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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Tirzah Thornburg

Recent Posts by Tirzah Thornburg:

"You Expect Me to Sell How Much?!" How to Make that Budget Attainable

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When salespeople mention why the left their previous job, you often hear complaints of unreasonable budgets. Along the lines of, 'My sales manager was crazy! There was NO WAY that could hit that budget." As a manager, how do you make budgets attainable? And as a salesperson, how do you meet that goal?!

Topics: goals

How to Write an Effective Personal Marketing Resume

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Recently I have had several managers asking about the value of a personal marketing resume for salespeople that are struggling with getting that initial call. Personal marketing resumes can be valuable in getting a prospect's attention and communicating how your salespeople can help, if done well. So, how do you get a personal marketing resume started, and what do effective ones include?

Topics: Sales personal brand prospecting

The Art of Analyzing Candidate Fit

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What is the first thing you do when you get a completed assessment on a candidate? You look to see if he or she is recommended or not, right? But what is the second thing you should consider with a recommended candidate? You should think about fit. How will the candidate fit with your organization and with your team?

Find Those Underlying Talents

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How to Turn Your New Hire into a Superstar in the First 90 Days

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You made the perfect hire, one who is talented and eager to learn. He or she had a great first day. Now what? How do you turn that potential talent into a real-life superstar?

Just like the first day, your new hire’s first 90 days need to be planned out. Before the employee starts, you need to have a set plan of how to acclimate the new hire to your company, your team, and your style. In other words, onboarding. The most successful companies have a general onboarding path to follow that includes not just filling out paperwork and getting the grand tour, but a roadmap for training, available mentors, and lots of hands-on advice from managers. Statistics tell us that organizations with a standardized onboarding process have 54% greater new hire productivity and 50% greater new hire retention. Managers' job satisfaction increases 20% when their employees have formal onboarding training.

Not a bad return on investment for thinking ahead. So, how can set your onboarding apart?

Topics: sales training onboarding

To Keep New Hires Happy That They Chose Your Company, Have a Plan for Day 1

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We have all been there. You walk into your new office. You’re excited, maybe a little nervous, but ready to take on this new challenge. And…no one is expecting you. The receptionist says, “Oh, was that today?? No one told me. I’m not sure where to have you start…” Bad first impression, sure, but what’s the big deal?

The big deal is that in today’s market, qualified job seekers have choices. Chances are that from the time you agree to hire them to the time they walk in your door, they have had multiple other requests for interviews and maybe job offers. You spent time finding and qualifying just the right person for this position. Do you want your new employee to walk away on that first day, thinking about finding a better job?

Topics: hiring salespeople

Pre-Boarding: Get New Employees Engaged Even Before Their First Day

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OK, seriously, what is pre-boarding?! For most of us, pre-boarding has always been the handshake you get from the hiring manager with the words, “Welcome aboard.” And then, a few weeks later, you start work. That’s it. Nothing fancy, just, "You’re hired." But as most of us are well aware, the job market is changing with lightning speed. Blame it on technology, the Internet or millennials, but we all see the need to change with it. So, what is pre-boarding, and why is pre-boarding so important?

Topics: onboarding

Sales Coaching Quick Wins: How to Boost Productivity

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You’ve hired the perfect sales professional. This AE is eager, jumped right in, and you know they are going to be a rockstar. Now what? How can you help your rockstar reach their full potential?

Sales coaching really is an art form. Intuitively knowing what your sales professionals need to maximize their growth doesn’t just happen. It takes a step-by-step coaching plan that is well-thought-out ahead of each new hire and that is continued throughout your employees' careers. A lot of work? Sure, but it’s well worth it. So let’s get started.

Topics: Sales productivity

Top 10 Ways to Decrease Turnover on Your Sales Team

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Every sales manager has been there. You spend time and effort selecting just the right candidate. You get your “perfect” AE hired and trained, and they’re doing well. But then you get their two-week notice. Your heart sinks. You have invested time, energy, and most importantly money into this person, only to have them take their talent to another company. What happened?!

We have all heard the phrase, an employee joins a company but leaves a manager. So how can you keep your top talent? How can you become a manager whose people stay?

Topics: Sales

4 Steps to Determine if a Sales Candidate is as Great as She Sounds

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The candidate is standing in front of you—sharply dressed, trying to impress you with how perfect she is for the job. This individual seems perfect. She looks the part, has the right answers, and a great personality. How do you get past the “shine”?

Topics: Sales