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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Weekly Roundup: Hybrid Work Now & Next, Signs Your Pipeline Reviews Are Failing + More

Hybrid Work Now and Next

- MOTIVATION -

"If people believe in themselves, it's amazing what they can accomplish.”

-Sam Walton

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

Hybrid Work Now & Next: 5 Point Roadmap For Moving From Scrappy To Sustainable Growth Institute

According to a recent UpWork survey (2021) 1 in 4 Americans will be working entirely remotely in 2021 and by 2025, 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely - an 87% increase from pre-pandemic levels, the study revealed.

We predict the majority of companies will move to hybrid work environments, where there is a blend of remote-work and in-person work.

The location of our work is not the only thing that will be shifting.

It’s time to challenge our thinking and our habits to move from scrappy to sustainable. Our structures, our processes, our people practices, our tools.

Where to start? We’ve got you covered with a 5-point roadmap to help you and your companies evolve and own your culture.
 >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

5 Things Every Great Sales Manager Should Do to Turn Talented Salespeople into Performers

 5 Things Every Great Sales Manager Should Do to Turn Talented Salespeople into Performers

“Get the right people on your bus and get the right people in the right seat on your bus.”

Jim Collins, leadership guru and author of the best-seller Good to Great

If you have the right people on your bus, how well do they fit into the role you have them in?

Even if you hired the right talent onto your bus, reports show that less than 20% of employees feel they get to use their talent and strengths each day at work which means adjustments are needed. How can you help?

Topics: hiring salespeople Sales

How the Right Sales Team Structure Can Maximize Revenue Performance [VIDEO]

Increasing sales productivity and performance is a top challenge for any sales leader. One study even found that it surpasses the obstacles of recruiting, hiring, and onboarding.

Data suggests that salespeople spend as little as 23% of their time actually selling. In conjunction, the 2020 Media Sales Report found that nearly 1 out of every 3 (31%) of salespeople spend 20-25% of their time in discovery meetings.

Sales managers try various things to hit their targets: hiring more reps, reassigning territories, changing compensation plans… and more. Yet there’s one thing that most organizations have not tried, and when done correctly, you’ll see the growth and revenue performance you desire.

Topics: sales process sales structure

Sales Leaders Have Two Jobs Related to Sales Process

2 jobs

Only two jobs? Most sales managers will meet that headline with an eye-roll but stay with us.

Great sales leaders individualize their coaching while they manage a standardized sales process. The first job of a sales leader is relatively easy - the second takes more discipline. The two jobs sales managers have related to sales process are:

  • Install a process that everyone on your team uses
  • Keep the team focused on the process at all times
Topics: sales process IMPACT

Resources That Are Helpful to Your New Hire

Resources for Onboarding

30% of job seekers have left a job within 90 days of starting.

Staffing and HR experts say onboarding new hires at an organization should be a strategic process that lasts at least one year because how employers handle the first few days and months of a new employee's experience is crucial to ensuring high retention.

Beyond the basics, what else does a new hire need?

Topics: onboarding sales talent

Weekly Roundup: Reinvent the Office Watercooler, What's Shaking Up Sales + More

Reinvent the Office Watercooler, Whats Shaking Up Sales

- MOTIVATION -

"Leadership is doing what is right when no one is watching.”

-George Van Valkenburg

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

How to Reinvent the Office Watercooler in a Hybrid Workplace Medium

It turns out that there’s more to miss about going into the office than some of us may have thought. Research indicates that when we transition to hybrid work, what we miss most is the relationship-building that happens spontaneously in our workplaces — “watercooler moments.”

Studies have shown that learning how to succeed at an organization doesn’t happen in an employee handbook, but instead as a result of those watercooler moments. Walking by a colleague’s desk to say hello, converging in the breakroom to discuss a Netflix show, catching up with a co-worker over lunch; these moments are in fact essential to building camaraderie, morale, and trust in our work lives.

Just eight months ago, these exchanges may have seemed like just a tedious and obligatory part of our work lives. But these face-to-face moments — and the relationships we cultivate from them — mean more than we knew. >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Lack of Leads Hurting Your Revenue? 5 Reasons Why You Need a Lead Generation Strategy

lead generation strategy

The Media Sales Report tells us that the hardest job in sales is getting an appointment with a new prospect.

As a sales manager, it's fairly easy to speak up in the sales meeting and tell your salespeople that they need to do a better job prospecting, or that they need to just commit more time and energy to getting appointments. But they already know those things, and they're facing huge hurdles that their counterparts of a few years ago didn't face.

Topics: Lead Generation

Improving Sales Performance | Running Effective Sales Meetings in a Work-From-Home Environment

ISP Cover

What are some best practices for running a successful virtual meeting? How should leaders go about unifying a remote team? 

These questions and more are answered in this Improving Sales Performance episode with Chad Littlefield, Co-Founder of We and Me, Inc.

As he shares his insight on running effective sales meetings in a work-from-home environment, he also touches on how to build a culture of trust and connection. Tune in now to hear the Live broadcast or keep reading for a brief overview.

Topics: virtual meeting

Weekly Roundup: Virtual Selling Myths, Call Scripts That Don't Suck + More

Call Scripts That Dont Suck

- MOTIVATION -

"What you focus on is what you get."

-Bob Burg

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

Debunking Myths About Selling Virtually Selling Power

Historically, change can be difficult, especially after people devised and developed systems that work. That's why many sales professionals were skeptical of selling virtually.

As one of the oldest professions, selling has always been about meeting people, locking eyes, and shaking hands. It’s how buyers and sellers create trust, form relationships, and build partnerships.

No doubt, you’ve heard the naysayers. “You can’t trust over the internet!” they say. “Virtual is impersonal.” Well, as change brings challenge, it also welcomes its troublemaking cousins, rumor and misinformation. Let’s examine and debunk several myths and misconceptions about selling virtually. >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Improving Sales Performance | Target Drives that Improve Revenue Performance

large-ISP_Ep.19__ COVER

Regardless of the industry you work in; every company ultimately has the same goal: to increase revenue and grow business.

To set your organization up for long-term success, you need more than just a goal. You need a strategic plan, and that’s where target drives come in.

In this episode of Improving Sales Performance, Alina McComas, VP / Senior Consultant at The Center for Sales Strategy, shares her insight on implementing target drives that help improve revenue performance. Keep reading for a brief overview or tune in now.

Topics: increasing new business target drive

The Center for Sales Strategy Appoints Elissa Nauful, Successful Sales Leader and Entrepreneur, as Director of Sales

Elissa

Topics: press release

How Online Courses Help Ease the Transition for New Sales Hires

Online_Sales_Courses

When you start a new sales job, there’s always a transition that includes many different learning curves. You learn how to embrace a new culture, learn to meet the expectations of new leadership, take on new functions within a sales job, and then there's the social pressure.

One of the best ways to ease the pain of transition is to offer new sales hires training—training in areas that help introduce skills needed or training for existing salespeople to enhance skills they may have already developed but can always improve. 

Topics: Sales sales training

Is It Important to Formulate a Detailed Plan for Onboarding?

Is It Important to Formulate a Detailed Plan for Onboarding

Sapling has found that “Without powerful onboarding, it takes around 8 to 12 months for new employees to reach their full productivity levels.”

By taking the time upfront to onboard people in a meaningful way, they’ll be able to begin contributing at higher levels quicker and make a more immediate impact on the organization.

Onboarding is a prime opportunity for employers to win the hearts of new employees. Don't waste it, experts say.

Topics: onboarding

Weekly Roundup: Good Onboarding Leads To Better Employee Retention, Grow Your Local Brand As A Media Company + More

Good Onboarding Leads To Better Employee Retention, Grow Your Local Brand As A Media Company

- MOTIVATION -

"Don't watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going."

-Sam Levenson

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

Why Good Onboarding Leads To Better Employee Retention TinyPulse

The process of hiring and retaining employees is never easy. Hiring can be a rigorous, time-consuming endeavor that kicks off when a company publicizes its various job openings, and then ceases after a suitable candidate has been selected, vetted, and hired.

Naturally a newly-hired employee may feel out of place during the first few weeks of employment. It’s not uncommon to hear someone has submitted their resignation letter just months into the job.

Companies can put special structures in place to acclimate their new employees and help them feel more involved and part of a caring team. Employee onboarding is a crucial process that all organizations should implement to ensure that newly-hired talents not only feel comfortable, but also become content and productive in their roles. >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Improving Sales Performance | Targeting a Vertical Market

large-ISP_Ep.18__ COVER

Vertical targeting is one of the most effective ways to capture a focused, intent-driven audience. You can use specific messaging tailored for that segment and curate the content to cater to your target market’s unique needs and interests.

In this episode of Improving Sales Performance, John Matthews, President and CEO of Gray Cat Enterprises, Inc., shares his insight on targeting a vertical market to improve an organization's sales performance.

Topics: sales performance vertical market

Why Your Salespeople Need a Cold Calling Playlist (Playlist Included)

cold calling playlist

Scientists say music changes mood, motivation, cognitive processing, and the ability to retain information. Additionally, music just makes work more fun and time fly!  

Setting appointments is a common problem — in fact, the 2020 Media Sales Report found that 80% of sales managers find it harder today than just 5 years ago. Listening to music is just one small motivator that will help get the job done.

Effective sales prospecting is one of the most challenging — and most important —parts of the sales process. Getting it wrong means wasted time and frustration. Getting it right means a healthier pipeline and better performance.

Topics: sales process prospecting

If You Forget About Lead Gen, You Can Forget About Growth

lead generation for sales growth

This article was originally published on Entrepreneur.com.

What’s the worst thing that can happen if you buy weak leads from a questionable source? New York City real estate broker Nathan Horne almost found out.

Like the thousands of professionals in his industry who collectively spent $10.5 billion on advertising in 2017, his employer, The Corcoran Group, focused on branding instead of strategic lead generation. So, when Horne called someone he thought was a hot lead, he got the surprise of his life. Instead of a potential buyer, the police detective who answered the phone made a veiled threat about having a gun and being willing to use it.

Topics: content strategy thought leadership Lead Generation sales and marketing alignment

Sales Calendar: 3 Reasons You Need One

Why you need a sales calendar

You mean well. You want to do it better this year. But, somehow every year, it gets away from you. 

We all have good intentions each year to do a better job planning, selling, and tracking all of the major sales opportunities for our organization. This is why you really need to start planning using a sales calendar.

Topics: IMPACT sales calendars

Weekly Roundup: Sales Coaching Tips, How Culture Impacts Your Bottom Line + More

sales coahing tips

- MOTIVATION -

"Quality performance starts with a positive attitude."

-Jeffery Gitomer

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<< If you only read one thing >>

25 Expert Sales Coaching Tips and Techniques to Amplify Close Rates Close

Sales coaching is just one cog in the day-to-day life of a sales manager. But in between setting quota and goals, keeping the team motivated, measuring results, and forecasting future sales, how can you as a sales manager make sure you’re also coaching your team effectively?

We’re about to dive into 25 of the best sales coaching tips and techniques for managers to live by. These techniques will help you build a better strategy, onboard faster, coach low-performers and all-stars, and set goals that your team can reach. >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Improving Sales Performance | Executive Leadership Tips for Building a Successful Sales Culture

ISP 17 Elissa-2

What are some common obstacles that stand in the way of a successful sales culture? And how should sales organizations use social media to help drive revenue?

These questions and more were answered in Episode 17 of the Improving Sales Performance series. In case you missed the Live broadcast, here’s a breakdown of Elissa Nauful’s, Digital Media, Marketing and Social Advisor, insights for executive leaders who want to build a successful sales culture.

Topics: company culture sales structure