The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Recently I wrote a blog post about how dynamic websites with frequently updated content are rapidly replacing legacy “corporate brochure” sites. This trend has never been more evident than after hearing the announcement by HubSpot at Inbound 2012 that they are moving to a more personalized visitor experience.

Your valid business reason was rock solid, you’ve done your research, and you’ve secured an appointment for a needs analysis. But a few jargon-laden sentences into the meeting, you see it:

“I know that I should be doing more _________________ right now, but it’s just that I have so little time these days!”

Life teaches you things that you just can’t learn by being told or by reading in a text book. I believe very much in coaching salespeople to their fullest by utilizing their natural strengths. It doesn’t mean we ignore their weaknesses; it just means that we have to find other ways to get things accomplished sometimes.

It started innocently enough. You had a planning meeting with the client that you knew would take a better part of the morning, so you stopped at the donut shop on the way to the appointment. A couple of weeks later, you wanted to make-up for failing to return a phone call, so you grabbed a bag of bagels. And before you knew it, you were hooked on the stuff.

If you're a business leader looking to advertise using digital—or you are a salesperson responsible for digital sales—knowing what your market is currently spending in digital advertising will help you gauge what kind of budget you may want establish for your online initiatives. If you don't currently know the current local DMR (Digital Marketing Revenue) for your market, Borrell and Associates has released a handy interactive map of over 500 regions where digital dollars are being spent. 

When football players score a touchdown, it’s not unusual to see them celebrate in the end zone. Long-term traditions include player renditions of the dirty bird, the “dunking” the ball over the goal post, or the famous (infamous, if you’re from Minnesota) Lambeau Leap. In recent years, the NFL has become more strict about excessive end-zone celebrations, because of their potential to be interpreted as taunting, poor sportsmanship, and… well, class-less.  (Do I need to spell it out with a Sharpie?)

As it turns out, there are several similarities! After a recent 48 hour stint in the hospital, I had a number of observations on how the selling process is perceived from the prospect or customer's point of view.  

Do you think it has become more difficult to set sales appointments in today’s business climate? How hard is it for you to reach decision-makers? How many sales calls does it take you to schedule one appointment? How much time and effort do you put into preparing for a sales call?  How persistent are you in following up on the sales call? 

Most sales departments are very tactical. Managers spend most of their time on the urgent, not important tasks. Their focus is on putting out fires, rather than fire prevention. My belief is a good sales manager should strive for a 50/50 balance.