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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Amanda Meade

Amanda Meade

Recent Posts by Amanda Meade:

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

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

Virtual Selling is Here to Stay (Statistics That Prove It)

Virtual Selling is Here to Stay

The most successful and resilient organizations have adapted to all things virtual — including events and learning, talent acquisition, as well as their sales strategy.

What has the data and trends from the past year shown sales leaders?

That virtual selling is here to stay. Companies of all sizes, across multiple industries, have proven that virtual selling isn’t just for certain sectors or digitally native businesses. In fact, sectors that relied on door-to-door sales prior to the pandemic are now finding opportunities in new markets, connecting with buyers on new levels, and growing business globally.

Topics: virtual selling work from home

Weekly Roundup: 2021's Top Growth Categories, Improving Culture & Attracting Talent + More

2021s Top Growth Categories, Improving Culture & Attracting Talent

- MOTIVATION -

"Be miserable or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice."

-Wayne Dyer

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<< If you only read one thing >>

The Five Ad Categories Set to Boost Radio Ad Spend The Most This Year InsideRadio

Local businesses will boost their ad spending by 7.3% to $127.3 billion in 2021 with radio right in line with a forecasted 6.9% year-over-year increase. But the latest outlook from Borrell Associates points to “new trajectories” for local advertising this year with some ad categories upping their spend with radio far more than others.  >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Weekly Roundup: The Ben Franklin Close, Actionable Employee Retention Strategies + More

The Ben Franklin Close, Actionable Employee Retention Strategies

- MOTIVATION -

"Treat objections as requests for further information."

-Brian Tracy

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<< If you only read one thing >>

Does the Ben Franklin Close Still Work in 2021 HubSpot

All of Benjamin Franklin's achievements are a credit to certain aspects of his personality — his patience, his rationality, his boldness, his bravery, and his fondness for pros-and-cons lists. He really did love the pros-and-cons lists, so it's only fitting that there's a pros-and-cons-oriented sales closing strategy that bears his name.

Here, we'll take a more thorough look at The Ben Franklin Close, go over the steps you need to take to nail it, and review the pros and cons of closing based on pros and cons. >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Weekly Roundup: Companies Fail to Hire Top Sales Talent, Remote Work Forever + More

Companies Fail to Hire Top Sales Talent, Remote Work Forever

- MOTIVATION -

"Employers and business leaders need people who can think for themselves - who can take initiative and be the solution to problems."

-Stephen Covey

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<< If you only read one thing >>

Five Reasons Companies Fail to Hire Top Sales Talent Selling Power

We all know that hiring the wrong salesperson is expensive. Research shows that high-tech companies lose as much as $2 million per year on a bad sales hire. They lose revenue, damage reputation, impact market share, and hurt the culture to name a few. 

Here are five reasons many companies fail to hire top salespeople.  >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Weekly Roundup: Employee Appreciation Day, Remote Work Obstacles + More

Employee Appreciation Day, Remote Work Obstacles

- MOTIVATION -

"Earn your leadership every day."

-Michael Jordan

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<< If you only read one thing >>

15 Excellent Ways to Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day (+ BONUS Remote-Friendly Ideas)Bonusly

Employee Appreciation Day (March 5, 2021)—it's the best day of the year! 😄 🎉 🎶
 

Most work weeks are focused on business objectives, decisions from management, or customer issues. Employee Appreciation Day, on the other hand, is a special day that should be truly centered around the teams of employees that make things happen every single day.

Even a little bit of recognition can make a big impact on employee motivation. Research shows that feeling appreciated increases morale, improves engagement, and reduces turnover. In particular, employee recognition has been proven to boost oxytocin levels—that’s the chemical our bodies create when we bond socially! >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Weekly Roundup: The Perfect Remote Schedule, Building Trust Virtually + More

The Perfect Remote Schedule, Building Trust Virtually

- MOTIVATION -

"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later."

-Og Mandino

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<< If you only read one thing >>

How to Build Trust & Deepen Connections With Your Buyer While Selling Virtually LinkedIn

One day we’ll look back at 2020 as a turning point in the world of sales. Trends that had been percolating for more than a decade sped up and crystallized as social distancing and stay-at-home orders uprooted some of the fundamental mechanics of selling.

But the shift to virtual selling has proven that the fundamentals of a great sale are still real relationships and customer value. And we’ve seen that you can still be present for your prospects even when you can’t physically be with them. >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Weekly Roundup: Sales Meetings, Remote Employee Recognition + More

Sales Meetings, Remote Employee Recognition

- MOTIVATION -

"If not us, who? If not now, when?"

-John F. Kennedy

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<< If you only read one thing >>

Do You Really Need to Hold That Meeting [Quiz + Tips]HubSpot

"This could have been an email."

Those six words can take the wind out of an office. They mean that time has been wasted, employees are frustrated, and leadership has been ever-so-slightly undermined.

Unjustified meetings are inefficient and grating. Haphazardly putting time on colleagues' calendars — only to fumble with its purpose, conduct it without direction, or spend all your time talking at attendees as opposed to collaborating with them — takes a toll on everyone involved. >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Weekly Roundup:16 COVID-19 Personality Types, Interview Questions + More

16 COVID-19 Personality Types, Interview Questions

- MOTIVATION -

"Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."

-George Bernard Shaw

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<< If you only read one thing >>

Research Says There Are 16 COVID-19 Personality Types. Leaders Have to Plan for Them AllInc.

The pandemic is extraordinary not just because it's a once-in-a-century event, but because it's a challenge literally every human on the planet has faced. To some degree at least, each of us has been impacted by Covid-19 this year. We are all in this together.

History tells us this is far from unprecedented, but why exactly do pandemics kick off such nastiness? And what does that mean for leaders who must manage diverse, mutually exclusive, and sometimes downright toxic responses to the pandemic? >>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up