|
Sales Coaching Corner
Not All Will Become Challengers
27% of Salespeople
As we have written in previous SalesNotes, Challenger sales reps, while making up 27% of the general sales population, make up 39% of the top sales producers in organizations. Again, Challenger reps are those whose profile focuses on bringing provocative insight that builds constructive tension in customer interactions. This all is detailed in the recent landmark research by the Corporate Executive Board's Sales Executive Council.
As discussed, these executive quality conversation and sales call management skills and coaching can be taught and reps can be developed to be Challenger types.
However, it is important for sales managers to note that not all of your reps will be able to make the transition to Challengers. Actually somewhere between 20 to 30 percent won't change but stick to their ways.
Again, dynamic customer engagement in a complex sales environment is not a reflection of who a person is, but rather a reflection of how they sell. If you can get 70 to 80 percent upping their game like this, that's a great thing for the business and revenue growth.
More ...
_________________________
|
|
|
Summertime and the Sellin' is Easy
We're deep into summer, the fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high. Like the great Gershwin lyrics, there's an easing of sorts in life and business during the summer months. The kids are on summer break, vacations are in swing, and sometimes salespeople take their foot off the pedal. Don't do it.
This is the final quarter or annual close out month for some companies. It's the second half kickoff for many. The hazy, lazy, crazy days of summer not withstanding, the best salespeople reset their gears and get off to great starts or fast finishes. This is the best and easiest time to put heads down and run at it hard and without regrets.
Fast Start
Whether it's the beginning of the second half or the start of a new fiscal year, it's a new game and the winners at end of the calendar year will be those who got it together in the summertime.
Here are 3 keys to avoid the summer sales doldrums and stay sharp:
- Reset on Your Number - that is, refocus on the quarterly target that's before you. You've got to hit it. Even if you "don't have a chance" or "it's typically a down quarter" don't buy into that thinking. Chase it down as if your life depends on it. At least your commission bonuses and perhaps your job do.
- Recalibrate your Territory Plan - see this as a new beginning to review and reprioritize your territory plan. Even without any management push, you should develop your own quarterly plan that drives macro and micro thinking and strategy for your territory. Tactical strategy often forces big picture adjustments.
- Review you Activities - time to get honest again about your own personal sales activity metrics (Rule #15 in the book).Take the next 30 days and truly track your calls, meetings, live conversations, demos, proposals, etc. to get clear visibility of your own habits and patterns which do change and stray from optimal levels if we don'twatch it. Successful people study themselves.
Are you using your summer to recommit?___________________________________________________ |
|
|
Engineering vs. Sales
On a recent long flight across the United States I had the privilege of being seated next to Bob Kavner, former AT&T CFO and current Pandora Chairman of the Board.
A distinguished and pleasant man, Bob and I spoke on a variety of topics including transitional strategic pivots over the years by companies like IBM, Amazon, eBay and others and current challenges facing many organizations today.
He made an interesting point relative to corporate leadership and guidance. He said "With all due respect, when sales and marketing control an organization, there's a risk to losing engineering talent and product innovation." An interesting point; indeed companies need product leadership and engineering innovation and excellence to stay ahead and provide great sales teams with viable products. When products grow stale, engineers and good salespeople alike may flee to new frontiers. (I told him good salespeople may stick around as long as there's a decent sales plan.)
Of course companies need greatness in both product/engineering and sales/marketing. Pandora is succeeding on both fronts, evidence that these vital areas feed on each other.
By the time we landed in San Francisco we'd also had a robust debate on politics and taxes, (but not religion). I am now inspired to finally getting around to trying Pandora! |
|
____________________________________________________
Rule #15 Measure Activity Metrics
 | | Sales Activity Metrics |
(from 42 Rules to Increase Sales Effectiveness)
When asked how many new prospecting calls the Inside Sales team made each day, the Director of Sales of a client firm proudly stated that every team on her sales team made 40 calls a day. When I asked her how she knew that, she stated confidently that "she hears them" as she sits in the bullpen with them. "They all know that 40 calls is the number of calls they need to make and that's what they do." Oh, really?
This is a common reaction to classic selling activities across organizations. Some manager at some point in the past has declared a number of, you name it, phone calls, demos, meetings, proposals, mailings, etc., etc., that the sales team is to make each hour, day, week, month, or quarter. That becomes the magic number or mantra for the sales organization for a range of time until someone comes along and changes it or challenges it. Many firms and reps don't know just how valuable these metrics actually are, but often they become unrealistic, onerous, or useless hurdles at which the team winks or rolls their eyes.
Read more... |
|
|
________________________________ _________
Misty May on Sales Effectiveness
"We practice every day, either doing team stuff or working out as an individual. In the offseason we work out with weights, just trying to get stronger." - Misty May-Treanor, Olympic Volleyball Gold Medalist |
|
|
