We publish a lot of posts on our blog in our effort to help sales managers and salespeople get better results. Every so often, we look back at our analytics to see which posts were the most popular, so we know what's of interest to people (and what we need to focus on with upcoming posts).
Here's a roundup of our top 5 most popular posts from 2016.
1. The Job of the Salesperson is to Help Prospects Navigate Their Buying Journey
You may have heard it said that the best way to approach selling is to make buying easier for the buyer. That saying has been around a long time. But a new twist on that is the notion of helping buyers navigate their journey. The journey in B2B buying has greatly changed over the last several years.
Smart salespeople think about the “things” along the buyer journey—and consider how they can help the buyer navigate that journey.
2. Three Ancient Leadership Insights to Motivate Your Sales Team
A leader’s success or failure is dependent on the actions of those they lead. Good sales mangers understand that actions begin with attitude and motivate their team to direct their talents to selling and delivering effective solutions for their clients. The insights of military leaders often apply in business, which is why Sun Tzu’s Art of War is popular reading within the ranks of management.
Success or failure is a result of what people think, feel, and then do. Xenophon was an ancient Greek warrior and philosopher who observed that what soldiers think and feel will affect their actions.
Let’s look closer at three observations he made and how they apply to sales management:
3. Tips to Make Sales Meetings Meaningful Instead of Meaningless
When you think about sales meetings you’ve attended over the years, were you delighted or disappointed? Were you engaged or enraged? Was your time spent in the meetings worthwhile or wasted?
The sales meeting is a staple in most every sales department. Time is money to every salesperson and sales leader. It’s up to the sales leader to make sure each meeting is positive, motivating, and worthwhile. Treat your sales team like customers who want to feel like their needs have been met and that they leave the meeting enlightened and energized.
Below are some tips to create sales meetings that can build teams that are infused with positivity about this weekly meeting.
4. Engage Your Prospect Like They’re a Human and Not Just an MQL
Today’s prospects are more in control of the buying process than ever before. They don’t care about what the next step in your sales process is or even the typical buying journey that your marketing team has spent countless hours researching and mapping.
In their minds, everything should be customized for their specific needs and time frames. They want information when they want it and in a format that’s easiest for them. They don’t want to play games or jump through artificial hoops to explore your solution or purchase from you. Remember that they don’t view themselves as your next closed deal. They don’t care if your forecast is correct or if you hit your quota. Instead, they see you as a potential solution to their next problem. They want their problem solved as quickly, easily, and economically as possible. Your job is to help them accomplish this.
5. Top 10 Ways to Decrease Turnover on Your Sales Team
Every sales manager has been there. You spend time and effort selecting just the right candidate. You get your “perfect” AE hired and trained, and they’re doing well. But then you get their two-week notice. Your heart sinks. You have invested time, energy, and most importantly money into this person, only to have them take their talent to another company. What happened?!
We have all heard the phrase, an employee joins a company but leaves a manager. So how can you keep your top talent? How can you become a manager whose people stay?
