For the Sales Directors in many companies that sell B2B the goal is to create a team of sellers that combine the wisdom and street smarts of the old dogs (this term is used in an affectionate way here), with the vim and vigour of the young, hungry up-and-comers. It can be the ‘holy grail’ […]
Danger signs for likeability every Sales Manager should know about
Selling is an individual activity. Sure, sometimes a ‘team selling’ approach is appropriate, but even then it relies on each individual seller doing their part well. Because of this focus on individual performance it’s extremely important for a Sales Manager to keep an eye on the personal communication behaviours of their team. Most people in […]
Your Sales Manager is lead dog
Sled dogs work in teams. Just like your sales team. The human giving directions to the sled dog team is called the “musher”. And the musher is much like the CEO, MD or General Manager giving the orders about which direction the company must travel. However, for the sled dog team it’s actually the lead […]
How to ask clients the personal, direct questions you really need to ask
In a sales conversation sometimes it can be really difficult to ask the exact questions you need to. That was the situation facing a team of financial planners I recently spoke with. They were facing a particular segment of unengaged clients and they wanted to know how they could create more engagement and generate interest […]
How to structure a sales conversation for success
In my work with technical specialists and professionals across many industry sectors there is one thing I have seen time after time that undermines their ability to successfully ‘close the sale’. That is, not following a plan. Having a structured sales conversation is critical to win more clients The structure of the conversation enables you, […]
Improve sales by having your team reflect on performance
Some things sound too simple to be true. Can you really improve sales results just by having your team think about what they have done? The short answer is yes. Studies in the real world have shown that effectively using the practice of personal reflection can produce significant performance improvements. For example, in the Harvard […]
5 steps to help younger sales staff overcome fears and improve performance
Younger members of your sales team – or individuals who may have come from a non-selling discipline – often have fears you wouldn’t expect. Sidebar: If you’re the Founder, Principal or business owner who has built the business, you may be surprised that anyone on your team actually has these concerns (as you probably don’t). […]