Colleen’s Blog

It's that time of year again. With a few weeks left of 2015, I hope you've given 2016 careful thought and examination. It's time to figure out what's worked, what hasn't and create goals to achieve greater results in the new year. When a plane takes off, the pilot knows all sorts of specifications so the destination can be reached. The exact coordinates of the destination, the amount of time it will take to get there, and other details are confirmed before takeoff to ensure the safe and timely arrival of the flight. A similar process is required for successful goal setting. You must set goals that are detailed, time specific and achievable in your mind in order to create success. ← Click To Tweet The following are example goals that are more likely to generate positive results: - “Increase written and oral communication skills by attending 5 seminars or workshops by December 31st, 2015.” - “Double next month’s sales results by prospecting for an extra hour each day.” - “Make 20 new professional connections before December 31st, 2015 by attending 10 networking events or gatherings by the end of the year.” Notice how each goal has a well-defined result, a time frame and a general “plan of action” to achieve it. Not only can these goals be easily measured and executed, but they are reasonably realistic while still maintaining a respectable “reward” for putting in the work. Let’s compare these with the types of goals that most sales leader set:

How can you ensure that you’re hiring the right people to join your sales team? Many sales leaders have been asking me how to hire new sales reps and build a profitable team, especially as we inch closer to 2016. I often suggest taking a step back. There are a few things you need to do before you proceed with interviews in order to ensure that you hire the right person and create the best team possible.

You’ve observed others making mistakes and you’ve probably made a few yourself. Often, these mistakes are decisions which seem like a good idea in the moment, but cause massive complications in the future. The perfect example of this is salespeople who try selling to everyone. It does seem like a good idea. After all, the more sales the better...right? But, selling to everyone can lead to a massive sales disaster. It's short-term gain for long-term pain. <-- Click To Tweet The truth is, you don’t need to, nor should you sell to everyone in your pipeline. Only sell to the people that are your best prospects. When you attempt to sell to everyone you can, your customer service often falls short. You begin to work with people who are not necessarily the right fit for your business, and as a result, it becomes more difficult for you to meet and exceed your buyer’s expectations.

Bah Humbug. I've officially jumped off the millennial bandwagon. In truth, I’ve jumped off all the generational stereotyping bandwagons and have decided to treat instead, people as individuals. Why this novel approach? This month I've been reading a lot about why people say Millennials are different. Of note they list: They want a culture of purpose They want to be surrounded with high performing people like them They believe they can change the world They want freedom in their work style They want praise, praise, praise Money isn’t their only motivation My reaction was "Hey wait! Doesn't that sound a lot like me?" (And I'm technically a Gen Xer)

I love to travel and have never met a country that I did not enjoy and whose people I did not learn from. My belief is that we must embrace the differences in all cultures and learn to enjoy them while we are visiting, while also taking some of the best characteristics home with us to incorporate into our own lives. Travelling down the Rhine last month and visiting 4 distinct countries brought culture and lifestyle differences to the forefront. Our German tour guide would not let the bus leave until she had counted the passengers 4 times and confirmed everyone had their seats belt on. She refused to let us walk on the grass and waited until everyone had arrived at a sight before she began speaking. No matter how slow the group was. In France, our tour guide never once confirmed how many people were on the bus, nor whether we buckled up. Despite the fact that seat belts are the law in France. He moved quickly through his commentary, not caring if anyone could see what he was pointing at. When a small group of our tour complained that he was moving too fast, his response was “I don’t care!”

What are you currently doing to separate yourself from other salespeople? I don’t recommend locking yourself in a room and working through your days without any interaction with your colleagues, but I do recommend taking steps to truly differentiate yourself and stand out from the pack. If you want to be the best, you must do things that mediocre salespeople are not willing to do. It often takes more effort, but what you will gain from going the extra mile is invaluable. When you show up to work and do exactly what everyone else is doing, you will achieve the same results that they are achieving. When you make the extra effort, you create extraordinary results and make more sales. It’s not just about your sales results. When you stand out from the crowd, you are more likely to move up in your company and receive more opportunities within your own business. Regardless of the industry you’re in, people always respect and admire hard working individuals. Here are a few steps you can take to separate yourself from other sales professionals:

You have a few top performers on your sales team. That means they don't need to be coached, right? Wrong. Your top producing salespeople need to be coached just as much as your mid or bottom performing reps. In fact, it may be a wise decision to start coaching them even more! Why? Because by coaching your best reps, developing them further and encouraging them to raise their own bar, you better your chances of moving your sales results forward.