The Pipeline

MAY 17, 2013

The best way to do so, however, is a matter that often leaves your sales and marketing staff at odds. Your sales force is focused primarily on closing the deal and landing new customers, while your marketing department wants to nurture customer relationships before and after the sale. The aim is to keep growing the connection.

Ideal Customer Profile 327

Ideal Customer Profile Social Media Customer Sales Management 327

Steven Rosen

JUNE 3, 2020

Unleash the 10X Factor to Close the Sales Gap. Do you want to close the sales gap? Now is the time to get sales on track. Even though we are still social distancing and face to face selling may not resume until 2021, you are still responsible for sales results. Sales managers are the key to driving sales performance.

Sales Leadership 394

Sales Leadership Closing Face-to-face Call-back 394

Hubspot Sales

JANUARY 25, 2021

However, if you’re a brand new sales manager, say, someone who was just promoted for excellent performance in sales, you might be wondering exactly how to go about finding the right person. Check references. One of the best ways to vet a potential employee is through reference checks. Yes, really.

Hiring 145

Hiring Social Media Media Course 145

Steven Rosen

OCTOBER 8, 2021

How to Motivate Your Sales Team. Sales leaders agree that a highly motivated and engaged sales force drives greater performance. Many sales managers ask me how to ensure that they have a highly motivated and engaged team, and I usually ask them “WHY”? Tap into the WHY! External Factors.

Motivation 379

Motivation Commission Incentive Incentives 379

No More Cold Calling

OCTOBER 10, 2013

Sales guru and guest blogger, Jonathan Farrington, explains why he’s never made a single cold call. and France, has enjoyed a longer, more successful sales career than most, and he fully understands the power of referral relationships. I have, instead, maximized my valuable selling time and enjoyed a highly-successful sales career.

Cold Calling 298

Cold Calling Referrals Maximizer Banking 298

Understanding the Sales Force

OCTOBER 9, 2024

Most sales teams win fewer than half their “games,” and while defense can’t be blamed, pitching can! Unlike the Red Sox, most sales teams have too much pitching (demos and presentations)! As of this writing, they have assessed 106 sales and sales management candidates.

Hiring 358

Hiring Lead Rank Lead Scoring Compensation 358

Janek Performance Group

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

References and reputation only go so far in evaluating capabilities. For sales managers, look for qualities that build strong teams and motivate others to perform their best. Whether you seek a new hire or promotion, here are several essential qualities of sales managers. Leadership Proven leadership is essential.

Sales Management 139

Sales Management Hiring Promotion Motivation 139

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 15, 2013

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan Two articles caught my attention today. Using Objective Management Group''s (OMG) data on 650,000 salespeople for reference, we know that just as many unsuccessful salespeople share those 10 qualities as successful salespeople. I guarantee that 74% of them will suck at sales too!

Research 291

Research Insurance Insurance Face-to-face 291

Steven Rosen

JANUARY 26, 2014

Sales leaders agree that a highly motivated and engaged sales force drives greater performance. So one would naturally ask the question “how do I motivate and engage my sales force?” Many sales managers ask me how to ensure that they have a highly motivated and engaged team. By Steven A. Tap into the WHY!

Motivation 288

Motivation Commission Incentive Incentives 288

SBI Growth

DECEMBER 19, 2012

My VP of Sales wants me to research trends in inside sales and conduct account segmentation. The sales managers are yelling for updated dashboards and territories. Oh, and Marketing wants to discuss sales enablement improvements. Alex is the VP of Sales Operations at a large technology company. I am spent!”.

Sales Operations 303

Sales Operations Compensation Territories Segment 303

Hubspot Sales

JULY 9, 2019

Specifically, the managers who lead your sales teams — they oversee the reps who communicate directly with your prospects and customers daily. Think about it this way: If you're a sales manager and you help each of your 10 reps sell 20% more, you've essentially just "created” two new salespeople.

Sales Management 142

Sales Management Hiring Buyer Persona Compensation 142

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 7, 2013

Legacy sales reps have not kept up with the times. There is a shift happening in the sales world. 9 Steps to ensure your sales leaders bring in top talent. Your first step towards improving the sales force is defining excellence for your team. Sales Process Execution – The ability to sell the way a buyer wants to buy.

Hiring 316

Hiring Face-to-face Follow-up Buyer 316

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 4, 2013

This blog addresses how sales reps can ensure their quota is realistic and attainable. Many sales reps are forced to accept a quota that is neither. Over 65% of Sales Goals are driven by Executive and Corporate expectations. If their projections are unrealistic, so are the sales reps’ quotas. Bottom-Up Quota Setting.

Quota 306

Quota Ideal Customer Profile Territories Demographics 306

SBI Growth

JANUARY 27, 2014

As a sales manager, your team looks to you for coaching and strategic help. I am referring to the art of deal strategy. As the sales manager, broker a meeting with the internal resources required to close the business. Determining where the deal is in the Sales Process.

Strategy 303

Strategy Decision Maker Face-to-face Influencer 303

Steven Rosen

AUGUST 29, 2013

Most leadership articles refer to the top qualities of successful leaders. Yet some new sales leaders start new leadership roles and everything wrong! Walter White is your new VP of sales. He doesn’t see a reason to get his hands dirty and get out into the field with his sales people and listen to what they say or suggest.

Salary 286

Salary Decision Maker Report Sales Leadership 286

No More Cold Calling

JULY 13, 2017

Can sales managers influence the buying process? You can’t manage revenue. If sales close, you win. Calls with their sales managers become about justifying why prospects should be in their pipelines in the first place, and discussing ways these account based sales reps can accelerate the buying process.

Account 287

Account Referrals Cold Calling Ideal Customer Profile 287

SBI Growth

NOVEMBER 23, 2013

It’s been two years since The Challenger Sale was published. Since this publishing, many B2B sales organizations have embraced this methodology. Since this publishing, many B2B sales organizations have embraced this methodology. The thesis of The Challenger Sale is sound. Most sales reps don’t have “Challenger” DNA.

Sales Methodology 308

Sales Methodology Demand Generation Targets Demand Generation Face-to-face 308

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 19, 2014

People only refer people they know and trust. I will only refer you if I know you and trust you to take care of my contact as I would. Associations Enterprise Sales Management Salespeople Small Business' I never give my card to that guy, because he’s all about himself. And he thinks I’ll give him a referral? Why would I?

Referrals 292

Referrals Webinar Metrics Social Media Face-to-face 292

SBI

JANUARY 28, 2020

6 Ways Sales Enablement Leaders can Gain Sales Management Support. Sales Enablement is generally focused on assisting individual sellers with less focus placed on others in the organization. “ Sales Enablement supports the sales team to move buyers to a decision point. Sales technology.

Sales Enablement 131

Sales Enablement Sales Management Coaching Engineering 131

Hubspot Sales

MAY 18, 2021

Conversational intelligence tools — programs that use artificial intelligence to automatically record, transcribe, and analyze hours of sales calls — are becoming a staple of a growing number of sales organizations' tech stacks. How Managers Can Use Conversational Intelligence. Better understand the voice of your customer.

Conversion 119

Conversion Sales Management Scale Call-back 119

SBI Growth

MARCH 28, 2018

If you have never heard the expression, it refers to a management fable that goes like this: When you walk down the road and see a turtle. In this line of work, I run into many turtles on fence posts.

Hiring 261

Hiring Sales Sales Talent Objections 261

SBI Growth

APRIL 9, 2013

Sales Leaders may want to look for some help outside of Sales. This post discusses what Sales might want in an HR Business Partner. The downloadable tool includes a profile of a highly successful HR business partner to sales. The downloadable tool includes a profile of a highly successful HR business partner to sales.

Hiring 297

Hiring Ideal Customer Profile Territories Trends 297

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 1, 2019

When I refer you, I put my reputation on the line, so I need to trust that you’ll take care of my connection as I would. I refer you to someone I know well. They know I won’t waste their time, and they’ll gain insights from anyone I refer. So, when I refer you, this person’s trust in me gets transferred to you.

Referrals 289

Referrals System Cold Calling Social Media 289

No More Cold Calling

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

But it is not the place for a sales pitch. If you’re sending sales offerings to strangers on social media, you’re pretty much cold calling. You’re assuming I want to refer you, but I only refer people I know well and trust implicitly to take care of my connections as I would. Well, sales is not a party.

Cold Calling 281

Cold Calling Social Media Referrals Face-to-face 281

Hubspot Sales

JANUARY 12, 2021

But when it comes to sales, some managers might have trouble delivering on it — often through no fault of their own. Here, we'll review some common sales coaching challenges, go over how to approach them, and identify the key qualities of reps that are flat-out uncoachable. How to Handle Coaching Challenges.

Coaching 141

Coaching Sales Management Sage Policies 141

SBI Growth

MAY 11, 2013

Sales VPs need to make the number this quarter. Sales Managers want more new business. Sales Reps need more leads. Too often, Sales VPs don’t get ideas outside of their own sales organizations. Have your sales rep find out who his customer’s Sales VP wants to sell.

Hiring 300

Hiring Referrals Decision Maker Ideal Customer Profile 300

Hubspot Sales

APRIL 12, 2021

As a sales manager, ensuring that your team's communication with prospects is tight and effective is in your best interest. That process — making sure your team's communications aren't erratic — is most commonly referred to as implementing consistent sales messaging. Keep it customer-centric and accessible.

Sales Management 134

Sales Management Hubspot How To Scale 134

SBI Growth

AUGUST 31, 2013

How do you know if your sales force is a high-performing one? This post lists some attributes of high-performance sales cultures. It lists 11 traits of high performance sales cultures. Sales Turnover - A Symptom of a Low Performing Sales Culture. Dani, the VP of North America Sales, is frustrated.

Hiring 310

Hiring Transportation Follow-up Lead Rank 310

No More Cold Calling

DECEMBER 4, 2014

Assumptions tank deals and ruin sales pipelines. Because we did good work, our clients will refer us. Assuming is dangerous because it makes us lazy about increasing sales pipelines. Here are three dangers in assuming that could cost you opportunities and minimize your sales effectiveness. Assuming is the easy way out.

Sales Qualified Lead 275

Sales Qualified Lead Ideal Customer Profile Referrals Small Business 275

No More Cold Calling

AUGUST 5, 2014

By the end of the call, I felt confident enough in his sales ability and product to offer him a referral to one of my contacts. Speed Up the Sale, Don’t Slow it Down. Sending too much information at the wrong time puts a wrench in your sales process. Ditch the sales pitch. Don’t Make It Hard to Refer You.

Referrals 286

Referrals Sales Qualified Lead Cold Calling Ideal Customer Profile 286

Hubspot Sales

MAY 29, 2019

So you’ve just been promoted to sales manager -- congratulations! In your first three months as a manager, you’ll have to learn an entirely new set of processes -- some related to sales, some not. Scale your own management process. Good luck, and happy managing! Assess your strengths as a manager.

Sales Management 141

Sales Management Hiring Forecasting Pipeline 141

Understanding the Sales Force

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

And “We don’t know what we don’t know about sales” is a true statement in most companies. As a result, they can’t anticipate when in a sales cycle or sales process they will be impacted, and don’t have the awareness to take steps to work around it and improve.

Company 227

Company Hiring Scale Forecasting 227

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. For instance, $500 cash is received for every $100,000 in new sales during the quarter above and beyond the basic commission rate. Above their comp plan, a rep might earn 1,000 points for every $100,000 in new sales during the quarter.

Incentive 323

Incentive Incentives Travel Motivation 323

No More Cold Calling

JUNE 10, 2021

I would work with small companies to develop their sales strategy, sales process, and sales goals, and incorporate these into their business plan. Fifty of the company’s best clients said they’d be glad to refer them! I asked salespeople and sales leaders I knew if they liked to get referral introductions.

Referrals 385

Referrals Cold Calling Webinar Metrics Inbound 385

Sales and Marketing Management

JULY 6, 2017

By “bias” I am referring to a sales manager’s tendency to overlook or minimize the indications that the person is a bad fit, because we often don’t want to admit we made a hiring mistake. Every experienced sales manager has made a bad hiring mistake. Divest or Invest? The webinar is part of the SMM Connect series.

Hiring 273

Hiring Webinar Metrics Policies How To 273

Understanding the Sales Force

JULY 14, 2014

Understanding the Sales Force by Dave Kurlan. Having founded Kurlan & Associates in 1985 and Objective Management Group in 1990, the only surprise should be that it took so long to combine the two passions and write Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball , in 2005.

Sales Process 246

Sales Process Sales Up-Sell Follow-up 246

Vengreso

MARCH 2, 2021

Prospecting to generate sales leads is one of the most important jobs of the modern sales professional. In fact, if you ask any sales leader what their teams struggle with the most (and I have), they would say it’s prospecting, especially now that virtual selling is the norm. Sales Prospecting Techniques. Why is this so?

Pipeline 145

Pipeline Prospecting Ideal Customer Profile Sales Qualified Lead 145