The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Imagine for a moment that you are the sales leader for a national media company. Picture your sales team and imagine the following scenario….

Your team is made up of 100 percent sales superstars who knock it out of the park and raise the bar day after day, week after week, month after month. Their potential for success is unlimited.

If that scenario sounds like a dream to you instead of a reality, you are in the majority.

Our just-released fifth annual Media Sales Report found that 76% of sales managers don’t consider most of their teams to be superstars.

The best way to fall flat on your face in a business conversation is to start the conversation talking about business.

Cultivate the art of small talk, and chances are good that once you do get around to bantering about business, the conversation will be meaningful.

Navigating the path to professional growth requires a mix of thoughtfulness, strategy, and accountability. Your growth is dependent on many things in life – your natural talents, the right career choice, the right leadership to support you, and your ability to create a growth plan for yourself.

With today’s vibrant and competitive landscape, the role of a manager grows more challenging every day. For you to flourish in your professional life, you need to be intentional and committed to yourself.

The incredible outcome of your professional growth is two-fold: you grow, and those around you grow as well. So, where do you begin? Let’s explore a few key ideas and strategies to help you achieve the growth you desire.

In this episode, we’re continuing our season-long deep dive into the latest Media Sales Report from The Center for Sales Strategy. Today, Trey Morris, VP/ Senior Consultant here at CSS, is joining Matt to help answer the question, “Why is it getting harder to convert prospects and renew clients?”

Trey brings so many great points to the table, such as:

• How too many salespeople are pitching products instead of solutions
• Why sellers need to do a better job of helping existing clients figure out what’s working and what’s not working early on in their business relationship
• And, finally, why it’s so important for every seller to give the best reason possible for prospects to want to meet with them

It takes a unique set of talents to be successful in B2B sales. People who are naturally self-motivated and have a strong desire to win consistently outperform the rest.

But here’s the catch—these same people are those who crave recognition for their performance the most.

Recognition isn’t just “nice to have;” but a crucial element in boosting employee motivation and job satisfaction. Consistent recognition can be the key to unlocking each of your team members’ full potential.

Here is a truth bomb that might just revolutionize your sales strategy. Brace yourself because I'm about to tell you why your meticulously crafted pitches about features and benefits are falling on deaf ears. 

Yes, you heard that right. It is time to shift gears and move beyond the traditional features and benefits spiel.

Do you ever feel like you're using your CRM, but not really using it?

Many seem to fall into this trap, believing they've mastered their software when, really, they're only scratching the surface. After all, The 5th Annual Media Sales Report found that 74% of salespeople believe they use their CRM effectively.

This data point may, in fact, reflect reality. Maybe there are scores of salespeople out there who are utilizing the many capabilities that their CRMs have to offer.

The truth is that most CRM software holds a treasure trove of features and functionalities that are left to gather digital dust, waiting to be explored.

So, let’s unlock the full potential of your CRM and transform it from more than a simple contact list to a sales and customer service powerhouse.

In this episode of Improving Sales Performance, we’re once again diving into The 5th Annual Media Sales Report by The Center for Sales Strategy.

Today, we’re exploring why sales managers are experiencing such increased difficulty in achieving organizational goals.

Joining Matt to discuss that and much more is Stephanie Downs, SVP/Senior Consultant here at CSS. Stephanie provides valuable insights, like:

• How a sales manager’s calendar should reflect a strategy of developing and coaching their people
• Why we often make recruitment harder on ourselves by not having a firm plan in place
• And, finally, why adding more people to your sales team is not always the solution

"I spend all day making cold calls, and I'm getting very little to show for my efforts. Getting the first appointment is harder than ever. If I could just get my foot in the door..."

It's a common complaint from B2B sales reps nowadays. Traditional prospecting approaches like cold calling have become less and less effective over the years. Decision makers simply don't answer unsolicited sales calls like they used to.

What can you do about it?

How much more productive would you be if you focussed on your inputs? This means avoiding all distractions and only working on planning, pitching, and following up—all the factors that budge the needle, not those that don't. 

A lot of valuable time is wasted focusing on things we cannot control. For example, we have zero control over the economy, competitors, pricing, inventory, or customers' attitudes. Improving sales performance often requires changing focus from things that are out of our control to things we can control.

So, what exactly should you focus on? Here are several things within your control.