The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

In a tight job market, finding candidates, qualifying them, conducting interviews, and hiring are all rushed and stressful.

Many managers are in the position of having open positions on their teams that they're desperate to fill and having candidates enter and leave the job market quickly, so having a well-thought-out interviewing plan is vital. Equally important is learning to look and listen for the talents necessary for success in sales.

Strong sales leaders often think about how to have better business outcomes in their organizations.

And while thinking about ways to improve sales performance, the idea of changing the sales structure has likely come to mind. It may seem overwhelming, and you may be wondering where to start.

Every business needs a skilled sales team to generate a positive ROI, but on-the-job performance is rarely the product of training alone. In fact, a marketing novice could keep up with an unengaged expert provided they use the right motivation and productivity strategies.

However, it’s much harder to motivate staff than it is to train them. There’s no one size fits all approach to motivational tactics, as every employee is unique and requires wildly different incentives to sell. Understanding these differences will allow you to use your talent effectively.

As a sales leader, you often need to revamp your sales structure to improve your sales team’s or department’s effectiveness.

That involves carefully studying your current sales structure to determine what works and what doesn’t. In today’s rapidly evolving selling environment, many sales leaders have realized the benefits of shifting from a retained sales structure to a growth sales structure.

There are myriad ideas and theories out there about what makes a great leader, and many are useful. They give some insight into those characteristics that define effective leaders—strategic thinking, strong focus, a sense of mission, passion for customers, innovation, hard work—the list goes on.

But there is one trait strong leaders often exhibit that is not often discussed. It is the innate ability to build powerful relationships with the people who work for them. It’s critical, and it correlates to long-term success for the leader for several reasons:

Companies that invest in sales training are considered 57% more effective than companies that don't. When it comes to selling a product or service, teaching workers sales training may be more beneficial than you thought.

Sales training is when you teach your employees skills and techniques for creating sales opportunities. When done correctly, sales training can boost your business' revenue. Failing to train your workers in adequate sales training can lead to negative customer experiences.

But it all comes down to this: How do you make sales training enjoyable for your workers?

Do you ever wonder what it would take to become a Sales Superhero? What would it take to bag every target account on your list?

Bruce Wayne trained for 12 years to cross the globe and learn martial arts and forensics. Doctor Stephen Strange trained for 4 years, but he had the forces of Kamar-Taj in his favor!

The Center for Sales Strategy firmly believes that you have a few innate sales traits (best discovered through our Sales Talent Assessment). And the rest you can build upon training and resources we have within your reach.

Over 13 million people work in sales and related occupations. Yet, not all salespeople are created equal — some of them are better at the job than others. What separates a good salesperson from a great one?

Mainly being able to get past sales objections.

There is no salesperson who won't come up against these objections, so knowing how to handle them can make or break the deal. Here's what you should do when you meet the inevitable.

On a coaching call last week, a manager and I were discussing a seller new to his team. On pulling up this person’s sales assessment, all I could think was, “WOW! Look at all that talent!” This person was strong across the board.

So much potential.

Unfortunately, this seller was definitely not reaching their potential. Struggling, not making budget, not willing to learn, and a poor attitude. So, what was happening? Why was this highly talented person struggling, and is coaching them worth the effort?

As a business leader, you're well aware of the fact that sales can make or break a company. Unfortunately, simply designing a great product or service won't lead to outstanding sales. 

Industry leaders today are focusing on a more psychological approach to boosting their sales. Read on to learn more about sales psychology and find out how you can use it to change the mindset of any buyer.

I wanted to title this blog "Top performers WANT to be measured, but poor or average performers NEED to be measured," but I was told that isn't a very strong title for click-throughs.

Nevertheless, I will continue with this blog despite my disappointment. 

As you know, your best salespeople want to be better!

• They want/need feedback.
• They want to know the score.
• They want to know how they compare to others.
• And they want to be measured so they can see how good they are compared to the rest of the team. 

Sales professionals know that cold email outreach is one of the most effective ways to land new clients. But, despite its effectiveness, many people are hesitant to try it because they don't know how to do it properly.

If you're one of those people, don't worry. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about cold emailing.

We'll cover the basics of creating a great cold email campaign, as well as some tips and tricks for increasing your chances of success.

If your sales meetings are typically focused on reviewing the budget pacing numbers and other housekeeping notes, then WOW are you missing a great opportunity. Sales meetings are a great place to do sales training or sales warm ups.

While most sales managers agree with this, they often share that one of the reasons they don’t do that sort of activity is because they don’t have time to prepare. Clients of The Center for Sales Strategy (CSS) often use one of the “sales meeting kits, ” but not everyone has that available to them. So, if you're looking for some content to enliven your next sales meeting, here are four TED talks that we recommend.

Things you can control around you are countable within the parameters of a single digit.

Did that line stress you out?

It's true, though. In a perfect world, you're in charge of every action that affects your life. However, the reality is strikingly different. So what is your contingency plan when things are not mirroring that vision board you have built so passionately?

It’s not enough to just have talent. You have to practice and use your talents in order to improve and make a positive impact on the people around you.

Professional athletes spend countless hours practicing and training in order to improve their performance. What if you could spend more time on your talents?

Continuous improvement is dependent on feedback, and in most situations, we feel confident in the feedback we are giving and receiving.

However, sometimes people will tell you what they think you want to hear, and the feedback is not very useful or effective. In order to garner authentic feedback from your employees, and return the favor, the stage needs to be set for open two-way communication.

It would be incorrect to say that effective communication is a practical component of sales success. What is correct is that sales success is all about the right communication happening at the right time. As a salesperson, you would definitely agree to it, right?

From explaining the product to negotiations and persuasion, you need effective communication at each step to convert your leads.

Do you think your potential customers will remain engaged for long if you don’t come across as a streak smart communicator? Do you think you can thrive as a salesperson without laying much emphasis on developing communication proficiency? Well, the truth is that you may be able to cover the gaps in your communication skills a few times.

If you’re in sales, you spend a lot of your time asking other people to buy what you sell. What about the last time you purchased something? Coffee on the way to work, an app on your phone, or maybe a new home appliance?

Why did you buy it now, instead of later? I find my tipping point is often based on my experience during the purchase process.