The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Think back to the last time you were truly moved by a story you heard. Maybe it was a heartwarming tale that tugged on your emotions. It could have been a story about overcoming impossible adversity. Maybe it was even a tragic tale of loss and redemption. Whatever the case may be, stories have a unique power to evoke emotion and connect us with others.

Most ideas are presented using data. While data has the potential to persuade people, stories have the power to move people.

Storytelling isn’t just limited to books and movies. It is a powerful and underutilized tool that can help you achieve your business goals. Whether you're trying to motivate your team, connect with prospects and customers, or win the close, try tapping into the power of storytelling.

We consistently talk about the importance of growing and developing others. It’s a vital part of any leadership role. But as a leader, while you’re busy helping others grow their talents, are you still nurturing yours?

When you focus on growing a talent, you can improve performance by up to ten times. Don’t just help your team take advantage of their potential. Take advantage of your potential as well.

Here are five things you can do right now to nurture and grow your sales leadership talents.

It’s common knowledge that professional athletes who reach peak performance no longer need coaching, right?

Wrong.

Even top-performing athletes still have coaches because there’s always room for improvement. Coaches observe what athletes can’t see – athletes are too busy playing!

The same can be said for your sales team. Coaching helps your team members by boosting their confidence, improving their performance, and helping them see things they’re unable to see – they’re too busy selling!

But coaching isn’t always easy. If it were, we wouldn’t have Jim Mora’s famous “playoffs” rant or the iconic moment when Lou Piniella yanked up first base and heaved into right field. Coaching takes time, patience, and consistent dedication. Sometimes, you may even feel like you're running out of ideas to coach your team effectively.

If that happens, don't worry. We've got you covered. Here are six things you can start doing right now to better coach your sales team and help them reach their full potential.

The dreaded condition - burnout. It creeps through your office like a slow fog. It’s easy to miss at first, but once burnout sets in, it’s nearly impossible to navigate forward. A recent study by Gallup found that 70% of employees either sometimes or often feel burned out at work.

Burnout isn’t just “needing a break” from work. It’s a state of chronic job stress that results in overall frustration, exhaustion, and defeat.

One burned-out employee leads to another. And worse – burnout can lead to turnover…which can lead to additional burnout in your remaining employees. As a manager, it’s up to you to recognize the signs of burnout and ensure you have practices in place to prevent it from taking over.

Accountability falls under two categories: the things we do and the things we do not do. We often discuss accountability related to what’s accomplished, but do you truly take the time to hold yourself accountable for what doesn’t get done?

As a leader, accountability begins with you. You set the example. So, do you hold yourself accountable as often as you hold your team accountable?

Here are three quick tips to “up” your internal accountability game.

One of your most important jobs as a leader is to mentor and coach, but it can be one of the most difficult parts of your job if you have an underperforming seller on your team. It’s easy to think things like “they’re not working hard enough,” “they aren’t motivated,” or maybe even “it’s time to throw in the towel.”

Before you take drastic measures and place the blame on your underperformer, here are five questions to ask yourself.

Imagine you’re at the grocery store with your three-year-old son. He’s promised you he’ll behave, and you’re planning to surprise him with a treat at the checkout counter.

You’re roughly halfway through your grocery list when he starts to get antsy. He wants out of the cart and promptly begins pulling things off the shelves, so you put him back in the cart, and he begins throwing a temper tantrum. You look at your watch – it’s getting close to lunchtime, which is closely followed by naptime. It’s becoming apparent that you have a decision to make.

Do you choose to use empathy by giving him a big hug, telling him you love him, and letting him know you understand it can be tough to be patient—or do you choose to hold him accountable to his promise of good behavior? And which one is the right thing to do?

You may not realize it, but you are setting expectations all the time. You set expectations in everything you do and in everything you don’t do.

It’s an amazing power to have. As a leader, you can have a positive impact on the lives of each person you manage based on the expectations you set for them.

If you use a validated talent assessment as part of your hiring process, it’s tempting to move forward with a hire if they’re assessment quickly says “recommended.” But recommended doesn’t mean “recommended for hire.” Recommended means “recommended to move forward in the interview process.”

The Growth Formula specifies that (Talent + Fit) x Investment = Growth. Once you determine whether or not someone has the right talents for the role you’re filling, it’s equally as important to consider their fit.