Understanding the Sales Force

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

Companies are spending more money on sales force evaluations, sales training, consulting, sales leadership development, sales process, infrastructure and sales recruiting services than 5 years ago. There are probably twice as many books on the subject than just 10 years ago. And selling has changed more in the past 5 years than ever before.

Sales Management 288

Sales Management Hiring Compensation Trends 288

Jeffrey Gitomer

MARCH 8, 2013

Structure a fair compensation package that is commission based The more they sell, the more they earn. They help salespeople sell, and they’re a reflection of the quality of your business in the mind of the prospect. Have a generous compensation package that rewards success. Have regular sales training.

Incentives 255

Incentives Incentive Compensation Referrals 255

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 12, 2013

Setting Quotas, territory structures, headcounts and total compensation budgets are examples. Get the sales team trained on how to sell socially. Your compensation plan must align to your strategy. Are your territories designed to maximize time with customers and prospects? Get LinkedIn upgrades.

Buyer Persona 310

Buyer Persona Territories Compensation Buyer 310

SBI Growth

AUGUST 7, 2013

He is getting in front of prospects and valued customers. He’s looking at compensation analysis, territory design, and sales structure. Skills Training: Unless directed, the sales manager takes an ad-hoc approach to skills. She recommends reading the latest books or product training. Reps that fail are re-trained.

Construction 334

Construction Ideal Customer Profile Territories Compensation 334

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 29, 2013

To make matters worse, everybody in the planning sessions (finance, product, training, HR) has never made a number. 1 — Customers & Prospects: The most important thing is your customer/prospect. 2 — Rep and Manager Skills: You are debating what training you should do at your Q1 sales kickoff. The buyers are busy.

Territories 308

Territories Compensation Buyer Google 308

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 16, 2020

Whether you are a CEO, vice president, or sales manager, you have a central role in your company’s sales process and in the decision to transition from vapid outbound prospecting to selling through referrals. And you will align all systems in your organization—recruiting, training, and compensation—to support the referral selling process.

Referrals 328

Referrals Sales Management Hiring Scale 328

SBI Growth

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

They know their rivals’ compensation plans. These LDRs were well trained and capable of qualifying true prospects. Prospects who did engage were speaking with multiple vendors as well. Prospects who did speak with the Teleprospectors were better informed and more aware of competitive alternatives.

Competition 323

Competition Customer Lead Rank Top of Funnel 323

The Pipeline

JANUARY 18, 2012

Prospecting. Sales Compensation. Sales Training. 3 R’s of Prospecting Success. Dave Kahle – Sales Training. From The Heart Sales Training Blog. TopLine Sales Compensation Solutions. Plagiarism. Presentation. Proactive Triggers. Proactivity. Productivity. qualifying. Reputation 2.0. Sales Cycle.

Pipeline 253

Pipeline Cold Calling Hiring Compensation 253

SBI Growth

DECEMBER 5, 2013

Training: Have you given your team the right training? Some people just need the right information and training to become more productive. If budgets are tight, have your superstars conduct mini trainings. Having a clear understanding of your ideal customers and prospects is essential to success.

Top of Funnel 296

Top of Funnel Territories Scale Segment 296

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 10, 2021

I was working for a global consulting and training firm. Get meetings with prime prospects in one call. Convert prospects to clients more than 50 percent of the time. We ask for an introduction to our ideal prospect. The conversion rate of prospect to client has shifted from an average of 50 percent to 70 percent.

Referrals 385

Referrals Cold Calling Webinar Metrics Call-back 385

The Pipeline

JULY 25, 2011

Prospecting. Sales Compensation. Sales Training. 3 R’s of Prospecting Success. Dave Kahle – Sales Training. From The Heart Sales Training Blog. TopLine Sales Compensation Solutions. Plagiarism. Presentation. Proactive Triggers. Proactivity. Productivity. qualifying. Reputation 2.0. Sales Cycle.

Pipeline 265

Pipeline Hiring Top of Funnel Vendor 265

Score More Sales

DECEMBER 23, 2013

Last year I was able to buy the home I wanted which is on the train line into the office. Next, take your compensation plan and from that, understand what sorts of activities you need to accomplish every month to make those numbers happen. I’m adding to my retirement fund and plan to buy a vacation home in 5 years.

InsideView 238

InsideView Compensation Inbound Lead Rank 238

The Pipeline

MAY 20, 2011

Stored in Business Acumen , Buying Process , Guest Post , Productivity , Prospecting , Sales 2.0 , Sales Strategy , execution. For a free copy of his Client Breakthrough report and training videos head over to [link]. LinkedIn is a two way street, now your prospects know your background. Prospecting. Sales Compensation.

Pipeline 313

Pipeline Twitter Small Business Small Business 313

The Pipeline

AUGUST 5, 2011

Prospecting. Sales Compensation. Sales Training. 3 R’s of Prospecting Success. Dave Kahle – Sales Training. From The Heart Sales Training Blog. TopLine Sales Compensation Solutions. Plagiarism. Presentation. Proactive Triggers. Proactivity. Productivity. qualifying. Reputation 2.0. Sales Cycle.

Pipeline 275

Pipeline Hiring Travel Twitter 275

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Prospecting. Sales Compensation. Sales Training. 3 R’s of Prospecting Success. Dave Kahle – Sales Training. From The Heart Sales Training Blog. TopLine Sales Compensation Solutions. Plagiarism. Presentation. Proactive Triggers. Proactivity. Productivity. qualifying. Reputation 2.0. Sales Cycle.

Pipeline 258

Pipeline Cold Calling Top of Funnel Compensation 258

The Pipeline

AUGUST 16, 2011

This is why the “let’s wait” school fails; they see a prospect “at rest” and respond leaving it “at rest”; sure doesn’t take long for nothing to happen, that’s not selling. Having done the above work, I know that many sales leaders are looking for more prospects, more new revenue opportunities.

Pipeline 267

Pipeline Lead Rank Lead Scoring Sales Qualified Lead 267

Score More Sales

FEBRUARY 20, 2013

I had the pleasure to sit down with Emotional Intelligence (Ei) Sales Expert Colleen Stanley recently and we talked about how sales training – sales skills – can fail because our reps were not aware of their emotional awareness. Inconsistent prospecting activity – low impulse control or delayed gratification.

Decision Maker 234

Decision Maker Proposal Lead Rank Influencer 234

The Pipeline

OCTOBER 31, 2011

Prospecting. Sales Compensation. Sales Training. 3 R’s of Prospecting Success. Dave Kahle – Sales Training. From The Heart Sales Training Blog. TopLine Sales Compensation Solutions. Plagiarism. Presentation. Proactive Triggers. Proactivity. Productivity. qualifying. Reputation 2.0. Sales Cycle.

Pipeline 253

Pipeline Top of Funnel Hiring Real Estate 253

SBI Growth

DECEMBER 22, 2013

According to your compensation plan and bookings report, you won. People get disappointed with sales training events. They satisfy a box checking exercise around providing training. New Capability Required - Modern prospecting methodology that sales reps can consistently execute. You made the number. You celebrate.

Scale 282

Scale Compensation Exercises Follow-up 282

Score More Sales

JULY 11, 2013

Take a moment to list out the questions you don’t have answers for with existing clients and also with your top prospective customers. I’ve been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions.

Sales Qualified Lead 309

Sales Qualified Lead Opportunity Lead Rank Lead Scoring 309

SBI Growth

SEPTEMBER 23, 2012

Sales can then do what they should be doing, which is selling, not prospecting. Sales Reps need to train their customers to use Customer Service. Ensure appropriate training and educational materials for these sales behaviors (at the Sales Rep and Manager level.). Sales can’t do the job alone.

Education 303

Education Penetration Customer Service Sales Qualified Lead 303

SBI Growth

FEBRUARY 23, 2014

Here are a few that can impact your success: - Sales compensation - Direct reports immediately state that compensation is an issue. They push for compensation changes. The new sales leader spends wasted time reconciling compensation plans. They think that immediate training will help the team hit the number.

Compensation 189

Compensation Quota Promotion Competition 189

Sales Hacker

MAY 9, 2019

A great sales compensation plan needs to accomplish quite a lot. It needs to provide fair compensation to employees in customer-facing roles. The Process for Creating a Sales Compensation Plan. Plan Compensation for Onboarding and Training. Example Compensation Plans. Establish Role Levels. Keep it Simple.

Face-to-face 104

Face-to-face Compensation Commission Lead Rank 104

The Pipeline

JULY 18, 2011

For example, if I can get a buyer to see that my training will bring in an extra three sales a year, and he tells me that each nets $1,200, that’s $3,600. Prospecting. Sales Compensation. Sales Training. 3 R’s of Prospecting Success. Dave Kahle – Sales Training. Plagiarism. Presentation.

Pipeline 271

Pipeline Lead Rank Lead Scoring Top of Funnel 271

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 1, 2013

Whether you are CEO, vice president, or a sales manager , you have a central role in your company’s sales process and in the decision to transition to referral selling—the only business-development strategy proven to convert prospects into clients more than 50 percent of the time. Referral Selling is a Complete Shift.

Referrals 253

Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Cold Calling Penetration 253

SBI Growth

MARCH 10, 2013

Assume an RVP has asked for a new report regarding his team's completion of recent training. If the training doesn’t link to getting or growing ideal customers, score it low on "Strategic Alignment". Your boss has asked you to design a compensation SPIFF’s for next quarter. Why would the prospect care?

Lead Rank 276

Lead Rank Lead Scoring Scale Influencer 276

SBI Growth

FEBRUARY 6, 2013

Three years ago I dropped a King’s ransom with a compensation consultant. Before that I spent a small fortune on sales training. A prospect will buy this software to replace a system they already have. A prospect is not buying this product for the first time. I have spent millions trying to defeat the son-of-a-gun.

Banking 288

Banking Software Software Competition 288

SBI Growth

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

Go to your manger and get the training / coaching that you need and deserve. Employ the old Give-Get strategy to negotiate more coaching, training and metric-based analytics. Now is the perfect time to approach the subject when you’re in discussions regarding quota, compensation and 2013 goals. Are you among this 66%?

Ideal Customer Profile 300

Ideal Customer Profile Lead Rank Lead Scoring Analysis 300

SalesProInsider

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Two words that no prospective client is going to say. Depersonalized” sales conversation and explanations of what you do, and how you do it, stop the prospect from connecting with you and the solution. The problem is that it’s not personal; it’s “me” and other people…which leaves the prospect sitting on the sideline.

Conversion 126

Conversion Prospecting Compensation Examples 126

Score More Sales

JUNE 30, 2014

Keep it Tasty – your offers to prospects must be enticing. Train and coach frontline sales leaders. Studies show this is the best place to invest in training with follow-up coaching for reinforcement. Lori speaks, writes, trains, and consults with inside sales teams in mid-sized companies.

Hiring 247

Hiring Ideal Customer Profile Territories Commission 247

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 4, 2024

Consultative Approach to Selling Call Reluctance is Just as Popular as Ever! Consultative Approach to Selling Call Reluctance is Just as Popular as Ever! Does Being a Strong Qualifier Correlate to Having a Strong Pipeline? 4 Reasons Why Salespeople Suck at Consultative Selling.

Hiring 159

Hiring Sales Leadership Sales Forecasts Forecasting 159

Hubspot Sales

APRIL 27, 2021

Here, we'll take a closer look at what a territory manager does, the skills they're expected to have, how they're compensated, and the emerging practice of online territory management. They train reps across their territory. You need to know how prospects generally engage with your competitors.

Territories 116

Territories Compensation Trade Show Salary 116

Score More Sales

DECEMBER 16, 2013

Start with LinkedIn and make sure you have a fantastic profile that draws prospects and partners to you. Give prospective customers and those who could refer you many times over the chance to know you. Consider less in-person events and more online engagement with targeted prospects and targeted strategic partners.

Lead Rank 256

Lead Rank Lead Scoring Ideal Customer Profile LinkedIn 256

Score More Sales

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

Are sales reps and account managers coached on effective listening skills so that prospects and customers really feel heard? Do they go beyond the basics to make things easier for prospects and customers? Do customer-facing reps take actions that help ease a sales or up-sell opportunity?

Retention 254

Retention Company Customer Lead Rank 254

DiscoverOrg Sales

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Compensation. In addition to the more obvious responsibilities of recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training, HR decision-makers are responsible for purchases that affect other areas as well. orientation, training, and communication. compensation strategy and delivery. Compensation strategy. Workplace services.

Resources 224

Resources Decision Maker Compensation Vendor 224

DiscoverOrg Sales

AUGUST 19, 2016

So, we set up training for recruiters to help them message and speak about the company’s strengths and differentiators just like we did for sales and marketing; the training involved role-playing, one-minute pitches, email messaging, cold call prospecting, and SLAs for response times.

Hiring 222

Hiring Marketing Top of Funnel Cold Calling 222

Score More Sales

JULY 22, 2014

Learn about the company your prospective buyer works for. Create a list of prospective customers and track what they are talking about on LinkedIn, Twitter, and on their website. If I have prospects and customers in the banking industry, I’m going to track banks by name and if I have a geographic territory, by location.

Ideal Customer Profile 234

Ideal Customer Profile Banking Engineering Twitter 234