Colleen’s Blog

Don't forget to first catch up on part one of this two part series! Nurturing and retaining new talent. Back at Boston Beer, the focus is on retention. “The big challenge for us is holding onto our sales people past the two-year mark,” says Geist. Promotions at Boston Beer often require relocation, which young people agree to, yet resist when the time comes to make a move.  Start solving the millennial challenge now, says Francis. “Building the best team possible is a crucial step for businesses that are serious about accelerating their sales,” explains Colleen Francis, founder of Engage Selling Solutions. “Solving the millennial challenge needs to be your top task in that bigger job.” As a sales strategist, Francis works with companies to develop field-tested, winning methods of attracting and retaining top talent. While that search cuts across generational lines, her work with top-ranked sales organizations has helped her formulate specific advice on how best to reach this millennial generation—the sales force and sales leaders of tomorrow.

You have it good. In the "hustle and bustle" of your workday, it's easy to get wrapped up in the stress and pressure of consistently hitting your sales targets. You're constantly prospecting, networking, following up with clients and working hard to make the next sale. If you've been in sales for even a small period of time, you've probably felt overwhelmed at one point or another. But regardless of all of this, I want to remind you of how good you have it. Whenever you feel the overwhelm taking over, remind yourself of these important points:

If you own a dog, you know how muddy they get in April. Conrad (our dog) definitely gets his fair share of spring cleaning baths. The good news? Spring brings about new opportunities and fresh beginnings. For example, while April means muddier dogs, it also means many more opportunities for them to get outside and exercise. Let's face it, winter can severely limit their time outdoors. It's also probably why "spring cleaning" exists in the first place. We seem to emulate nature and if the great outdoors are starting fresh, why can't we? It's important to take time to declutter your home, make space for new things and add that "fresh" feeling to your living space. But, are you taking the time to "spring clean" your sales as well? As we start a new quarter, it's as good a time as any to declutter anything that is blocking your sales success.

Do your team members possess the key trait for sales success? People are always asking me what they think the number one personality trait of a successful salesperson should be. Now, there is obviously a mixture of key strengths an ideal salesperson should possess, but one that stands out for me is personal responsibility. A salesperson is simply not prepared to reach their maximum potential until they take responsibility for their wins, losses, and their development as a sales professional. Here are a few questions to discover if this trait exists in your next candidate:

“This year is going to be MY year.” Almost without fail, each year we all hear phrases like this leading into January. It’s a good thing. It shows that most people have a genuine interest in being successful. Unfortunately, interest alone is not enough to follow through with creating real success. You must develop an unwavering commitment to your success and follow through by taking serious action. Over the years, I have worked with and observed many successful salespeople. By successful, I mean they are pulling in at least $500k or more in personal income each year. Find one of these successful salespeople - better yet, find five of them. Take note of the things that they all have in common with each other. Yes, there will be some differences in their style, methods and philosophies. After all, they’re different people! But, if you can pinpoint their similarities, you can absorb those traits and emulate their daily activities to bring you success as well. Keep in mind that the people you model should be people whose results you admire in business, and outside of business. As we all know, a healthy income means very little if you’re always stressed and unable to enjoy personal time. <-- Click To Tweet To help out your cause, here are a few similarities that I have found exist in the successful salespeople that I have observed:

Wow. In three weeks we are officially going to be in 2015. You're hearing me talk a lot about year end activities and tips for starting 2015 on the right foot. This is a deliberate attempt to help you focus on getting ahead and making the upcoming year your most successful to date. If you're reading this blog and taking the time to increase your knowledge, I know you can do it. Speaking of focus, what are you focused on in your day-to-day tasks and routines?

Out of all the sales rules, there is one in particular that should never be broken. Being loyal to this one single rule can mean the difference between sales success and sales disaster. What is the number one sales rule? Drum roll please! The number one sales rule to follow is to never end your day without taking at least one proactive step to put prospective business in the top of your sales funnel. That means making one call, asking for one referral, sending a letter, an email, or going to a networking event. It doesn't matter what the activity is, it's just important that you are acting proactively and putting yourself in front of probable prospects.

Believe it or not, the answer to more sales could be as simple as picking up a pen. That’s right, you may simply need to write a letter to a prospect or a decision maker in order to get a response. What I've been noticing about the top sellers and sales teams is that they are not afraid to approach prospects with old fashioned direct mail...that means actually shipping something via the post office!

Do you want to be successful? Alright - that was obviously a rhetorical question. Since I know you want to be successful, it’s imperative that you surround yourself with success. You’re probably familiar with the following quote: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” If you want to be a successful salesperson, you must do your best to learn from and work with successful salespeople. If you’re learning tips and strategies from poor salespeople, you’re not going to achieve great results. If you don’t currently work with any sellers who are creating positive results, branch out and meet successful salespeople via networking events, conferences and trade shows. The idea is to surround yourself and learn from successful (not mediocre) people. It doesn’t stop at your immediate network. Here are a few steps you can take to create a success mindset so you can create a prosperous sales career: