February 16th, 2010
Some say it takes 21 days to change a habit. Wee maintain it takes 90 days to upgrade your sales organization. And it’s not about a wholesales change-out of reps. It’s done through 3 core areas of sales team and management focus:
- Sales Competency Training – Month 1
- Sales Activity Inventory – Month 2
- Sales Forecast Process Review – Month 3
Many executives and sales leaders come to us seeking help in improving sales revenues through sales training and consulting. They say “Help our team Close better” or “Our team needs Negotiation training” or “Our team needs to improve Probing skills” or “Our sales pitch is all over the map.” These are all legitimate concerns and competency areas that can be improved, however it’s not the full story. It’s like trying to improve a car’s performance by installing leather upholstery, a new sound system and higher grade gasoline. It’s better, yes, but there are other areas that need a check-up and potential overhaul.
It’s a new year. How’s your team going to perform in Q1? What are you doing today that will ensure your team is the ultimate selling machine by Q2 and the rest of 2010?
Tags: Sales Forecast, Sales Training
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February 15th, 2010
Some say that salespeople should be hungry, aggressive and always closing. This sounds fair and reasonable, if not somewhat cliche. I maintain it is something more than just assertive actions. It’s a sales mentality – actually an attitude and mindset that can be developed and honed.
So what exactly is a sales mentality? It can be reduced to 3 key elements of perspective, discipline and prowess:
- A Balanced Sales Perspective - a healthy view of self, product and customer
- A Strict Personal Discipline - a daily regimen of managed time, inputs and prioritized activities
- A Hunting-Farmer Prowess - a new business and account growth sales skill and mindset
With a strong sales mentality, a salesperson is well-reasoned, self-managed, and multi-faceted. Can a person or team be trained in this? You bet.
Wouldn’t it be great to have an entire sales organization like this?
Tags: discipline, sales effectiveness
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September 17th, 2009
“I first met Mike Griego in 2005 in a Palo Alto café. Having retired as CEO and Chairman of the Board at Veritas Software, I was teaching courses on Entrepreneurship and Sales Organization at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. Mike, as president/founder of a MXL Partners, a Silicon Valley sales process consulting and training firm, and Stanford MBA alumni himself, had contacted me and requested a meeting to simply meet and compare notes. We had a delightful first meeting and discussed a draft article I was writing on “The Sales Learning Curve” which was later published in the Harvard Business Review in the summer issue of 2006. Mike agreed to review it for me and confirm its conclusions. It was refreshing to discuss the complexities of structuring and managing the modern enterprise sales organization with someone so well versed in all aspects of the world of sales…”
“Mike’s new book, 42 Rules to Increase Sales Effectiveness, is a powerful and quick read for all parties involved in driving sales revenue, from the executive team to the sales and marketing organization. He has well captured the keys to increasing sales effectiveness with a crisp, practical and highly readable book…”
“I heartily recommend you pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, read this book and be ready to re-confirm and even re-think your views of sales and sales effectiveness.”
– Mark Leslie, Founder of Veritas Software
Mark Leslie is the Founder of Veritas Software (now Symantec) and served as CEO and Chairman of the Board. During his tenure he grew annual revenues from $95,000 to $1.5Billion. He is currently the managing director of Leslie Ventures, a private investment firm. He is also a lecturer at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business where he teaches courses in Entrepreneurship and Sales Organization.
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August 14th, 2009
A wise man taught me years ago: “There are 2 types of people in this world, those that make excuses and those that find a way.” I’ve applied this simple principle throughout my professional career as I encountered problems, challenges and issues.
Certainly today we all face problems and challenges. There will always be problems with customers, products, management and markets. Nobody’s perfect – even amongst the best run companies. But many people will fold and make excuses. The best of the best find a way through them.
I particularly emphasize this same principle today in my sales training workshops. While salespeople and teams are facing their own problems and giants, it’s about personal responsibility. Even if it’s not your fault but it’s in your way, find a way to work through or around it. No excuses. It’s always encouraging to see lights go on and people step up.
Are you finding a way?
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May 15th, 2009
As the year moves along 2 things are clear: we’re in a down market but deals are happening. Some sales organizations are struggling, it’s certainly tough for all, but there are signals of business progress and signed deals. Some companies are even thriving. But whether struggling or thriving, there are still fewer deals out there that are being worked. To use a baseball analogy, salespeople have fewer at-bats these days; fewer chances at the plate. Like a skilled ballplayer, better handle the at-bat carefully – take the right pitches, foul off appropriately, don’t chase bad balls. Take the good swings when you see the right pitch coming.
We’re observing that in times like this sales organizations need more effectiveness rather than efficiency. Sales tools and technologies that streamline process and make things run faster or easier are not nearly as valuable as sales tools and sales technology that drive salespeople to do the right thing, very well, every time, like a great at-bat.
Are salespeople in your company taking their best swings at every at-bat?
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