CEO Advisor Newsletter April 2014
Path to a Powerful Sales Team
Your sales team should be a central focus of your business every day. If you have a powerful sales team, that is a major accomplishment and is extremely valuable. But most companies' sales teams lag well behind their goals, and management lets this problem persist far too long before enacting changes.
Lack of success by sales team members turns into employee turnover. It simply costs you too much money to hire, train and fire just to rehire and start the process over again. And the missed sales opportunities are far more costly than the lost time and money to hire, train and employ failed salespeople. CEO Advisor works with CEOs and business owners on sales strategy, sales team building, training, sales goals and other critical steps to ensure success in growing your business to the next level. Below are three areas of focus for a successful sales team: Hire Salespeople EffectivelyIt's critical that your hiring process be thorough in order to dramatically increase your odds of bringing on a strong sales team member. Most salespeople are street savvy and pass the test of one interview so don't shortcut the hiring process. CEO Advisor assists its clients with a proven 10-step hiring process for salespeople and sales management.
Effective Sales ManagementSmaller companies require sales managers to both manage and sell. Make sure that both new hires and veterans in your sales department are well trained and that they are completely knowledgeable on your products and services. They must be as confident and excited about what they are selling as you are. Sales managers must be extremely goal oriented, hands-on and hold each sales team member accountable to their goals. Demand 100 percent commitment from them. They must be ready to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals and to perform at maximum capacity every day.
Sales TrainingYour sales team should be a primary focus on a daily basis. They should be mentored by you or your sales manager. You must pay more than lip-service to sales training. Ensure that your sales team is learning the leading-edge techniques on prospecting, gaining meetings with qualified prospects, writing proposals, following-up properly, using your sales CRM and closing effectively. Your sales team must learn and use powerful questioning skills, qualifications skills and rapport and trust building skills. They also need to know how to handle all the objections in your industry with complete confidence and follow up objections with strong closing capabilities. Motivation to Succeed Successful salespeople are motivated by different things, but here are common factors found in most successful salespeople: Goal-oriented. Great salespeople are far more goal-oriented than others. This should be glaring in the interview process and obvious with your current top performers. Other strengths are evident, as well, such as a high sense of urgency, time management, responsible and early to work each day. Recognition. This trait is pretty obvious to detect. These people crave applause and recognition. They love to be seen as successful. They usually drive the nicest cars. They dress sharper than most. They must be noticed. So give them the praise they deserve.
Power. Power is dictated by how much a person is willing to influence a situation. Power appeals to the person's sense of wanting authority. They want to be in charge and dislike loss of control. Successfully closing sales is a keen sense of power for many successful salespeople.
Status. Similar to Recognition, this emotional trigger lets others know they have arrived. A strong presence, coupled with being respected and professional, is important to successful people.
Relationships and Coachability. Some people are into being friends. Successful salespeople know that business relationships are less like friendships and more of a mutually beneficial, trusted relationship based on need and respect. Great salespeople tend to be self-starters and somewhat independent, but they are also very coachable and rarely get flustered or defensive.
Find the above traits in your sales team and you are on your way to success. CEO Advisor has decades of success in sales strategy, sales team building, sales training and implementing sales processes that yield results.
Contact Mark Hartsell, MBA, CEO of CEO Advisor, Inc. today to discuss your growth needs at (949) 629-2520, by email at MHartsell@CEOAdvisor.com or visit www.CEOAdvisor.com for more information.
Lack of success by sales team members turns into employee turnover. It simply costs you too much money to hire, train and fire just to rehire and start the process over again. And the missed sales opportunities are far more costly than the lost time and money to hire, train and employ failed salespeople. CEO Advisor works with CEOs and business owners on sales strategy, sales team building, training, sales goals and other critical steps to ensure success in growing your business to the next level. Below are three areas of focus for a successful sales team: Hire Salespeople EffectivelyIt's critical that your hiring process be thorough in order to dramatically increase your odds of bringing on a strong sales team member. Most salespeople are street savvy and pass the test of one interview so don't shortcut the hiring process. CEO Advisor assists its clients with a proven 10-step hiring process for salespeople and sales management.
Effective Sales ManagementSmaller companies require sales managers to both manage and sell. Make sure that both new hires and veterans in your sales department are well trained and that they are completely knowledgeable on your products and services. They must be as confident and excited about what they are selling as you are. Sales managers must be extremely goal oriented, hands-on and hold each sales team member accountable to their goals. Demand 100 percent commitment from them. They must be ready to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals and to perform at maximum capacity every day.
Sales TrainingYour sales team should be a primary focus on a daily basis. They should be mentored by you or your sales manager. You must pay more than lip-service to sales training. Ensure that your sales team is learning the leading-edge techniques on prospecting, gaining meetings with qualified prospects, writing proposals, following-up properly, using your sales CRM and closing effectively. Your sales team must learn and use powerful questioning skills, qualifications skills and rapport and trust building skills. They also need to know how to handle all the objections in your industry with complete confidence and follow up objections with strong closing capabilities. Motivation to Succeed Successful salespeople are motivated by different things, but here are common factors found in most successful salespeople: Goal-oriented. Great salespeople are far more goal-oriented than others. This should be glaring in the interview process and obvious with your current top performers. Other strengths are evident, as well, such as a high sense of urgency, time management, responsible and early to work each day. Recognition. This trait is pretty obvious to detect. These people crave applause and recognition. They love to be seen as successful. They usually drive the nicest cars. They dress sharper than most. They must be noticed. So give them the praise they deserve.
Power. Power is dictated by how much a person is willing to influence a situation. Power appeals to the person's sense of wanting authority. They want to be in charge and dislike loss of control. Successfully closing sales is a keen sense of power for many successful salespeople.
Status. Similar to Recognition, this emotional trigger lets others know they have arrived. A strong presence, coupled with being respected and professional, is important to successful people.
Relationships and Coachability. Some people are into being friends. Successful salespeople know that business relationships are less like friendships and more of a mutually beneficial, trusted relationship based on need and respect. Great salespeople tend to be self-starters and somewhat independent, but they are also very coachable and rarely get flustered or defensive.
Find the above traits in your sales team and you are on your way to success. CEO Advisor has decades of success in sales strategy, sales team building, sales training and implementing sales processes that yield results.
Contact Mark Hartsell, MBA, CEO of CEO Advisor, Inc. today to discuss your growth needs at (949) 629-2520, by email at MHartsell@CEOAdvisor.com or visit www.CEOAdvisor.com for more information.
CEO Advisor, Inc. Advises eMerchant on Growth, Sales Strategy and Marketing
- CEO Advisor, Inc. (www.CEOAdvisor.com), a leading business advisory firm in Newport Beach, CA serving the needs of CEOs, presidents and business owners of small and mid-size companies is providing growth, business process, sales strategy and marketing advisory services to the CEO of eMerchant, Inc. (www.eMerchant.com). Located in Irvine, CA, eMerchant is a full service merchant account service provider for online and brick-and-mortar merchants.
- CEO Advisor provides business advisory services affordably and effectively with hands-on work performed to assist CEOs, presidents and business owners of small and mid-size companies on growth, business strategy, business processes, sales, sales team building, sales strategy, marketing, operations, finance, funding, mergers and acquisitions to grow businesses to the next level.
- As a trusted CEO Advisor® to business owners since 2004, the firm specializes in providing business consulting services in a one-to-one advisory role on a weekly basis to maximize sales, profits and business value to generate a substantial return on its client's investment.
- Mark Hartsell, CEO of CEO Advisor, Inc. states, "The vast array of online payment and credit card services is a critical function that greatly effects the growth and scalability of millions of online and brick-and-mortar stores. eMerchant provides top tier customer service, expertise and superior reliability to merchants of all types and sizes. CEO Advisor is providing advice on strategy, business processes and accelerating their growth to achieve their goals."
- Bill Dumont, CEO of eMerchant states, "CEO Advisor's online and ecommerce experience coupled with their business expertise and hands-on approach is providing eMerchant with advisory services to grow to the next level."
- About eMerchant, Inc.
- Since 2002, eMerchant has serviced online and traditional brick and mortar merchants from start to finish with a complete payment acceptance solution. eMerchant will assist store owners in setting up a PCI compliant credit card processing account, credit card terminal, a payment gateway for ecommerce, and provides friendly, best-in-class customer service to suit their needs. For more information, contact Jeff Carter, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at eMerchant, Inc. at (866) 979-0260, email jcarter@emerchant.com or visit www.emerchant.com for more information.
- About CEO Advisor, Inc.
- CEO Advisor provides business consulting services affordably and effectively to meet the specific needs of CEOs, presidents and business owners of small to mid-size companies in a wide range of industries, including technology, media, professional service firms, light manufacturing and many more.
- CEO Advisor's mission is to advise business owners with the needed expertise and focus, coupled with hands-on advice and work performed to grow your business to the next level. Contact Mark Hartsell, CEO of CEO Advisor, Inc. at (949) 629-2520 in Orange County, CA, by email at mhartsell@CEOAdvisor.com or visit us at www.CEOAdvisor.com for more information.