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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Talk to Your Clients! Fostering Communication Through Service-Level Agreements

We know it’s extremely important to maintain open and regular communication with clients. Each team should be consistently tracking their efforts and goals and addressing any concerns along the way. Due to time restraints and other factors, that rarely happens – and that’s where a Service-Level Agreement steps in.

As sales professionals, we love annual contracts because we know that clients are going to spend throughout the course of a year. However, we cannot become apathetic and only talk to clients once a year.

Topics: renewal communication

31 MORE Inspirational Quotes to Motivate Your Sales Team this Month

Motivational quotes related to sales and business success

It’s the time of year where competition is in the air. Not only is a little fantasy football floating around the office, but we’re about to tackle the end of another fiscal year. We’re all going for the “Hail Mary” pass with, what feels like, only seconds remaining on the clock.

Similar to having a successful season on your fantasy football league, having a great sales quarter takes strategy, skill and taking advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. It’s nearing the beginning of the fourth quarter, so let’s kick it off with motivation for a strong finish.

Topics: sales performance

6 Common Objections Heard by Media Salespeople — and Responses that Improve Sales Performance

common objections heard by salespeopleEven media sellers who are skilled at talking about price and removing surprises throughout the sales process can encounter objections. Superstar sellers know that most strong responses to objections involve asking the prospect additional questions to get back to the desired business result, and most of these questions will logically lead to the next. 

Here’s a list of the most common objections heard by media salespeople along with ways you can respond to each. Feel free to keep this list handy — you might need it!

Topics: sales process

Weekly Roundup: 2019 Sales Enablement Trends + More

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- MOTIVATION -

"BECOME THE PERSON WHO WOULD ATTRACT THE RESULTS YOU SEEK."

-JIM CATHCART

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

A Closer Look at Sales Enablement Trends in 2019 — LinkedIn

With a new NFL season set to get underway this week, I’m thinking about teamwork and complementary parts. A quarterback wouldn’t be too effective with no receivers to throw to. A running back is going nowhere without a line to run behind. And the entire defense would be lost without a coordinator and coaching staff in place to scout opponents, draw up schemes, and oversee execution on gameday.

Sales teams are similarly interdependent. To be successful, we need to work with one another and across departments (especially marketing). Not only this, but the most effective selling units are increasingly reliant on sales enablement tools and tactics.
>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Improve Performance Through Better Communication: Create a User Guide

Improve Performance Through Better Communication: Create a User GuideAt one time or another, we’ve all wished that people came with an instruction manual. A guide that answered questions no one thinks to ask and provides information we often forget to share. Every big-ticket, important, valuable item comes with instructions. Why are people any different?  

The beauty of humanity is that we’re all unique. However, our differences often lead to frustration, miscommunication, lack of productivity, and can even end up threatening our job performance. How can you bypass miscommunication and anxiety? Develop a personal user guide!

Topics: sales performance user manual

Tips for Balancing New Business Development and Servicing Current Customers (VIDEO)

On a scale from 1 to 5, one being extremely easy and five being extremely difficult, how easy is it for you to balance between new business development and servicing your current customers? 

Topics: sales process

Weekly Roundup: Prospect Calling Evolved + More

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- MOTIVATION -

"THE ONLY LIMIT OF OUR REALIZATION OF TOMORROW WILL BE OUR DOUBTS OF TODAY."

-FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

 

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

Prospect Calling Evolved: 4 Techniques to Up Your Game — LinkedIn

Prospect calling: love it or hate it, this practice will likely always be part of the job. Our methods for communicating with potential customers are now more varied than ever, but there’s still something distinctly connective about getting on the phone and hearing someone’s voice.

With that said, there’s a difference between prospect calling and cold calling. You may be familiar with these tactics, but if you’re still aching to pick up the phone, here’s a quick list of four things you can do instead.
>>> READ MORE

Topics: Wrap-up

Increase Your Closing Percentages by Doing These 4 Things

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If you’re in sales, then you know its extremely important to close deals, right? That’s kind of an easy question, but I ask it only because it seems as though many salespeople think their job is to have a lot of business in “pending.”

When I ask salespeople how things are going, what I typically hear is, "I got a lot out there.” While I get why having "a lot out there" feels good, it's not the most important thing and may or may not be a good indicator of the customers you will earn. Closing the deal, earning customers, and helping them to have success is far more important. 

Topics: Sales

Top Questions to Ask to Determine Advertiser Measures of Success

11 Questions to Ask to Determine Advertiser Measures of Success

How modern marketers measure advertising effectiveness is one of the most searched topics in digital marketing today. Most agree results are crucial; however, there doesn’t seem to be one right answer when it comes to determining advertiser measures of success.

As you’re building a relationship with a new business prospect or an existing customer, it’s important to have open and upfront conversations about how the advertiser measures success.

Topics: Needs Analysis sales process

Redefining Work-Life Balance in Sales

Redefining Work-Life Balance in Sales

What does the term work-life balance mean to you? The standard definition for most of us is the time we allocate to work versus the time allocated to everything else, such as family, personal pursuits, social, and leisure activities. According to HubSpot Research, one-third of salespeople say their job negatively affects their personal life, and one-half admit they need to improve their work-life balance. Another one in three say there is no work-life balance.

Most people understand the concept of work-life balance but find it hard to define what an acceptable balance is. The “right amount of work” versus the “right amount of family time” varies greatly based on individual lifestyles. Salespeople hear the term work-life balance from colleagues and managers on a daily basis, but what does work-life balance mean? It’s common for leaders and their direct reports to have different definitions of the term, and therefore very different expectations.

Topics: company culture sales managers