Author Archive for Sales Training Drivers

Developing High Performing Sales Teams: focus on the winners or weed out the failures?

We caught up with Howard Stevens after his keynote presentation that kicked-off our online-only conference last week. In his speech Howard offered some insight that many of us might find to be counter-intuitive. He said:

It feels logical to focus on the winners, but it is actually more successful when managers focus on weeding out the failures.”

We asked if Howard could elaborate and he followed-up with four main points to remember when you are evaluating your sales teams and considering your training and development options:

1. Someone who is an “average” professional salesperson…who usually makes quota, who almost always takes good care of customers, etc. will always make his company solid profits. There are quite a few of this kind of salesperson for you to choose from when building your sales team.
2. The superstars are rare. There aren’t enough to go around. Even the Yankees can’t buy enough of the superstars to fill every position. So it is more profitable to start today with a good solid performer that will make the company money, than to leave the business unsold while you are waiting to find the rare superstar.
3. Superstars are always at risk, they are more visible and attractive to the competition who just make them “an offer they can’t refuse.” If your superstar moves on they will take their training experience and even, potentially, some of their customers with them. For example, many of the top Las Vegas acts will not hire performers who are too talented because they are too hard to replace… as well as too expensive to maintain.

So, as you go through the process of evaluating, developing and maintaining your sales force, remember to focus on weeding out the lowest performing salespeople rather than constantly rewarding your superstars. Build an average team and you will do better overtime than if you constantly struggled to maintain a team of superstars.

If you’re looking for more insights on the critical steps to developing high performing sales teams, be sure to register for our online, on-demand conference available now through Wednesday, July 28.

Howard Stevens, founder, chairman and CEO of HR Chally Group, a talent management, leadership development, and sales improvement corporation providing personnel assessment and research services to more than 2, 500 customers in 35 countries  for over 33 years.

On-Demand Conference on Developing High Performing Sales Teams Now Available

What do Forrester Research, IBM and ADP have in common? Their sales training leaders and other experts from 10 top-performing companies are sharing their insight and knowledge with you at our online-only conference this week.

We kicked off the event yesterday afternoon with a live keynote presentation from Howard Stevens of HR Chally. In his presentation, titled “Processes of World-Class Sales Teams: Critical Steps to Improve Your Sales Results,” Stevens shared with us his thoughts on how sales team managers can be more efficient and data-driven in order to operate at a c-suite level and save their teams and budgets in today’s economy. “Today, the c-suite wants strategic partners,” Stevens said. “Sales team managers need to focus on the metrics and provide accurate inventories of talent available versus talent needed. They must also develop concrete plans to close the gaps.”

Break Down the Barriers to Building Relationships!

It’s easy for clients to think of salespeople as the product they’re selling. And, it’s just as simple for a salesperson to look at clients as the products they’ll buy. The problem with dealing with people this way is that in this equation, each of you is interchangeable. The very moment that either of you believes there could be a better deal elsewhere is the very moment when a potential sale is lost.

So if you want to be unique (and therefore specific to the equation), it’s imperative that you build a relationship with your clients. And what’s the first step to building a relationship? Breaking down the barriers that separate the two of you!

It’s not too late! Conference on your own time with Online Conference!

Are you looking for a new way to bolster your sales training? Have there been strategies and tactics that you’ve wanted to learn more about but just didn’t know where to look? Are you looking for a conference to attend but just don’t have the time or funds to travel?

Then look no further, because the July Virtual Conference is here!

Wanted: Engaged Trainers and Sales Managers! Apply Now!

SETTING EXPECTATIONS – A Sales Training Drivers Foundational Competency

Setting expectations for your training class is a reflection of your expectations from upper level executive management. The Trainer is expected to deliver a training program that delivers business results. Executives want to show the impact of your training in their financial statements in the form of increased revenue and employee productivity! (Hint: this is the key to obtaining that increase in your training budget!)

Setting expectations is your most important organizational development responsibility when training a set of sales employees. This is very important!! READ ON!!