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
Recently a prospect asked me to explain what I meant when I said that many sales managers would be more effective sales leaders if they used what I call “positive confrontation” with their salespeople. Positive confrontation is the discussion that a sales manager has with a salesperson in a timely manner, regarding an unsuccessful behavior … Read full article
Every sales meeting you deliver is an opportunity to showcase your sales management leadership skills. Here are a few specific suggestions: Set a clear meeting objective. Ask yourself, “One month from now, what will be happening differently as a result of this meeting?” The answer is your sales meeting’s primary objective. Anticipate which salespeople are … Read full article
As the leader of your sales team you, no doubt, place great emphasis on the achievement of sales results. And rightly so. But if a sales manager focuses exclusively on results, so to do your salespeople. An intense focus on results can distract everyone from the sales process, which is the all-important input side of … Read full article
I have just heard that my book “Slow Down, Sell Faster!” is a finalist in the annual Sales & Marketing Awards competition for “Top Sales & Marketing Book of 2011.” For those of you that have read my book and liked it you can cast your vote today. Polls are open until December 12th. There are … Read full article