Weekly Roundup: CRMs Can't Fix Underperforming Sales, Bombing Sales Calls+ More

by Amanda Meade, on October 22, 2021

- MOTIVATION -

"Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It's about one life influencing another."

- John C. Maxwell

- AROUND THE WEB -

<< If you only read one thing >>

Your CRM Can't Fix Underperforming Sales, But Sales Performance Management Can – Selling Power

For sales leaders, getting the tech stack right can be a challenge.

On the one hand, the B2B sales space is flooded with solutions that each solve a different problem, so it’s easy to overcommit to a stack that speaks so many different languages that eventually it’s impossible to get a clear picture of what’s going on in the sales organization.

And this is clearly a top of mind issue for many sales leaders. In a recent Selling Power survey of more than 150 B2B sales leaders, two thirds reported that they’re already using at least two to four systems and are hesitant to add more. >>> READ MORE

Bombed a Sales Call? Join the Club. Do These 3 Things to Recover – LinkedIn

You said something foolish. The client was difficult. You didn't act buyer first. Or, something far more embarrassing.

Bottom line – you just bombed your sales call.

Well, you’re not alone. Anyone who has ever tried to sell anything has bombed (many times) along the way. The real test is how you recover from it.

So, what should you do?

Longtime Sales Expert Lisa McLeod has a LinkedIn Learning video on that exact topic. In it, she details three next steps to take, if you blow a sales call. >>> READ MORE

Employee Mental Health: How Inclusion Boosts Wellness – Breezy

Work should be a safe space for everyone.

But when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, there’s immediate concern about company culture and how it affects employee mental health.

About 1 in 5 US adults live with a mental illness. And you don’t have to be clinically diagnosed to experience the effects of stress and anxiety, especially at work.

For underrepresented groups, this workplace stress is disproportionate to their white cis-gendered counterparts, according to these findings published in the Harvard Business Review. >>> READ MORE

Employee Attrition in Sales and How It Impacts Revenue (Even When Sales Reps Return) – Mailshake

Estimates suggest that turnover in U.S. salespeople is as high as 27%, which is significantly above the U.S. average.

This is a problem, because each employee you lose affects your bottom line in a variety of ways, from the productivity you miss out on while searching for a replacement, to the time it takes for a new hire to get up to speed.

Furthermore, bear in mind that organizations spend an average of $2,326 a year per salesperson on training activities. So if a sales rep sticks with you for three years then leaves, you’ve lost out on close to $7,000 in training investment alone.

And that’s only scratching the surface. The true costs of losing a salesperson are much higher. >>> READ MORE

3 Principles to Retain Talent– The Great Game of Business

10.9 million. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, that is the number of job openings in the United States as of the end of July.

To add fuel to the fire, there are 4.9 million more people than before the pandemic who are currently not working or even looking for work. Then consider that 3.6 million people retired during the pandemic, and 2 million more are expected to leap into retirement. No wonder nearly 90 percent of the 1,200 employers surveyed by SHRM reported a lack of people to fill open positions, and 73% stated the application rate is declining as well. >>>READ MORE

...And Don't Miss An Episode of Improving Sales Performance

Don’t miss another episode of the Improving Sales Performance series where Managing Partner Matt Sunshine speaks with thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus, who share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance.

Click here to view the playlist from Season 1 where thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance.
Click here to view the playlist from Season 2 which is focused on analysis of the annual Media Sales Report; unpacking the data from the surveys to help media sales teams use these insights to drive sales performance in the year ahead.
Click here to view the playlist from Season 3 which is focused on helping sales leaders make an IMPACT on their sales performance through insight on 4 key areas: people, process, planning, and performance.
Click here to view the playlist from Season 4 which is focused on talking to leaders, CEOs, Executives, and authors about their businesses and how they improve revenue performance.
Click here to view the playlist from Season 5 which is focused on celebrating women in sales. Guests are female thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus, who share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance.

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