The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Underperforming sales teams can significantly hinder a company's growth and success. If you're grappling with poor sales performance, now is the time to identify the root causes and implement effective solutions.

The most common reason employees give for quitting their last job is that their manager didn't care about them. 70% of top performers who leave their jobs point to a breakdown in a relationship.

Those employees aren’t your strugglers, or even your run-of-the-mill, average players. They are your top performers—those who you worked so hard to recruit, invested time in training and coaching, and who lead to the biggest growth in your organization.

Even though they may want to advance their careers, earn a living, support their families, and contribute to society – if an individual does not believe they can trust their manager to have their best interests at heart, they usually can’t keep doing the job.

Habits are routine behaviors that are repeated enough to become automatic. Habits help enhance productivity, build relationships, and increase overall performance.

Many AEs need to add new habits to their priorities. Adding some or all of the below will help improve your chances of closing deals and achieving your sales goals. Take a look!

In the world of sales, you are either a top performer or you're not!

Yes, there are new salespeople and journeyman sellers, but the reality is that even these sales reps are going to be top performers or not.

Top performers are driven, competitive, hard-working, positive, persuasive, and problem-solvers! They make the most of every day, every meeting, and every opportunity. They are prepared, confident, and start the day running.

So, the question of the day is, "Do you WANT to be a top performer or not?" If you do, then these are four things that you need to do every single Friday until you retire.

There is a hierarchy in the sales world.

Most sales leaders come from the days when salespeople were responsible for every step in the sales process. You had to find your leads, get an appointment, and ultimately close the deal. You only ate what you killed.

We were hunters, so we tend to favor and even value hunters more than farmers. When I say farmers, I mean salespeople who spend most of their time nurturing clients, building relationships, and growing them.

An effective omnichannel strategy integrates various channels, ensuring a consistent and personalized customer journey that leads to better brand recognition, customer satisfaction, and increased conversions.

As sales cycles embrace a hybrid model, the buyer's journey now spans multiple physical and digital touchpoints before making a purchase. To optimize the omnichannel experience and foster customer retention, it's crucial to understand customer expectations, map their journey, leverage data insights, align stakeholders, and continuously enhance the post-purchase experience.

How much more productive would you be if you focussed on your inputs? This means avoiding all distractions and only working on planning, pitching, and following up—all the factors that budge the needle, not those that don't. 

A lot of valuable time is wasted focusing on things we cannot control. For example, we have zero control over the economy, competitors, pricing, inventory, or customers' attitudes. Improving sales performance often requires changing focus from things that are out of our control to things we can control.

So, what exactly should you focus on? Here are several things within your control.

Top-performing sales managers are on top because they are continually finding ways to encourage their team to be more productive.

Constructive feedback is vital to ongoing development. In fact, 91% of salespeople said they want more learning and development opportunities.

Almost every sales organization has various types of sellers. There are the highest performers, who are needed even more after they reach their goals, their average performers that are “make or break,” depending on the month, and the low performers, who are a drag on achievement. There is an important technique that can give you a big boost with all of the above: Feedback. 

Managing a sales team can be challenging, especially when salespeople consistently miss their budget or sales targets.

While it's natural for sales professionals to have their ups and downs, it's essential to address performance issues promptly and effectively to ensure the overall success of your team and organization.

In this blog, we'll explore strategies and tips for managing salespeople who miss their budget, helping you turn underperformance into improved results.

As businesses focus on attracting new customers, they often overlook the importance of nurturing existing relationships to boost their bottom line.

Don't let your hard-earned customers slip away. Read on to discover five powerful ways to elevate your organization and achieve a higher renewal rate.