The Center for Sales Strategy, on February 11, 2021
By embracing technology such as lead intelligence, marketing automation, and effective use of a CRM, salespeople can waste less time doing data entry, understand more about their leads, and document all of this information so it's shared across the organization.
In this post, we'll review each one of these productivity-enhancing technologies, enabling you to be one of the companies that gains a substantial advantage over competitors and develops a more productive sales team.
Jim Hopes, on February 9, 2021
Tom Brady is one of those figures that draws emotional responses ranging from adoration to outright disdain, often depending on whose team has had their playoff hopes crushed by him during his long tenure in the NFL.
But, say what you want, there is plenty for all of us to learn about how to be an effective leader by observing what Tom Brady does.
What he accomplished on Sunday is indeed one of the most profound successes in professional sports as he transformed a young, talented team in Tampa Bay that had been underperforming for years into world champions in one season, learning a new team and a new system all without the benefit of mini camps and preseason games. If you look beyond the hype, here is what you would see.
The Center for Sales Strategy, on February 8, 2021
Season 2 of the Improving Sales Performance Series focuses on the data and analysis of the newly released Media Sales Report. Trey Morris, VP Senior Consultant at The Center for Sales Strategy, joined Matt Sunshine on the second episode of the season to analyze the data around the effects of COVID-19 and its impact on the media sales industry.
You can stream it now to hear their insight, advice, and initial thoughts after analyzing the data that was just published. Or keep reading for a brief overview.
Amanda Meade, on February 5, 2021
-Maya Angelou
Would you slide into a prospect’s DMs to land a product demo?
When it comes to social selling, LinkedIn is the most effective platform for generating leads and demand around your business. Whether you’re just starting your sales career or you’re looking to make your next move, having an up-to-date LinkedIn profile is one step you can’t afford to skip. >>> READ MORE
Kurt Sima, on February 4, 2021
The old saying “when it rains, it pours” seems to apply to order cancellations, and it seems like when cancellations occur, they occur in bunches. Here’s what many sellers do when they experience a bunch of order cancellations:
1. Have a negative reaction and argue with the client.
2. Panic and go after any account they can sell.
3. Look for ways to close a quick deal to make up for lost revenue—including dropping the price to close a deal.
4. Sell new prospects whatever they can sell without worrying about delivering results.
All items on this list ultimately lead to short term sales AND more cancellations in the future.
Matt Sunshine, on February 3, 2021
Often, clients come to us when their sales are not where they want to be, and the first thing they say is that they need us to come in and do sales training.
Yes, sales training will help, but alone, it won't be the only thing that helps improve sales performance.
In this video, I discuss four words you need to remember to help your team improve sales:
The Center for Sales Strategy, on February 2, 2021
We just launched Season 2 of the Improving Sales Performance Series, which focuses on the data and analysis of the newly-released Media Sales Report. John Henley and Jim Hopes, managing partners at CSS, joined Matt Sunshine on the first episode of the season to discuss their key takeaways from the report, how sales management and leadership can use this data, and the feelings of the future and outlook of the media sales industry.
You can stream it now to hear their insight, advice, and initial thoughts after analyzing the data that was just published. Or keep reading for a brief overview.
The Center for Sales Strategy, on February 1, 2021
At the beginning of a new year, it's tempting to set goals for the next 12 months. After all, you'll have your results from the prior year and can identify where you fell short and where you want your company to improve.
However, try to resist the urge to create annual goals that are too detailed and contain too many action items. If you fall behind, it's hard to catch up. You can quickly lose momentum and focus on what you're trying to achieve.
Instead, quarterly goals make more sense when you're looking for action-driven results. At the end of each quarter, you can then set the appropriate goals for the next quarter. These can fit into some more general goals for the year but should also be aligned with the long-term strategy.
Let's take a look at the steps to create a quarterly action plan, how to measure success, and how to plan for the following quarter.
Amanda Meade, on January 29, 2021
-Stephen Covey
We're quickly approaching the one-year mark since the global shift to remote work. According to Upwork, remote work has seen an 87% increase since before the pandemic.
Organizations around the world grappled with the logistics of running a remote company, ensuring that employees had what they needed to remain productive while working from home. Unfortunately, while trying to keep their businesses afloat, many leaders and owners keep neglecting an important success factor: company culture. >>> READ MORE
The Center for Sales Strategy, on January 28, 2021
So much has been said and written about what top sellers do to set themselves apart from the average and low performing salespeople.
Let’s look at this from a different angle. What things do they make certain to NEVER do?
In order to fully understand what makes a high performing sales person, it’s helpful to recognize behaviors NOT exhibited by this elite group.
