Amanda Meade, on May 13, 2022
Your team has been working remotely for 2+ years, and you are ready to bring them back to the office.
But are they ready? Do you have a plan? Do you know what your staff is really thinking? Do they want to come back in person? And if so, every day or more of a flex/hybrid? >>> READ MORE
Most companies spend countless hours working on strategy, sales and growth plans, financial plans, and 5-year forecasts, also known as HIP (High-Involvement Planning™). They have numerous spreadsheets, presentations, and market data to support their plan. They bring in macro and micro-financial gurus to validate their information. The board approves the plan, and everything is ready to go.
Wait a minute. The company forgot to answer the most important question. Who will be responsible/accountable for making sure this gets accomplished? Do we have enough capable and available leaders to grow the top and bottom line 10%? Who is going to open and manage the new locations or the acquisition? Who is going to lead the new product launch?
Good question/s. >>> READ MORE
Amanda Meade, on April 29, 2022
Have you found yourself talking about inflation or labor issues lately?
They were discussing these issues long before you or I started having dinner conversations about them.
However, ITR Economics' perspective isn’t the doom and gloom one might expect. The firm is adamantly teaching its clients how to prosper in what it has coined “the Age of Decline.”
But before we jump into a few of ITR's recommendations on what to do now to prepare for the future, let’s address the elephant in the room. >>> READ MORE
Amanda Meade, on April 22, 2022
Prices are going up. We've all noticed it, and it's maybe even got us a little panicked. So, when can we expect to see inflation start slowing down?
Well, expert economists are expecting to enter a period of disinflation and slowed growth in 2022 and 2023. In this article, we have listed ways economists are saying inflation will impact spending and business growth — something all business leaders should take a look at. >>> READ MORE
Amanda Meade, on April 18, 2022
While the dreaded days of cold calling may be over in the marketing world, it could be said that it merely switched mediums — from the telephone to chat apps. If your idea of 'B2B marketing' is sending unsolicited DMs, is that really any different from cold calling?
While cold outreach on social media is a popular technique in our modern world, it's not exactly the most productive, nor the most fruitful. As mentioned above, it's really just cold calling in a new medium, and while your salespeople don't have to deal with slammed phones, that doesn't make it any more viable as a sales technique.
Social selling is a modern approach to marketing that's built around existing relationships, and as such, it works much better. In this article, we’re going to explore the concept of social selling, how it fits into the sales process, and how you can leverage this sales technique to help your business thrive.
Amanda Meade, on April 15, 2022
We asked the President of The Great Game of Business, Darin Bridges if he thinks business owners should be raising their prices right now. His response was, "hell, yes."
Protecting Margins Now, So You Can Fund Growth Tomorrow We've always had a saying at SRC. When the economy goes down — it's not the time to be asking for price increases. You've got to do it while the economy is going up. Everybody knows costs are going up right now — they're creeping up everywhere.
You've got to be able to protect your margins to continue to fund growth, fund your people, fund the retention, and all the things necessary to see success for your business. >>> READ MORE
Amanda Meade, on April 4, 2022
Social selling is the process of leveraging your social network to sell products or services.
In fact, 78% of social sellers outsell competitors who don't use social media. The most important thing to remember when doing social selling is that each platform is different. What works on one platform may not work on another. It’s important to understand how each platform works before trying to sell on it.
Amanda Meade, on April 1, 2022
The goal of any sales organization is, ultimately, to increase revenue.
Which means the goal of any effective sales leader is to inspire and motivate their sales team to hit, or exceed, their revenue targets.
However, a results-obsessed environment can quickly become unhealthy, particularly if your team feels the pressure to hit a certain number by any means possible.
Creating a healthy, effective goal-driven sales environment is vital for long-term success and employee satisfaction. Here, I spoke with four sales leaders to learn the five components for creating and maintaining a goal-driven sales environment.
But first — what is a goal-driven sales environment? >>> READ MORE
Amanda Meade, on March 25, 2022
Requests for proposals (RFPs) generate a whopping average of 35% of annual sales revenue, according to Loopio’s RFP Response Benchmarks and Trends Report.
The research, which surveyed 650+ teams, found that despite economic uncertainty over the past year, RFPs will continue to be an integral part of sales growth. However, keeping up with RFPs can be a challenge at the best of times. Busy technical experts, tight deadlines, and tricky approval processes can all throw a wrench in the sales cycle. >>> READ MORE
Amanda Meade, on March 23, 2022
Being a great manager is tougher than being a great salesperson.
Think back to when you were a new manager, what was one piece of advice you wish you knew back then, that you now know?
Here’s what a few of our experts at The Center for Sales Strategy said.
