The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Social selling is a powerful part of the approach in our now transparent sales landscape.

By now, every salesperson should be embracing LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Facebook, as they plan to approach and attempt to engage with new business prospects.

Whether you choose to use paid services or choose to navigate social media on your own, it’s a platform where you can earn trust and establish credibility with your very best prospects.

It’s also a platform that if used incorrectly, could damage your credibility with your very best prospects.

Is it possible to sell faster by talking less? 

Absolutely. 

When sellers rely more on listening — active listening to be specific — their ability to understand client needs throughout the sales process accelerates. This not only gives sellers an edge in crafting unique solutions for each client, but it also helps sellers discern early on if a client is the right fit for their product before investing large amounts of time with them. 

Active listening is a skill that can be learned and benefits both sellers and clients alike.

To thrive, an organization needs to be able to attract, hire, and retain top talent.

Top talent are the people that are going to take the team to the next level. They’re the ones who instinctually want to be the best and are the best. They serve clients in a way that no other can. They uncover client needs, close and grow your key accounts, and solve problems in a way you wish everyone could.

In fact, superior talent is up to 8xs more productive than typical talent!

Great business leaders have a knack for leveraging all plausible merits of different business tactics. What enables them to do so is their incredible vision to innovate and drive exceptional outcomes from usual scenarios.

It's commendable and inspiring how you always look at the brighter side of things and align them to the success of your business. But have you ever thought about laying great emphasis on the experiences you offer to your employees? Is facilitation of positive employee experiences a part of your core business strategy?

- MOTIVATION -

"“Establishing trust is better than any sales technique."

- Mike Puglia

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<< If you only read one thing >>

The idea that you should “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” dates back at least to Confucianism (551 BC) and has precedents in nearly every religion.

It makes sense, doesn’t it? Treat people with the same kindness and respect that you would want to be treated with yourself… and don’t do things to people that you wouldn’t want them to do to you.

Simple and true, this Golden Rule is one of those kindergarten lessons that guides us to interact better with others. 

Except when it doesn’t work.

Straight from the Director of Sales at Zimmer Communications, Carrie Berkbuegler discusses sales leadership, sales performance tips, and answers a few questions that we all have.

You’ll get answers to questions like – what are the key performance metrics you track? What are the big rocks that you’re focused on? And how has sales management changed over the past few years?

Tune in now or keep reading for a brief overview.

Everybody wants to sell faster! No matter your industry or product, every organization is in a hurry to close more business. And on the surface, that sounds like a good idea — but it's not.

Too often, we're in such a hurry to close the sale that we rush and make mistakes in the sales process that actually slows down the act of closing.

In our haste, we tend to overlook certain obstacles in our path in an effort to sell quickly. These obstacles often come up as a surprise to the client, which can derail the conversation and cause us to back-track and overcome the objection, which takes more time than if we had discussed it from the beginning.

Does your organization have a turnover problem? Do you worry that your top talent will leave for another opportunity?

It may be time to refocus on people development and revisit employee growth plans.

We all know that ongoing coaching, training and development are important and key factors in retaining employees long-term. According to LinkedIn, 94% of employees say they would stay in their role longer if their company invested in their professional development. Yet in another survey, nearly 59% of employees claim they had no workplace training and that most of their skills were self-taught.

- MOTIVATION -

"Don't worry about failure. You only have to be right once."

- Drew Houston

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<< If you only read one thing >>

What do selling and tennis have in common?

Bernie Weiss, President at iHeartMedia New York and Author of Ace It! How Sales Champions Win New Business answers that question, plus offers some sales performance tips.

Tune in now or keep reading for a brief overview.

There are two poisonous mistakes that will kill a presentation: using jargon and using stock phrases.

Making either of these mistakes will drastically reduce the chance of getting a second meeting with a prospect.

Let's start with HOW NOT to start a presentation and finish with the HOW TO of communicating an engaging proposal.

Most companies scale back recruiting in response to a financial crisis. Did you know that 1 of the 3 most effective responses is to hire top performers from the competition?

Companies looking to hire the best talent should pay attention to these recruiting trends we’ve seen in 2021 and what it means for future years.

"4 out of 5 Sales Managers admit appointments, whether in-person or virtual, are more challenging to secure than five years ago."

This nugget of information came from The Center for Sales Strategy 2020 Media Report.  

My initial response to this new data was...DUH!

I'd like to speak with the one manager who thinks getting a first time appointment is "easier" than 5-years ago. They must know something that I don't know!

I don't care who you're or what you're selling, but getting a first-time meeting is tough! Now, I realize there are a ton of legitimate reasons why that is true, but NO ONE CARES! Excuses won't help you get to your sales goals, get you a promotion, or pay your rent.  

What you need is a solution to help you get that all-important first-time business appointment. What you need is a Valid Business Reason.

- MOTIVATION -

"Don't find fault. Find a Remedy."

- Henry Ford

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“To know your prospect, you must become your prospect.” 

- Ancient Chinese Proverb

This quote came from a salesperson who knew how to get an appointment.

Getting the first appointment with a prospect is getting harder year after year, and making yourself relevant to the prospect is the first step in overcoming that challenge.

As a daring and ambitious salesperson on the search for customers to serve, you must seek relevance like a duck seeks water. The question is how.

What big rocks should sales managers focus on? What should they be doing or learning right now to ensure success?

On this episode of the Sales Leadership Series, Scott Sutherland, VP/Market Manager of the Phoenix Market at Bonneville International, joins host Matt Sunshine to answers these questions and discuss sales and executive leadership tips.

Tune in now or keep reading for a brief overview.

Sales organizations have evolved over the years, and the old hierarchical structure just won’t do anymore.

A successful sales organization structure allows you to maximize your profit. This article will help you get started.

- MOTIVATION -

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

- Sam Levenson

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<< If you only read one thing >>

_It's the beginning of the month. You're ready to help your team crush their sales goals. Sometimes they need a reminder of why they love what they do or a little help to boost their morale after a lost sale.

Well, there are many things you can do to help your team improve sales performance and reach their sales goals, and here's something that can help boost morale, inspire, and increase productivity: motivation. 

We've put together 31 motivational quotes related to sales and business success. That's one for each day of the month!

Recently, Borrell and Associates, a leading media research firm, conducted their annual survey among those people who buy advertising for their businesses and asked them what traits they seek from media salespeople. 

Here are the top four results.