1- 330-413-8552 Mark@NoSmokeAndMirrors.com

sales performance improvement

Overcoming Limiting Beliefs in Sales: Top 10 Challenges and Solutions

As we discussed in a recent post, the right sales mindset matters when looking at key drivers of sales success. Sales success often hinges on practical skills and overcoming limiting beliefs that hinder performance. Recognizing and addressing these beliefs is crucial for salespeople to reach their full potential and achieve outstanding results.

Here are the top 10 limiting beliefs we commonly encounter working with sales teams and strategies to overcome them through training, coaching processes, and systems.

Fear of Rejection

Limiting Belief: “Rejection is personal, which means I’m not good enough.”
Solution: Train salespeople to reframe rejection as a natural part of the sales process. Provide coaching on resilience and mindset techniques to handle rejection constructively, emphasizing that each “no” brings them closer to a “yes.” Implement a formal sales process to reduce sales friction and help coach salespeople to the next step to closing the sale.

Self-Doubt

Limiting Belief: “I’m not confident in my abilities, and I doubt whether I can succeed.”
Solution: Offer training programs focused on skill development, product knowledge, and sales techniques to boost confidence. Implement coaching processes that provide constructive feedback and encouragement, helping salespeople build self-assurance over time. Over 50% of sales teams have yet to be trained in sales skills. No wonder they have self-doubt. With the proper sales training and coaching over time, we can correct this limiting Belief and give them skills and confidence.

Fear of Failure

Limiting Belief: “Failure is inevitable, and I’ll never achieve my sales targets.”
Solution: Implement a performance-driven culture that views failure as an opportunity for growth. Offer training on goal setting, time management, and resilience to help salespeople overcome setbacks and stay focused on long-term success.

Have a sales playbook.

Develop sales plans for each salesperson, have them collaborate on how they will achieve their key deliverables this year, and share the assistance they might value.

Negative Self-Talk

Limiting Belief: “I’m not good enough, and I’ll never be successful.”
Solution: Introduce mindfulness and mindset training to help salespeople recognize and challenge negative self-talk. Incorporate affirmations and visualization exercises into daily routines to foster a positive mindset and build self-belief. We also have successfully shared data and customer insights from the voice of customer research. Salespeople are often too hard on themselves because they need more situational awareness and building business relationship skills. Often, salespeople who might give themselves low scores on customer trust and overall satisfaction have customers sharing the opposite when we interview them in the voice of customer interviews.

Limited Belief in Product Value

Limiting Belief: “My product isn’t superior, and customers won’t see its value.”
Solution: Provide comprehensive product training and knowledge-sharing sessions to deepen salespeople’s understanding of the product’s features, benefits, and competitive advantages. Please encourage them to share success stories and testimonials with potential customers to reinforce product value.

Buyers have been trained in negotiation skills and tactics( heck, I train buyers and salespeople in negotiation skills), and one of the first things we train buyers to do is commoditize the salesperson’s offering.

Salespeople speak with buyers every day, throughout the day, and start believing what they have heard if they have yet to receive sales skills training, such as determining the customer’s value and creating a business case.

Fear of Cold Calling or Prospecting

Limiting Belief: “Cold calling is ineffective, and I hate prospecting.”
Solution: Offer training on effective prospecting techniques, including cold calling value messaging, cadence, email templates, and social selling strategies. Role-play scenarios and provide constructive feedback to help salespeople overcome their fears and master the art of prospecting.

Lack of Confidence in Closing

Limiting Belief: “I’m not skilled at closing deals and often miss opportunities.” “ if I ask for the order, it will feel manipulative and hurt my relationship.”
Solution: Implement sales skills training and coaching processes focused on closing techniques, objection handling, and negotiation skills. Provide salespeople with proven frameworks and strategies for confidently guiding prospects through the buying process and securing commitments.

Comparison with Peers

Limiting Belief: “I’m not as successful as my colleagues, and I’ll never measure up.”
Solution: Foster a collaborative environment where salespeople support and learn from each other. Offer peer-to-peer learning opportunities, coaching, and a formal mentorship program to share best practices, celebrate successes, and build camaraderie within the sales team.

Fear of Asking for Referrals

Limiting Belief: “Asking for referrals is awkward, and customers will say no.”
Solution: Provide training on referral generation strategies and leveraging existing relationships to expand the customer network. Coach salespeople on how to confidently ask for referrals, emphasizing the value they provide and the benefits for the customer.

Again, we share data. Studies have found, and we have validated the findings in voice-of-customer interviews, that over 90% of customers would provide referrals, but sadly, less than 20% ask for them.

Limited Time Management Skills

Limiting Belief: “I don’t have enough time to prospect, follow up, enter updates in CRM, do reports, and close deals.”
Solution: Offer time management training and productivity tools to help salespeople prioritize tasks, set goals, and maximize efficiency. Implement systems for tracking and managing leads, automating routine tasks, and streamlining administrative processes to free up more time for revenue-generating activities.

For most sales teams today, we find they spend less than 25% of their sellable time selling. The biggest cause is a lack of time management training and coaching from their sales manager.

Next Steps

Overcoming limiting beliefs is essential for salespeople to unlock their full potential and achieve outstanding results. First, we must identify the limiting beliefs by leveraging a sales assessment instrument and sales manager observation.

Then, we implement training, coaching processes, and systems tailored to address these challenges. Organizations can empower their sales teams to thrive in competitive markets and drive sustained growth.

What limiting beliefs have you observed in your sales team today?

What have you heard a salesperson or sales manager say that demonstrates they have limiting beliefs?

Are your salespeople consistently achieving their sales objectives, or could limiting beliefs hurt their results?

Let’s schedule a call if you would like to discuss how to identify and correct limiting beliefs your salespeople may have.

Opting Out of a Recession: How to Navigate Your Business to Growth and Success

Economic downturns present businesses with numerous challenges, such as decreased consumer spending, increased competition, and shrinking profit margins. However, difficult times can also present unique opportunities for growth and success. In the last recession 75% of companies experienced revenue declines but 14% of companies saw sales increases on average of 9%. In this article, we’ll discuss strategies for scaling up, accelerating growth, and learning from market leaders to navigate your business through tough economic conditions.

Scaling Up Your Business During Economic Slowdowns

In the face of economic challenges, adaptability and resilience are crucial for businesses. Scaling up during a slowdown requires identifying new opportunities for growth and leveraging your unique competitive advantages. For example, you could explore new markets, develop new products or services, or tap into emerging trends. It’s about getting back to the basics and designing or tuning up your strategic plan based on the market and constraints of today.

To scale up successfully, focus on your strengths and identify areas where your business has a competitive edge. This could involve leveraging your company’s expertise, innovative technology, or customer relationships to create new revenue streams or expand existing ones. We often refer to this as finding the Rembrandt in your attic. One way we help clients find this why, this reason customers choose them over competitors is voice of the customer research .We capture insights like why did they buy from your company and what do they buy from your competitors they could be buying from you?

Accelerating Growth in the Face of Economic Downturns

Embracing innovation is essential for staying ahead of the curve during economic downturns. Look for ways to improve your products, services, structure, and processes to deliver better value to your customers. When it comes to processes, we strive for relentless repeatability. This might involve investing in new technologies, adopting more efficient production methods, or exploring new business models.

To accelerate explosive growth, concentrate on customer retention and acquisition strategies. This could include enhancing customer service, offering loyalty programs, or running targeted marketing campaigns. Additionally, streamline operations and optimize resources to reduce costs and improve efficiency, enabling your business to grow even when faced with economic challenges.

Opting Out of a Recession: Strategies for Business Success

Despite the challenges posed by economic downturns, some businesses manage to not only survive but thrive in these tough conditions. These organizations employ a combination of strategic thinking, adaptability, and proactive measures to navigate the storm and come out on top.

How some businesses manage to thrive in challenging economic climates

Businesses that excel during recessions often have a clear understanding of their core competencies and competitive advantages. They capitalize on these strengths and leverage them to seize new opportunities or pivot their strategies as needed. They’re also quick to recognize market shifts and adjust their offerings or target markets accordingly.

Maintaining a growth mindset and positive attitude

Business leaders who foster a growth mindset and maintain a positive attitude can inspire their teams to stay focused on long-term success, even in difficult times. This mindset encourages employees to view challenges as opportunities for learning and growth rather than insurmountable obstacles. We cannot overestimate the importance of mindset. We must ensure your sales teams have the right mindset for challenging economic times.

Implementing proactive measures to minimize the impact of a recession

Successful businesses are proactive in identifying potential risks and taking steps to mitigate their impact. This may involve diversifying revenue streams, cutting costs strategically, investing in employee training, or focusing on customer retention. By being prepared and implementing measures before the crisis hits, businesses can better weather the storm.

Businesses that thrive during recessions adopt strategic, adaptable, and proactive approaches to navigate challenging economic climates. By focusing on their strengths, maintaining a growth mindset, and taking preemptive action, these organizations can opt out of a recession and achieve continued success.

What Market-Leading Organizations Do to Succeed During Recessions

Market-leading organizations that thrive during recessions share several key traits that set them apart from their competitors. These businesses adapt their strategies and maintain a strong focus on innovation and customer satisfaction to succeed in challenging economic conditions.

Adapting and refining business models to changing market conditions

Market leaders recognize that their current business models may not be sustainable in a recession. They proactively identify and respond to market shifts by refining their business models, adjusting their product or service offerings, and reevaluating their target markets. This adaptability allows them to stay relevant and capture new opportunities in a dynamic economic landscape.

Investing in research and development to fuel innovation

Even during economic downturns, market-leading organizations prioritize investment in research and development. They understand that innovation is a critical driver of long-term success and are willing to allocate resources to develop new products, services, or processes that differentiate them from competitors.

Maintaining a strong focus on customer satisfaction and loyalty

Successful businesses place a high priority on retaining existing customers and attracting new ones during recessions. They invest in customer service, support, and engagement initiatives to ensure a positive customer experience. By maintaining a customer-centric approach, they can foster loyalty and mitigate the risk of losing clients to competitors.

In summary, market-leading organizations that succeed during recessions are adaptable, innovative, and customer-focused. By adjusting their business models, investing in innovation, and prioritizing customer satisfaction, these companies can navigate economic downturns and emerge stronger than before.

The Power of Profitable Scaling in Economic Downturns

Profitable scaling is a powerful tool for businesses to navigate economic downturns. When executed correctly, increased revenue, profits, and market share can significantly boost business growth and resilience.

Increased revenue and profits provide businesses with the resources needed to invest in innovation, staff development, and market expansion. A larger market share offers a competitive advantage, ensuring the business remains relevant and well-positioned in its industry.

By scaling profitably, businesses can weather economic storms and maintain a strong financial footing during challenging times. This allows them to seize opportunities and continue growing while competitors may struggle.

To scale profitably during economic downturns, consider these strategies:

  1. Focus on high-margin products or services that generate significant profits with each sale.
  2. Identify and fix your profit leaking customers with net profit by customer analysis.
  3. Implement cost-saving measures to optimize operations and maintain profitability.
  4. Target new, untapped markets or customer segments with a strong demand for your offerings.
  5. Strengthen customer retention and loyalty by providing exceptional value and service.
  6. Conduct net profit by customer analysis and fix profit leaking customers or fire them
  7. Update your sales structure based on the market of today
  8. Upskill your salespeople
  9. Tune up your value proposition and messaging by persona

By leveraging the power of profitable scaling, businesses can successfully navigate economic downturns and emerge stronger on the other side.

Conclusion

In conclusion, scaling up and opting out of a recession are crucial factors for businesses to achieve growth and success during challenging economic times. By adapting to market conditions, embracing innovation, and focusing on customer needs, companies can create a solid foundation to weather the storm.

It is essential for businesses to remain resilient and adaptable, continuously refining their strategies and learning from market leaders to stay ahead of the curve. Businesses that adopt a proactive approach and prioritize customer satisfaction will be better positioned to succeed in the long run.

Businesses should learn from market leaders and implement proven strategies for growth during economic downturns. By doing so, they will not only survive but thrive, turning challenges into opportunities and ensuring long-term success.

If you would value the help of someone who has scaled revenues in difficult economic times let’s schedule a call.

Accountability is not a 4 Letter Word When Fixing Sales Problems

 

 

Are your salespeople accountable? When I ask you that question what is the first thing, first emotion, you feel? Why do you think that is? Did less than 60% of your salespeople hit or exceed their sales goals last year? Has someone on your senior management team said: “ we need to hold our salespeople more accountable “? How do we improve accountability and achieve the profitable sales growth we want and need?

 

If you have experienced discussions about sales accountability lately this post is for you and your team and you all need to read: How Did That Happen by Roger Connors and Tom Smith of the Performance Group.

 

I was asked to help a company whose sales had stalled for the last five years. In the first senior management team meeting I attended I heard:

 

The furious young President and CEO shared: “We need to hold our regional sales managers accountable to their growth goals”

 

Marketing quickly chimed in: (or threw kerosene on the fire…you pick): “Why can’t our salespeople follow up on the good leads we send them, if they did we would be hitting our numbers?”

 

Engineering decided they had best pile on: “Why can’t sales sell the innovative new products and features we launched”? 

 

Which triggered the CFO to look up from his laptop and share: “ We need to start getting a return on all the investments we made to grow this business”

 

The COO needed to contribute; “Why can’t sales provide accurate forecasts? Its killing our manufacturing efficiencies, inventory costs and on time shipment goals”?

 

The Partner from the Private Equity Firm who is now attending meetings due to poor financial performance added: “ When will we see results? What specifically are you doing to turn these results around? Do we have the right salespeople?”

 

Their HR Vice President added: “Our salespeople who work from their homes need to stop cutting their grass and golfing and get out in front of customers and make some sales, they need to put in 12-15 hour days like we do”

 

I wish this was a rare meeting and the comments were unusual…but they were not and unfortunately I have heard the above or something similar with many of my past clients. Everyone assumes the solution is sales just needs to work harder and become more “accountable”. Some managers assume salespeople hate to be held accountable, as if it will somehow hurt their motivation. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“Top Performing Salespeople Hold Themselves Accountable”

– Mark Allen Roberts

The reality is top performing sales super stars love to be held accountable and serve on teams of accountable leaders. Sales super stars are like elite athletes. They are very competitive, they train relentlessly, and they are always learning and practicing their craft. From my observations over the past 35 years, most elite salespeople were athletes and now sales is their sport. Top performing salespeople own their goals and strive each day to hit their objectives and drive profitable growth for their organizations.

So where’s the disconnect? …And more importantly how do we fix this problem quickly?

The authors of How Did This Happen do an excellent job of explaining that accountability has two sides:

Taking Accountability For Yourself

 Holding Others Accountable

What we often quickly assume, as the team above thought was a sales accountability problem is actually an organization wide accountability issue. (Sorry) While all of your team is firing missiles from their silos, the true problem is your entire organization lacks a culture of accountability and this must be corrected.

 

Have you ever worked for someone who assigned you very specific objectives and held you accountable to your goals but they never follow up on emails, signatures needed, budget approvals and other tasks they committed to? How did that make you feel? Were you more or less motivated to achieve your objectives?

 

So if our manager is accountable it impacts our performance? ….Absolutely!

 

The good news is your team is motivated by meaningful work. They want to help the organization grow profitability and in the process contribute and one day retire from your organization.

 

The elite salespeople are accountable. They are out everyday hunting for opportunities to serve your current customers and searching for new accounts with problems your organization solves.

 

Still doubt your salespeople are accountable?

 

Let me ask you a few questions…

 

Where else in your organization are people as accountable as your salespeople?

 

  • Their sales are tracked real time, you can see their activity and results
  • You can see what they plan to do next in the CRM
  • You can read what happened in the last meeting in the CRM
  • In your weekly call in meetings they share what they set out to do, what they did, what they will do and what help they may need from you
  • You can see who they are selling, what they are selling them and at what price
  • You get reports showing profit by customer, salesperson, region, district, country (there is no hiding in sales)
  • Their expense reports tell you if they are making good decisions based on return on investment, if they are managing their time appropriately and you can see where they have been and how long they were there
  • They often do weekly call reports
  • You complete customer surveys and ask about their service
  • Other executives attend customer meetings with them
  • If they do not make the sales to achieve their sales goals they do not make the targeted income they were promised

 

So again, are you sure you have a sales accountability problem?

 

The book: How Did This Happen is brilliant!

 

It introduces the concept of an accountability sequence that is broken down into two parts.

 

The first half is the outer ring as they call it. Here is where you form, communicate, align and inspect expectations. This is where most managers fail. This step is about your managers setting clear reasonable expectations.

 

The second half is the inner ring where you engage in accountability conversations in a professional way to deal with unmet expectations. (Emphasis on words professional way)

 

What I enjoyed most about this book is it sets the tone to lose all your emotional assumptions about accountability and it teaches you how to be and lead your teams in a professional and accountable way.

 

This book provides many tools and assessments to help you determine where your team is in the competency of accountability and guides you how to improve.

 

The book shares five reasons people do not hold others accountable:

 

  1. Fear of offending someone or jeopardizing a personal relationship
  2. The feeling they lack the time to follow up
  3. A lack of faith that the effect will make a difference
  4. A worry that by holding someone else accountable their may expose their own accountability failures
  5. A reluctance to speak due to fear of potential retaliations

 

(Did any of the above resonate with you and your team?)

 

Lets get back to the small company. The senior management team meeting ended and the CEO and CFO asked I stay in the room. They were concerned I was taking notes but did not offer any advice or solutions. I shared I have a process and I have noted everyone’s concerns assumptions and perceptions and now I need the voice of your customers and your salespeople and we will develop a strategy to improve your bottom line results.

 

What did I find after spending just under six months in the market traveling with their salespeople and and doing voice of customer interviews with top distributors and end customers?

 

  • Customers openly shared how difficult the company was to work with
  • Their order follow up was poor and orders often had pricing errors
  • On time delivery was under 60% hurting distributor relationships with their customers
  • Their product was plagued with quality issues resulting in warrantee claims
  • Warranty claims just after purchase negatively impacted distributor relationships with end users
  • New products over the past 5 years were historically launched before they were ready. Distributors now wait at least 18 to 24 months before buying new products because they feel the company will have “worked all the bugs out by then“
  • Their salespeople, regional managers and distributors were never trained in commercial selling skills
  • Their salespeople were exhausted and spending more time of tracking late orders and warranty parts than selling
  • Their customer service team was never trained and over 70% of incoming calls went to voicemail
  • Their sales compensation plan was so complicated their salespeople did not understand it, trust it, and often found the company made errors in their commissions and it often took over 90 days to correct them

 

Did this company have a sales accountability problem or a company wide accountability issue?

 

In chapter 9 the authors give you a simple yet brilliant model to assess accountability. It starts with asking: Is the person above or below the line

Above the line

  • Do it
  • Solve it
  • Own it
  • See it

Below the line

  • Wait and see
  • Cover your tail
  • Blame others and finger point
  • “Not my job”

Accountability is not a 4-letter word to elite salespeople. They hold themselves accountable and they must know you are accountable as well. They are constantly training, learning and practicing to improve their skills.

We must also understand accountability moves above and below the line for your people ( and yourself) . Once you have read this book you will quickly identify when a victor has become a victim and you are provided tools to help coach them to get them back on track.

I highly recommend you add this book to your library, read it, share it among your leadership team then share it with your sales managers and salespeople.

As for the company above…their sales grew from $14 million to over $80 million in the next 6 years once everyone understood their customers expectations and aligned their strategies and goals to achieve them. We became customer centric and when we did the silo’s went away. We all shared cross functional goals and the bottom line became healthy. So healthy they were acquired a few years later.

 

I saved the tough questions for last.

 

How accountable is your team?

 

How accountable are your salespeople?

 

Has anyone on your team said: “Our salespeople need to be more accountable”?

 

How accountable are you?

 

If the last question hit a nerve then you really need to read this book and help your team understand what accountability is and how to hold others accountable in a professional way. We all drift above and below the line of accountability. This book helps you identify it sooner and provides many tools and coaching ideas to getting your team back on course to profitable performance.

Increase Sales: Fix Broken Windows in How Your Team Sells

 

 

Is your sales team prepared to win and achieve their sales goals  today? Do your salespeople consistently exhibit the discipline to drive profitable sales growth? Do your salespeople clearly understand your expectations and they are accountable to them? One way to ensure your sales team breaks the growing global trend of sales teams not achieving sales growth goals is to fix broken windows in your sales organization. In this post we will discuss where to look for broken windows that are hurting your sales performance.

 

I am very thankful to a number of my mentors over the years. They taught me how to capture and leverage the voice of the customer and how to serve customers by providing industry insights and best practices to improve their bottom line. One mentor taught me how to listen, actively listen for unresolved problems. Mentors help salespeople understand the discipline required to drive profitable sales growth and to be accountable for key behaviors that if performed consistently will drive profitable sales growth. Having disciple and being accountable is not about doing 1,000’s of things perfectly. Being accountable and having discipline is about is having clear goals and expectations on how you will achieve those goals. As the sales leader it is about inspecting what you expect and understanding the behaviors and attitudes to support key goals.

 

I am very proud of my children. My dream for my children was I would grow a business and give it to them one day to run. In running the business they would learn the life lessons I experienced and have financial freedom. I discovered about 15 years ago this was only my dream. My children had much different plans. My daughter became an amazing artist and now is the social media marketing manager for a company driving 3-5 times the traffic to their trade events and website leveraging her artistic skills creating innovative content. My son has a burning desire to serve and protect others and a police officer.

 

Over the holidays my son and I were talking and he shared something called “Broken Window Theory” and I thought it was fascinating. Broken window theory suggests that visible signs of crime like cars stripped and up on blocks in the street, street signs missing, traffic lights not working, people consuming alcohol in public and other anti- social behaviors create an environment for more crime and more serious crimes. The theory suggests that policing methods that target minor crimes such as vandalism, public drinking and others create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes.

 

In the 1969 a psychologist named Philip Zinbardo from Stanford ran an experiment. He parked a car with no license plates in two neighborhoods. One that was run down, broken windows and signs of crime and one in an affluent neighborhood in Palo Alto California. The car parked in the run down neighborhood was vandalized within 10 minutes. Next he smashed the front window and what he observed surprised him. Others in the neighborhood with vandalism and other crimes joined in and within 24 hours the entire car was stripped to the frame. Who did the vandalizing is what was disturbing: It was respectable adults in the community often with their children not …street gangs.

 

The car in Palo Alto remained untouched.

 

The findings from the study?

 

Unintended behavior leads to a breakdown of community controls

 

One broken window leads to many if left unaddressed

 

Disorders drives fear and withdraw from community laws and norms

 

Even the best citizens in a community can start bad behaviors if the behaviors are left unchecked

 

My son has been a police officer in a large city now for a number of years. He has personally experienced how policing and correcting what seems like minor misdemeanor crimes helps bring a neighborhood back to life. He has seen the impact having the discipline to enforce common community norms and expectations that support a safe and prosperous community and how this reduces crime significantly.

 

“Ok Mark, this is all interesting … but how does this apply to driving profitable sales increases year over year?”

 

I thought you would never ask!

 

How many broken windows exist in your company’s sales organization?

 

Do you know where to look?

 

The good news is you have a good smart team and there are many things about your company you and your team should be proud of. When I did business development consulting work I asked a lot of questions and looked for broken windows that are signs of much bigger sales problems to be solved. It is not unusual for my past clients to not even see the broken windows they walk by each day. Many broken windows have been broken for years and they became “ how we do things around here”. New team members will see them immediately but if they want to survive they learn to look the other way. Instead of repairing the broken windows teams try to just cover them up.

 

Let me help you see the broken windows that I have seen because you too may have grown accustomed to seeing them and may walk by them everyday and they are hurting your business development and sales growth efforts…

 

Majority of salesperson’s time spent in non-sales activities

 

“Hi how are you meetings” …Salespeople bringing donuts to their distributors with no other business reason for the visit, no one at the distributor even knew you were coming

 

Not being properly groomed

 

Company car dirty inside and out

 

Not making eye contact with customers in meetings

 

Sales people not taking notes in meetings

 

Salespeople not having a pen visiting a customer job site and having to “remember” the requirements

 

No pre-call plans 

 

No CRM entry for future meetings or past meeting notes

 

Outdated company brochures in sales associate’s vehicles

 

Damaged and stained brochures from not being properly stored used in customer presentations

 

Poor or no customer follow up

 

Not following up on leads provided, QDD disorder

 

Salespeople leaving sales training to make/ take phone calls

 

Customer email not responded to in 24 hours

 

Out-dated sales process

 

Salespeople working on laptops in meetings and not paying attention

 

Missing team weekly meetings

 

Salespeople openly criticizing others on sales team, others on other teams ( not constructive criticism ) 

 

Not responding top your email of voicemail in 48 hours if you asked them to

 

No plan to achieve their sales goals

 

Showing up late to weekly meetings

 

Salespeople playing feature and benefit bingo 

 

Not being prepared for weekly meetings

 

No cadence for how often they visit with each customer

 

Not completing expense reports timely

 

Poor interpersonal exchanges with team members from other business groups

 

Talking too much in meetings with customers

 

Salespeople who have never been trained in sales (product-yes, sales-no) 

 

Not understanding their customers’ businesses

 

Not understanding their market or market language

 

No dollar value in CRM for new opportunities identified

 

Not understanding how your product or service impacts your customers’ bottom line

 

Not qualifying potential customers

 

Salespeople seen as just another rep not a trusted advisor

 

Salespeople not spending the majority of their time in sales behaviors

 

Not updating sales stage in CRM

 

Asking poor questions in meetings

 

Poor listening, talking over customers 

 

Selling on price not value

 

No ideal customer profile so everyone could be a customer 

 

Company vehicle not maintained

 

Poor to no relationships at key customers

 

Key account budgets/goals… but no strategic growth plans on how to achieve them

 

Only knowing the buyers at key accounts no relationship with other influencers 

 

Sales pipeline bucket not a funnel 

 

Poor new product sales 

 

Poor sales customer visit trip planning (more time driving and flying than in front of customers)

 

No formal sales process

 

Salespeople staying at very expensive hotels

 

Salespeople submitting very expensive dinners without customers

 

If you see some of the above you have broken windows that need to be repaired before your team can experience explosive sales growth.

 

The above are some broken windows I have observed but there are plenty more I am sure.

 

How about you…

 

What broken windows have you observed in your sales teams that are negatively impacting your profitable growth plans?

 

Do you have associates in key sales leadership roles that have not been trained to lead salespeople?

 

Are their politically incorrect secrets that your salespeople know but are afraid to discuss?

 

If we allow broken windows in how we sell they hurt our ability to drive profitable sales growth and increase shareholder value. We are not saying everyone has to be perfect and 1,000’s of things. What we are saying is we need discipline and accountability in our sales teams. As the leader you need to set the expectation and insure compliance. If you observe a behavior that is not consistent with what your team has identified as your core values you must be safe to address it and correct it. If not the little broken windows become chaos and good team members in your sales community will start behaving in ways counter to driving profitable growth.

 

In our next post we will discuss common marketing broken windows to look for and repair.

Sell More: Become a Modern Seller

 

 

Are your salespeople seen as “just another rep” or a strategic partner who brings insights and delivers value? Are your salespeople focused on finding unresolved problems with their accounts or commission junkies needing their next fix? Amy Franko’s new book: The Modern Seller will help your salespeople understand what buyers want and need in a salesperson today. The Modern Seller accurately depicts what the sales landscape is like today and provides 5 practical tips to help your salespeople drive top results.

 

How are your salespeople today differentiating your product and or services in a sea of seemingly similar services?

 

I think we all can agree buyers today are more knowledgeable. With a click of a mouse they can find product features and benefits, competitors, pricing, and your customer’s comments. It’s now all out there and buyers are skilled at finding it quickly.

 

So how does your company win?

 

What if how your salespeople sell became your point of differentiation and value for your customers?

 

If you want your salespeople to differentiate themselves in our often crowed and highly competitive markets they need to become: Modern Sellers.

 

What is A Modern Seller?

 

A modern seller is recognized as a differentiator in their customer’s business and the value of their product or service isn’t fully realized without them. A modern seller ‘s customer sees the work they do together as strategic to their competitive advantage”

  • Amy Franko

 

Who wouldn’t want their salespeople seen as: “strategic to their customers competitive advantage”…right?

 

How do we help “sales reps” evolve into modern sellers?

 

The author shares 5 dimensions of modern sellers today.

 

Agile

Entrepreneurial

Holistic

Social

Ambassador

 

For example the Entrepreneurial dimension is critical to sales success today. You want your salespeople running their area of responsibility as if were their own business. You want them making decisions on how to spend their time to drive the greatest return. Our sellers today must have a balance between strategic thinking and executing to be a top performer today.

 

The Author unpacks each of the dimensions and shares not only why it is important today but also how to do it. She provides spreadsheet tools your sales teams can use like how to calculate: Loyalty Value and Lifetime value.

 

In The Modern Seller Amy Franko shares practical insights regarding what behaviors our salespeople must have today to be seen as strategic parts and trusted advisors by their customers.

 

I highly recommend you add The Modern Seller to your sales library and apply its 5 principles with your sales team.

 

 

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