SalesNote )
January 2009
In this issue
  • eWomenNetwork Event
  • Sales Training - Month 1
  • Sales Activities - Month 2
  • Sales Forecasts - Month 3
  • Leadership Quote
  • 90 Day Sales Team Upgrade
    Some say it takes 21 days to change a habit. At MXL Partners we maintain it takes 90 days to upgrade your sales organization. And it's not about a wholesales change-out of reps. It's done through 3 core areas of sales team and management focus:

    1. Sales Competency Training - Month 1
    2. Sales Activity Inventory - Month 2
    3. Sales Forecast Process Review - Month 3

    Many executives and sales leaders come to us seeking help in improving sales revenues through sales training and consulting. They say "Help our team Close better" or "Our team needs Negotiation training" or "Our team needs to improve Probing skills" or "Our sales pitch is all over the map." These are all legitimate concerns and competency areas that can be improved, however it's not the full story. It's like trying to improve a car's performance by installing leather upholstery, a new sound system and higher grade gasoline. It's better, yes, but there are other areas that need a check-up and potential overhaul.

    In this MXL SalesNote issue we will examine the key areas that allow us to claim the ability to "upgrade" a sales organization in 90 days. Specifically, it's about activities, competencies, and forecasting process.

    It's a new year. How's your team going to perform in Q1? What are you doing today that will ensure your team is the ultimate selling machine by Q2 and the rest of 2010?


    eWomenNetwork Event

    Upcoming Speaking Event
    MXL Partner's Michael Griego will be speaking this month at the upcoming Silicon Valley eWomanNetwork Luncheon on January 21st at the Biltmore Hotel in Santa Clara, CA, 10:30am - 1:30pm. $55 registration.

    Michael will be speaking on the topic "Sales Effectiveness in 2010" and his recent book 42 Rules to Increase Sales Effectiveness.

    Sales Training - Month 1

    Sales Competency Training - Month 1
    Sales training is critical but needs tailoring, focus, and must go beyond product training. MXL conducts a lot of "Advanced-Fundamentals" sales training for savvy teams that need a reset and focus on selling in a difficult market modified for their specific market environment and competitive challenges. Do not assume that your veteran reps are above this - they all need it and can benefit from a modern training upgrade.

    At MXL we break down our Strategic Sales Execution training into adjustable modules:

    • Plans - 5 tools for territory planning, prioritization and account management.
    • Regimens - 5 tools for maximizing and managing sales time and activities.
    • Operations - 5 tools to manage performance, pipelines and forecasts.
    • Communications - 5 tools to optimize sales and marketing pitch/messaging.
    • Execution - 5 tools for sales call execution, qualification, consultative probing.
    • Sales Cycle - 5 tools for clarifying sales processes and managing sales cycle.
    • Skills - varied workshops in sales negotiation, presentations, etc.

    Each trained team member gets a copy of Mike Griego's book, 42 Rules to Increase Sales Effectiveness.

    Sales Activities - Month 2

    Sales Activity Inventory - Month 2
    Every salesperson conducts selling activities such as phone calls, emails, sales meetings, demos, proposals, to name a few. Not every sales manager or rep knows for sure how many activities are done each day, week, month or quarter. Oh, there are hunches, guesses and estimates, but few teams know accurate patterns and trends.

    We maintain that this information is vital. It's on management and reps to understand and set appropriate goals and standards. It takes 30 days to track and understand this. It takes management commitment and attention to detail to correlate the data to performance and draw relevant conclusions.

    This is a key part to our Upgrade a Sales Team in 90 days Program. MXL's Activity MetricsTool is a powerful resource here.

    Sales Forecasts - Month 3

    Sales Forecast Process Review
    Forecasting at the rep and management level is both art and science. In many sales organizations the process is owned by management and tolerated by salespeople. Careful observation and dissection of the forecasting process often reveals a breakdown in bottoms-up rigor, calculated extrapolations based on dubious percentages, and CRM-driven views that often limit total opportunity visibility.

    There are steps to take that can be tailored for any environment, be it a weekly, monthly or quarterly process. The key is developing a forecasting process that holds value for both rep and management.

    The combination of a well-trained team practicing modern sales effectiveness, performing targeted optimized levels of selling activities, and conducting timely, helpful and rigorous pipeline/forecast management, makes for a sales organization that's developing into that ultimate selling machine.

    How's your forecasting process? Give us a call to discuss and review.

    Leadership Quote

    Inspiring Actions
    "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams

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