The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Have you ever spilled coffee down your shirt just before leaving for work and decided it would be a bad day?

You expected it to be a bad day, so it probably was! A negative mindset can set the tone for the hours to come.

On the other hand, have you ever felt so good about a presentation you were making that you walked in with super-charged confidence and a little extra bounce in your step? Odds are, your confidence level led to a top-notch performance, and that led to a positive outcome.

Both of those situations are examples of self-fulfilling prophecies. Self-fulfilling prophecies don’t just apply to you; they also apply to managing others.

Sales leadership is not just about driving numbers and closing deals; it's fundamentally about people management.

The success of any sales team hinges on the ability of its leader to manage, motivate, and mentor their team effectively. Although many things contribute to your team’s overall success, there are five essential people management skills every sales leader must master to build a successful and motivated sales team.

Leaders are busy. There are always more things to do than hours in the day: planning, budgeting, coaching, tracking KPIs, creating sales calendars, and the list goes on.

And then all the fires ruin the most well-planned day. No matter how organized a leader is, somehow, every day has multiple issues that must be addressed immediately. Oh well, that’s the job, right? It doesn’t have to be.

You can change your leadership style by transforming yourself into a Proactive Leader and your team into Proactive employees.

As a B2B senior sales leader, you know the pressure of driving consistent growth. But what happens when your once-thriving sales organization stalls?

Stagnant sales pipelines and flat revenue can be a symptom of deeper issues. This is a roadmap that equips you with insights, action items, and a clear path to transform your team into a growth machine.

As a leader, your time is precious. You're pulled in a million different directions, trying to drive your organization forward while also striving for some semblance of work-life balance.

The national bestseller "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Tim Ferriss has captivated readers with its bold promise of escaping the daily 9-5 grind. While some of the book's ideas around minimal work may be controversial, it contains several productivity gems that every successful executive should embrace.

Think for a minute about the very best leader you ever had. Then, think about the worst.

Likely, you have definite feelings on both. How did you feel when you moved on from the job with that very best leader?

You probably had second thoughts and wondered if you could have made that position work for you despite changing circumstances.

What about that worst manager? You probably walked away without a backward glance, relieved to never see them again.

The book "Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek offers profound insights into what it truly means to be a great leader. It challenges traditional notions of hierarchy, rank, and privilege and instead emphasizes the importance of building trust, safety, and purpose within a team.

Here are seven key lessons from the book.

Imagine for a moment that you are the sales leader for a national media company. Picture your sales team and imagine the following scenario….

Your team is made up of 100 percent sales superstars who knock it out of the park and raise the bar day after day, week after week, month after month. Their potential for success is unlimited.

If that scenario sounds like a dream to you instead of a reality, you are in the majority.

Our just-released fifth annual Media Sales Report found that 76% of sales managers don’t consider most of their teams to be superstars.

We've all felt the guilt and anxiety that comes from overcommitting or saying yes when we really wanted to say no. Whether due to pressure from others, difficulty setting boundaries, or problems prioritizing self-care, many of us end up overloaded, overwhelmed, and stretched too thin.

In her book "The Power of Saying No," organizational psychologist Dr. Vanessa Patrick provides research-backed advice on the value of refusal and how to say no with grace and purpose. Through 15 key lessons, she empowers readers to set healthy boundaries and live more focused, intentional, fulfilling lives.

In the intricate dance of human interaction, understanding the underlying psychology that governs why people say "yes" can be a powerful tool.

Robert B. Cialdini's groundbreaking work, "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion," dives deep into the psychological principles that drive decision-making and provides invaluable insights on ethical persuasion.

Here are six compelling lessons from the book that can be applied across various contexts and industries.