Leandra Fishman’s Post

Valuable content and direction for sales leaders out there in today's environment

Great article from McKinsey about the future of B2B Sales. Key aspects to consider: - Selling roles are evolving. Hybrid reps make up 50 percent or more of the sales force. - High-powered analytics and digital enablers are revamping inside sales. - Sales training through mentoring and e-learning has become the norm to high-growth companies.

Relying on a few superstar sales reps? You might want to rethink that strategy in 2024.
 🔍 Here’s a common trap we fall into: 🏋️♂️ We believe that our superstars can carry the weight of the company’s targets on their shoulders. We think, “Why change the game when these top performers are bringing in 80% of our revenue?”
 ❌ But here’s where we’re getting it wrong: 🕵️♀️ We see WHO is closing the deals, not HOW we can scale the process.
 🎯 Your ONE job is to build a sales process that scales. 📉 A superstar-focused sales culture isn’t about sustainable growth. It’s a short-term win at best. We overlook the power of a well-rounded team in our pursuit of the exceptional. Imagine this: “We need to close more enterprise deals, improve our sales cycle, and enhance our CRM capabilities...” You've got WHAT they want, but do you know WHY they need it? ☝ Switching to a demo of your star sales rep’s latest win won’t help here. You’re missing the critical insights that drive long-term value and scalability. So, how do we shift gears the right way? 🗺️ Map the Process: Understand your current sales methodology. What steps are your superstars taking that could be standardized and taught across the board? 🕵️♂️ Identify the Gaps: Where are the bottlenecks? Is there too much dependence on individual heroics? How can technology and training make high performance universal? 🎯 Set Scalable Goals: Define what scalable success looks like. How can a process-driven culture multiply your current success metrics? Let’s not mistake a sprint for a marathon. Slow down to scale up. Protect your culture from the pitfalls of short-term wins. 💡 Understand the WHY behind the need for a change, not just the WHAT. #b2b #sales #vpsales #scienceofsales

Anton Dobrzhanskiy; outstanding share! I believe that only Good Processes lead to Good Outcomes in the long run. Hence in my consulting practice I focus on Sales Processes or Sales-Science per your terminology. In fact, I do have a consulting module which I call as The Sales Machine. it's based upon applying Operations Management Principles to Sales

𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟏𝟎 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐓𝐨 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐧 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 The sales team is one of the most crucial components of any company. Unfortunately, 42% of sales reps require more customer details, highlighting the need for better strategies. This is why ensuring your reps have the right resources that can help ease the buyer journey is vital. Imagine having the best product or service, but your sales team cannot understand customer pain points due to a lack of the right tools. Having a sales enablement strategy works wonders for such scenarios. Learn the top 10 mind-blowing sales enablement strategies to help you close more deals and drive revenue for your business. Read Complete Article: https://lnkd.in/dh_nJy4j #salesenablement #customerpersonas #leads #marketingcampaigns #sales #SalesEnablementStrategy

🚀 **Boost Your Sales Strategy: Master the 8-Stage Sales Cycle!** Attention Sales Professionals and Business Leaders! 🌟 Are you looking to elevate your organisation's sales game? If so, you can't afford to miss this insightful article on mastering the 8-stage sales cycle. 🔍 **What's Inside?** This article is a goldmine of information, detailing the crucial stages of the sales cycle: finding leads, making first contact, qualifying prospects, nurturing leads, presenting offers, overcoming objections, closing sales, and delivering exceptional service. By applying these stages effectively, your organisation can significantly enhance both revenue and reputation. 📈 **Why Read It?** 1. **Streamlined Processes**: Discover how a well-defined sales cycle can lead to efficiency and better resource allocation. 2. **Consistency**: Learn about the importance of having a consistent approach across your team, creating a unified brand image and customer experience. 3. **Improved Training**: Understand how a clear sales cycle can lead to more effective training and skill development. 4. **Data-Driven Decisions**: Get insights on how to make informed decisions and refine strategies using sales data. 🔗 https://wix.to/hZgqyCW By diving deep into each stage, you'll learn not just the 'what' but the 'why' and 'how' of each part of the cycle. Whether you're a seasoned sales professional or leading a growing team, this article offers invaluable insights and practical tips to take your sales efforts to the next level. Don't just chase sales, create a sustainable and successful sales strategy. Share your thoughts and experiences with the 8-stage sales cycle in the comments below! #SalesStrategy #BusinessGrowth #SalesCycle #SuccessInSales #ProfessionalDevelopment #HealthCareSales #AddictionTreatment

The heart of sales success lies in your sales playbook, a comprehensive guide that not only outlines the path to success but also equips your sales teams with the tools and strategies needed to navigate the intricacies of the modern buyer and marketplace. Yet, creating the perfect sales playbook is no small feat as it requires a deep understanding of market trends, customer behavior, competitive landscapes, and the ever-evolving role of technology in driving sales effectiveness. To better address these essential components of a modern sales playbook, explore IDC’s four key building blocks that underpin its success: • Building Block 1: Understanding market trends and drivers – The foundation of any successful sales playbook lies in a deep understanding of market trends. By analyzing industry data, competitor strategies, and emerging technologies, sales team can identify opportunities and anticipate shifts in customer preferences. Tools such as market research reports, industry publications, and data analytics platforms can provide invaluable insights into market dynamics. • Building Block 2: Identifying challenges and needs – Effective selling begins with a thorough understanding of the challenges and needs facing your possible customers. Understanding common challenges and pain points, on a persona level, allows sales professionals to customize messaging and solutions to meet their audience’s specific needs. • Building Block 3: Relevance and customer value – Technology serves as a cornerstone in shaping business processes. However, the true measure of success lies in demonstrating how your technology precisely meets the needs of the individual persona you’re addressing within their unique position in the buying center. • Building Block 4: Crafting key questions and hooks – The art of selling lies in asking the right questions and delivering compelling value propositions that resonate with prospects. A well-crafted sales playbook should equip sales professionals with a set of key questions and hooks designed to uncover customer needs and differentiate their offerings from the competition. #lifeison #sales #salesenablement #salesplaybook #idc https://lnkd.in/ekdpWjyi

Setting reasonable sales quotas is crucial for the success of any company. No one wants to set their teams up for failure from the beginning. The question arises: what's the purpose of setting quotas that most of your sales reps can't hit? I find it perplexing when companies claim to have an average quota attainment of around 50%. To me, it signals one of the following issues: 1️⃣ Quotas were set incorrectly. 2️⃣ Sales reps aren't performing well. 3️⃣ Leads are inadequate. As companies embark on planning for the next year, one of the critical aspects is establishing sales goals. It's important to note that sales planning and sales forecasting are distinct. Sales planning involves setting goals and understanding the necessary steps for achievement, while sales forecasting predicts outcomes based on the current pipeline, historical data, and the latest trends. Sales quotas are an integral part of sales planning. To set sales quotas correctly, various factors must be considered. 📢 Examining historical data is essential: ▪ What was the average quota attainment of your best sales reps? ▪ How many leads did they secure monthly to meet quotas? ▪ What did those leads look like? ▪ Where did those leads come from? ▪ How many opportunities could one sales rep effectively manage? ▪ How much time does a new sales rep need to become fully productive (ramp-up)? 📢 Future projections involve considering: ▪ How many leads a sales rep will need to hit quota based on average deal size and sales cycle length. ▪ Will marketing and/or sales development commit to that quantity of leads? ▪ Can you secure a certain quality of leads that helped your best reps hit quotas in the previous year? ▪ Do you have an efficient sales enablement strategy to help new hires learn quickly? ▪ Is the market's volume sufficient to generate the desired revenue, or do you need to explore new territories? As you can see, there are numerous questions that demand answers. This is part of comprehensive sales planning, and quota setting is integral to this process. A simplified capacity planning won't suffice if quotas are not well justified. Relying on the last year's average quota and applying it universally doesn't work. Setting sales goals requires a detailed understanding of the entire path and every detail of how those goals can be achieved. #b2bsales #salesplanning #salesforecasting #revenueoperations

It's easy for sales managers to get swept up in the latest sales methodologies. While these can fine-tune team performance at the margins, let's not overlook the bedrock of sales success: Sales = Simple Math. Every AE is playing a numbers game. Conversion rates, sales cycle length and average contract value are your cornerstones. Every AE (and their managers) should know these figures within your territory and segments. It will paint a clear path to success. Reverse engineering your number: Imagine an Enterprise AE with a $1,000,000 quota and a $25,000 average contract value (ACV). Their sales cycle runs about 30 days. Let's reverse engineer success: 1. To hit that $1,000,000 mark, you need around 40 deals closed per year ($1,000,000 / $25,000 ACV). 2. With a 30-day sales cycle, aim for 3-4 deals per month (40 deals / 12 months). 3. Know your conversion rates at every major step of the sales process and determine how many qualified opportunities and leads you need to fill your pipeline. Look at your historicals and account for seasonality and macro-economic variance. 4. Break it down further. How many calls, meetings, emails and conversations does it take to hit those numbers? These are called "sales actions." Factor in your 30-day sales cycles so you know exactly when you need to do these things. Put 👏 Sales 👏 Actions 👏 On 👏 Your 👏 Calendar Armed with these figures, it's not about reinventing the wheel or whatever hot methodology your enablement team is shouting about. It's about doing the work. Dialing prospects, securing meetings, nurturing leads—this is where the magic happens. It's not just about knowing your numbers; it's about driving the actions that make those numbers work. Remember: Math + Execution = Mastery.

The Sales Skill Gap is Widening. 📈📉 🛑 According to CSO Insights, over 50% of sales reps fall short of the quota, where it's also reported that most companies see sales as the top growth driver. 🤯 The report suggests that this decline has resulted from the lack of crucial sales competencies. 🧐 As sales continue to evolve and buyers are more informed than ever, reps have been unable to catch up. 🏃♂️💨 So, what's causing this gap? 👇🏽 It's simple: Reps often must provide compelling answers to technical questions and insight requests and back their products with valid social proof. This requires constant upskilling; without it, they cannot guide buyers effectively and win their trust. 🤔 The good news is that sales leaders can close this gap for their team by: ➡️ Evaluating current reps on the most essential competencies needed to engage buyers. This allows leaders to form plans and invest in upskilling programs to bring reps up to today's sales benchmark. 🎯 ➡️ Making sales competencies the focus of recruiting, onboarding, and ongoing sales enablement. 💪 ➡️ Leveraging AI platforms like Docket Inc to support reps by having a stand-in AI teammate always available to answer technical or product queries, enabling reps to learn and upskill on the fly. 🤖 📖 In this blog post, we dive deep into the significant competencies required to build a high-performing sales team - https://lnkd.in/gfDAaCKr 💼