I admit I do not know much about him; I have heard his name but unlike Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or the Shaq I would not know him by sight.

Probably a generational thing!

Yet he has just become the highest points scorer in all of NBA history, 38 390 as I write this blog and still going strong.

What an amazing feat of talent and endurance.

But if we were to get some sales tips from LeBron what would they be?

Consistency

Since he was drafted in 2003 Lebron has demonstrated a high degree of consistency voted Rookie of the year in 2004 with his career record littered with NBA championships, Championship MVP and league MVP awards, the list is impressive.

And what is more impressive is these awards and victories are not concentrated in a small block. They are spread out over what is now a twenty-year playing career.

And if you look at all champions that are at the top of their games, consistency is crucial.

Sales tips from Lebron would include

Consistently turning up, making the calls, following the process, pitching, and closing even on days when you didn’t really feel like it or want too.

Consistency in sales is a superpower, tasks become habitual, and you do them anyway.

Failure is part of the journey.

Sure Lebron is the highest points scorer in NBA history, look at his stats.

• 27.2 points per game
• 7.5 rebounds per game
• 7.3 assists per game
• 1.5 steals per game
• 0.8 blocks per game
• 3.5 turnovers per game
• 38.1 minutes per game
• 50.5 percent shooting
• 34.4 percent 3-point shooting
• 73.5 percent free throw shooting

Lets drill down on 3 statistics that show Lebron failed over and over.

50.5 percent shooting percentage – he missed 49.5% of the time.

And from 3 point range he missed 65.6% of the time.

Even from the free throw line he missed 26,5% of the time.

By any measure Lebron failed, a lot.

Salespeople also fail a lot.

The difference between elite athletes and salespeople, is the salespeople tend to take it personally, as being rejected, they get down on themselves.

Sales tips from LeBron would include accepting that failure is part of the journey, you know you will fail more often than you win.

But in each failure, there is a lesson.

A way to improve.

And this is why a majority of salespeople do not reach their full potential – they fail to learn a lesson and seek ways to improve.

Learning from failure

Lebron and his team would have embraced failure and learned from it.

They would watch back every game, they would debrief their offensive and defensive plays

They would be critical of their own performances.

They would practice, get coached, and practice some more.

If your sales team is not following a similar process, they will not learn from failure

Sales tips from LeBron would include

• Know the stats – Lebron does, and you should too. Your sales team and each member in it need to know their numbers, their conversion rates at step of the process.
• The stats should be in full public view weekly, Lebron’s is. Although unlike a sales team his stats are in the press and being analysed by commentators.
• Every pitch should be debriefed, Every game of Lebron’s is – how can anyone improve if their performance is not reviewed.
• If possible, every zoom sales call recorded. You guessed it, Lebron’s games are, not only for entertainment but for coaching and quality control reasons!
• Calls should be viewed by sales leaders and coaches. Lebron and his team are surrounded by coaches who cast an eye over everything they do.
• Every week feedback on how to improve their process should be given. Lebron and his team are coached constantly. Techniques are improved and at that level, a 1% gain can be worth millions and an NBA championship ring.

Sales tips from LeBron can be implemented in your business today – what is stopping you?

If you are unsure how to implement these lessons with your team, jump on a call with Martin.

BOOK A STRATEGY CALL WITH MARTIN

You may also like to read this recent blog The process of selling and what we can learn from elite athletes.

https://thesalesstrategist.com.au/the-process-of-selling/

The post Sales tips from LeBron appeared first on The Sales Strategist.

Novak Djokovic is a polarising tennis player.

Not as loved as Roger Federer nor as Flamboyant as Rafael Nadal.

But there is a high probability that in 2023 he will overtake Raffa as the most successful men’s player in history.

And he has achieved this all in an era where Feder and Nadal were dominating.

It has been no easy road.

Throw in the fiasco that was his expulsion from Australia over his Covid stance in 2022 and lack of match fitness from his withdrawal at other tournaments for the same reason, it appeared his hopes were over.

What can we learn from Novak?

NOVAKS PROCESS

Novak had three key elements he relied on to make his way back, three things that are also the foundation of a top salesperson.

His mind

His heart

His process

Armed with just these three things he thumbed his nose at the worlds tennis authorities and won his 10^th Australian open and 22^nd Grand Slam title in January.

What can we learn from Novak?

Selling can be an unforgiving profession, there is an adage “you are only as good as your last sale” and in Novak’s case “you are only as good as your last Grand Slam”.

What can we learn from Novak ? – Mindset

Mindset is the most important aspect of selling, without a strong mind, a determination to succeed, and ability to not see defeat as fatal, but an opportunity to learn and improve is essential.

When selling the client will throw everything at you, that’s what makes it worthwhile, that’s what makes it fun.

Few can imagine what Novak’s would have felt when he was deported from Australia in 2023 but his mind was strong, he knew he would be back.

What can we learn from Novak ? – Heart

The ability to get back up in sales after you have lost a big deal, you go though a slump, your targets are hard to reach takes heart.

Heart is the ability to keep going, to stay authentic and to speak your truth no matter what.

In selling authenticity is a superpower as you are one of a kind. Pretend to be someone else, act differently to get your numbers up – that never ends well. Clients can sense something is NQR and they resist.

Agree with his stance or not, you cannot help but admire Novak’s unwavering belief.

What can we learn from Novak ? – Process

A process

A logical series of next steps constantly repeated until it is second nature is the game plan of any high performing salesperson.

You rely on your process to get you to the top, and you rely on your process when things go wonky.

If you do not have a sales process, you are relying on luck.

And luck always runs out.

Novak knew his process was strong as he had won many grand slams before, it was just match fitness he had to get and the more times he practiced his process in match conditions the better he got.

Same in selling.

The more times you follow your process the more successful you will be come and importantly, if things don’t go to plan you can debrief and figure out why.

I guess anything is possible when you start believing and follow a process!

If you would like your team to learn from Novak, Chat Sales Cardio with Martin.

BOOK A STRATEGY CALL WITH MARTIN

You may also like to read this recent blog The process of selling and what we can learn from elite athletes.

https://thesalesstrategist.com.au/the-process-of-selling/

The post What can we learn from Novak? appeared first on The Sales Strategist.

• A  Hollywood movie, the Shawshank redemption
• A top selling novel – The DaVinci Code
• An awesome comedian – Jerry Seinfeld
• A musical extravaganza – Phantom of the opera

Between them they generate 10s of billions of dollars each year by following a formula, a formula that has remained successful since the dawn of time.

Ask someone what their favourite movie or novel is, and they will likely struggle to choose just one.

And for most the reason the movie or novel is so memorable is the story that is being told.

How the characters are brought to life, the unexpected twists in the storyline.

All leading to the final action sequences where everything is revealed.

While Hollywood producers, script writers, authors, composers are paid handsomely to get it right, there are a high proportion of creative ideas that never see the light of day or bomb spectacularly.

And the reason?

Usually a poor story, the characters were weak, I knew what the ending would be, it was boring.

The difference between a blockbuster and a bomb

The story and how it is told.

We business owners and salespeople could learn a lot from Hollywood if we listened but for the most part we don’t.

We are blissfully unaware that the secret to our sales success we are watching most nights on Netflix, at the movies or in reading in  a novel before we go to sleep

The process of pitching is easier than you may think.

Structure

The process of pitching your business your product your service is all about telling a story.

And every business has a great story, a masterpiece and how you craft and deliver that story is critical to the success of your sales process.

How well crafted and delivered is your story?

And what happens when we put your story, your pitch in a busy world, in a competitive post Covid marketplace, how does it stack up?

What makes you stand out?

Does your story have clients paying attention and wanting more like a good movie or is it straight to video, no one really cares?

SET UP / INTRIGUE /REVEAL

Every great story has these three ingredients, and everything starts with a setup, the foundations of the story, the structure.

Then intrigue is created to hold the attention of the reader, what will happen next, the hero is in harms way, you want to know more.

And then at the end, the big reveal.

Let me ask you all this, when you choose a new movie to watch do you Fast forward to the end and watch the last 15 minutes first?

When you purchase a new novel do you read the last chapter first

WHY?

Because if you know the reveal at the end, why would you pay attention to all the rest?

AND THIS is the biggest issue that I see with company pitches and presentations, they are all presenting the last chapter first, it is all reveal and once you have revealed everything the buyer is no longer paying attention.

The process of pitching – Creating your content.

The set up

A Hollywood movie or a bestselling novel story starts with a set up

When a story or a pitch starts, and you are talking about you, wrong way, go back, not interested.

So Start with a big change in your industry

Technology, consumer behaviour, regulations, supply chain, interest rates, labour shortages, fashion, colours, environmental,

What is the big change in your industry and how is it relevant to the buyer

The process of pitching starts here.

The Hero

In the novel I wrote one of my favourite parts was the character development. I just loved creating a character. But any great character does not just start there right.

Each character has its origins.

It usually starts out when they are a kid.

And all heroes generally find themselves in a situation, something out of the ordinary occurs, they have a situation that they have to confront.

Maybe it involves a quest and at some point, in the movie the hero is tested, things go wrong and the hero is force to confront his demons and overcome.

No rise is ever complete without a redemption story, a metamorphosis occurs, and the change is apparent.

The hero triumphs over adversity.

What’s your story?

If you are a business owner, CEO, salesperson you have all have overcome challenges in your life, sometimes seemingly insurmountable odds stacked against you.

Every one of you has overcome adversity

What’s your story. Where did you originate

I love working with clients on their origin story, go back, all the way back and make it compelling.

The big idea

What else do you need to create a good story a good pitch?

Well, you need a big idea, what’s yours?

All stories start with a big idea.

A great movie starts with a big idea and not many ideas are bigger than Star Wars

The novel I wrote started with a big idea.

A big idea is actually not about you, your company or your products, it is an actual high stakes idea.

The Big Idea is an actual high stakes idea, it provides insight, simplifies something complex and captures a changing world

What is your big idea.?

While there is a lot more to a pitch than a set up, a hero and a big idea if you can write a pitch that encapsulates these basic pillars your pitch will be a lot better than 80% being delivered today.

How can you improve ?

If you are a business owner, CEO, salesperson of manager, what you are doing now is already successful. You would not be  in business if you did not have a basic framework.

But just how tight is it.

How well scripted are the stories you are telling your clients about you, your origins, your big idea, what is changing?

And can everyone in your organisation deliver your sales pitch, your story, your big idea with the same degree of confidence and surety as you can?

If the answer is Meh, no, hell no or I cant even do that then it is an indication there is work to do.

And no matter how successful you may or may not already be at sales, just by investing a little time and effort in your process and your scripting , it will yield big results to your bottom line.

I work with clients every day helping them construct their pitch which allows us to create pillar pieces we can insert into their sales process that has clients engaged, intrigued, and wanting more.

If you would are unsure how to get started, would like some feedback on your current pitch or just want help, click on the link and lets chat.

https://TheSalesStrategist.as.me/cardioworkout

You may also like to read this recent blog The process of selling and what we can learn from elite athletes.

https://thesalesstrategist.com.au/the-process-of-selling/

The post The process of pitching and what we can learn from Hollywood appeared first on The Sales Strategist.

If you are an elite sportsperson, you have a defined passion and purpose, you have trailed and proven routines, a focussed mind, you have committed to continual training and coaching, have a high pain tolerance, and have demonstrated resilience.

If you are striving to be the best Gymnast, golfer, sprinter, tennis player or swimmer, name your sport, your technique, your process is one of the most important elements.

A slight deviation at that level has dire consequences.

Some may be more gifted, think Michael, Jordan, tiger woods, some may be more flamboyant, Usain bolt, some may be dour but get the job done, Novak Djokovic.

For me my sport was rowing

Rowing is a highly technical, you require strength and endurance, and I had the good fortune to be coached by some of the best in the world.

Rowing by its nature is about process and then you layer on top strength, cardiovascular fitness, mindset, diet.

Did I ever row the perfect stroke in the hundreds of thousands I rowed?

Probably although during the 6 minutes of a 2000m race there would likely only be a handful as the conditions, fatigue, and other factors contributed.

But what has this got to do with the process of selling?

Everything.

First you need a sales process.

Think of it as your golf swing, your tennis serves, your free throw, your floor routine, your rowing stroke.

We would have all either swung a golf club, hit a tennis ball, or tried a free thrown in basketball

And to start with we would have been pretty shit at it.

We had no process we just did what came naturally.

But the more we practiced and learned, the more we followed a process and got coached the better we became.

As you get better the basics become second nature, you do it without thinking, your highest level of ingrained learning kicks in enabling you to perform on bigger and bigger stages.

Closing the multi-million-dollar deals, competing at the Olympic Games.

Anyone competing at this level will tell you, if you deviate from your process your goose is cooked, your deal or game is over.

So what did I know about the process of selling?

I was fortunate in that I competed at World championships and commonwealth games at the same time I was starting to sell.

And back then no one showed me how to sell, I was thrown a set of car keys and had to figure it out myself.

So what did I know?

• I knew the power of a process, so I started developing one
• I knew the power of a winning mindset, so I used it
• I knew you learn more from loosing than winning so every rejection made me stronger
• I understood perseverance so I never gave up
• I had an abundance of confidence, so I believed.
• I knew I needed coaches, so I searched for and found then
• I knew I needed to learn so I read as much as I could (which wasn’t much back then)
• And I kept showing up, day after day
• I never gave up
• And eventually I started winning more deals than losing them
• I was never satisfied, I always wanted to improve so I sought out bigger and bigger challenges

Elite athletes from all sports follow a similar recipe for success.

And they all understand that their process always needs to be put under the microscope as when you are at the top of your game the one percenters are not little.

They are the difference between an Olympic gold medal and failing to even qualify.

Can your sales process compete at this level?

I was recently invited to facilitate for 90 days with one of the worlds most recognisable equipment brands, in Australia a sales team of over 60.

And as you would expect with a multi-billion-dollar multinational their process of selling was tight.

But as I dug deeper it was obvious that this high performing team needed some assistance.

What I was seeing from their sales process was incongruent with the brand they represented.

I started coaching them to make some small changes and to their credit the management and team embraced fully the techniques and changes I was asking them to make.

• Ninety days later discounting which was standard practice had reduced to a trickle
• They were getting better at selecting their clients
• The salespeople started getting time back
• Lead conversion rates started to rise.

As a specialist sales coach I was able to see things they could not.

Just like an elite athlete they needed an extra pair of eyes who is trained to pick up on the little things that make a big difference.

To improve their golf swing, their tennis serve, their sales process

What can we learn about sales from elite athletes?

Turns out quite a lot.

If you can see the benefit in having a professional coach look over your sales process, step 1 is to book a call.

https://TheSalesStrategist.as.me/cardioworkout

You may also like to read this recent blog on the steps you may choose to take once you have identified underperforming sales talent https://thesalesstrategist.com.au/underperforming-sales-talent/

The post The process of selling appeared first on The Sales Strategist.

As an elite sportsman in the late 1980s I was 10 feet tall and bullet proof until one day I felt a lump.

I was aware enough to go to the doctor, the diagnosis,

Testicular cancer.

Saw a specialist and within 24 hours of me noticing, well, feeling the symptom that presented, I was undergoing surgery.

That was followed up with five sessions of radiotherapy every week for three months before I finally got the “all clear”

A potentially life ending illness cured.

Now over thirty years later I am fitter than ever but maintaining my health and wellbeing takes work.

You cannot take it for granted.

What your personal health is to you, your sales health is to your business

And it is the same in business because like you, your business is a living entity, its health can be adversely affected by a myriad of issues.

As a professional sales coach, I see symptoms of ill health being ignored every day,

And I understand why.

Business is not for the faint hearted, it consumes your time, your energy, your focus, and many I interact with are just busy getting through each day.

And a large chunk of time is invariably treating the symptom, not the cause.

A tight cashflow, margin erosion, increased marketing spends, lead conversion rates falling.

All symptoms of a larger problem that if diagnosed can be worked on and cured.

Sales is the heartbeat of your business

Every business understands that sales are important.

And if you are in a business reading this then your sales process is working, it is generating income, so you are already successful at selling.

But just how healthy is the heart of your business?

Has it been showing and symptoms of fatigue or ill health?

The top 12 Symptoms that indicate your business could use a sales health check include:

1. A tight cashflow
2. Sales teams not hitting KPIs
3. Margin erosion
4. A softening of sales conversions rates
5. An increase in marketing expenditure
6. Continual buyer objections
7. A blocked sales pipeline
8. Customers Ghosting your outreach
9. Discounting
10. An unclear sales process of logical next steps
11. A sales pitch that is not replicated by everyone in a client facing role
12. A lack of daily / weekly / monthly meeting rhythm’s

Sales Cardio Tip –

When going through this list pause on each point and write down why you believe this is not an issue in your business.

Example

A tight cashflow

Response – our cashflow has remained healthy and positive for the past 6 months

Sales team not hitting KPIs

Response – Every sales team member has met or exceeded their KPIs for the last quarter

The temptation will be to mentally flick through this list but if you dedicate just 15 minutes to this task it could very well be the 15 minutes that, just like when I felt a lump all those years ago, will save your business from serious ill health or worse.

So, you have identified a symptom or two?

First thing to understand is its not fatal but now it has been drawn to your attention it is time for you to act and drill down to find the underlying cause, not symptom

The underlying cause of tight cashflow could for example be a rise in expenses or market conditions beyond your control.

However, I would strongly recommend jumping on a call with one of our team to guide you through the process in a complimentary 30-minute Sales Cardio session.

Just like with your own health, I would not rely on self-diagnostics or Dr Google.

Here is the link to book your free session.

https://TheSalesStrategist.as.me/cardioworkout

You may also like to read this recent blog on the steps you may choose to take once you have identified underperforming sales talent https://thesalesstrategist.com.au/underperforming-sales-talent/

The post The twelve symptoms appeared first on The Sales Strategist.

According to a 2021 study 64% of business admitted that their sales pipeline management was ineffective.

I personally thought it would be a lot higher as of all the businesses I help performance manage and coach there are only two I would identify as effective in this area.

And it confuses me as to why businesses do not take it more seriously!

Why is pipeline management so important?

If a sales process was a living organism the sales pipeline would be its beating heart.

An effective sales pipeline allows CEOs and CFOs to forecast monthly and quarterly earnings, manufacturing businesses can rely on its accuracy to procure raw materials, business owners can predict when to scale up or down, and it can even measure market trends.

The sales pipeline, this beating heart is constantly filled with prospects.

Consider for a moment that the prospects are the blood and one thing we all know is that the heart pumps the blood, it is constantly on the move.

If it is not there is a problem,

Any slowing down will result in a change to blood pressure and if there is a blockage, a clot, things can get serious quickly.

And this is the root of most businesses issues when it comes to their sales pipelines, they are clotted.

Clotted with stalled deals and prospects who are not going anywhere.

They are a slow-moving toxin that poisons the businesses sales pipeline to the point that it is, for the most part, useless.

Businesses ignore sales pipeline management at their peril.

How do you keep your pipeline moving?

• First hold your sales team accountable for their own sales pipeline and monitor it with them monthly
• Tracking the larger deals individually and setting an expectation, based on length of sale metrics how fast each prospect moves.
• Train your team to identify and remove bad leads quickly. It is all part of the client selection criteria.
• Every business will have prospects that are WOFTAMS (Waste of freaking time and money). Identify them early and move them on.
• If deals stall or go dark (ghosting is a real thing these days) invite your client to tell you NO, that they are not interested, it is amazing how often this re-engages customers.

I have an email template I use for exactly this purpose; send me an email and I will share it with you.

martin.eade@thesalesstrategist.com.au

The benefits of a CRM in sales pipeline management

With so many alternatives available to businesses at various investment levels there is no excuse for any business, even a start-up not to have a CRM.

I do not endorse one CRM over the other but a few I see in regular range from Salesforce and Hubspot to active campaign, Pipedrive and Odoo.

When I first started in sales computers were only just starting to be used and in the late 80s, they were the days of rolodex, tracking your leads manually by cards (I had this massive manual filing system supplemented with notes) and eventually started using a computer programme called Lotus 123.

The fact is today with the amount of leads being generated there is NO WAY any company can manually track leads without losing or forgetting them but more importantly, there is no transparency in the daily, weekly and monthly activities of your sales team.

A great CRM helps you manage your business and your team.

Take sales pipeline management seriously

I work with a large number of businesses in their sales pipeline strategy, from start ups to billion dollar multi-nationals. No one is immune from a clotted pipeline so the secret is taking action, sometimes drastic action to get things moving again.

If you would like to talk sales pipeline management just click the link below

Book a strategy call with Martin

A CRM will help measure your sales conversion rate – read the blog here https://thesalesstrategist.com.au/lead-conversion-rate/

The post Effective sales pipeline management appeared first on The Sales Strategist.

If you are competing at a chosen sport, about to deliver a speech, perform surgery, or attend a job interview one thing has a major impact on your performance.

Self-belief, a prize frame mindset, it is a sales superpower.

Does your team have it?

A successful sportsperson thinks they are going to win

An engaging speaker knows they are going to crush it.

A skilled surgeon believes the most difficult operation is achievable.

An outstanding applicant knows they are the best person for the job

Most of us would be exposed every day to at least one post, email, conversation, or program that mentions the power of mindset.

Yet in sales, the largest single profession on the planet, self-belief is lacking across the board from sales novice to thirty-year veteran.

This sales superpower is one thing every one of us has the ability to change and the one thing that will improve the performance of anyone who sells for a living.

And there are over a billion of us!

WHY IS THIS SKILLSET LACKING?

This is an interesting question that I have thought about as I have witnessed it in every business I performance manage and coach from single person solopreneurs to billion-dollar multinationals.

Firstly, we have the young who have just joined the workforce, and in my experience anyone under the age of around 25 falls into this category.

They have been told what to do all their lives, by parents, teachers, university lecturers, they have likely had a few poor buying experiences and have a less than positive outlook on sales.

Companies give their team some basic training and set them loose.

They are timid, shy, not confident, don’t want to appear arrogant and fear rejection.

Then we have those entering the sales profession from another role or at a more mature age and by and large they have the same issues as listed above but let’s throw in the fear of failure, the pressure and expectation of performance and some basic training if any.

They are uncertain, lack authority and expertise

And then we have the experienced salespeople, and they can range in experience from 5 years to many decades.

They have been in the hustle and bustle of sales for many years, and it is relentless.

Sales is not for the fainthearted, KPIS, budgets, cold calls, reporting, the constant monthly pressure of bring in the revenue for the business they work for.

And over time the prizing mindset, their sales superpower has been eroded without them knowing.

SELLING IS A CONTACT SPORT!

The thing about sportspeople is every time they enter the arena to compete, they have worked on their mindset, they have visualized victory, they have imagined success and have prepared through constant training so every time they turn up, they are at their peak.

Sales is a contact sport.

Constant training both in technique and the mind is essential.

It is a rare breed that have a successful career in sales as you always lose more than you win

You are always having to make cold calls, to handle rejection, to navigate through sales slumps.

That is why constantly providing your sales team, novice or professional with an awareness and training on the mindset of prizing is so important.

JUST IMAGINE

In every new facilitation I conduct I give myself a superpower and transport my attendees into the body of a super successful entrepreneur.

I ask everyone to imagine how the way they sell, the way they enter a conversation would change if they were Elon Musk?

(If you are not an Elon fan, think Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Opera Winfrey, Gina Reinhardt)

The answer is A LOT

And then I ask ‘So why are you not being Elon right now? You have the ability; it is just a choice”

And for the next 90 minutes we embark on a journey into the prize frame mindset.

If you want to change the sales game in your business work with your team on self-belief, on the prize frame mindset

https://thesalesstrategist.com.au/what-is-the-prize-frame/

Want to talk about a mindset facilitation for your team?

Book a strategy call with Martin

The post Sales superpower appeared first on The Sales Strategist.

With a double tonne at the Boxing Day test Australian cricketer David Warner ended a form slump.

Most elite athletes contend with a slump during their careers.

Even the great Michael Jordan had one, but think of any sport and any sports team and chances are they have been in a slump.

Having been in sales for over 40 years I too have been through my share of slumps.

Sales slumps, where you just cannot seem to sell your way out of a paper bag.

Chances are your business has been impacted by sales slumps.

But how do you manage your team when they are going through one?

I have been performance managing and coaching sales talent for forty years and this is a question faced by sales directors and CEOs on a regular basis. Do I sack the underperforming sales talent or do they stay?

Now remember this article is about “Underperforming” sales talent. There will be a myriad of reasons why you should immediately deselect sales talent. High on the list would be bad culture fit, dishonesty, theft, or representing the business in a bad light. We are discussing here a member of your team who you think is a good culture fit, knows your product or service, is punctual and tries their best. But when KPIs are reviewed each month, is constantly underperforming.

You as a senior manager you are faced with a decision, underperforming talent – do they stay or go ?

DO WE LET THEM GO?

So, you have made the decision to let them go.

In the pro column

You have shown the rest of the team that poor performers are cut – no hesitation. The high performers in your team will be happy, those in the lower echelon will start feeling nervous, not a bad thing. Complacency is a sales killer. You can now onboard a new high performing talent member with a fresh and vibrant energy. If you select well from an aligned industry, may be able to bring some business with them or some insights as to how a competitor operates. Winning.

And now the Cons?

You contact HR who tell you they will get right onto it, the search fee for that position will be between $20 and $25K, You will have interviews set up within 3-4 weeks. On average new talent has to give at least 14 days’ notice. You should have someone through the interview process and onboarded best case 8 weeks, 12 at the outside. 2-3 months without a salesperson in a key role, not ideal.

Once onboarded their initial 30-day training commences taking you and your team away from front line activities. Everyone is under the pump, but the lost time is calculated by HR at around $10K. Now the new talent hits the road and on average, new sales talent does not start performing and hitting key KPIs for 6-9 months. HR has calculated on an incremental scale this gradual upskilling to be around $30K. Total investment so far, 60 to 65K. HR comes to you in 90 days, probation period is up, does the new talent stay or go? Have they done enough?

The future though is uncertain with any new sales talent.

DO WE LET THEM STAY?

So, you have made the decision to let the underperforming talent stay.

You bring them into your office for a performance review, tell them that they need to start hitting their KPIs, offer extra training, whatever they need, you want them to succeed. You give them a written notice that will be on file with HR. Their daily and weekly activities go up, sales rise but only marginally, the pressure intensifies.

Over the next 90 days their performance has improved, but it is still not where it needs to be, you are frustrated. Do they stay or do they go? You make the decision to terminate their employment, kicking yourself you did not act earlier, now the employment process starts, add to the start-up of 60-65K three months of lost revenue and margin. This type of scenario I have seen play out countless times over forty years, yes, even in my own organisation.

• What if there was a better option?
• What if in 90 days you could turn that underperforming salesperson around?
• What if they were on an upward trajectory.

If you have been in sales long enough you would have been through some slumps, cricketers have them, footy players have them, salespeople have them.

Or maybe you have a skilled sales team, and one talent member needs to hone their skills. What is it the sporting profession does that for the most part we in business do not? Call in a specialist coach to work one on one with the underperforming talent. The big investment has already been made to get them to the pitch, on the field, or in your business. You have invested heavily, they have the talent, past performances tell us this. How to unleash the potential or identify the roadblock. You have done all you can.

DO WE HELP THEM SUCCEED?

There are now specialist sales coaches who work directly with a company’s sales talent to upskill with new ideas and disciplines. Just like in a sporting team, the weakest link is individually performance coached and mentored, the objective is simple, to identify, work on and solve the biggest sales challenges faced. To increase customer engagement and conversion rates. To empower the individual to exceed monthly KPIs and quotas. For a fraction of the investment or inconvenience it would take to replace them.

Your team notices that when the going gets tough, you care for your team. Instead of discarding them, to give them every opportunity to succeed. To reach their potential. Sales improve but so does moral. All within 90 days, about the time it will take to onboard new talent.

The next time you are faced with a difficult choice: Do we let them go or do we let them stay. Consider another option – Do we let them succeed?

If you have underperforming sales talent and are unsure as to your next move,

Book a strategy call with Martin

Or read more about selecting and onboarding new sales talent

The post Underperforming talent – Do they stay or go appeared first on The Sales Strategist.

In the interview process, salespeople can sell!

Let me be clear.

You are about to start an interview process that is right in the candidates hitting zone and possibly not yours.

A salesperson sells for a living and the product they can sell better than any other is themselves.

You normally don’t come up against this when interviewing talent as most non sales employees feel tense and nervous in an interview process, you have the upper hand.

Sales talent by contrast will be in their element.

Whether you are identifying talent yourself or utilizing the services of a recruitment agency you must get the interview process / selection process right or the talent walking in your door may not be there for long.

Thousands of dollars and countless man hours wasted.

I have created an e-book that encapsulates all my learnings over 30 years which is yours free by clicking the link

https://thesalesstrategist.com.au/selecting-sales-talent/

I have been selecting and hiring sales talent for over 30 years and initially i sucked – check out this recent blog  and video.

https://thesalesstrategist.com.au/new-sales-talent/

The post Hiring sales talent step 1 – Interview process appeared first on The Sales Strategist.

So you are considering hiring new sales talent ?

I have been employing sales talent for over 30 years and initially I was not great at it.

In fact I was a bit S#@t.

I would employ new salespeople and expect they knew how to sell.

I would give them some basic training and set them loose.

Then get frustrated at the lack of effort, the failure to get results.

Then a moment of clarity.

I realized that I was the problem.

I was selecting the new talent

But then I was setting them up to fail

Through a lack of training,

A lack of direction

An absence of accountability and leadership

Lesson learnt

Fast forward twenty years and do I always get it right?

Hell no

But my successes now far outweigh my failures.

And as my process improved so did the new talent that I onboarded.

And my selection and onboarding process is tight

It is important to note I am not a recruitment company

I am a business owner and sales professional who has been involved in employing and onboarding sales talent for thirty years.

I am not suggesting this is the only process to successfully employ and onboard great new team members.

Employing  sales talent is not an exact science!

But hopefully you can learn from the mistakes I have made avoid F#@king it up !

I have created an e-book that encapsulates all my learnings over 30 years which is yours free by clicking the link https://thesalesstrategist.com.au/selecting-sales-talent/

The post Hiring new sales talent – how I f#@ked it up. appeared first on The Sales Strategist.