Colleen’s Blog

Having long studied the habits of top-ranked sellers and the changing nature of the marketplace, I’ve seen a steady shift in the power in buyer-seller relationships. Now, study after study confirms what I’ve been observing in the field: today’s buyer is showing less and less desire to engage with salespeople than ever before. 

Why does team selling work? 

Recently, I talked about customer loyalty and how it’s your job—not theirs—to create ideal conditions for them to stick with you. But what about within your organization? It matters here, too.

One of my clients recently told me that they wanted to divide their sales team up into “hunters” and “farmers.” It's not an ideal structure in my mind, but they wanted to go through with this and believed it was best for their business. Thus, I tried to find ways to make it work for them. In particular, here’s what I discovered. 

Could your organization be giving into certain stereotypes? There are a limitless amount of companies out there seeking to cater to certain generations.

It’s important to keep finding things to remain positive about while in a crisis. To that end, I’ve talked about why it’s important to keep moving during tough times. It is equally important, however, to safeguard the way you think. Never lose your ability to be objective, anticipate, and adapt to change.

Is your sales team in touch with your organization?

All of the top sales teams in the world generally possess a few key traits for success.

Are you setting your sales managers up to fail? A few years ago, I met an executive running sales teams who had recently been promoted to the role.

Today's global pandemic is an extraordinary public health crisis. As we get past the immediate challenge of doing what's necessary and wise to stay well and safe, the next big question is: "What must I do to keep going professionally?" Answer that by looking at the best practices of top sales leaders. The wisdom there is timeless. It applies to every tough situation—including this one.