Sales

Consider this: would you rather have a talented, experienced person join the team who ends up working terribly with others, or a less experienced person who gels well with the team they're looking to join, and who is excited to learn and grow once hired? When we hire an employee, either for our own company or for our clients, we employ a simple but effective exercise within a rigorous hiring process called “ team”—we suggest bringing in multiple people to interview the candidate, such as the head of marketing, the head of operations, perhaps the CEO, and certainly the hiring manager.) In conclusion, establishing an open dialogue in interviews and including some sort of chemistry test in your hiring process will really help you determine who is the best fit.

At the time of this recording, Michelle was the Senior Director of Learning and Development at WebMD. An expert in corporate training, Michelle is also a volunteer for Strive International, where she offers training to at-risk populations on their journey to sustainable employment. Or, you can listen from your mobile device’s podcast player through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn. If you have sales questions you’d like answered by our experts, submit your questions on social media and tag our Twitter, @cfsplaybook, or email us your questions at podcast@criteriaforsuccess.com.

By this point, your new hire should be actively prospecting and selling, and it’s important to make sure they haven't fallen into any old habits, but are instead sticking to your process. Ongoing evaluation of your team’s selling skills is critical to a fully-developed training program. One best practice is to schedule time for role practicing in each of your weekly sales team meetings, then pick a random pair of people and topic each week. It’s important not to tell your entire team that they should sell exactly like one person, even if that’s your top performer, but presenting some overall best practices that are known to work is a great way to leverage the power of your team.

Adam is the founder and CEO of StartupSales, an organization that helps startups develop the sales processes and strategies they need to get their ARR above the $1 million mark. Based in Tel Aviv, he is also the co-host and mentor at the StartupSales Club, a monthly workshop for founders and sales leaders. Or, you can listen from your mobile device’s podcast player through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or TuneIn. If you have sales questions you’d like answered by our experts, submit your questions on social media and tag our Twitter, @cfsplaybook, or email us your questions at podcast@criteriaforsuccess.com.

Now more than ever, focusing on positivity and building up your sales team can go a long way in improving sales success, boosting team morale, and fostering a strong company culture. Having a library of success stories that each member of your sales team can comfortably share is a huge asset to their prospecting and selling. The business impact of your solution Have your team share their own success stories, practice sharing stories from your library of success stories, and even identify stories on the spot based on selling scenarios. How do you share wins and losses with your sales team?

Daniel Ramsey is the co-founder and CEO of MyOutDesk.com, a business process services company that provides virtual assistance to busy professionals in the area of marketing, administration, customer service, and prospecting. He is also the Chief Investment Officer at Ramsey Real Estate and Development Corp., an author, and podcast host. Or, you can listen from your mobile device’s podcast player through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn or Spotify. For questions, comments, or guest inquiries, reach out to us on Twitter @cfsplaybook, or email us at podcast@criteriaforsuccess.com.

This resource will guide you to become a smart buyer in order to choose the right seller, to then accomplish your goals with their help. They participate in an ongoing dialogue throughout the process, start with early fact-finding before reviewing a proposal for the chosen solution, and know that withholding timely information impedes progress at every stage and undermines the trust between buyer and seller. Of course a project cost is a factor, but emphasizing it too soon could mean settling for something less than the best solution, or working with a firm lacking the resources or expertise to deliver the solution it sold cheaply. Communicating openly and often, providing timely feedback and candid explanations Lastly, buyers benefit from workable relationships in that they can sell their projects internally to the range of stakeholders as needed, having prepared with the seller.

The purpose of this library was to create a collection of concise tips and tools to reach people at any professional level; salespeople, sales managers and leaders, and the everyday professional. In each video, you will hear from one of our experts at CFS on a specific topic, such as Best Practices for Grateful Leadership or the concept of a Sales Growth Team. Our video topics often pair with our eBooks and work templates, so be sure to peruse the Resources on our website after viewing the videos. If you would like us to cover a specific sales topic, feel free to reach us at podcast@criteriaforsuccess.com and our marketing team will review your suggestions.

Happy Monday, Let's Talk Sales listeners! Elizabeth is the Operations Officer and Senior Advisor at Criteria for Success, and is the regular host of Let's Talk Sales! In her place as host was Rylan Sylvester, the Sales and Marketing Coordinator at CFS. Or, you can listen from your mobile device’s podcast player through iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, TuneIn or Spotify.

Here at CFS, we encourage all sales teams to develop a Sales PlayBook, single platform to house selling best practices and promote information sharing across your team. Though many would like to think it takes just a few months or weeks to onboard a new hire, the reality is every new hire is different. Whether it’s a new way to get around a common roadblocks, or insight on how to establish quick rapport with new prospects, shared information housed in a Sales PlayBook Establishing a best-practice Sales PlayBook will help you build sales skills among your existing team members; bring new salespeople into a strong system; and nurture a more cohesive team.