Understanding the Sales Force

SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan There are more sales experts, self-professed and otherwise, than ever before. There is more free content on sales and selling than anyone could have imagined. There are categories of sales tools and CRM applications where none existed a few years ago. It seems to have worsened!

Sales Management 288

Sales Management Hiring Compensation Trends 288

SBI Growth

JANUARY 5, 2014

Each recommendation addresses the biggest obstacles every sales manager faces to making the number: Not enough ‘A’ players on the team. Every sales manager is time starved. Sales Managers should be spending 75% of their time coaching their team. POST-SALES SUPPORT. Let customer service or post-sales support handle this.

Sales Management 310

Sales Management Face-to-face Decision Maker Travel 310

SBI Growth

MARCH 4, 2013

Plagued by Sales Rep turnover? This post is to help discover the root cause of Sales Rep turnover. It is for HR Business Partners working with Sales Leaders. Here’s a sales rep turnover example. These also relate to Sales Rep turnover. Sales success is 50% talent and 50% performance conditions. Poor Hiring.

Hiring 326

Hiring Outsourcing Services Lead Nurturing Demand Generation 326

SBI Growth

MARCH 29, 2013

B2B Sales Reps compete with their peers for sales support resources. Good Sales Reps consistently secure these resources and create their own virtual teams. This Social Selling skill works with your customers and prospects. You can cash in on Social Debt to build your virtual sales support team.

B2B 293

B2B Commission Incentive Incentives 293

SBI Growth

SEPTEMBER 23, 2013

Your Sales Strategy. It is one thing to have a sales strategy. VPs of Sales are asking the question “What have I done before?”. VPs of Sales are asking questions like: Is our Sales Process good enough? Are my Sales Managers good enough? Do This— Start with a Sales Strategy Blueprint. This is flawed.

Compensation 325

Compensation Social Media Incentive Incentives 325

Salesmate

JUNE 4, 2021

Sales isn’t the same as it used to be. And with this change in technology, advancements in sales methodologies have also taken place. Similarly, many other practices in sales have changed with the changing world around. One such practice is that of providing sales incentives to the salespeople.

Incentive 105

Incentive Incentives Compensation Motivation 105

SBI Growth

NOVEMBER 30, 2013

How should the top sales leader in the company utilize this limited time? Download the SBI Sales SVP New Year’s Guide here. Let’s look at several ways sales leaders misallocate their year-end days. Are they adept at Social Prospecting? These competencies correlate to sales success. They are relevant.

Policies 303

Policies Incentive Incentives Channels 303

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 1, 2019

It’s also the ultimate sales advantage. Sales has always gotten a bad rap, but it’s gotten much worse as sales channels have evolved. The problem is with typical sales metrics. The trust the prospect has for the referral source is transferred to the salesperson. Forget about incentives. We all know why.

Referrals 289

Referrals System Cold Calling Social Media 289

SBI Growth

NOVEMBER 17, 2013

Listen up Chief Sales Officer. It’s time that Sales Operations gets your undivided attention. Download the Leaders Guide to Sales Ops Enablement by clicking here. There are multiple reasons why Sales Ops needs your attention now. Sales, marketing, IT, strategy, operations and customer service. Opportunity is ripe.

Company 296

Company Hiring Buyer Persona Maximizer 296

No More Cold Calling

JANUARY 16, 2020

Here are five important steps to make your team referral sales experts. If salespeople were self-motivated, they wouldn’t need sales managers or metrics. That’s why we need sales managers. Actually, what we need is strong sales leadership. Sales managers do what they ask others to do. I’m including myself here.

Referrals 328

Referrals Sales Management Hiring Scale 328

Crunchbase

APRIL 6, 2023

During the past two years, sales professionals have faced budget and hiring freezes along with multiple bouts of layoffs across industries — especially in tech. It’s less than ideal that the average sales turnover rate is 35%, compared to a 13% average turnover rate for all other roles. Why the disparity?

Incentive 98

Incentive Incentives Hiring Top of Funnel 98

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 21, 2013

Sales Operations is responsible for creating that winning environment. 80% of its sales team was outside sales reps. The Sales Operations team moved to reorganize the group. Incentive Programs. Does your comp plan incent behaviors that will get you to your number? Resource Allocation.

Hiring 293

Hiring Ideal Customer Profile Margin Face-to-face 293

Zoominfo

MAY 13, 2018

It’s common knowledge that working in sales is hard. Yet—what most people don’t understand is the extent to which sales pressure can negatively impact an organization. In today’s post we explain the effects of sales pressure and provide ways to mitigate this stress productively. ” ( source ). ” ( source ).

Hiring 258

Hiring Sales Qualified Lead Lead Scoring Lead Rank 258

Sales and Marketing Management

MAY 31, 2020

Sales teams are a particularly unique case as their compensation is likely to be highly leveraged and more sensitive to changes in the marketplace. What happens to the sales force and their commission-based structure? Is top sales talent at risk of leaving if they can’t earn commissions? . Model Costs Accurately.

Motivation 194

Motivation Compensation Commission Incentive 194

Zoominfo

JUNE 25, 2021

Unclear sales goals are costly. These are metrics that prioritize and improve sales performance and yield valuable specifics like percent of team meeting quota, average on-target earnings, and sales cycle length. KPIs should match the specific needs of your sales team. The Sales KPIs You Need to Know.

Sales Qualified Lead 227

Sales Qualified Lead Top of Funnel B2B Lead Rank 227

Zoominfo

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

Their sales reps get super hands-on with prospects during the buying journey — they provide demos, answer questions, ask for feedback, etc. Then the prospect makes a purchase, and suddenly they’re on their own. Establish an incentive-based customer loyalty program. Offer incentives that speak to your customers’ values.

Loyalty 206

Loyalty Customer Incentive Incentives 206

No More Cold Calling

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

Women in sales have everything they need to succeed. It’s sneakier than gender discrimination or racial prejudice of old, but just as damaging for careers, relationship-building opportunities, and account based sales teams. The first is Sue, a successful field sales manager in a tech company. Comments were prolific.

Cold Calling 266

Cold Calling Loyalty Account Intent 266

The Pipeline

AUGUST 27, 2019

While it may be realistic to expect inside sales teams to sell more than 23% of their time, it is not for others. They not only give away their time; they pay the prospect for the privilege of doing so. Buyers know they will be offered price incentives to bring a deal in sooner, like “end of the quarter.” Well you can.

Wireless 264

Wireless Discount Face-to-face Scale 264

criteria for success

FEBRUARY 8, 2022

If you’ve been a sales manager for a while, it's inevitable that one or more people – or even your entire sales team – will get into a prospecting or selling slump. 7 Sales & Prospecting Slump-Busters. Have everyone set an individual weekly goal for how many prospecting activities they will perform.

Prospecting 105

Prospecting eBook Lead Scoring Lead Rank 105

Sales and Marketing Management

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

Some sales organizations saw their pipelines disappear overnight, so they began to reevaluate processes in an attempt to preserve them. Aligning sales and service teams will better position an organization to engage with customers throughout their journey and achieve mutual success for themselves and their clients. .

SAP 207

SAP Compensation Face-to-face Analytics 207

Sales and Marketing Management

JUNE 26, 2018

Author: Mike Donnelly You have sales goals to reach. But if you’re like most sales leaders, 40 to 70 percent of your people will fall short of their quota. You have to get the sales reps to change their behaviors. How many prospects will they need to approach? You must get them in line to produce results.

Incentive 174

Incentive Incentives Compensation Lead Scoring 174

Crunchbase

NOVEMBER 9, 2021

Lead generation is pointless if it doesn’t result in a prospect and a conversion. Before we dive into how to drive conversions, let’s first unpack the difference between a lead and a prospect, and how to turn one into the other. Grow your revenue with all-in-one prospecting solutions powered by the leader in private-company data.

Sales Qualified Lead 111

Sales Qualified Lead Lead Scoring Lead Rank Prospecting 111

No More Cold Calling

APRIL 20, 2017

Here’s how to cure your prospecting problem. Let’s set the record straight: Most everyone on your sales team has call reluctance—whether they’re cold calling or asking for referrals. What’s to fear about prospecting? One of my first corporate sales jobs was with a global consulting and training firm. Surprised?

Cold Calling 249

Cold Calling Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Promotion 249

Sales and Marketing Management

MARCH 19, 2018

Author: Matthew Sunshine More than 40 percent of salespeople claim that lead prospecting is often more difficult than qualifying and closing the actual deal. But difficulty and a lack of time are merely surface reasons explaining why sales teams often fail to generate more leads. Make lead generation a priority — and measure it.

Sales Qualified Lead 221

Sales Qualified Lead Leads Marketing Qualified Lead Lead Generation 221

Sales and Marketing Management

MAY 14, 2020

Author: Liz Pulice In recent years, many companies have implemented remote work arrangements, driven by financial incentives, recruitment/retention initiatives and other factors. These conditions can present challenges for sales organizations, where in-person meetings and events are typically part of “business as usual.”

Sales Enablement 227

Sales Enablement Scale Policies Distribution 227

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 30, 2014

Which broken sales strategies should we leave in the past (ah-hem, cold calling )? Here’s a hint: Any sales tactics, activities, or systems that help you build relationships with clients and prospects are worth the time and effort. Think you’re getting away with cold calling and pretending you’re best buddies with your prospect?

Referrals 260

Referrals Gatekeeper Cold Calling Networking 260

Hubspot Sales

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

In Glengarry Glen Ross — arguably the most prominent, important film about sales ever made — four real estate salespeople are pitted against each other in a weeklong competition. The contest's incentive structure is steep and high-stakes. Now, your sales reps probably don't need to be motivated quite as harshly. Cash Bonuses.

Incentive 137

Incentive Incentives Real Estate Film 137

Zoominfo

JUNE 10, 2018

As a B2B sales rep, you already know objections are an unavoidable part of your job. Yet, as we explained in a recent blog post , there are many tips and tricks sales reps can use to bypass common objections during the sales cycle. This removes a huge barrier between the sales rep and the prospect and puts you on the same team.

Objections 239

Objections Case Study Face-to-face Study 239

Sales and Marketing Management

JULY 21, 2019

Author: Lauren Boutwell As the field of sales enablement has evolved and matured, so, too, have its supporting technologies. Accordingly, video coaching has become a popular tool for driving readiness in sales organizations of all sizes and across industries. Sales reps are often most receptive to learning from each other.

Coaching 241

Coaching Video Hiring Trade Show 241

Hubspot Sales

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Getting anything over the finish line as the holidays approach is a struggle in any facet of life, and sales is no exception. The end of Q4 is one of the — if not the — most stressful, frustrating stretches of any sales professional's year. Q4 Sales Strategies 1. Incentivize performance with contests and rewards. NONE AT ALL!

Incentive 98

Incentive Incentives Intent Closing 98

Zoominfo

MARCH 6, 2019

Not every referred prospect will become a customer, but the increased conversation about your company and products will strengthen your brand and help maximize your reach. Choose the right incentives. Plus, incentives motivate customers, as 50% of people say they’re likely to give a referral if offered a reward ( source ).

Referrals 197

Referrals Ideal Customer Profile Marketing Incentive 197

Sales and Marketing Management

MARCH 8, 2020

There’s no reason it can’t have equally powerful impacts on B2B sales and marketing, but it’s in its infancy, experts say. “AI AI is the future of all sales, but it hasn’t gone from 0-1 yet in the B2B space,” says George Kocher, CEO of Brand North, a digital marketing and growth consultant. CRM will become more predictive.?AI

Top of Funnel 218

Top of Funnel Marketing Scale Forecasting 218

Sales Hacker

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Your sales team doesn’t have time for efficiency blockers in a competitive, fast-paced market. Even if you’ve defined your ICP and created a targeted list of prospects, you may still find that your prospecting isn’t generating impactful results. Offer incentives and valuable content to ensure that subscribers stay engaged.

Ideal Customer Profile 101

Ideal Customer Profile Prospecting Lead Scoring Lead Rank 101

The Pipeline

FEBRUARY 6, 2018

A common question I am often asked about sales is what are the characteristics or attributes of successful salespeople. In sales, your mindset is highly correlated to an individual’s willingness (at times ability) to be accountable for their actions and results. By Tibor Shanto. Correlations. Walking To Run.

Coaching 247

Coaching Lead Rank Incentive Incentives 247

Sales and Marketing Management

DECEMBER 14, 2020

Author: Paul Nolan In today’s buyer-centric world, salespeople need to create value more than ever or they won’t get in front of prospects. Training is essential to having success with channel partners, and just as in-person sales calls shifted to virtual due to the global pandemic, so too has channel partner training.

Channels 136

Channels Incentives Incentive Travel 136

Zoominfo

MARCH 19, 2018

Social selling is a sales technique that leverages social networking sites to identify prospects, build relationships, and ideally, close more deals. Social selling is more than just a hot trend, it’s an essential part of the modern sales process. LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Ready to get started? Keep reading!

Social Selling 227

Social Selling Tools Lead Scoring Lead Rank 227

Zoominfo

APRIL 11, 2018

Whether you’re a hiring manager, sales leader, or the CEO of a company, you know it can be difficult to identify and hire top sales talent. Successful sales professionals are often very perceptive. Question: What are some common sales objections you’ve received? Often, sales objections aren’t always what they seem.

Hiring 178

Hiring B2B Sales Cycle Call-back 178