World-class leaders understand improving performance is part art and part science. A recipe that includes the proper blend of both—art and science—is often what separates failure from success and exhibits the following:

• Outstanding performance (beating others in their peer group)
• High level of employee engagement and satisfaction
• Low turnover
• A culture of engagement
• A tribe that everyone wants to be part of

The debate on whether successful sales leadership is truly an art or a science has been running for decades. At The Center for Sales Strategy (CSS), we know that it’s a perfect combination of both. When blended and configured correctly, the fusion between art and science results in a powerhouse sales team and business.

Great client experience is key to increased revenue and overall growth. And there are many things that affect your client’s experience with your company. From every encounter with the receptionist and support staff to the product itself, the client is forming an opinion on what the experience is like working with your company. While all of these aspects have an impact on experience, for many, it’s often the salesperson that has the biggest influence.

The best salespeople will focus on the client's needs and delivering their desired solutions. This, along with many other reasons, is why we focus on coaching sales talent and finding the perfect fit when hiring a salesperson.

Did you know that 60% of job seekers report having had a poor candidate experience in their job hunt? And, even worse, according to Career Arc, 72% of them shared those bad experiences with others (often on social media)! Ouch!

Are you burning bridges with your interview process? If so, it’s time to make a change so you can protect your company culture and image.

Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Gen X-ers (1965-1979), and Millennials (1980-1995) have been the core generations that sales managers have long tailored incentive and engagement programs to. All have very different goals, needs, and work styles that require accommodation in order to improve sales performance, reach sales goals, inspire, and motivate.

Entering today’s workforce is the fourth generation, labeled Generation Z. Gen Z are individuals born between the late 1990s and 2010 that are starting to graduate college and join the sales world as independent adults.

We know that Boomers are incredibly loyal, Gen Xers are independent, Millennials seek reassurance and collaboration, and Gen Zers are more diverse than ever. How can you possibly motivate and manage such a multigenerational sales team?

What does the term work-life balance mean to you? The standard definition for most of us is the time we allocate to work versus the time allocated to everything else, such as family, personal pursuits, social, and leisure activities. According to HubSpot Research, one-third of salespeople say their job negatively affects their personal life, and one-half admit they need to improve their work-life balance. Another one in three say there is no work-life balance.

Most people understand the concept of work-life balance but find it hard to define what an acceptable balance is. The “right amount of work” versus the “right amount of family time” varies greatly based on individual lifestyles. Salespeople hear the term work-life balance from colleagues and managers on a daily basis, but what does work-life balance mean? It’s common for leaders and their direct reports to have different definitions of the term, and therefore very different expectations.

Your employees are the foundation of your company and your culture. So, it stands to reason that every hire you make will either enhance your culture or detract from it - one person at a time.

We know that finding top talent is difficult! And with the current talent shortage, now more than ever, the candidate is in the driver’s seat. Once you finally find the right person to bring onboard, someone with the right talents and the right fit for your team, you want to do everything you can to develop and keep them. And this starts from the moment you send them that offer letter.

Did you know that Zappos pays new hires $2000 to quit within the first week of their employment? Although that seems like an incredible gamble with their hiring budget, this policy encourages those who are only there for the paycheck to take the money and run, leaving those who really want to be there.

It is more important than ever before that sales organizations focus increased attention on emotional intelligence. As a sales performance company focused on turning talent into performance, we see evidence every day that when leaders are more self-aware and more aware of others, they are more successful.

Company culture is a vital component of a successful business -- or at least that's what 'they' say. Studies show that it affects recruitment and hiring top talent as well as retention and employee engagement. It's a baseline for productivity and can set the tone for work ethic, expectations, team camaraderie, and even brand recognition. 

You hear the words bounced around. "Company culture" is a term that a lot of people are talking about. But what are they doing about it? Is it really impacting their organizations? I decided to dig in and see what I could find as far as the impact company culture is playing in organizations. Here's what I found. 

Culture first… all the other stuff after that! 

“Until I came to IBM, I probably would have told you that culture was just one among several important elements in any organization’s makeup and success – along with vision, strategy, marketing, financials, and the like… I came to see, in my time at IBM, that culture isn’t just one aspect of the game, it is the game. In the end, an organization is nothing more than the collective capacity of its people to create value.”                             - Louis V. Gerstner, JR – former CEO of IBM 

Most organizations dealing with performance issues miss this point. Traditional logic dictates performance improvement is tied to any or all of these factors:

• Product
• People
• Process

Don’t get me wrong, these things are important, but they are not as important as culture. 

Music can help you push through a difficult workout, it can calm your nerves, and it can even get you pumped up and geared towards success. Music can have a powerful impact on your mindset, and using music and the right rhythm to support positive thoughts could definitely get your sales performance headed in the right direction.

Abba — Money, Money, Money

Listen to it here.

“Money, money, money. Must be funny. In the rich man’s world.” What do we all work for? Money, right? To some extent, for sure! The key to this song is honing in on your motivation. “All the things I could do if I had a little money.” What are those things? What do you want to use and spend your money on? Home improvements? A new car? A family vacation? Define those things and create a visual target or vision board that you will see every day. Know exactly what you want to make, and sometimes more importantly WHY.

Where's your motivation? What lights your fire?

Pet Shop Boys — Opportunities

Listen to it here.

“I’ve got the brains, you’ve got the looks. Let’s make lots of money.” To me this song really speaks to using your resources. Who and what do you have around you to help make your ideas bigger and stronger? What could you tap into to make you feel more informed? What areas do you need to improve in or what areas do you find you are lacking skills or knowledge? How can you close that gap? Using your resources helps to ensure you are maximizing each opportunity to the fullest extent. “Oh there’s a lot of opportunities if you know when to take them.”

Are you using your resources?