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Ending the First Month in the New Year

Whew! Month one in and done.

Are you off to a good start? Did you start and stop and start again? Did you hit your target for January yet?

This is a good beginning, whatever the outcome. You are starting a new process and you are completing your first milestone. Take a look at your actions and results and find something to celebrate – even it’s just sticking to the program! 

You are likely in this for the long run and not just a quick accomplishment, so slow and steady wins the race.

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Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Starting new practices and habits isn’t a smooth process. After the initial excitement and inspiration wears off and old habits start to call to us, we feel pulled in a couple of directions: moving toward the future that we envision and desire and being tethered to a familiar way of doing things. We start to tell ourselves that the current reality is not so bad….and maybe we just need to live with it. 

Fear. Resignation. Hopelessness. 

When we know that breakdowns will occur or we may falt…

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GRATITUDE and ATTITUDE

Gratitude is often in reaction to something happening that we wanted to have happen, such as simple things like a good parking space and more complex things like a good relationship…or being grateful for coming through adversity having gained insight and success. 

I start my day with a prayer of gratitude and a request for patience and willingness. Yes, willingness.

To not let my stubbornness and resistance take over what I am experiencing or expecting. To be open to new ideas, opinions, or wa…

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Q2 2021

Q2 2021

For sales associates and leaders everywhere

 Q1 2021 is now behind us. If you hit your quarterly goal, congratulations! If you missed it, check your performance statistics and you will find what was insufficient that kept you from  hitting your target.

The obvious challenges most retail and trade showrooms are facing right now are supply chain shortages and insufferable lead times. This is what the remainder of the year will look like, so it’s critical that we manage what we can contr…

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Virtual Selling


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For sales professionals, everywhere

Life as we know it is different now.

It’s different in that we are working from home (if we are fortunate enough to do that), we are getting more familiar with using technology for meetings and to stay in communication with clients, customers and loved ones.

It’s different in that we can look at our business and notice the soft spots and the holes that we have put aside while we focused on more urgent issues. We now have the time to address those…

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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.

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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.

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

Training ongoing#14     Continuous sales training = 50% higher net sales per employee

Salespeople who continuously train bring in 50 percent more sales than those who don’t. It’s a no brainer—keeping sales teams up to date and involved means more sales.

Salespeople Even veterans need to sharpen their skills, techniques, and perspective as the market and the prospect/client changes. Retail and showroom people are experiencing less foot traffic and need to learn the skills of outreach sales actions to stay curren…

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