Kevin F. Davis Talented salespeople can make big things happen for you and your company. Perhaps there is no more important decision that a sales manager makes than the decision to hire a new salesperson. One new-hire can change the entire culture of your sales team – for better or for worse. Tweaking the standard interview questions to … Read full article
Last night I was watching a baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a hard-fought game, with the Giants prevailing in the 14th inning. After the game the Giants coach was asked what he said to his erratic pitcher during a visit to the pitcher’s mound at a critical … Read full article
Have you ever considered what made you successful when you were a salesperson? You were, and still likely are, action-oriented, decisive, and adept at problem solving. These sales attributes were rewarded as a salesperson – and then you got promoted and everything changed. Except – perhaps – you. Now I ask you to consider – … Read full article
Recently I was working with a group of sales managers and I posed this question- When you arrive at your office on a typical day what would you say is your #1 priority? Some of the answers I received were Reacting to my boss i.e. answering questions, following directives, etc. Prioritizing my day according to … Read full article
I often get asked about coaching millenials—the youngest members of the sales force (under age 34), who are the fastest growing segment in today’s workforce. While sweeping statements about an entire generation can never be 100% true for any individual, there are a few factors that do separate millennial salespeople from both Baby Boomers and … Read full article
Communicating clearly to your salespeople the specific behaviors and activities that you both want and need for sales success is essential for sales coaching. Here’s a quick exercise to test common understanding. Send out an email to your sales team and ask, “In regards to the first meeting with a new prospect, what specific behaviors … Read full article
When we ask the participants in our training courses what “bad sales coaching” would look like, there is no shortage of answers. “Having inconsistent standards” …. “Tell you the problem but don’t help you work through the solution” … “Care only about results and not how we get them” … “Make you do exactly what … Read full article
Last week I was in Hong Kong delivering sales training to the APAC division of a major software company. The executive who hired me had requested two things: He wanted a strategic sales process that would gain buy-in from reps from different countries and cultures throughout their world-wide sales organization. He also wanted a process … Read full article
A few years ago I delivered a two-day workshop to the senior leadership of a 225-person sales organization. One of the several topics in the workshop was to debrief their individual “behavioral profile” assessments. Interestingly, all 7 executives had a similar profile – high dominance and high task orientation, low relationship-focus. When I pointed this … Read full article
As a sales manager you have a high activity level. You work hard every day to both direct and support the efforts of your sales team to produce sales results. But often, a manager’s high activity level can actually inhibit the development of the sales team. As author Steven Covey says so well in 7 … Read full article