New Year, New Sales Year

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Adam Kash

 

As the calendar turns to 2024, we find ourselves at the threshold of a new year, brimming with possibilities and opportunities. For sales professionals, this transition symbolizes more than just a change in dates—it marks the beginning of a new sales year, ripe with potential for growth and achievement. So, what better time than now to chart a course towards sales success?

According to data from Objective Management Group (OMG), a leading sales assessment firm, a staggering 74% of salespeople are not achieving their sales quotas. This statistic underscores the pressing need for a strategic approach to sales in the new year. It’s time to break free from the shackles of mediocrity and embrace a mindset of excellence.

To kickstart your journey to sales supremacy, leverage the power of data-driven insights. OMG’s research reveals that top-performing salespeople possess specific characteristics that set them apart from their peers. These include traits such as a strong desire for success, effective communication skills, resilience in the face of rejection, and a relentless drive to exceed targets.

Additionally, don’t underestimate the importance of continuous learning and skill development. OMG’s findings highlight that only 11% of salespeople have the necessary skills to succeed in selling. Many people look at training, attend seminars or workshops, and never implement what they learned.

The sales clock is back at zero…everyone starts in the same place.  Where you go from here, is up to YOU!

As you embark on this journey, remember that success in sales is not merely about hitting quotas—it’s about delivering value, solving problems, and making a meaningful impact on your clients’ lives. So, as you raise a toast to the new year, raise the bar for your sales performance as well. With the right mindset, strategies, and determination, the coming year holds boundless opportunities for those willing to seize them. Here’s to 2024, brimming with sales success!

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Where are your people spending their time in Q4?

Posted on October 2, 2023 by Adam Kash

It’s the fourth quarter of 2023. Time for total accountability from each salesperson.

What are the “MUST ACHIEVE” Sales Goals in Q4?

Once the goals for Q4 are in place, accountability for time and Sales activity (behaviors) is the next critical component. 

YOU MUST KNOW: “Where are your salespeople spending their time?”

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The Power of Listening: Unveiling Buyer Motives

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Adam Kash

In the dynamic landscape of sales, one skill stands out as a game-changer: listening. A salesperson’s ability to truly listen can be the difference between a successful deal and a missed opportunity. Why is listening so critical? Because it holds the key to uncovering a buyer’s motives, needs, and desires.

The Art of Asking the Right Questions: Asking questions is an essential part of any sales conversation, but the quality of those questions matters just as much as the act of asking. Thoughtfully crafted questions serve as a gateway to the buyer’s world, giving insight into their challenges, goals, and pain points. These questions pave the way for a deeper understanding of the buyer’s perspective, allowing the salesperson to tailor their approach and solutions accordingly.

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The Second Best Word you Can Hear is “No”

Posted on July 17, 2023 by Adam Kash

Whether you’re new to sales or a seasoned veteran, regardless of your “technique”, you’ll still hear “NO” more often than “YES”.

This is a truism of sales. Most salespeople know this, but everyday go on calls always seeking a “YES”. They not only create unbelievable pressure on themselves, but set themselves up for mental failure, as well.

How do we in the training business address this seemingly weighty issue?

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Time Management: The Key to Improving Sales Productivity

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Adam Kash

Time management is an OXYMORON.

You cannot manage time, but you can manage yourself through a disciplined process of maximizing your time by prioritizing activities which will help you achieve your sales goals. This discipline must be ongoing, not something you do once or occasionally.

How do you self-manage activities?

First, identify time wasters, then, identify the source of time wasters and finally, change your behavior pattern.

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It’s Trade Show Season: Come Back with Prospects, Not Just Leads

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Adam Kash

Remember this? Long days…sore feet…tired back. Sound like your typical trade show?

To make the show worthwhile, you’ve got to put in the effort (And track your results). What better place to talk to and meet scores of current users and potential users of your product or service.

Here are some basics for the booth:

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Sales Manager’s Corner: Prospecting – The Lifeblood of Selling

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Adam Kash

“It’s not WHAT you know…It’s what you DO with what you know!”

NEW BUSINESS

It’s either coming from your existing customer base or from new customers. Keeping the “funnel” filled with qualified prospects requires multiple prospecting methods used in a planned, systematic, and measurable method.

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Sales Manager’s Corner: Start Off Right – The First 90 Days

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Adam Kash

You’ve just hired a new salesperson. Now what? How do you get them productive…quickly? It starts with you the sales manager.

New hires look for leadership. Their initial results will be potentially meager, so lead by example. Success is what they’ll attract…by the salesperson they become. Teach them accountability and discipline, because lack of discipline in the first 90 days causes disasters.

Here’s a brief checklist for those first 90 days:

  • Establish clear STANDARDS of performance
    • Define and review the expected results of the job
  • Define & Track Behavior and Activities
    • What get’s measured, what gets done…put it in your CRM
  • Require activity/call reports
    • Have them track details of appointments and calls within your CRM
  • Review Progress: Coaching & Couseling
    • Ask: “What did you do right?” and “What would you do differently next time?”
  • Product Technical Training
    • Use to create confidence, competence and credibility, not necessarily expertise in the beginning.
  • Sales Training
    • Prospecting, Skills, Development, System/Reinforcement, Role Playing
  • Hands on Training IN THE FIELD

Finally, you need to measure progress every 30 days. Formally review their progress. Discuss learning, improvements, tracking, results, sales pipeline, strategies and next steps.

Now for the difficult part: At each 30 day interval be prepared to make a decision: Go or “No Go” with the new person. Why? You, as a sales manager, are measured for the results of your people. The longer a poor performer is with you…the more difficult it is for most managers to replace them. Expect success…plan for it, hold everyone accountable and the results will come. Start the off correctly: 90 day plans.

“I hold it more important to have the players’ confidence than their affection.” – Vince Lombardi

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“Call Me Next Month…”

Posted on November 15, 2022 by Adam Kash

One of the most common complaints we hear from salespeople is how hard it is to get someone to commit to an appointment.

They find their prospects using the same excuse over and over again: “I’m busy, so call me in a month.” Then, when the salesperson calls back, they are busy again and use the same excuse… “call me next month.” To make things worse, they blame this problem on the prospect. However, it is not the prospect who is to blame, but rather the salesperson. The real issue is that most of the time when your prospect says, “call me in a month”, what they really mean is “don’t call me.” Although we sense this, we are afraid to hear it. So, instead of getting a “no” and discovering there really isn’t an opportunity for us, we would prefer to chase a prospect that is unwilling to see us.

“If I had a dollar for every prospect that told me to call them in a month, I would be a rich man.” – Frustrated Salesperson

The professional salesperson operates quite differently.

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How to Hire Winners

Posted on September 3, 2022 by Adam Kash

Eliminate Hiring Mistakes…Immediately and Avoid the High Cost of Hiring Mistakes!

The process of interviewing, hiring, on-boarding and training…and then suddenly losing salespeople is a very costly mistake. How much money and opportunity has your company lost on salespeople who are no longer with you? Keep reading….we’ll show you how to calculate an actual number below!

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