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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Sales Survival: Avoiding Panic, Paralysis, and Pessimism

Sales Survival Avoiding Panic, Paralysis, and Pessimism

Panic, paralysis, and pessimism —these “three P’s” are your enemy during any time of disruption and economic downturn. Your best strategy in business (and, in life) is to minimize each of them during this COVID-19 fueled business disruption. 

Parts of what we’re seeing have occurred in the past—severe shock to the financial system such as the Great Recession of 2008/2009 where banking system nearly collapsed, a shutdown of events and travel post 9/11, and a 50% drop in stock indexes in 1987—all crises in which we've managed to adapt. 

Part of what we're seeing seems new. Most of the world has not lived through a pandemic that has affected nearly all nations, but some have, like the SARs epidemic that served as a pandemic for many countries. So, if you’re in sales survival mode, how do you cope? Let’s take these three P’s one at a time.

Topics: COVID19 Resources

Statistics to Prove B2B Sales Can Benefit from Social Selling

Statistics to Prove B2B Sales Can Benefit from Social Selling

Even though using social media to sell has been widely adopted in many industries, the 2019 Media Sales Report revealed that social selling is currently more hype than reality. Only 12% of sales managers surveyed saying their salespeople are using social media effectively to set appointments with prospects.

Research indicates that sales leaders still aren't convinced of social selling's value. And many salespeople simply don't know how to go about becoming a social seller. If you still need some encouragement when it comes to your social selling initiative, use these statistics for inspiration.

Topics: Social Media media sales report social selling

Weekly Roundup: Virtual Sales Conferences, Selling During a Pandemic + More

virtual-meeting

- MOTIVATION -

"Establishing trust is better than any sales technique."

-Mike Puglia

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

Best Virtual Sales Conference and Events in 2020–Sales Hacker

In a good year, most of the best sales conferences are physical events where you can attend sessions, rub elbows with thought leaders, and make new connections. But this year…

With a pandemic on our hands, most sales conferences scheduled for the early part of 2020 have either been rescheduled or, if you’re lucky, made virtual. Here are the top virtual sales conferences, events, and training you need to know about. So whether you’re experiencing a travel ban or simply don’t have the time or budget to travel, you can still build your skills and make new connections.>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Tips for Successfully Managing a Remote Team

Tips for Successfully Managing a Remote Team

Numerous research studies provide evidence that employees are more productive when working remotely. Sales teams are target-driven, so they’re going to find the motivation they need to be productive! However, managing a remote team isn’t easy. Here's advice from our experts, some who have managed remote teams since 1983!

Topics: productivity COVID19 Resources Remote Team

Listen During Turmoil, Sell After

Listen During Turmoil, Sell After

My years of working in a blended role—as part seller and as part consultant—keeps me grounded and attached to the needs of sellers as well as customers and new business prospects.

Here’s some advice that I’m using in my sales role and passing along as a consultant: during this time of turmoil one of the most important things you can do is listen and demonstrate empathy. You will have plenty of time to sell in the future (post-turmoil). Also, if you listen closely enough, you will discover business needs unknown a couple of weeks ago.

Topics: sales cycle active listening COVID19 Resources

Weekly Roundup: Resources for Working From Home

Resources for Working From Home-1

- MOTIVATION -

"Every strike brings me closer to a home run."

-Babe Ruth

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

How to Be Successful at Remote Sales, According to HubSpot's Remote Salesforce–HubSpot

The sudden transition to working remotely has many minds worried about not being productive, feeling isolated, and not having a good space to work from. And if you work in sales, it can be even harder to acclimate to your new surroundings.

However, the transition doesn't have to be difficult. Gathered here are the top tips from HubSpot's remote salesforce. Plus, reviews of the best practices for managing a group of remote sales employees.>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Pre-Boarding Ideas for New Hires

Pre-Boarding Ideas for New Hires

Years ago, companies gave little to no thought to pre-boarding— engaging with a new hire between the time they accept your offer and their first day. Once a candidate was hired, they were given a firm handshake and a start date. 

As a relatively new concept that often gets confused with the traditional onboarding process, pre-boarding is completed before an employee’s first day and includes informal interactions between the company and the new hire. It’s a crucial step in the onboarding journey that has a lasting impact on employee engagement and retention.

Topics: onboarding pre-boarding

Adjusting to Working from Home: When You Can’t Meet Face-to-Face

For many sales managers and account executives, working from home is a brand-new concept. And like any emerging work style, those who've had more in-office job experiences feel skeptical about remote work.

The Center for Sales Strategy (CSS) has embraced the work from home lifestyle. Our entire 40-person company has worked from home for 38 years- and we excel at it too! To help ease this sudden transition into the remote work world, here are some tips from our experts on how to stay in touch with clients and prospects.

Topics: productivity COVID19 Resources Remote Team

Weekly Roundup: Information and Resources for Your Sales Team

Information and Resources for Your Sales Team

- MOTIVATION -

"Quality performance starts with a positive attitude."

-Jeff Gitomer

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

The B2B Sales KPIs You Should Be Tracking According to 60+ Experts–Databox

The art of B2B marketing in the digital age is becoming more complex. In a world where buyers and decision-makers have access to a world of information (offered by you and your competitors) and the buyer’s journey is becoming increasingly noisy, more effort does not always equal better results.

Crafting and tracking solid KPIs becomes more important to the success of your team and organization. But which metrics deserve your attention: Activity? Retention? Revenue? All can have an impact on your pipeline and your results.>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

How to Avoid Hiring Out of Desperation

How to Avoid Hiring Out of Desperation

From reduced revenue to poor employee morale, there’s one situation that creates heightened anxiety among sales managers and CEOs, and that’s an open position that goes unfilled for too long.

“Somebody is better than nobody”—we’ve all said it when it comes to our sales team. There’s pressure to fill open jobs quickly, and with good reason, but what brings us to this point of desperation? Hiring quickly and rushing through the recruiting process often leads to a bad hire, and a bad hire leads to costly damages.

So that you’re not hiring out of desperation, you need to learn how to build a strong talent bank. Here’s how you can start today.

Topics: hiring salespeople recruitment talent bank

10 Ways to Increase a B2B Salesperson's Productivity

10 Ways to Increase a B2B Salesperson's Productivity

The job of a sales manager is a challenging one. One of the biggest challenges they face is how to keep their salespeople motivated and producing quality results.

Some of the best ways to help salespeople become more productive doesn't include spending a fortune or sending them through another training class. A few of the best ideas are ones that help to reduce administrative burdens and increase time in the field or on the phone. 

Topics: developing strengths sales performance

Sales Leadership: Are You a Boss or a Leader?

Sales Leadership Are You a Boss or a Leader

“People don’t leave jobs; they leave managers.”

“I quit.” It’s what a record-breaking 4,478,000 workers told their employers in August 2019. The reasons for quitting varied from compensation to lack of engagement, but one in two employees left their job to get away from their manager.

At one point in our life, we’ve all worked under a superior that could make or break our day. When it comes to sales leadership, there’s a big different between being a boss and a leader. Which one are you?

Topics: leadership sales talent

6 Ways Sellers Can Improve Engagement When Utilizing LinkedIn for Social Selling

LinkedIn is the most popular professional social networking site out there, which means if you have a B2B business or cater to other professionals in a specific industry, it could be the ideal platform for growing your business.

By now, you’ve updated your LinkedIn profile using the Ultimate LinkedIn Profile Checklist. Now you want more engagement, you want your LinkedIn posts to attract more viewers and increase shares—but where do you even start?

Topics: Social Media sales strategy prospecting social selling

Weekly Roundup: Benefits of AI in Sales, What is Sales Enablement+ More

Benefits of AI in Sales, What is Sales Enablement

- MOTIVATION -

"I am who I am today because of the choices I made yesterday."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

The Benefits of AI in Sales (& AI-Based Tools You Didn't Know You Need)–Sales Hacker

AI for sales is nothing new. But what are the real benefits of AI? Is it a lot of buzz or does it deliver real value?

Sales tools using machine learning and deep learning are already widespread in the market today. And while the scope of AI’s impact may still be limited to certain types of activities, the power and scope of AI will continue to grow.>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Leadership: More Teaching, Less Telling [VIDEO]

As a sales manager, how can you do more teaching and less telling?

It's not uncommon for salespeople to get frustrated when the only thing they hear from their sales manager is that they need to have more activity, increase the number of asks they have, and boost the dollar amount of the asks they have. Salespeople know this. They want to be taught how to do that. They want training and teaching, and not just telling.

Topics: sales training

4 Reasons Salespeople Should Always Leave a Voicemail

4 Reasons Salespeople Should Always Leave a Voicemail

While recently chatting with a new salesperson about setting appointments with new business target accounts, the seller said, “I never leave a message if my call goes into voicemail. I don’t want to waste time leaving a message.”

It’s no secret that leaving a good sales voicemail is hard. Even the most well-crafted messages often get ignored by prospects. However, leaving a voicemail is a wise investment and a critical part of the sales process that enables sellers to stand out and connect with prospects, and here are four reasons why.

Topics: sales process prospecting

What New Hires Want During Onboarding

What New Hires Want During Onboarding

Fortune Magazine reports that 46% of new sales employees leave or get fired within 18 months. Additionally, the average ramp-up time for salespeople is between six and nine months. Both alarming statistics that cost your company a lot of revenue.

What are new hires looking for to make their first days and weeks successful in sales? When talking with several new hires, there are interesting commonalities that resonate across multiple companies. Take a look at how you can help minimize the risk of an early departure, accelerate ramp-up time, and maximize the investment you’re making in sales new hires by giving them what they want.

Topics: sales process onboarding