Category: Leadership

The 5 Secrets of Motivating Your Sales Team

by mike

Having trouble motivating your team? You’re not alone.

Every member of your team has different skill levels, interest levels, and different ways of learning. Because of this, not everyone will respond the same way to your methods of managing and motivating, and that means you need different ways of motivating, mentoring, counseling, or even some babysitting.  Sound familiar?

Here are five things you can do today to get the most out of each member of your team —

#1) Make your monthly revenue goal, and each rep’s part of that goal, crystal clear. I’m sure you have a monthly revenue goal, but does each member of your sales team know what their specific part of that goal is? (Hint — it’s not all equal).

Recognize that some reps will produce much more of the overall goal than others, but also make sure each person is clear on what their part of that overall goal is. And then coach to that.

#2) Make bonuses or prizes specific to each team member. The problem with most bonus programs is that as soon as they are released, over half of the sales team knows they can’t win so they immediately give up.

Instead, spend some time learning what each person really wants, and then customize each rep’s bonus and tie it to their individual production goal. If a rep hits their goal, then they win something that is meaningful to them. This also makes each rep responsible for hitting their own goal.

#3) Get out of your own comfort zone and close some deals. Most managers are way too busy in meetings, or reporting, or just plain hiding out to be really effective. Remember one thing—as the manager, you are the leader. And leaders lead by example.

Want to motivate your team, make your numbers, and create real value for yourself? Go onto the floor and close business for some of your sales reps and help them make their revenue goals. This is the most important thing you can do not only for your bottom line, but for your team’s motivation as well.

#4) Invest $100 in a couple of trophies. This will be the best money you’ll ever spend. Make one a “Most improved,” or “Best effort,” and hand it out each Monday morning.

Each winner gets to keep it on their desk that week. Other trophies can be “Most deals,” or “Most new clients.” or whatever other category everyone has a chance to win (as long as it is revenue related).

Remember rule #1 in motivating: Recognition among peers is almost always more important than money.

#5) Have some fun! Go to a toy store and buy one of those beanbag tosses, and after lunch on Friday make some teams and have some fun playing as a team. Tack on $50 for good measure and watch the competition and fun build your team and dissolve stress.  This works – try it!

So, there you have it. Inexpensive, proven techniques to build morale, motivate and make more money.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Get Access Today

Metrics—Which One is Most Important?

by mike

Feeling a little overwhelmed by all the new sales tracking technology that seems to come out every month (almost every week)?

If you’re like most companies, then you’ve probably got enough technology in place to measure just about everything: talk time, conversion rates, number of demos being given, lead flow and lead placement in the funnel—top end, middle, and end stage of leads.

And now with A.I., you can automate just about everything else—including phone calls, voice mails, email campaigns, etc.

While working with a new client last week, his management team was asking me which metrics they should focus on as they begin adopting the new best practice approaches we introduced.

Should they look at the increase in leads (or decrease because the leads will now be more qualified) or the number of opportunities?

Should they drill down on length of presentations?

How about numbers of calls? Contacts? Length of the first call?

While all things are important, my suggestion was to focus on the one metric that drives all the others: How the rep is performing while on the call.

What I stressed is using recordings to measure how well a rep handles each part of the phone call. For example, what does your team say when they are told to “Just email me something”?

How about: “We wouldn’t be interested right now?”

How well does your sales team respond to the objection given at the end of the demo: “Can you send me those slides and let me share this with a colleague?”

Measuring your team’s response to these crucial selling situations is what drives everything else, especially your bottom line: Sales.

So here are some questions for you (whether you are a sales manager or V.P. or business owner):

**Are you consistently listening to your team’s calls, grading them, and using the lessons learned to help them perform better each and every day?

If not, then don’t think that if they just make more calls or get more leads or schedule more demos, then you’ll improve your team’s closing percentage and make more sales.

They won’t.

What they will do is waste more time and resources and generate more frustration.

What you need to do is improve your team’s skills sets and improve the way they deal with the common selling situations they get over and over again.

And once you do that, you’ll finally move the needle on all the other metrics of your sales team.

So, begin paying attention to and measuring the most important metric of all: How your team responds to the recurring selling situations they get day in and day out.

If you’d like to know how to improve those skills, then get your team into my new on-demand inside sales training! See it here.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Get Access Today

How to Be a Leader

by mike

A boss says, “Go!”

A leader says, “Let’s Go!”

This quote sums up my management philosophy: A leader isn’t afraid of jumping into the trenches and showing their team exactly how to succeed in their job.

In sales, this means leading by example.

When I became a sales manager, I was already the top producer in the office (and this is how many managers are promoted), and it was easy and natural for me to jump on the phone and take over a call.

I enjoyed it!

And over the years, I found that this was the best way to train my reps—by modeling the closing skills and behaviors I wanted them to learn and practice.

What’s interesting in my training these days is that there are a good number of sales managers who resist this idea. They tell me that now they’re in management, they don’t “get on the phones” anymore.

Or, they tell me that it’s the job of the sales rep to make the calls—not them.

That’s a serious error.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not suggesting you do their work for them (they’d become dependent on you if you did), but rather, it’s important to show them how it’s done.

If you take over a call they are struggling with or start a call they think will be difficult (and you record it), then you will be able to provide them with an example of the right way to handle that situation.

And they’ll learn how to do it right going forward.

In addition, by not shying away from picking up the phone, you will be viewed as a leader—rather than a boss.

And that means people will respect you and want to follow you.

And this is what a leader does.

There are many other reasons for getting on the phone as well:

  • You’ll keep your skills sharp.
  • You’ll get the wonderful feeling that comes from closing a sale.
  • You’ll earn the respect from your reps.
  • You’ll help the company, and your team, make their numbers.

And many more.

So, ask yourself: How often do you pick up the phone and show your team how to do it?

If the answer is, “I can’t remember,” or “That’s not my job,” I urge you to think again.

Get on the phones, make a sale, and start leading your team to greatness.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Get Access Today

New Book on Leadership: A Great Read!

by mike

What characteristics make up leadership?

Are you born with these traits, or can you develop them?

How early in life do you know you were meant to be a leader, and how do you position yourself, throughout your career, to express and expand on this calling?

And what role does adversity play in either derailing or energizing and propelling you forward?

These are just a few of the crucial questions that Doris Kearns Goodwin answers in her new book: Leadership In Turbulent Times.

If you enjoy reading about and learning from history, then you’ll love this new book. I highly recommend it. From the back cover:

“In Leadership, presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin provides an essential and accessible roadmap for aspiring and established leaders in every field and for all of us in our everyday lives.

“Applying five decades of study, profound insights and masterful storytelling, Goodwin demonstrates how four exceptional leaders—U.S. presidents Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson—overcame adversity and transcended personal ambition to enlarge the lives of others. In today’s polarized world, these stories of authentic leadership guided by moral purpose, collaboration, compromise, and civility take on a singular urgency.”

Masterful storytelling indeed! Goodwin is a terrific writer, and I was entranced by the stories she tells of these truly great men and their trying times, and I was especially moved by their, “authentic leadership” and their ability to work for the greater good.

These lessons apply to the business world as well—especially if you’re facing major changes in your company or in your life. And who isn’t?

Also, if you’re currently a manager, director or V.P.—or if you’re a rep who aspires to be in a leadership position, then I highly recommend picking this wonderful book and learning from the lives of these truly special leaders.

Leadership In Turbulent Times is a great read!

Quick Announcement: New dates for our next Online Training have just been added to our calendar: Next course starts on Monday, February 24th at 2 p.m. EDT. Check it out here.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Upcoming Schedule