct the due diligence on the prospect’s decision-making process to uncover any possible decision influencers.

Topics: sales process sales accelerator