Building a top-notch sales force is a dynamic endeavor. It requires a solid foundation of leadership, market focus, sales process and ongoing management. Many organizations have some – but not all – of these critical components in place and wonder why results may be lacking. Is your sales force ‘fit’? Are your sales people thriving ...
If you’re a member of a sales force, or in sales management, there is always practical information you must know. You need to know as much as possible about your own products. You need to have a firm grounding about your particular industry and market. Today especially you must have as much insight as possible ...
We recently interviewed top sales expert, bestselling author and leading sales and executive coach Deb Calvert on several topics of her expertise, including her new book Stop Selling and Start Leading. The interview gives some fascinating insight into sales questions, teamwork, and the amazing power of leadership in sales. 1. The name of your company ...
A variety of industries use inside sales as a popular high-growth sales model. According to Harvard Business Review, 46 percent of high-growth tech companies are expanding through inside sales, as compared to 21 percent growing through outside sales teams. The reasons for inside sales (SDR/BDR) team growth vary, but one fact is clear: buyers seem ...
I’m going to tell you something you’ll never hear your sales manager say: “Don’t try so hard.” Many salespeople think the harder they try the more they’ll succeed. It rarely works out that way and I want to explain why. It’s very important for salespeople to find a balance between making effort and over-trying to ...
Theory of Constraints (ToC) is a management principle that states that output is essentially limited by one constraining process and by resolving this constraint, you may increase your output. This is another way of saying that you are only as good as your weakest link. A sales team works with a number of constraints – ...
(If you haven’t read it, see Sales Process is a Big Deal! (Part One)) A sales process includes all the steps that are taken from the time a prospect indicates interest in a product or service to their acquisition of that product or service and beyond. Sales cycles differ based on various factors such as ...
In the traditional sales role, a full pipeline of potential clients is essential to remain employed. Since the answer ‘no’ is far more frequent than ‘yes’, thought is to be given to how you can win the game and earn the sale. Winning refers to not only receiving commissions along with bonuses but also alleviating ...
This is my final article on salesperson fitness, with a note on the incredible Tom Brady. As we’ve discussed throughout this series, fitness isn’t just a matter of one’s body. There is also fitness of the mind, and (believe it or not) fitness of the spirit. Most importantly, these must all be addressed together, holistically, ...
It’s all about creating a customer base that is addicted to your organization. Addiction isn’t a casual interest or a take-it-or-leave it attitude. When customers are addicted to a particular organization they are “all in” as long as they continue to receive the value that converted them to raving fans in the first place. And ...
