good Social Selling network includes the most and best information which, in turn, requires the largest network possible. 3)      Social Selling enables reps to become an Information Curator. Online engagement allows a seller to constantly provide existing or potential customers with interesting information and demonstrate ongoing thought leadership. (This is the last post in our series on sales organizations’ emerging use of social media as a channel for shaping demand.). So what conclusions can we draw? 1)      Social Media and Social Selling are here to stay. MORE >>

Second, this highlights how the customer has taken this new information advantage and used it (as they should) to their benefit. We are losing this information game to customers. The best sellers, however, are taking this information disparity right back to customers. This isn’t information in the public filing statement, annual review, or company website. This is information that exists in the deep inner workings of customer organizations. Information that “Talkers” dish out. Information that purchase consultants divulge. And so what do you do? MORE >>

The good news is that much of this capability already resides within your organization, and is probably already being leveraged informally by your sales force. A successful sale often starts with a well-qualified lead. But, that’s only half the story. What’s equally important is the salesperson that nurtures and closes that lead. Because, we all know even a well-qualified lead in the hands of a salesperson that cannot engage the customer is as good as no lead. Even high performers are prone to losing leads, making this more than just about having the right skills. MORE >>

SEC Members , see the full Kohler manager screening case for additional information on the screening process. A member recently shared with me that they’ve estimated the average cost of a single failed sales manager to hover around $4 million, calculating all the direct and indirect costs of lost productivity, attrition or poor team engagement and lackluster customer experience, not to mention recruitment, salary and training costs. Simply put, bad sales managers are toxic. So, how can we build better managers? rst-line sales managers. skill development needs; then certify. MORE >>

That said, they often struggle to use the data and information to understand the underlying causes of performance gaps. As a result, metrics seldom inform sales strategy and business decisions. Has your sales team met its quarterly target? metric can tell you that. But, why did your sales team miss its quarterly target? That’s something a metric cannot tell you. Most sales organizations spend a considerable amount of time reporting various performance and productivity metrics. Specifically, they focus on six guiding principles:  . Narrow the scope of metrics. MORE >>