Category Archives: team

Part 8 of 20: HubSpot Sales Statistics…With Secret Sauce Added

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# 8  65% of sales reps can’t find content to send to prospects

Communication between sales and marketing is so important—it’s a main component of sales enablement. Marketing templates and documents need to be easily accessible and customizable.

Salespeople  Effective-Business-Communication-1
I listen to salespeople who regularly show their resistance to ongoing communication with prospects and clients as “What am I going to say or send them? The marketing department manages email blasts….” In a time when retail showrooms need to generate 30% of their revenue through outreach actions (versus waiting for the door to swing or the phone to ring), this IS an area that can use assistance from the marketing department about how to construct communications that align with the company message, graphics and images that need to be consistent with the aesthetic and language of the company, follow up communication templates that support showroom promotions or services. And these actions need to be taught…they fall prey to being directed without training, and then are expected to be executed but don’t happen.

Sales Managers
In short, what I mentioned about salespeople needs to be managed by their sales manager. BE the assistance they need in creation and execution. They really don’t know how to do this  – they aren’t just being resistant or lazy. Help them be good at an area they weren’t originally hired to do.

oxo,

Jody

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Leadership: Your Team Is a Reflection Of You

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Team

For all leaders, everywhere

I recently had an impromptu conversation with one of my favorite leaders. She was talking, with frustration, about a couple of people on her leadership team who had not produced their most important deliverables for this time, this year.

As I listened intently, I asked myself – what is in the way of this happening? Where are the obstacles – tangible or intangible? I asked her if I could ask a couple of questions, which she agreed to – after a deep sigh. I asked if the actions/results that were expected were clear and understood – she said yes. I asked if there was an agreed upon deadline and milestones to achievement – she asked what I meant by that. I said, “Like a project manager, are there incremental deadlines/results that when achieved in a timeline, will likely produce the desired result by the agreed-upon deadline?” She said yes and no. I asked for more.

She said that there were but those milestones had not been met. I asked if she had on HER calendar a delivery date and time from that person. She said no. I asked why not? She said she didn’t think that had to happen, that she shouldn’t have to micromanage her leaders. I said I understand…and they have yet to produce the results….so this process to not micromanage your leaders is ineffective…would you agree? She said yes.

This is a very typical leadership conversation. Leaders who expect their reports to be able to deliver as agreed, and yet they are not delivering. AND they don’t want to have them believe that they don’t trust them, so they don’t put tighter timelines/actions in place and follow up immediately if that timeline has been missed – when evidence has shown that they need those the most.

Keep your team close until they demonstrate their ability to deliver with reliability and to a time frame. YOUR inability as a leader to hold them to their word and actions and timeframe says more about you than it does about them. Help them to win and to build the skills and structures to do that consistently before you let them loose.

Now, go help them to sell something.

Jody

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