To ensure time spent coaching is beneficial for sellers, managers must customize feedback to a seller’s unique needs and learning preferences, while simultaneously considering seller personality and response to constructive criticism. Rapidly changing customer behaviors and expectations, coupled with increasing competition, is making it difficult for reps to close deals, often driving sales organizations to re-examine ways to boost sales. That’s because the progressively complex sales environment is pushing sellers to develop new skills. The answer – maybe not. MORE >>

In fact, we found that the best salespeople don’t rely on Marketing at all for leads, instead use their own social networks and personal brands for lead generation. 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 >>

Personally, I believe this is such an undervalued positive benefit, so important in changing a sales culture with a “only way is up” mentality — Super Sellers have just as much prestige within the company as do managers.  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. MORE >>

It’s just like a sales person, ultimately the need to hit their goal.”. But, there are a lot of components that go into a sales person being able to hit their quota. Let’s face it—it’s hard to get sales metrics right. Not only is it important to measure the right metrics so that you have an accurate picture of how your sales force is performing, but you also need to get your sales people to care enough about metrics to use them. After all, it’s not unusual for reps to look at a dashboard packed with data and say, “OK, what am I supposed to do with this?”  MORE >>

If that customer can’t answer, well, as a salesperson, give them that information (so, here’s what an operations person likely cares about based on my experience, X, Y & Z), or, if you don’t know, have them go talk to their operations folks to figure it out. Give It seems that star reps have recognized something that their average-performing peers have not: the most accessible customer contacts, the ones that will always pick up the phone and talk to you, rarely have the influence or ability to build the internal consensus required to get a deal done. Teachers. Now what?”. Skeptics. MORE >>