Colleen’s Blog

Get creative. That's my advice for any business owner or sales leader about to embark on a new phase of recruiting. Far too many leaders stick to the same old, same old when it comes to their recruitment process and trying to find top sales talent to join their team. It's surprising to see how many organizations stick with ads in the paper, online postings and even using the same recruiters they've used in the past. They don't switch things up! The result? The same tired and boring resumes that keeping flocking in. Sure - you may find a great hire in that pile of resumes. But, generally speaking, if you want to find a "stand out" candidate, don't use a worn out process to try and attract them. Here's how you can add a little creativity to your hiring process:

It's frustrating. When you see a sales rep struggling month after month, and missing target after target, it's enough to make any sales leader uneasy. The problem is most leaders handle poor performers the wrong way. There's a tendency to have "tough conversations" or attempt to punish them into higher performance. Some leaders even give poor performers the "cold shoulder" and allow a rep's professional performance to seep into their personal behavior towards them. These are all things that are extremely counterproductive and more often than not, contribute to more negativity and even worse performance. Luckily, there are strategies you can put into place to help improve their results. 

We're now well into Q2. Are you ready to help your team accelerate their success? I’ve been working with organizations and helping transform their sales teams for the last year. In all cases, these are companies looking to grow faster than the market and at an accelerated pace than their current growth path. Here are their keys to success:

You cannot grow your business with a particular client if you're relying on a singular point of information. Growth comes from not only the quality of contacts, but also your quantity of contacts in a particular organization. If members of your sales team are not diversifying their contacts within an organization, it's time that you ask them to start doing so. The truth is, your team needs to be increasing their engagement or "infiltration" with their clients if you have any hopes of growing your business within your existing customer base. What's the best way to begin practicing this? Start building an organizational chart. When a member of your sales team meets with a buyer, either in person or on call, get them to ask this one simple question:

This year, we've been blessed with an extra day! That's right, because "February 29" shows up on this year's calendar, we have an extra 24 hours to speed up, catch up or to simply use as a way to rest and recharge. Chances are, most sales leaders won't look at their time this way. They won't even acknowledge that they have an extra day this year, or if they do, they'll underestimate what they can accomplish in a day. So, what exactly can you do with the extra day you've been given this year? Here are 16 ideas inspired by my work with the top performers inside the Engage Community:

It's common for people think  "garbage in, garbage out." However, in sales the opposite is true; garbage in, garbage stays! In other words, if you keep making tragic mistakes in managing your team and your territories you will produce a garbage year. So, while it's common at the start off the year to create your annual "to do list" or goal list, you must also create a "not to do list" of  specific "garbage activities" that are hurting your sales. Here are the top 16 "garbage activities" for your 2016 "not to do list." STOP….

Supermodel Linda Evangelista famously said that she would “not roll out of bed in the morning for less than ten thousand dollars.” It was a smart business move on her part. Ten thousand dollars was her minimum profit per shoot. Your Sales Radar must also have a minimum profit, a minimum profit per client. This is the number, expressed in either revenue or margin, that you will not work for less than (or as the Queen might say, “the number for less than which you will not work”). Clients above this minimum can either stay as service accounts or be reclassified as growth accounts. Clients below it must be fired.

Wow - we’re already in December. It’s hard to believe that we're in the final month of the year already. Time flies, doesn’t it?! I’m sure you’re already thinking ahead to 2016. But, before you pull out the planning boards and strategy documents, don’t forget to first analyze your successes and drawbacks in 2015. Ask yourself key questions, answer them, and use those answers as building blocks for planning 2016. <-- Click To Tweet I want you to succeed and I want 2016 to be your best year ever. Here are several questions you may want to ask yourself to make that happen: