The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Recently, I have been spending a lot of time talking with managers about their underperforming salespeople.

I want to help leaders win, and having AEs who are not performing is a huge problem for most. This made me reflect on how leaders hire and where they spend their time. Unfortunately, many leaders spend a lot of their time with AEs who have a “talent” deficit.  

You can’t go back to the same dry well looking for water. No matter how much time and energy you put into the well, water will not suddenly appear.

Still, many leaders think they can change the person, and they keep putting time and training into them, hoping they will suddenly “get it”.

Successful leaders coach.

Period.

It’s a skill that is absolutely necessary to succeed in sales and sales leadership. Sellers who don’t receive coaching and feedback get off track, pursuing the wrong leads, prioritizing the wrong activities, and focusing on the wrong goals.

In contrast, sellers who receive good coaching tend to stay on track, finding and connecting with strong prospects, focusing on potential, and realized key accounts, meeting and exceeding their goals.

And leaders who receive ongoing training on improving their interpersonal, business, and leadership skills have teams everyone wants to be a part of.

Not all leaders are natural coaches, but all leaders can learn how to coach.

Here you are again. It’s Monday morning, and your team looks like a pack of zombies. They’re physically present but mentally checked out.

Sound familiar? If so, your team’s engagement levels may be in a slump, which means it’s time to breathe some new life into your workplace culture.

Here are six tactics to boost motivation and performance. Your team will thank you.

If you have ever coached a seller who struggled to adapt to changing situations and circumstances and just kept doing the same thing over and over because they’ve always done it that way, you likely understand the importance of hiring people with adaptability.

It can make or break a salesperson’s success.

An adaptable salesperson has the ability to adjust and thrive in various situations and environments, making them a valuable asset to any sales team.

Customer service isn't just about the initial sale; it's an ongoing relationship. Building trust and loyalty requires consistent and exceptional service, even after the purchase is complete.

While closing the deal might seem like the finish line, the race for long-term customer satisfaction is just getting started. A well-executed post-sale strategy is essential for nurturing relationships, securing repeat business, and driving referrals.

Opportunities for growth, learning, and recognition are crucial to long-term success, whether for front-line employees or managers.

The infographic below from the 2024 Talent Magazine reveals that the need for better development strategies is more urgent than ever.

If you’ve seen Moneyball, you know that Billy Beane, the GM of the Oakland A’s, didn’t just play the game—he changed the game.

It’s not just a great underdog story; it’s a masterclass in using data to build a winning team, even when the odds (and budget) are stacked against you.

Beane’s approach? Simple: find undervalued talent, tap into their potential, and use data to outsmart the competition.

But what does Moneyball have to do with hiring and coaching salespeople?

Everything.

Having a talented team of salespeople is vital to driving growth and increasing revenue. While hiring top sales talent is essential, finding leaders with a natural ability to coach and develop them in the sales process can take your team to the next level.

These natural sales coaches possess a unique set of talents and skills that can inspire, motivate, and guide people to success. But how can you identify these hidden gems during the hiring process?

This week, I was reviewing a potential new hire with a client who is really struggling with finding talent to fill several open seats across her sales teams. As we reviewed the candidate, it was clear that the innate talent just wasn’t there for success in the role. Although the company had tried many different things to attract potential employees, nothing seemed to be working. 

I asked her how full the talent bank was, and she said, "Running on empty." 

We discussed the strategy of thinking about recruiting just like sales prospecting, something that must be done constantly, with dedicated time each week to build a pipeline of talent for current and future roles.

Effective prospecting is the backbone of sales success, yet finding candidates with the right skills can be challenging.

Sales professionals need a unique blend of persistence, creativity, and communication to excel in prospecting. Companies can better evaluate these abilities by focusing on key indicators during the hiring process.

Here, we'll guide you through the steps to identify strong prospecting skills in potential hires, ensuring you select the best candidates to drive your business forward.