A study done by Sales Benchmark Index found that sellers are 4.2 times more likely to activate an account based on a referral or an introduction. This might seem like common knowledge to you but perhaps the execution of this is lost in the world of digital sales. But, given that you likely recognize this, … Continue reading “Coaching Moment: Grow a Network Within Your Portfolio”
According to Forrester Research, 74% of deals are awarded to the sales professional that is first to provide value and insight. What does this really mean? Plant the seeds of inception within your customer. The medium through which insights are generated is content. Content in the 2020s can be in various forms: videos, blogs, podcasts. … Continue reading “Coaching Moment: sellers Sharing Insights in Portfolio”
You are the CEO of a market. Your sellers are the CEO of their specific portfolio. World-class CEOs recognize that people buy from people they like and they trust. People like people, just like themselves. This very simple premise is why your sellers need to build a buyer-centric social profile. Drive accountability with each of … Continue reading “Coaching Moment: The Buyer-Centric Social Profile”
What does Ideal Look Like? (W.I.L.L.) The Key Pillars of Coaching Moments In every 1-on-1, there are 4 key pillars to your new ‘Coaching Moments’: 1. Preparation 2. Decision-Making Framework 3. Eureka Moment 4. Action Let’s take a journey through an example of a best-in-class 1-on-1:
The goal of effective coaching is to help a seller make better decisions by solving problems using structured thinking. We call these ‘Eureka Moments’ that causes future actions to: – Adjust course – what we call a “Red Flag”– Stay on course – what we call a “Green Flag”
Time management: it’s either a manager’s strength or Achilles heel. Weak managers confuse the act of ‘management’ with value creation. Management is “to forecast and to plan, to organise, to command, to coordinate and to control” (Source: Henri Foyal, creator of the original definition).
You aim to be a world-class sales leader. The first step in your journey is to reframe how you see yourself, and clarify your roles and responsibilities. You are the CEO of a market. This market can include territories, specific customer accounts, verticals or industries, it really doesn’t matter.
When sales enablement, marketing or sales leadership decide to roll out a skills and competency-based training program, they often overlook a critical first step. They will typically reverse-engineer time periods where sellers are best suited for learning, such as the summer months, down times between quarters, or in preparation for Q4. They execute training programs … Continue reading “Critical First Step: Leadership Communication Plan”
It’s interesting that as you grow and evolve in business, you see in hindsight mistakes in the way you communicated the value proposition of your product or service. And I confess that I made a giant mistake in the way I boasted about our certification process. Let me first explain the process, then the mistake … Continue reading “Mission 100%: Learning Is The Ultimate Leading Indicator To Success”
A couple of weeks ago I was listening to a podcast. It was talking to sales leaders, discussing how leadership development has moved into a critical state. In most companies, too many sales leaders are new to their role – and fresh to management. The company has spent a lot of time, money, and energy … Continue reading “Leadership Training Has Gone From: Nice To Have, To Absolutely Critical”