Many companies appoint a new sales executive in an attempt to solve a problem. They want the new leader to address missed sales quotas, reduce turnover or fix other issues on the team. As a result, a new leader often feels “under pressure” to deliver results. Here’s how to take concrete steps to improve your… Read more »
Top salespeople don’t “luck” their way into success. They don’t stumble across their skills by coincidence. Top salespeople identify the core habits that lead to their success, and they practice them daily. Because success is a practice founded on habits, any salesperson can develop the habits needed to succeed. Here are eight habits of remarkable… Read more »
It was sometime during 1994 that my Sales Director came to me and asked me to take on the role of sales manager. For over 7 years I was a top performing sales rep for MCI, a fortune 50 company. My Director felt that since I was a strong salesman, I must automatically have what… Read more »
Front line sales management is the toughest role in any sales enterprise Many times, the best sales people are promoted to sales, only to find that those traits which proved essential when selling, do not translate to success in leadership. In addition, there is little effective sales training in the market The most common problems… Read more »
Employers and employees alike have used personality assessments for years. Employers like these assessments because they help gauge how employees fit within a team or department; employees like them because they both affirm strengths and suggest ways to improve upon weaknesses. Although dozens of personality assessments exist, not all assessments are created equal. For salespeople,… Read more »
“The Drought…” Buffalo fans had lived with the playoff drought for 18 years! I will spare the details, but as many lifelong Bills fans will attest, it has been a disappointment and embarrassment as we employed nine head coaches over that time to rescue a listless franchise. We threw millions of dollars at premiere players,… Read more »
How many of your sales people are actually paying for themselves? Interested in Knowing? Calculate the Break even point for your sale people: A) Compute total compensation (Salary,+ commission payout) Now add all of your benefits to the total comp above (assume 30%) B) Multiply that rep’s annual sales number by your average Net profit… Read more »
Each Year at this time, I reflect on that for which I am thankful. Each year as sales people, it is appropriate to step back from our whirlwind days, to reflect and be thankful for the wonders in our lives. You may have seen this prayer before, but I believe it requires repeating… “A Salesperson’s… Read more »
… Famous last words of a FORMER top sales executive… Top performing sales organizations have a robust process in place to Find, Obtain, Develop and Retain top flight sales performers. They do several things very well, and have adopted systems and metrics to measure and improve all aspects of the sales and marketing processes. The best… Read more »
A recent review of sales training effectiveness concluded: 55% of salespeople lack basic sales skills. Every dollar invested in sales training returned $29 in incremental revenues. 55% of sales reps don’t have effective communications skills. The best sales training will improve the performance of an individual on average by 20%. A world class sales bench… Read more »