The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

It’s no secret time management is one of the highest requirements for succeeding in sales. Consistent questions heard within the industry are, “What are some ways I can improve my time management?” and “How can I be more efficient?”

There are a multitude of strategies to help us be more productive, but they can be difficult to adopt because they force us to go against routines we’ve had for years. If you struggle with habit-changing productivity tips, such as going to bed with an empty inbox, check out this system that works for many.

The most successful and resilient organizations have adapted to all things virtual — including events and learning, talent acquisition, as well as their sales strategy.

What has the data and trends from the past year shown sales leaders?

That virtual selling is here to stay. Companies of all sizes, across multiple industries, have proven that virtual selling isn’t just for certain sectors or digitally native businesses. In fact, sectors that relied on door-to-door sales prior to the pandemic are now finding opportunities in new markets, connecting with buyers on new levels, and growing business globally.

Google the phrase “Pre-Boarding a new hire” and over 8 Million results appear in .66 seconds. Your top results are ads with On-Boarding check lists, software, and packets. So, what is pre-boarding?

Harver.com describes pre-boarding as “whatever process your company has up and running when the candidate accepts their job offer, right the way through to their first actual day working for you. The focus should be preparing your new hire and drumming up some excitement as their first day approaches.”

Did you know that there are over 195,000 CEOs employed in the United States? Most people start their own business or work their way to the top to be their own boss. Even as the boss, you have major responsibilities to handle.

If you're the CEO of a sales company, you have a responsibility to improve sales leadership. Our guide explains how to do it so you can increase sales and boost business.

In Season 2 of Improving Sales Performance Series, we’ve focused on the data and analysis of the 2020 Media Sales Report.

In our last episode of Season 2, company culture and employee engagement experts Beth Sunshine, Deb Fulghum, and Jim Hopes, dig into the key takeaways from the full Media Sales Report and discuss company culture and employee engagement based on the data in the report.

You can stream it now to hear their insight, advice, and initial thoughts after analyzing the data that was just published. Or keep reading for a brief overview.

You already know that turning talent into performance requires a true understanding of talent. Spotting talent, hiring talent, developing talent, and coaching talent. . . it’s mission critical.

Talent assessments are an excellent tool for understanding the way your candidates and current salespeople are wired. The difference in approach with each group is key to productive new hires and successful coaching.

In Season 2 of Improving Sales Performance Series, we’ve focused on the data and analysis of the 2020 Media Sales Report.

In this episode, Dani Buckley, Isha Bell, and Emily Hartzell of LeadG2 join Matt Sunshine as they discuss the data from the Media Sales Report surrounding the analysis of the sales enablement information.

You can stream it now to hear their insight, advice, and initial thoughts after analyzing the data that was just published. Or keep reading for a brief overview.

At The Center for Sales Strategy (CSS), we are a team of extremely high achievers. We’re always looking for ideas for self-improvement. So much so, that in our annual Employee Engagement survey each year, learning and development are always at the top of the list of what our team craves.

Knowing this, we add learning opportunities in multiple ways. One important development opportunity comes through the CSS Quarterly Book Club.

To successfully manage and lead others, you must understand what makes each of your team members unique and individualize your approach. It’s important to understand the innate talents of each person and consistently coach them to maximize their strengths, work around their weaknesses, and turn talent into performance.

Gallup's research in the bestseller It's the Manager proves that this strengths-based approach to being a coach, not a boss, is essential to leading a high-performance team.

One of the leading indicators for sales success is to look at the number of appointments that a salesperson has each week. (This is not the only leading indicator that you should be tracking, but it is one of them.)

The idea is that if a salesperson has a significant amount of appointments each week which involve finding needs, getting assignments, presenting solutions, or delivering a proposal, that this quality sales activity will lead to good solid revenue performance.  

It's fair to say that everyone in sales or in sales management would agree with this, but here's the flaw — many salespeople are confusing "I'll follow up with you next week" with "I have an appointment."

To be clear, "I’ll follow up with you next week," does not mean you have an appointment.

In Season 2 of Improving Sales Performance Series, we’ve focused on the data and analysis of the 2020 Media Sales Report.

In this episode, Dalena Pajares, Dean Moothart, and Kurt Sima of The Center for Sales Strategy and LeadG2 join Matt Sunshine as they discuss the data from the Media Sales Report surrounding the analysis of the sales process and setting appointments section.

You can stream it now to hear their insight, advice, and initial thoughts after analyzing the data that was just published. Or keep reading for a brief overview.

At The Center for Sales Strategy (CSS), we offer the most effective talent instruments available on the market to help you accurately identify the best candidates for the right roles and guide you to develop strategies and coach them in a way that will maximize their individual strengths.

Our clients have seen a direct Return on Investment (ROI) in the following ways:

• Reduced costly turnover
• Recruited better hires
• Increased new business development
• Improved client retention

It's time to take the guesswork out of hiring and coaching.

Throughout season 2 of the Improving Sales Performance Series, we’ve focused on the data and analysis of the 2020 Media Sales Report.

In this episode, John Henley, Managing Partner at The Center for Sales Strategy, and Greg Giersch, Vice President of Client Experience at The Center for Sales Strategy, join Matt Sunshine to discuss the data from the Media Sales Report surrounding the analysis of the sales training and development data.

You can stream it now to hear their insight, advice, and initial thoughts after analyzing the data that was just published. Or keep reading for a brief overview.

Do you have salespeople on your team that enjoy routine and structure? What about reps who have contagious enthusiasm?

If you answered yes to one, or either, of these questions then take a closer look at this article as we help you coach and develop the people with strengths of Discipline and Positivity. 

Do you want to conduct better interviews and ensure you make smart hiring decisions? Preparing better interview questions to determine talent and fit will help you improve this step in your selection process.

The first, and most important, step is to have your candidate complete a validated talent assessment specific to the role you are filling before you meet with them.