Every sales coaching workshop that I deliver I ask sales managers, “How many of you have a performance problem with a sales rep that is just unacceptable, and you know you need to address the situation?” Everyone raises their hand. Then I ask, “How long have you known this?” The answer I hear is often … Read full article
I recently reviewed the sales manager job description for a Fortune 500 company, and 85% of their sales managers’ responsibilities were related, either directly or indirectly, to sales coaching. Then my partner and I conducted in-person interviews with four of their regional sales managers, and asked, “What percentage of your time do you actually spend … Read full article
The # 1 competitor you face today isn’t another company. It’s the customer’s decision to do nothing, to make no change at all. You can hear your #1 competitor talking, every time a prospect voices a value objection. Objections like “I can’t afford it,” “It’s not a priority,” It’s not in our budget, “ “We … Read full article
If your company has only one product to sell, and only one decision maker type to sell to, read no further”¦ Many Sales VPs are frustrated by the slow start of their new-hire salespeople – the time it takes a new-hire to learn enough to arrive at sales proficiency, and achieve quota. Your new-hires are … Read full article
Sales managers often don’t realize that they can sometimes be a strong de-motivating force for their teams. Our company has delivered sales management training all over the world. Recently we have begun asking our participants to “think of the worst boss they have ever had, and identify the specific behaviors that boss had that discouraged … Read full article
What are the most common objections that you hear from prospects and customers? Chances are, they are what I call “value objections.” Objections like, “I can’t afford it”, “it’s not a priority” or “it’s not in our budget””¦ We have bigger problems”¦ We’re doing OK with what we have… The absolute worst value objection is … Read full article
Many thought leaders today are talking about the importance of understanding your customer’s buying process, and aligning your sales strategy accordingly. But what does that mean? Pam, a sales manager for a leading office technology solutions provider, received an RFP for an opportunity to sell 600 monitors to a healthcare facility with 20 locations. The … Read full article
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