The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Wouldn’t it be lovely if each sales candidate that you interviewed came holding a sign? “I’m Coachable.” “I’m a Hard Worker.” “I’m disorganized.” “You can’t trust me!”

Think of the time savings if everyone summed up their best strengths and their worst weaknesses for you and handed them over before an interview. You could come prepared with questions to find out how those strengths work for them (or trip them up) and if/how they work around those weaknesses.

Too good to be true? It’s not. All you need is a validated talent assessment like the Sales Talent Assessment (STA) and a conversation with a Talent Analyst.

Whether you think the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Wall-E or The Terminator, the reality is that AI is going to change the way that you sell.

According to Crunchbase, there are nearly 10,000 AI startups. 10,000 new AI companies in the last year are a staggering number of people focused on how AI can help your life, business, and organization. AI's impact will be a cultural shift similar to, if not greater than, the world wide web in the 90s. The rapid advancements in AI technology have changed how we approach selling, enabling us to work smarter, faster, and more efficiently. 

So, the question is how can you leverage the latest advancements of AI to help you achieve your budget, increase new business development, and help your sales team be more efficient and effective.

In business, change is necessary to adapt and grow to meet the needs of prospects and clients. Many companies and business executives tend to resist change - because change is hard and uncomfortable.

As a salesperson, you probably have some good ideas to help your company achieve its goals. Maybe you want to implement inbound marketing or add webinars or videos to your marketing mix. But how can you sell your ideas to management?

Proposing your change can be a daunting task, and rightfully so—only 54% of change initiatives succeed. To increase the chances of your idea for change to be successful, use an organized change management system.

If 2021 saw everyone still reeling from the “year that shall not be named,” then 2022 seems to be one of continued adjustment.

For example, it’s clear that “hybrid work” means different things to different people. Nearly half of sales managers (49%) view their desired hybrid schedule as a 50/50 split between in-office and work-from-home.

In this new Media Sales Report, you’ll see that salespeople don’t feel the same way. Other trends from the previous year seem to persist or have worsened. Take recruitment; 65% of sales managers say that finding and hiring new talent is the hardest part of their job. That figure is up by more than 10% compared to last year.

And while you will see a contrast between sales managers and salespeople in terms of an optimistic outlook, the fact is that 87% of managers see a bright future ahead. If you'd like to read the full report, download it here.

As the second quarter continues to move in quickly, sales managers and business leaders may feel pressured to balance their short-term goals with long-term initiatives.

The complex demands often result in burnout as leaders attempt to juggle competing priorities while meeting deadlines and preparing for upcoming tasks. To help navigate this challenge, we have compiled a list of effective tips to assist sales managers and business leaders struggling to prioritize during Q2.

From allocating time management appropriately within your team or department to understanding which tasks require additional resources, you will find all the necessary information here that is needed for meeting individual and organizational goals during the second quarter.

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.

For any sales manager, it's incredibly frustrating when their salespeople don’t seem to be able to close the deal. A successful sale often depends on the product and customer knowledge of the salesperson, but what happens when the hard work isn’t translating into results?

Let’s take a look at some of the top reasons why your team may not be closing deals - from common hurdles like difficulty establishing credibility and understanding client needs to more nuanced issues like forgoing preparation time before meetings or failing to ask questions throughout conversations.

Here's our breakdown on how you can help your team move past these sticking points and finally start seeing those eagerly awaited closed deals!