Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

That''s exactly how most salespeople go through each day, through each sales call and meeting, and through each sales cycle. It''s their sales managers, who are almost as much in the dark as their salespeople. Want an example of sales management being in the dark? They say, "Houston, in the dark.".

Decision Maker 313

Decision Maker Proposal Sales Cycle Exact 313

SBI Growth

NOVEMBER 22, 2012

Many marketing purists focus on the mechanics of segmentation work. You have to deliver this data down to the sales rep level. Take the following steps with any segmentation work: Educate Sales Management along the way – Show them how the segmentation was done in layman’s terms. What’s available in the market?

Segment 288

Segment Customer Territories Penetration 288

Sales and Marketing Management

FEBRUARY 25, 2020

By precision, she’s referring to specificity or how the reward aligns with an exact amount or value. Good incentives with reasonably precise rules and rewards allow sales managers to send positive signals about the company’s priorities and transparency. Reps Benefit From Incentives. Precision and Imprecision.

Incentive 323

Incentive Incentives Travel Motivation 323

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 27, 2014

One of Objective Management Group''s (OMG) most successful partners had an opportunity to work with young business leaders that had never sold. They were assessed with OMG''s tools, and assembled into 5 teams, all selling the exact same product. There simply wasn''t any sales management and the coaching they received was consistent.

Case Study 290

Case Study Study Lead Rank Lead Scoring 290

Highspot

APRIL 1, 2025

That’s what traditional sales role-playing feels like: forced, vague, and anxiety-inducing. Sales managers know role-play is essential to improve sales performance , yet the old methods make it difficult to coach effectively and drive improvement. Mistakes are actual learning opportunities, not career setbacks.

Training 52

Training Sales Management Hiring Lead Rank 52

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 21, 2014

But these benchmarks are flawed - for several reasons: What you consider a top performer in your organization may be very different from an actual top performer in the general sales population, so sometimes they are looking at the wrong people! Group 1 is your control group and receives no more help than they received previously.

Hiring 261

Hiring Groups Exact Face-to-face 261

Sales and Marketing Management

JANUARY 31, 2021

For managers, the ultimate goal for sales coaching is to create an environment where their sales team feels more motivated to learn, grow, and take on greater responsibility. The role of a sales manager is a difficult one and takes a unique type of person. Turnover is notoriously high in sales roles.

Sales Coaching 317

Sales Coaching Top of Funnel Coaching Hiring 317

SBI Growth

JUNE 21, 2013

Those who build great companies understand that the ultimate throttle on growth for any great company is not markets, or technology, or competition, or products. It’s June and you’re not sure your sales leader is going to last through the year. The secret to hiring a great sales leader is the ‘A’ Player Scorecard. Competencies.

Hiring 320

Hiring Commission Compensation Account 320

Gong.io

JANUARY 31, 2022

While the exact list depends on who you ask, the following (alphabetized) traits are all critical for a sales manager: Able to coach, analytical, available, confident, empathetic, good listener, innovative, leads by example, loyal, motivating, passionate, positive attitude, serves vs. dictates, strategic vision, strong communicator, and thoughtful.

Software 118

Software Software Sales Management Sales Forecasts 118

criteria for success

MARCH 2, 2022

There are many aspects to sales development. And all great sales managers know that when it comes to sales development, opportunities for growth are endless. When we talk to sales managers about sales development, we tend to get some similar questions: Where is the best place to start? Where to Start.

Sales Management 104

Sales Management Insurance Insurance Policies 104

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 24, 2013

You might set metrics around revenue generated from referrals, the number of new customers, the number of referral meetings set each week or month, the number of qualified opportunities that come from referrals (with revenue attached), or even new markets that you expand into because of referral opportunities. Comment Here.

Sales Process 266

Sales Process Referrals Small Business Small Business 266

SBI Growth

DECEMBER 17, 2013

Sales Reps hear through the grapevine about a sales or marketing improvement project. Then they ask their managers what’s going on. Strong communications are the key - e nlist the HR Business Partner early to manage the change. Sales or Marketing leadership thinks there’s a problem and decides to fix it.

Majestic 302

Majestic How To Channels Territories 302

Understanding the Sales Force

OCTOBER 16, 2013

Their member companies are big companies - most of what happens when they sell stuff doesn''t apply to small and mid-market companies. In other words, lack of sales process, typical since I entered the sales development space in 1985, has not changed at all! It was a survey! The reality is they only think it. Sound familiar?

Sales Process 251

Sales Process Margin Survey Forecasting 251

Bernadette McClelland

OCTOBER 3, 2019

For Salespeople, that behaviour is Responsibility , and to complete the equation, for the Sales Manager it is Accountability. In other words, 94% of elite salespeople don’t make any excuses or blame, compared to those 20% who, perhaps, shouldn’t be in sales. . Both in equal doses!

Account 301

Account Sports SalesForce Conference 301

Miller Heiman Group

APRIL 13, 2020

Sales managers normally face a trifecta of shifting demands from buyers, their direct reports and their organization. The COVID-19 pandemic gives sales managers the perfect opportunity to work toward transforming into more capable leaders. Shift From a Sales Manager’s Mindset to Sales Leader’s Mindset.

Top of Funnel 110

Top of Funnel Sales Management Strategy Funnel 110

Zoominfo

APRIL 2, 2018

Every sales manager wants their team to be successful– but sometimes, that’s easier said than done. Sales reps face a number of obstacles that can keep them from their goals and it’s your job as their manager to help them overcome these challenges. Facilitate better sales and marketing alignment.

Sales Qualified Lead 207

Sales Qualified Lead Penetration B2B Face-to-face 207

Understanding the Sales Force

MAY 9, 2014

When we work with companies selling through channels, the sales processes, metrics, sales management, sales coaching, sales training, messaging and coaching must be different from what we do with direct B2B sales forces. Channel sales is quite different.

Channels 225

Channels Retail Hotels Territories 225

SalesFuel

AUGUST 5, 2024

How Marketers Can Use Audience Segmentation to Achieve Rich ROI What is Audience Segmentation? According to Mailchimp , audience segmentation is “a marketing strategy based on identifying subgroups within the target audience in order to deliver more tailored messaging and build stronger connections.” Marketing information (e.g.

Segment 104

Segment ROI Ideal Customer Profile Marketing 104

Zoominfo

JANUARY 15, 2021

If you’re a sales manager, you’ve maybe been in the sales forecasting hot seat — of presenting numbers that look different from your prediction. What Is Sales Forecasting? Sales forecasting is how sales managers, directors, and VPs estimate upcoming revenue. Is marketing feeding quality MQLs to sales?

Sales Forecasts 207

Sales Forecasts Forecasting Hiring Pivotal 207

Zoominfo

JUNE 24, 2019

We recently discussed AI in the following post: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on B2B Marketing. Today John Holland, Chief Content Officer of CustomerCentric Selling, helps us cover the other side of the coin—artificial intelligence within the sales process. And, at ZoomInfo, we’re no exception.

Forecasting 272

Forecasting B2B CRM Quota 272

criteria for success

JULY 15, 2021

As sales managers, we’ve all been told we need to coach our teams. At CFS, we believe that to be an elite sales manager, you need to learn how to coach people where they are. At CFS, we believe that to be an elite sales manager, you need to learn how to coach people where they are. What makes a good coach?

Coaching 98

Coaching Sales Management Pipeline Sales Qualified Lead 98

Zoominfo

MAY 17, 2018

Since your reps work closely with prospects, they have valuable information that can be helpful when it comes to constructing your sales forecasting process. Who handles the sales forecasting in your organization? When sales departments operate like this, reps can feel pressured to underestimate or overestimate future sales.

Sales Forecasts 232

Sales Forecasts Forecasting Pipeline Scale 232

Understanding the Sales Force

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014

I''ll be speaking at Inbound14 , September 17, and I''ll be talking about How to Hire Great Inbound Sales/Marketing people. Responds better to being pushed by the sales manager - or prefers to push himself? Performs better when closely managed - or when left alone? You can see the 5-minute interview here.

Motivation 253

Motivation Hiring Face-to-face Decision Maker 253

Sales and Marketing Management

JULY 2, 2019

Just as marketers struggle for clever ways to get a message across to a customer, so should sales leaders be thinking outside the “just get the sale” box. A successful sales manager at a local agency uses a point system to track activity. Be creative. Break out of the norm to differentiate your offering.

Scale 184

Scale Segment Proposal Cold Calling 184

Zoominfo

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

Sales reps look to increase conversion rates by upping their cold call game. Along with actionable intelligence, guidelines for cold calls allow both sales managers and SDRs to tailor their sales processes. Don’t: Waste your time calling unfit, or barely fit leads — find out exactly who’s in your market.

Cold Calling 264

Cold Calling Guidelines Prospecting Face-to-face 264

Sales Hacker

MARCH 24, 2021

The key to unlocking a stronger opportunity pipeline and an increase in qualified leads is a unified, cohesive marketing and sales team. Alignment between sales and marketing is how you’ll build a system rooted in strategy, data and targeted initiatives to better reach prospective clients.

Marketing 125

Marketing Lead Rank Lead Scoring Sales Qualified Lead 125

Sales Hacker

JUNE 26, 2020

We were caught in a perpetual struggle between Sales and Marketing. Sales blamed Marketing for not attracting enough high-quality leads , and Marketing claimed Sales wasn’t nurturing leads enough. Now, Marketing and Sales share the same vision and common goals. Strictly aligned messages.

Top of Funnel 133

Top of Funnel Buyer Persona Marketing Ideal Customer Profile 133

Janek Performance Group

DECEMBER 24, 2024

Require Management Participation In addition to believing in the training, sales managers need to be participants. Team membersfrom the C-suite to marketers to new sales recruitsneed to understand, be in agreement about, and be in alignment with clearly stated goals and training outcomes.

Training 118

Training Hiring How To Retention 118

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 5, 2017

So, why are account-based sellers wasting time with cold calling and marketing-generated leads when referral introductions could get them the one-call meeting ? Sales reps often tell me they’re not cold calling. Their KPIs are transactional , so their teams’ sales activities are also transactional.

Cold Calling 222

Cold Calling Account Decision Maker Referrals 222

Steven Rosen

MARCH 2, 2023

He has been in the industry for the last ten years and has been a star in various sales and marketing roles. His recent promotion finds him managing managers. Having just gone through a sales force downsizing, Paul has adopted an inspirational leadership style. But what exactly does it mean to “inspire?

Hiring 227

Hiring Face-to-face SAP Energy 227

Sales and Marketing Management

JUNE 15, 2018

The firm was targeting the senior market by offering solutions to keep these older people safe in their own homes rather than empty bank accounts to move into senior housing. Step Sales Process by modeling two top sales professionals who had been selling for years. Author: Dan Seidman Ten thousand baby boomers turn 65 every day.

Hiring 191

Hiring Lead Rank Face-to-face Banking 191

Janek Performance Group

APRIL 10, 2025

Otherwise, the manager could default to whatever their preferred communication style and mode of coaching is. As a New Career Sales Rep or a More Experienced Rep with a New Employer If youre a totally new sales rep, congratulations and welcome to the exciting world of sales. Others want to just hear the facts.

How To 62

How To Coaching Sales Coaching Margin 62

Sales and Marketing Management

APRIL 26, 2018

Author: Sunny Paris If I had a dollar for every time I heard CEOs and sales managers complain about their CRM not being up to date, or that salespeople aren’t using it properly, I could probably retire. Advocates — often management – want the maximum number of people to use the tool so they can justify its deployment. .

Software 180

Software Software CRM System 180

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 14, 2019

As I reflected on my career in sales and sales management, I realized my best business had come from referrals. I did my “feet on the street” research and interviewed sales leaders and salespeople. There are no big marketing costs. Fifty of this company’s best clients said they’d be glad to give referrals.

Referrals 291

Referrals Cold Calling Survey Scale 291

Sales and Marketing Management

JANUARY 6, 2020

A far better approach is to ask stakeholders what they want to hear, which means product marketing and product management should play a major role in agenda development, as should the executive team, sales managers and sales reps themselves. Sessions for sales managers should be built into the agenda. .

Meeting 177

Meeting Retention Guidelines Survey 177

Partners in Excellence

DECEMBER 13, 2022

The post Sales Manager, What Value Are You Creating? Related Posts: Foundations Of Value Creation Value Realization, Value Positioning, Value Creation Value Realization Is Only Table Stakes, What Differentiates… Can Sales Really Create Value? Our people face exactly the same issues and concerns.

Sales Management 77

Sales Management Face-to-face Maximizer Exact 77

Zoominfo

MAY 13, 2018

What we’re about to say is going to contradict every point we’ve made thus far—but hear us out: Stress can be beneficial for sales people. There’s no way around it, stress drives activity and sales managers know this. If you’re a sales rep, don’t be afraid to ask your manager for more resources—they want to see you succeed.

Hiring 258

Hiring Sales Qualified Lead Lead Rank Lead Scoring 258