The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

By now, you’ve realized that regurgitated sales techniques and tactics aren’t working – including the approach you take with your sales proposal.

You need something more. What you need is a well-crafted document that hits the right tone and authentically convinces your great lead to close the deal. But sometimes, even with a data-focused, detail-driven proposal, that great lead disappears in the abyss, and before you know it, you realize you’ve been ghosted.

Fear not; we’ve brewed up three tactics that will help your sales proposals convert more prospects at a high rate!

Getting through to a potential customer or prospect is more challenging than ever. The email inbox, once a haven for personal messages, has become a battleground for attention. With the average person receiving dozens, if not hundreds, of emails daily, standing out is essential. 

For businesses, the goal is not just to be noticed but to initiate meaningful conversations and, ultimately, set up that all-important initial meeting.

Let's dive into effective ways to seize a prospect's attention with your emails.

Discovery meetings are a vital tool for uncovering new business opportunities. In these conversations, sales managers and sellers have a unique chance to learn about potential clients, understand their challenges, and present solutions tailored to their needs. The key to an effective discovery meeting lies in the ability to ask thoughtful questions, actively listen, and establish genuine rapport.

This article explores best practices for conducting productive discovery meetings. For sales managers, it provides insights into sharpening your skills in this area. For business owners, it illuminates the significance of discovery meetings in locating new opportunities. Whether you want to enhance your capabilities or gain a better grasp of these influential conversations, this piece highlights strategies to make discovery meetings a competitive advantage.

We’re so proud to be celebrating Women in Sales Month once again.

For each week in October, we have an amazing slate of women sales leaders who will be sharing their unique insights. Today, our guest is Stephanie Slagle, Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Graham Media Group. Stephanie has so many amazing insights to offer, like:

• Why customer results should always be your North star
• How even the Michael Jordan’s (or Lebron’s) on your team crave coaching
• And, finally, why the mark of a great sales leader lies in the ability to articulate the path forward

Are you trying to organize your sales team? Are you trying to figure out what the best sales organizational structure is  or trying to identify the problem within your current structure?

Determining the best way to organize your sales team is important, and we're sure that you're looking to find the most efficient sales structure. Your sales team organization matters, because it can affect the sales that you make and the revenue you bring in.

Let's talk about what the different kinds of sales organizational structures are and list some pros and cons. Then, we can discuss how you should go about organizing your own sales team.

When was the last time you purchased anything without researching online?

We bet it's been a while!

According to studies, 81% of shoppers conduct online research before buying. They search content on products and services that best suit their needs, read reviews, browse pictures, look at the best deals, and more.

People go online to research at every stage of the consumer journey. Countless digital micro-moments rule the buying process.

You know the feeling… a position on your team suddenly comes open and catches you off guard without any promising candidates in sight. You stir up a tornado of job postings, resume reviews, and hopeful prayers that the perfect candidate will miraculously appear… and you feel completely overwhelmed.

Here’s the good news. You can change this!

We’re so proud to be celebrating Women in Sales Month once again.

For each week in October, we have an amazing slate of women sales leaders who will be sharing their unique insights. Today, our guest is Laura Coristine, General Sales Manager at Cox Media

Laura makes so many awesome points. Such as:

• Why, instead of asking for feedback, you should ask for “feedforward."
• How emotional intelligence really can boost the overall morale of your sales teams.
• And, finally, why, if you’ve got a happy, engaged team of people, success is only a matter of time.

One of the most important, and often most fun, parts of the sales process is discovery meetings. These are often referred to as “needs analysis meetings,” and their main goal is to uncover the desired business results of the prospect or client.

The success of these meetings lies in both the setup and the execution.

It’s important to:

• Prepare yourself and the prospect or client by sharing an agenda and expectations for the meeting.
  
  
• Create psychological safety to help prospects and clients let their guard down and open up for a more honest discussion, whether in person or with a shared screen remotely.
  
  
• Master the art of asking questions to uncover key information.
  
  
• Use a Needs Analysis process to uncover desired business results, prioritize the most important needs first, and confirm next steps.

The Center for Sales Strategy (CSS), a leading provider of sales training and coaching solutions, celebrates 40 years of excellence – helping B2B sales teams drive revenue and performance.

For four decades, CSS has been at the forefront of empowering sales teams and organizations worldwide with innovative sales strategies, training programs, and talent solutions.

As a sales manager, you are faced with competing priorities and objectives that you would like to emphasize with your team.

Successful sales managers are aware that business development is a key ingredient to account and organizational growth and should prioritize it with their account executives. There are some key factors on why you should make business development front and center, and then there is the how. Let’s take a look at both.

We’re so proud to be celebrating Women in Sales Month once again.

For each week in October, we have an amazing slate of women sales leaders who will be sharing their unique insights. From offering advice for sales managers new and more experienced to surveying the anticipated landscape of sales in the years ahead, when it comes to Improving Sales Performance, these ladies know how it's done.

Today, we are joined by Giovanna Savorgnan, Director of Sales at WFAA.

Gio shares so many amazing observations, such as:

• Why it’s important for everyone, from the top down, to fully believe in the mission of the organization.
• How the best managers are as good at coaching as they are teaching.
• And, lastly, why really great sales leaders have to lean into the unknown.

Picture your sales team working together like a well-oiled machine. They collaborate effectively, support each other without question, celebrate every success with enthusiasm, and, of course, they close a lot of deals.

Now, imagine adding a new member to this tight-knit group who has top talent, skills, and experience on paper but clashes with the team. He doesn’t collaborate well, wants all of the recognition for himself, and blames mistakes on others. Suddenly, the harmony is disrupted, and chaos threatens to unravel the team you’ve worked hard to build. But he looked like a great fit on paper, right?

Finding the right fit goes beyond skills and experience —it's about cultural alignment. In today's fiercely competitive business landscape, cultural alignment in recruitment has become more than just a buzzword; it's a strategic necessity.

Business development (BD) is the process of identifying, qualifying, and developing potential new customers.

It is a critical part of any sales team's strategy, as it helps to ensure that there is a steady pipeline of leads to nurture and convert into paying customers.

There are a number of different business development tactics that sales teams can use, depending on their industry, target market, and sales process. Here are some of the most common and effective tactics.

One of the most common sentiments that leaders share is, “How can our company keep great people?”

And, as if this wasn’t already enough of a challenge, recent data is showing a new trend of high turnover in our current economy.

Here’s what we know about turnover.

We’re so proud to be celebrating Women in Sales Month once again!

For each week in October, we have an amazing slate of women sales leaders who will be sharing their unique insights. From offering advice for sales managers new and more experienced to surveying the anticipated landscape of sales in the years ahead, when it comes to Improving Sales Performance, these ladies know how it's done.

Today, our guest is Lauren Cooley, Chief Revenue Officer at ExpertVoice. Lauren brings so many awesome points to the table, such as:

• How the pandemic challenged us and changed us for the better.
• Why you shouldn’t want a team of “you,” but, instead, a team of people who are authentically themselves.
• And, finally, how, even with the rate at which the world is changing, there’s still no substitute for spending time with your people.

Are you tired of missing out on your sales targets quarter after quarter? 

Sales forecasting involves predicting future sales patterns and identifying opportunities and risks within your market. By using proven techniques, you can gain a deeper understanding of customer behavior, optimize your sales strategies, and make informed decisions to drive growth.

From analyzing historical data and market trends to leveraging advanced forecasting tools and techniques, we will equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to make accurate sales projections and optimize your resource allocation.