When it comes to the sales pipeline, a good rule of thumb is — having nothing in the top of your sales funnel today, means nothing to close in the future.
This means it is important to add prospects to a sales funnel, as well as ongoing engagement to move them through the funnel. Simply put, just because a prospect enters the top of the sales funnel, it’s not guaranteed they’ll move to the middle of the funnel.
The Center for Sales Strategy, on May 3, 2021
To achieve your sales targets, it's imperative to effectively train the sales reps so they become more productive. Sales coaching can highly improve their skills as they become better salespeople. They can help generate more revenue for the company and help achieve business objectives.
While sales experience is essential, it's equally important to train the sales managers to maximize sales productivity. Effective sales coaching coupled with good training and management can help skyrocket sales and build a stronger sales team.
Amanda Meade, on April 30, 2021
-Sam Walton
According to a recent UpWork survey (2021) 1 in 4 Americans will be working entirely remotely in 2021 and by 2025, 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely - an 87% increase from pre-pandemic levels, the study revealed.
We predict the majority of companies will move to hybrid work environments, where there is a blend of remote-work and in-person work.
The location of our work is not the only thing that will be shifting.
It’s time to challenge our thinking and our habits to move from scrappy to sustainable. Our structures, our processes, our people practices, our tools.
Where to start? We’ve got you covered with a 5-point roadmap to help you and your companies evolve and own your culture. >>> READ MORE
The Center for Sales Strategy, on April 29, 2021
“Get the right people on your bus and get the right people in the right seat on your bus.”
Jim Collins, leadership guru and author of the best-seller Good to Great
If you have the right people on your bus, how well do they fit into the role you have them in?
Even if you hired the right talent onto your bus, reports show that less than 20% of employees feel they get to use their talent and strengths each day at work which means adjustments are needed. How can you help?
Matt Sunshine, on April 28, 2021
Increasing sales productivity and performance is a top challenge for any sales leader. One study even found that it surpasses the obstacles of recruiting, hiring, and onboarding.
Data suggests that salespeople spend as little as 23% of their time actually selling. In conjunction, the 2020 Media Sales Report found that nearly 1 out of every 3 (31%) of salespeople spend 20-25% of their time in discovery meetings.
Sales managers try various things to hit their targets: hiring more reps, reassigning territories, changing compensation plans… and more. Yet there’s one thing that most organizations have not tried, and when done correctly, you’ll see the growth and revenue performance you desire.
Emily Estey, on April 27, 2021
Only two jobs? Most sales managers will meet that headline with an eye-roll but stay with us.
Great sales leaders individualize their coaching while they manage a standardized sales process. The first job of a sales leader is relatively easy - the second takes more discipline. The two jobs sales managers have related to sales process are:
The Center for Sales Strategy, on April 26, 2021
30% of job seekers have left a job within 90 days of starting.
Staffing and HR experts say onboarding new hires at an organization should be a strategic process that lasts at least one year because how employers handle the first few days and months of a new employee's experience is crucial to ensuring high retention.
Beyond the basics, what else does a new hire need?
Amanda Meade, on April 23, 2021
-George Van Valkenburg
It turns out that there’s more to miss about going into the office than some of us may have thought. Research indicates that when we transition to hybrid work, what we miss most is the relationship-building that happens spontaneously in our workplaces — “watercooler moments.”
Studies have shown that learning how to succeed at an organization doesn’t happen in an employee handbook, but instead as a result of those watercooler moments. Walking by a colleague’s desk to say hello, converging in the breakroom to discuss a Netflix show, catching up with a co-worker over lunch; these moments are in fact essential to building camaraderie, morale, and trust in our work lives.
Just eight months ago, these exchanges may have seemed like just a tedious and obligatory part of our work lives. But these face-to-face moments — and the relationships we cultivate from them — mean more than we knew. >>> READ MORE
Matt Sunshine, on April 21, 2021
The Media Sales Report tells us that the hardest job in sales is getting an appointment with a new prospect.
As a sales manager, it's fairly easy to speak up in the sales meeting and tell your salespeople that they need to do a better job prospecting, or that they need to just commit more time and energy to getting appointments. But they already know those things, and they're facing huge hurdles that their counterparts of a few years ago didn't face.
The Center for Sales Strategy, on April 20, 2021
What are some best practices for running a successful virtual meeting? How should leaders go about unifying a remote team?
These questions and more are answered in this Improving Sales Performance episode with Chad Littlefield, Co-Founder of We and Me, Inc.
As he shares his insight on running effective sales meetings in a work-from-home environment, he also touches on how to build a culture of trust and connection. Tune in now to hear the Live broadcast or keep reading for a brief overview.
