The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Many of us seek new things in our lives to stay engaged and motivated, but even the most adventurous among us value certain things that are consistent. There are obvious consistencies we depend upon like gravity, the sun coming up in the east and setting in the west, or a manager who is very consistent in setting expectations. You probably didn’t see that third example coming, did you? But it’s true.

If you believe that most people want to do the right thing for their employers, the only thing that could trip them up is not knowing what the right thing is. For that reason, the best managers are boringly consistent about setting expectations their people can internalize and follow.

- WHAT'S MOTIVATING US THIS WEEK -

"MOST PEOPLE THINK 'SELLING' IS THE SAME AS 'TALKING.' BUT THE MOST EFFECTIVE SALESPEOPLE KNOW THAT LISTENING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE JOB." 

-ROY BARTELL

- WHAT WE'VE BEEN READING THIS WEEK -

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8 Habits of a Great Sales Manager — LinkedIn

This is the fourth and final post in a four-part series on how managers can set new hires up for success. You can click to view the previous posts on providing detailed feedback, building relationships that will lead to stronger sales performance and maximizing strengths and working around weaknesses. 

Ongoing coaching and strength development are key factors in retaining people long-term, yet statistics show employees often feel as though they don’t have a specific development plan. According to a Saba survey, 60% of leaders believe they provide employees with a clear career path, but only 36% of employees agree. The very best managers spend time coaching their people and have an individualized development plan for each person. 

Early in my sales career, I got a call from a veteran Account Executive across the hall. He worked for one of our other properties and saw that I was working with a prospect he was calling on. He wanted to set up a joint sales call. I was skeptical, since I'd recently met with that prospect, and the manager made it abundantly clear that he had already placed his budget for the year, and he was not open to new ideas.

- WHAT'S MOTIVATING US THIS WEEK -

"TODAY IS ALWAYS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE DAY OF YOUR WEEK" 

-MARK HUNTER

- WHAT WE'VE BEEN READING THIS WEEK -

<< If you only read one thing >>

Sales Engagement: The Intersection of Sales and Science — Sales Hacker

Sometimes, simple ideas can spark revolutions. When science and sales meet, sparks fly. Just as cell phones and emails revolutionized the way people live and do business, sales engagement upends the infrastructure inefficiency that prevents even excellent salespeople from performing at peak excellence.

This is the third post in a four-part series on how managers can set new hires up for success. You can click to view the previous posts on building relationships that will lead to stronger sales performance and maximizing strengths and working around weaknesses.

Giving your new hire detailed feedback on their talents is one of the best ways to set them up for success. This conversation can be very meaningful and will arm them with specific information about their potential and how they can maximize their strengths in their new role.

As a group of salespeople were gathered for their weekly sales meeting, their manager said he had an exercise on focus that they would complete first. The manager walked around the room and laid a sheet of paper, face-down in front of each salesperson. He then told them to all turn the handout over. On the sheet was a single black dot in the middle of each page.

- WHAT'S MOTIVATING US THIS WEEK -

"THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SUCCESSFUL PERSON AND OTHERS IS NOT A LACK OF STRENGTH, NOT A LACK OF KNOWLEDGE, BUT RATHER A LACK OF WILL" 

-VINCE LOMBARDI

- WHAT WE'VE BEEN READING THIS WEEK -

<< If you only read one thing >>

10 TED Talks Every Sales Professional Should Watch in 2018 — Hubspot

Great sales departments motivate their employees with incentives, contests, and -- you guessed it -- pep talks. Viewed regularly by millions across the globe, TED Talks bring valuable new perspectives to the table. It's not always easy to stay motivated in the day-to-day grind of selling. TED Talks like these can give you just the jolt you need to remember why you love this job -- even during the longest sales days.

This is the second post in a four-part series on how managers can set new hires up for success. You can view the previous post on maximizing strengths and working around weaknesses here. 

The very best managers I work with understand the importance of growing solid, working relationships with their people, and they start working on those relationships even before their new hire’s first day on the job. Not all managers take this approach - many people feel their boss does not care about their success. According to a recent Monster poll, 72% of respondents said they do not feel like their manager or supervisor is interested in their job growth. Yet, caring about people and developing good working relationships with direct reports, is one of the best ways to boost sales performance.  

Some sellers wonder why they miss sales goals on a regular basis even though they are busy as a bee. Making “plenty” of face-to-face calls. Presenting and closing “plenty” of proposals. Conducting “plenty” of post-sale follow-up tasks. All of these activities usually equal another month short of exceeding their sales goals.