The Center for Sales Strategy, on May 26, 2021
Kicking off the new season of the Improving Sales Performance series, John Henley, Managing Partner at The Center for Sales Strategy, gives viewers an overview and behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Impact Leadership System: why it was created, who it was created for, and how sales leaders can make an impact on their sales performance by focusing on 4 key areas.
Tune in now to hear the Live broadcast or keep reading for a brief overview.
Trey Morris, on May 25, 2021
Excuse me, while I pull out my "soapbox", I'm about to go on a rant!
Nothing irritates me more than when people confuse activity with productivity. We have created an environment where checking off our to-do list every day, attending meetings, and responding to emails means that you were productive.
That's just wrong.
You were not productive. You were busy. Busy does not equal productivity.
Jim Hopes, on May 24, 2021
How much time do your salespeople spend selling?
It’s been our observation that it’s probably less than you think. Data suggests that it's as little as 30% of their time. And when you talk to salespeople all the time, as we do, they confirm that.
So, to get a bead on just how much time your salespeople actually spend selling, you should start with a definition of selling.
Amanda Meade, on May 21, 2021
-Kat Cole
It's not exactly mind-blowing to point out that the sales landscape has shifted radically in these past two or so years. A shift to remote interactions, the trend away from physical workspaces, and a host of other changes have left sales reps, managers, and leaders in a bind.
Even as we move toward some semblance of normalcy, sales — as a field — is still fundamentally different than it was just a few years ago. And that kind of adjustment comes with its share of challenges.
So in the interest of helping salespeople identify and meet those issues, we reached out to some sales experts and conducted some research to show you six of the main challenges facing salespeople in 2021 and offer some perspective on how to address them. >>> READ MORE
Kurt Sima, on May 20, 2021
Many sellers struggle to develop new customers. Often this has less to do with the seller’s ability to sell, and more to do with the seller’s ability to select quality prospects.
Some prospects are better than others, and qualifying them will help determine which of the prospects should be pursued and which prospects should not.
As you search for ideal prospects (future key accounts), use the following criteria to determine which current clients have the greatest potential for growth and deserve the most time and attention.
The Center for Sales Strategy, on May 19, 2021
Sales professionals are inherently focused on closing deals and increasing the number of accounts under their purview. As such, they are often impatient when it comes to their time and meetings with superiors are no exception.
One-on-one sales meetings need not be inefficient. Sales managers that want to maximize the effectiveness of their sales team can do so with Individual Focus Meetings. Far from your average sales pow-wow, these intense sessions will motivate your sales team to meet goals that may have seemed impossible before.
Matt Sunshine, on May 18, 2021
Some people are skilled at closing a sale. It's easy for them to build rapport with customers, gather information, pitch a product or service, and then close the sale. Others excel only in connecting with prospects and find it incredibly hard to present a product or close the sale.
Utilizing a sales process can help salespeople become better at what they do. In this article, we cover the basics of the sales process and teach you how to improve sales performance.
Greg Giersch, on May 17, 2021
Without quality activity, sales teams fall short of their performance goals.
If it seems that more than a third, or even more than half, of your team is struggling with producing quality activity, it’s time to take a hard look at your sales structure, because your sales structure is perfectly designed for the results you’re getting.
To identify where you might have a problem with your sales structure, break the sales process into three key areas:
Is there one clear area that more than a third of your team is struggling with?
Amanda Meade, on May 14, 2021
-Madam C J. Walker
It breaks my heart when salespeople are resistant to change.
We’ve seen it happen again and again: A new trend emerges. LinkedIn lights up with hot takes from thought leaders. Every vendor within a 100-mile radius tries to put their spin on it and turn it into a reason you need their product. We beat it to death and then you tune it out.
Remember when an entire industry of salespeople disregarded the account-based movement? We failed to think through the changes our marketing teams were going to make, how that would impact our pipeline, and then what behavioral change we should make as a result. We didn’t invest the time to help build our territories, we didn’t participate in writing the nurture drips, we didn’t react to the new lead intel, and so on. >>> READ MORE
The Center for Sales Strategy, on May 13, 2021
Our team coaches salespeople from markets across the country on tactical things they can do within their sales process to help them connect with a decision maker or decision influencer faster to grow their new business.
Many things can be done to accomplish this, but one that seems to be resonating with salespeople lately is identifying their target persona so they can clearly define WHO their target is and fine tune HOW they plan to approach a new business prospect.
This is not a new strategy, just one that is often overlooked.
