The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

- MOTIVATION -

"Be an example. Are you prompt? Are you professional? Are you engaged? As sales leaders, we have to set the bar high for ourselves as well as our teams.”

- Lori Richardson

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

As an effective sales professional, you can’t just close the book on clients after they’ve signed the deal, even if the bulk of the work then shifts to other departments.

How your team executes the post-sale experience has important implications for the company as a whole, as well as your relationship with the customer.

What occurs during this phase can result in the customer being even more satisfied than before (including with their experience during the sales process), or it can derail what was otherwise a well-executed marketing and sales strategy.

1-on-1 meetings play a large role on your team’s sales performance.

In this episode, Stephanie Downs, VP and Senior Consultant, discusses how sales leaders can make an impact on their sales process with 1-on-1 meetings, or what we call the IFM. Plus, she covers the fundamentals of IFMs and how you can turn this dreaded weekly task into productive meeting.

Tune in now to hear the Live broadcast or keep reading for a brief overview.

Our team spend hours a day talking about talent:

• How to recruit talent
• How to hire talent
• How to develop talent

There's no doubt that talent is the foundation for success in any path we choose! But talent alone is not enough; the fit has to be right, too.

We encourage hiring managers to consider fit as carefully as they consider talent because talent is a strength only when the fit is right.

If your job involves growing a department or organization, the only way you can do that is to grow each person on board. How do you do that? Follow this Growth Formula.

“I never lose. I either win or learn.” – Nelson Mandela

Let’s be honest, in sales you're apt to hear the word “No” more than you hear “Yes”, and over time that can be a sense of frustration and in some cases a demotivating factor.

But it doesn’t have to be!

Believe it or not, you can embrace those failures and become a stronger and better salesperson than before. The key to overcoming the negativity of rejection is resilience and it can be built and strengthened with some effort and thoughtfulness.

- MOTIVATION -

"The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”

-John C. Maxwell

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

One of the first signs that a sales organization of a small company is growing and maturing is that they no longer rely on the sales team to generate leads.

In the early stages of development, a new company requires that everyone “wear multiple hats”. Consequently, the salesperson usually plays the role of Chief Marketing Officer, Marketing Campaign Manager, and Business Development Specialist.

It’s quite simple really—if the salesperson doesn't generate leads, no one will. But as an organization matures, the various Sales and Marketing disciplines should be divided as soon as possible. Not doing so simply makes achieving growth objectives more challenging and makes your life tougher than it needs to be.

Season 3 of the Improving Sales Performance Series is focused on helping sales leaders make an impact on their sales performance through insight on 4 key areas: people, process, planning, and performance.

In Episode 24, Jaleigh Long, Vice President and Market Manager, Atlanta Radio at Cox Media Group, discusses how sales leaders can make an impact on their sales performance through recruitment and selection.

Tune in now to hear the Live broadcast or keep reading for a brief overview.

Have you ever thought about how the 10,000 foot view from an airplane is often more interesting and illuminating than the proverbial 30,000 foot view?

This is true when looking at a sales organization as well. The 30,000-ft. view that you tend to take with something like a SWOT analysis or other strategic exercises is good, but the 10,000-ft. view might be more appropriate

We use a process called the Sales Diagnostic to take the 10,000 foot view.

"The end depends on the beginning (and everything in between)."

Yes, we have heard this a thousand times, but no truer words have been said when it comes to developing proposals.

I had an epiphany pretty early in my sales career. I had been on a sales call to a restaurant, and they asked for a proposal. I rushed back to my desk so excited with the opportunity to get to present, only to stare at my computer for what seemed like an eternity. Crafting that proposal took a lot longer than it should have.

Later, when looking back, I realized it was because I didn’t have enough information. I had missed the mark on a number of things. Here's a little advice on how not to make the same mistake.