Sales Performance Behaviors Sales and marketing budgets will consume an average of 12% of company revenues, according to the Gartner 2016-2017 CMO Spend Survey. With that level of spending focused on promoting your company's products and services, you want to ensure that your most potent customer-facing asset, your sales team, is trained and coached on [...]
Things are very exciting in New England! The Patriots are in the playoffs! I know; not a huge surprise, given the team's talent and coaching. But, one of the things they do well is executing their plan. For you, it's a new year. There is a new sales plan and new goals. But, despite [...]
Force Multiplier: A capability that, when added to and employed by a (combat) sales force, significantly increases that force's (combat) sales potential and thus enhances the probability of successful mission accomplishment. (JP 3-05.1) – "Official definition of the United States Department of Defense military term "force multiplier." In a competitive, data-rich, knowledge-based economy, we [...]
"In the moments before a word is spoken, anything is possible" Barbara Brown Taylor Cold Calls v. Intelligent Phone Prospecting Using the telephone to connect with prospective customers has been accused as inefficient. "Cold calling is dead" has been the proclamation. But, unfortunately, many sales teams take this proclamation as a license to avoid [...]
In negotiations, our previous discussions emphasized the significance of "who speaks first." However, recent groundbreaking research in negotiation science has shed light on a new aspect: the divergent impact of pre-negotiation "small talk" on men and women negotiators. Brooke A. Shaughnessy, Alexandra A. Mislin, and Tanja Hentschel, esteemed researchers in this field, delve into [...]
Working with our client sales teams, the topic of selling "style" is typically something we encounter. "That's my style," "what I am comfortable with," or "I am just that kind of person"….is usually part of the description. Influence style "Selling style," or Influence Style, is critical to successful sales outcomes. It is that mix [...]
In the realm of sales, the question of how to measure performance is a ubiquitous one. When posed to our clients, the responses we receive often revolve around outcome-based control system measurements such as meeting revenue and profit goals, as well as acquiring new customers. These metrics, while important, represent a traditional approach that [...]
In the rapidly evolving landscape of sales, the tactics and strategies of the past have lost their effectiveness. In addition, the rise of the Economy 2.0 has ushered in a new era of buyer expectations and demands, presenting unique challenges for sales teams striving to meet revenue targets using outdated Economy 1.0 approaches. The [...]
We have discussed the negative impact of authoritarian sales leadership in previous posts because of its negative impact on performance. Democratic or egalitarian leaders lead elite, high-performing sales teams. Workplace Bullying According to WBI – The Workplace Bullying Institute's 2014 national survey, the number of workers affected by workplace bullying is estimated to be [...]
This is it. The end of the "period" (you pick - day/week/month/quarter/year - how is your sales team measured). Moving deals through your sales pipeline takes on a greater sense of urgency. The stakes are higher, and the pressure is even higher. So what will make the difference between "Your sales team had a [...]
