Colleen’s Blog

Over the last 12 to 16 months, I have been working with clients to help them implement a new sales methodology. And I'm telling you we have come up with a magic formula for implementation accountability and producing great results. This entails a bi-weekly 30-minute sales meeting that’s focused on one narrow skill area that you want your salespeople to accomplish and master.

I often get bombarded with questions from overwhelmed salespeople and sales managers on how to manage their time effectively given everything they have to do in a day.

My very favorite question in all of selling is simply, "Why?" Why do I like it so much? There are a number of reasons. 

Silence is one of the simplest things a seller can learn to do, but it is the most difficult for them to execute in the sales process effectively.

A large number of my clients this year are looking to grow and retain their existing account base. They want to grow and retain those existing accounts at the highest level possible in their marketplace to better serve them and provide more value.

One of my clients chose “predictability” as their company’s 2020 theme. I thought that was a really laudable goal because, in choosing “predictability” as the theme, they created sales processes, territories, and named accounts to really give the sales team the focus they needed to produce predictable results. More importantly, what’s the central key to ensuring that you and your client have predictable results? Adherence to the process. 

I have a question for you. Do you really know where your revenue comes from? Most businesses can probably answer that question pretty quickly. It's obvious, right? Not so fast.

As we’re rounding out any month, quarter, or year—depending on how your fiscal year is created—I always like salespeople to think about accelerating their sales in the next period. The easiest way to start this process is by looking at your current sales velocity. 

As we approach the last few weeks of the year, salespeople often find themselves either coasting into the new year because they have accomplished their sales goals, or they find themselves pushing hard because they have struggled to reach their sales targets.

I’ve recently been involved in a pilot coaching project with a large organization where we are teaching their sales managers how to coach. These sales managers have been incredibly effective with their coaching and getting their teams to accelerate results.