How to Use Sales Leadership to Train and Manage Sales Athletes

Do you have a sales athlete that isn't living up to their potential? 

Are small or bigger elements being missed?

Are they avoiding a critical area such as talking about money or budget?

Have you tried:

1. Let them know that you want to work closely with them to make gains and/or find area that once addressed with result in better outcomes
2. You may consider freeing their schedule of some responsibilities to allow more focused time on specific activities that will support desirable outcomes
3. Meeting with them weekly or more frequently to check in and course-correct along the way

As a sales leader, it’s no fun to resort to extreme measures, and none of what we have addressed is designed to lay blame or be utterly critical. If we make the comparison to top athletes in a sport and we want top sales athletes, we must adjust just as any sporting organization will do regarding their talent. Sometimes we may find that there is no culture fit with a given individual within our organization or that one person can ‘spoil the barrel’ for others. In many ways the solution is to evaluate, spell out expectations, support talent in achieving them, and cut your losses when supportive efforts don’t work.

None of what we have described above is easy and it does not happen overnight. If you have challenges getting your sales team to perform, maybe it’s time to consider a Sales Coach. Sales coaching isn’t one size fits all. Your sales coach may work exclusively with a few salespeople or with the team. They may work solely to support the sales manager to be more effective in their sales coaching role, or to complement their efforts as a sales manager. Engaging with a sales coach may begin with an assessment of your current sales team – one that identifies areas that will produce the greatest return on investment. If you are even a little open to the idea of sales coaching, what’s the harm in a conversation - one where you can determine if there is a good reason to explore whether sales coaching is or is not a fit for your organization… one where NO is OK.

Sales Leadership for Your Ann Arbor Business

As business and sales coaches in the greater Ann Arbor, Michigan area, we’ve helped many local businesses get their sales efforts on track. If you’re not happy with your organization’s sales results, coaching can be a great option. This may be the perfect time to examine or re-examine your sales efforts, the process, stages, pipeline(s), language, and KPI’s you’re using. So don’t wait - proactively evaluating your entire sales function will lead to better results.

Are you ready to begin your journey?

Want to achieve results that matter and/or grow your high-performance sales team? We've worked with many businesses with sales leadership in Ann Arbor, and we can help you too. Not located near Ann Arbor, Michigan? We also offer virtual services and can work with you no matter where you are.

Contact us today to schedule your complimentary discovery session! Call us at 248-468-7400 or fill out our contact form and receive a free Sales Focused Organization checklist.

Together, we can assess how your company is doing, what potential it has, how to realize this potential, how long it will take along with expected gains. We’re here to help you determine the best way to achieve your goals.

How to Manage Poor Performance in Sales Athletes

You’re an existing sales manager, a new one, or someone who has been promoted to a sales management or sales leader position. You have an existing team and will likely hire more salespeople, and you’ve been charged with hitting a 20% year over year growth in sales results.

For the purpose of this discussion, let’s say the expected growth is in top-line revenue. Depending on your organization, the focus may also be on other KPIs, such as gross profit, net profit, and/or other important KPIs such as net new accounts, average revenue per sale or account, and more.

One of the first things a manager may do is to take stock of what is and isn’t in place, and then determine the level of effectiveness for each area or element. This may include a CRM, meetings, goals, individual performance against goals, and more. When it comes to salespeople and performance, it would not be unusual to find some at the top, middle and bottom of performance metrics.

A manager with this scenario may wish to keep the good success elements and people going without disruption and see if they can raise the level of performance of the less well performing people and or elements. Below are a few items that could be explored with those on the sales team who are not performing optimally:

• Take a close look at their ‘book of business’ in your CRM
• Summarize their results, pipeline, and their level of activity
• Look for areas where the KPIs are not likely to support success and desired results
• If the results and pipeline are weak, is there enough activity?

Read the full list on our website! 

Are you ready to begin your journey?

Want to achieve results that matter and/or grow your high-performance sales team? We've worked with many businesses with sales leadership in Ann Arbor, and we can help you too. Not located near Ann Arbor, Michigan? We also offer virtual services and can work with you no matter where you are.

Contact us today to schedule your complimentary discovery session! Call us at 248-468-7400 or fill out our contact form and receive a free Sales Focused Organization checklist.

Together, we can assess how your company is doing, what potential it has, how to realize this potential, how long it will take along with expected gains. We’re here to help you determine the best way to achieve your goals.

How to Hire High-Performing Sales Athletes

Have you been frustrated trying to hire the right person for your job opening?

Do you want to hire a high-performing sales athlete?

Consider these items as you look for a qualified candidate:

• Know what you’re looking for, what the position is and the KPIs it must impact once a successful hire is made
• Predetermine the characteristics that a suitable candidate must possess
• Create or revise an up-to-date job description 
• Determine your compensation plan
• Have a territory and/or ‘book of business’ plan

If you think about these items in the context of a sports athlete, it will help you come to a clear understanding of why they are crucial for a successful sales focused organization with top notch sales performers. Take ice hockey which has three basic positions – goal tender, forward and defense. 

Can you imagine hiring someone who is capable offensively for a goaltender position? It’s no different in sales – are you looking for business development, a hunter, or a farmer? What specifically must they accomplish to yield success for the company? The clearer you are about the role you expect someone to play, the responsibilities and the expectation that go with that role, the better set you will be for success.

With some of the complexities of developing Sales Athletes, maybe it’s time to consider a Sales Coach. Sales coaching isn’t one size fits all. Your sales coach may work exclusively with a few salespeople or with the team. They may work solely to support the sales manager to be more effective in their sales coaching role, or to complement their efforts as a sales manager. Engaging with a sales coach may begin with an assessment of your current sales team – one that identifies areas that will produce the greatest return on investment. If you are even a little open to the idea of sales coaching, what’s the harm in a conversation - one where you can determine if there is a good reason to explore whether sales coaching is or is not a fit for your organization… one where NO is OK.

Read more about sales leadership on our website!

Are you ready to build a sales-focused organization with a high performing sales team, sales leadership, and an effective sales management solution? 

Call us at 248-468-7400 or fill out our contact form to receive a sample sales effectiveness and improvement analysis (SEIA) report! 

Together, we can assess how your company is doing, what potential it has, how to realize this potential, how long it will take along with expected gains. We’re here to help you determine the best way to achieve your goals.

Creating High Performance Sales Athletes

We all want top performers in our sales environment, right? It starts with a successful hire, someone who has the right ingredients, talent and/or potential. 

In order to hire the right person, we have to know what we’re looking for and be able to define our needs before we hire talent. Let’s say we’re looking for someone to manage customer accounts and create opportunities to grow customer accounts. This is hugely different than a position where we’re looking to add new business, grow a territory, break into a new market, or something else. This all has to be in place before we advertise that a candidate is wanted for a specific position and that interested parties should apply. 

Below is a list that may help with acquiring top candidates and growing them into sales athletes:

1. Know what you’re looking for, what the position is and the KPIs it must impact once a successful hire is made
2. Predetermine the characteristics that a suitable candidate must possess
3. Create or revise an up-to-date job description 
4. Determine your compensation plan
5. Have a territory and/or ‘book of business’ plan
6. Know how you will work with the salesperson (meetings, ride along, joint calls, reporting, etc.)
7. Have an estimate for how long it may take a new salesperson to get up to speed and deliver results
8. Know how you will handle subpar performance
9. Define the role for the position clearly
10. Define the responsibilities for the position clearly
11. Have clear expectations for the position
12. Manage all of the above early and often

Examine this list and note the items you are well-prepared for and those that you are less than well-prepared for. It’s not a disaster to make changes – even with an existing team or salesperson. Make the adjustments, announce them early, and declare that we’ll climb into this change together.

Learn how a sales coach can help with your sales leadership strategy on our website!

Sales Leadership, Management, and Coaching for Your Sales Team

Are you ready to build a sales-focused organization with a high performing sales team, sales leadership, and an effective sales management solution? 

Call us at 248-468-7400 or fill out our contact form to receive a sample sales effectiveness and improvement analysis (SEIA) report! 

Together, we can assess how your company is doing, what potential it has, how to realize this potential, how long it will take along with expected gains. We’re here to help you determine the best way to achieve your goals.

Ready to Begin Your Journey to Effective Sales Management?

Thinking of your current sales management situation, read the statements below and ask yourself: are these in place and are they optimized?

If your answer is NO to two or more statements, then the sales management solution you have may be sub-optimal.

• You have a sales manager/leader in place - their primary role is to lead and grow the sales team, coach and train them, and develop a high-performance sales team
• The sales manager meets regularly with the business owner to ensure alignment of sales and organizational strategy
• The sales manager holds salespeople accountable to goals, territory management, and activity levels
• The sales manager meets at least 1x per month 1-2-1 with salespeople for feedback, coaching and support
• The sales manager holds team meetings at least 1x per month

Every sales-focused organization has room for improvement! If you aren’t implementing all the statements above, or only a few, you may need to adjust your mindset or priorities around sales management… it may be time to get some help.

Over the next few months, we’ll provide an in-depth look at key areas of a successful Sales Focused Organization including sales fundamentals, effective sales management, and a high-performance sales team. We will also make available to you a comprehensive checklist outlining specific focus areas toward building a sales focused organization that succeeds and thrives.

Want to get the best out of your sales team? Read the full article on our website.

Are you ready to begin your journey?

Are you ready to build a high performing sales team and a sales-focused organization?

Have you struggled in the past to develop the tools your business needs to thrive?

Whether you are satisfied with the effort, focus, and results of your sales process, many people we speak with have been hesitant to act – simply because they don’t know where to begin. If you’re open to a brief call, let us know and we can take the first step together.

Call us at 248-468-7400 or fill out our contact form to receive a download of our Sales-Focused Organizational Checklist!

Sales Fundamentals: Your Foundation for Success

Business leaders and owners often acknowledge that more focus is needed on their organization’s sales efforts but are not sure exactly where to start, or how to drive positive change when it comes to their sales results.

Based on our experience, we have found that the importance of a strong foundation can’t be understated. If the foundation of your home had a large crack, you would be rightfully worried and call a professional to get it taken care of as soon as possible. Why look at business any differently?

A strong foundation means sales fundamentals such as an effective sales process, your power statements with strong messaging, and powerful conversations that combine these fundamentals, to build upon and drive success for you and your team. 

Read more about building a strong sales fundamentals foundation on our website! 

Are you ready to begin your journey?

Are you ready to build a high performing sales team and a sales-focused organization?

Have you struggled in the past to develop the tools your business needs to thrive?

Whether you are satisfied with the effort, focus, and results of your sales process, many people we speak with have been hesitant to act – simply because they don’t know where to begin. If you’re open to a brief call, let us know and we can take the first step together.

Call us at 248-468-7400 or fill out our contact form to receive a download of our Sales-Focused Organizational Checklist! Together, we can assess how your company is doing from a sales and messaging standpoint and figure out the best way to help you achieve your goals.

 

 

Want to Get the Best Out of Your Sales Team?

Every sales team has room for improvement! If you aren’t implementing all the statements above, or only a few, you may need to refresh your team’s sales message/process… it may be time to get some help.

Over the next four months, we’ll provide an in-depth look at key areas of a successful Sales Focused Organization including sales fundamentals, effective sales management, and a high performance sales team. We will also make available to you a comprehensive checklist outlining specific focus areas toward building a sales focused organization that succeeds and thrives.

Want to get the best out of your sales team?

We provide sales coaching, training, management, and leadership to mid-sized businesses with inside/outside sales teams. When and where it makes sense, we provide sales leaders who will evaluate your entire sales organization. This includes your people, systems, and strategies. Our sales leaders will manage and coach your sales organization to drive better results while working to fully develop a sales focused organization.

Are you ready to begin your journey?

Are you ready to build a high performing sales team and a sales-focused organization?

Have you struggled in the past to develop the tools your business needs to thrive?

Whether you are satisfied with the effort, focus, and results of your sales process, many people we speak with have been hesitant to act – simply because they don’t know where to begin. If you’re open to a brief call, let us know and we can take the first step together.

Call us at 248-468-7400 or fill out our contact form to receive a download of our Sales-Focused Organizational Checklist! Together, we can assess how your company is doing from a sales and messaging standpoint and figure out the best way to help you achieve your goals.

Improve Sales Fundamentals with Sales Coaching and Training

Depending on your situation and where you are headed, we have a number of ways we work with organizations:

• Sales Fundamentals – Create or update the sales process along with impactful messaging that empowers salespeople
  
  
• Effective Sales Management – Work alongside an existing sales manager on sales management best practices, proper meeting rhythms and structure, coaching skills and provide tools that once implemented will create successful salespeople and drive sales results.
  
  
• High Performance Sales Team – Facilitate the sales leadership and management team through the sales fundamentals, effective sales management, sales team evaluations, resulting in the creation of a well -defined roadmap for sales success with the client.
  
  
• Sales Focused Organization – Advise and facilitate the sales leadership and management team to implement the right sales management solution, refine their sales fundamentals, complete sales team evaluations, and create a comprehensive sales playbook, while defining a short- and long-range roadmap for sales success with the client.

Our team has years of combined experience coaching, advising, consulting, and training sales teams. Successful business owners themselves, our team has the experience needed to help your business grow and thrive.

When and where it makes sense, we provide sales leaders who will evaluate your entire sales organization. This includes your people, systems, and strategies. 

Our sales leaders will manage and coach your sales organization to drive better results while working to fully develop a sales focused organization. We also provide sales coaching, training, management and leadership to mid-sized businesses with outside sales teams.

Learn more about how we can help with effective sales coaching on our website!

Why Choose Open Book Selling for Sales Coaching?

Let’s face it, Sales and a Company’s Sales Function, form one of the most important success elements in the lifecycle of any business that begins as a start-up, advances through early stage growth, second stage growth, on to maturity, sustainability, and beyond.

If you are like many of the businesses we have worked with, you may have experienced the following:

• frustration with not reaching your sales targets
• sales cycle that are longer than expected
• unsure if you have a good or the right sales process in place
• as a business owner/leader, overwhelmed with both running the business and managing the sales function and/or sales team
• struggling to find the right sales manager
• as a sales manager, overwhelmed by too many responsibilities
• as a sales manager, pressure to find an efficient process to lead and coach a sales team
• as a sales manager,  feeling conflicted about having to grow and lead your sales team while also trying to achieve your own sales targets

This is not an exhaustive list. Which items above might be true for you? 

What other factors are you experiencing that lead you to be less than satisfied with your sales efforts and performance? Find out more about sales coaching on our website!

What Makes Us Different from other Sales Coaching Teams?

We guarantee your satisfaction. Our only focus is your success. We believe that we must meet you where you are and provide value every step of the way from that point. We guide you through an experience that helps you discover new approaches, opportunities and solutions that once implemented yield success and avoid the frustrations of missteps and lackluster performance and results. 

We’ll help you identify the reasons for the lack of an effective sales process and provide a sales manager/leader who is laser focused on improving your sales processes and team. Whether you need a little or a lot of help, we are there to help you see the whole picture, evaluate people, processes or systems, and remove barriers to change that once implemented will yield performance and results.

Are you ready to begin your journey?

Whether you are satisfied with the effort, focus, and results of your sales process, many clients we work with aren’t ready to take action – simply because they don’t know where to begin. If you’re open to a brief call about sales coaching, let us know and we can take the first step together.

Call us at 248-468-7400 or contact us and we’ll reach out to you right away!