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The Last Month of the Year

December is a funny month. 

For retail showrooms, this tends to be a slower traffic month with a lower average sale. And, like November, it also tends to be a good delivery month, with holidays driving making homes lovely for family and guests. 

Residential trade business continues to be strong and retail traffic has started to wane a bit but is still sufficient to hit targets. And trade showrooms can go either way as these are not typical times. 

Given the unpredictability, this is a c…

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This Equals That....

For sales associates and leaders everywhere

The numbers never lie. When you step on the scale, you know. When you open your bank statement, it’s right there to see.

The same is true for sales. When you look at your sales results, you know whether you are on track to make goal or not. If you are, great. If you aren’t, it’s a function of actions: the quantity and quality of the actions you have already taken.

If you want to get back on track to make goal, you need to take more actions. If you h…

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A New Month

For retail sales professionals, everywhere 


For some of you, the month of May was the best month in the history of your company. There was pent up demand for product, often in-stock merchandise, and purchases were made online and in person. May didn’t make up for losses in April and March when the pandemic drove us all indoors and away from others, but it did help regain some ground. Congratulations to those of you who made the changes you needed to make to take advantage of opportunities as …

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Ch-ch-ch-changin’

For sales professionals, everywhere

This really has been an amazing time. There are things we are aware of immediately: loneliness for our loved ones, the masks, and distancing, the anxiety of what to do and when to do it, plus, plus. We see them, we feel them, we hear them - we can’t miss them. It’s the construct in which we are living and the actions we are taking within that reality. 

And there are the things that aren’t scorchingly obvious: the reveals in our business and the model its…

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

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20.   An average company loses 10% of its customer base every year

Don’t be discouraged! This is just a lesson in prospecting and staying ahead of your sales pipeline. Stay active and continuously reach out to new prospects and past clients to keep your pipeline full and your team looking ahead.

Salespeople

Simply put, keep prospecting and don’t take it personally. If you lose more than 10%, you might want to explore further to discover why that is. However, if you ask for referrals, market cons…

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Part 19 of 20: HubSpot Sales Statistics…With Secret Sauce Added

customer retention19.    Retaining current customers is 6–7 cheaper than acquiring new ones

It’s not a new sales enablement statistic, but it’s just as true today as it was in the past. It’s cheaper to keep your current customers happy than to spend time finding new ones.

Salespeople

Is follow up a scheduled part of your weekly sales actions? Do you ask ‘What’s next?’ with each sales opportunity that closes? Like asking for referrals, staying connected with current clients is low hanging fruit (I dislike that phr…

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Part 18 of 20: HubSpot Sales Statistics…With Secret Sauce Added

18.    It takes 10 months+ for a new rep to be fully productive

New salespeople need time to learn and gain confidence. Speed up this timeline by investing in sales enablement strategies, pairing new reps with seasoned team members, and using online training.

furn sales images

Salespeople

As a new salesperson, do you have a strategy and timeline for learning? Is practice part of your strategy? Do you OWN your learning engagement and information or do you rely on your manager to bring it to you? I invite you to m…

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Part 17 of 20: HubSpot Sales Statistics…With Secret Sauce Added

17.    Only 13% of customers believe sales reps understand their needs

Take the time to listen. Too many buyers complain that salespeople do not fully understand their needs and problems. You cannot sell a solution for a problem you don’t know about.

sales understand

Salespeople

It is said “Customers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” and listening deeply is a fundamental skill for every salesperson to take on as a process of continuous learning. Forever. Take it on as a practice, l…

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Part 13 of 20: HubSpot Sales Statistics…With Secret Sauce Added

Sales reps Social-Media.jpg#13     78% of sales reps who use social media outsell reps who don’t

It’s crucial for sales reps to be easily accessible. Having active social media profiles is a great way for your reps to connect with prospects and customers.

Salespeople Put this action on your weekly calendar and don’t rely on memory or instinct to guide you to do this. Talk to other salespeople (in other industries, and in different B2B or B2C sales positions) about what they are doing and what they are achieving with socia…

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Part 12 of 20: HubSpot Sales Statistics…With Secret Sauce Added

# 12 Up to 70% of product information is found online, not through sales reps

online product.pngSelf-discovered information is becoming the norm for product research and purchasing decisions. Your company needs to have targeted and relevant sales materials that are easy for customers to find.

Salespeople This is true for B2B sales and B2C. The prospect no longer relies heavily on the salesperson for information where there is much to be found online. And researching online is such an integral part of the buying p…

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