Span the Chasm – Sales Team Training – Driving Sustainable Sales and Growth through Development and Consulting

Tag: sales growth

  • Hey Sales Leader: Use LENSES, not LABELS

    Hey Sales Leader: Use LENSES, not LABELS

    You’ve heard them.  You may have used them.  Phrases like:

    Jimmy can’t prospect.

    Janey can’t close well.

    Timmy doesn’t align value to role.

    Sally can’t get to the Economic Buyer.

    Billy can’t build and test Champions.

    You know the formula:

    (name) (can’t/won’t/doesn’t) (activity desired)

    These are all labels that we stick onto our peeps.  Here is why you MUST change your approach: After a while, in your mind, people ‘become’ that label.  It is also the lazy-leader’s way and takes no skill. Literally no skill. Sorry if that felt like I poked you in the eye.  (I’m not really but…)

    Our people can feel these labels being stuck on them.  It hurts their morale. It crushes their confidence. It kills their production.  

    Here’s a thought: Instead of using these LABELS to put them into categories, what if, instead, we used LENSES to better see them.  An opportunity to assess instead of condemn.

    If we take the LENSES mindset, I think there are 5 steps that can transform how you engage with the underperforming parts of your peeps:

    Awareness:  The first step is to know what the skills and competencies for the role are.  Many times we are holding up a ruler to someone that is not relevant or as relevant as we make it.  What REALLY matters for success in this role? It is usually less things than we think.

    Assessment: Instead of having an opinion, we need to dig in and actually assess the situation.  Listen to calls, go out on appointments, review notes, administer an assessment. A thousand ideas per role, per attribute.  But it needs to be done. As objectively as possible as subjective actions tend to feed our biases.

    Action: Once we have the actual gap mapped, we need to build an action plan that is going to develop that skill or competency.  It should have a lifecycle. It should have check points. It should follow a framework (I personally always use the SMART model.  Google it or call me.) The secret sauce on this piece is for them to own this action plan. It is their development. Build the plan with them and be part of the process but they need to own it.

    Adoption: Moving from being incompetent to basic skills to mastery to a habit takes time.  It takes commitment. It takes pushing through the stumbles. The plan you build should be in place for a period of time LONGER than required to learn the skill.  If we don’t get it to a habit, it will likely snap all the way back (scar tissue speaking here…).  

    Accountability: As humans, we suck at personal accountability.  Think New Year’s Resolutions. We don’t have the staying power.  It’s just true for most of us. Help the person build an accountability ecosystem.  When we are accountable, we increase our odds of success radically. (96% of decamillionaires have accountability partners)  Help them build 2 – 4 ways to get frequent accountability. You, a buddy, a coach, a mentor, etc. Emails, a quick call, a recurring weekly reminder.  It isn’t hard.

    At the bottom of many skills gaps lies a layer of fear and potential disbelief.  Often times execution errors are ties to something deeper.

    You can’t see past a label.  They become the label. With a lens mindset, we can be diagnostic and developmental.  Sure, it’s harder but that is simply the price of progress and growth.  

    Being good is easy.  Being great is hard.  

    When we label people, we are demonstrating a Closed Mindset.  When we use lenses, we are demonstrating a Growth Mindset. A great read on this topic is Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck.  I highly recommend it.

    Imagine how it will feel when you move from condemning team members and, instead, build an environment of development on a 1:1 basis.  How would it feel to have the production of each of your team members improve by 10 – 20% because of this process? I bet it’s gonna feeling friggin’ awesome. 

    Love to chat with you to see if this approach makes sense for you and your team and how we could activate this together.

    #BeBrave

  • Sales Leadership Lessons from Sherlock Holmes

    Sales Leadership Lessons from Sherlock Holmes

    Mr. Watson wasn’t actually an idiot.  Just seemed like it.  

    Sometimes I feel like an idiot, too.  Deals and opportunities don’t always work the way I wanted.  

    But it is clear, Sherlock Holmes was a genius.  And his genius teaches those of us in sales much practical wisdom that we can learn from.

    3 that stand out that are actionable for you IMMEDIATELY:

    It isn’t obvious:  Holmes’ genius played out in ways that Watson missed because Holmes always seemed to understand the nuance of humanity.  What so often should be obvious in our sales process isn’t because of the complex human that we are selling to. She seems like a buttoned up CMO but she is really afraid that one more failed effort could cost her the job.  

    Lesson:  Emotions matter in sales.  If you aren’t connected to or connecting your solution to them, you are setting yourself up for failure.

    It IS obvious:  In plain site.  And yet Watson missed it often because he was looking past the moment.  Making assumptions. Mistakes that Holmes never made. He was always in the moment.  He didn’t make assumptions. He looked at the situation for what it was and didn’t overcomplicate it.  We do it in sales. Frequently. We miss a comment packed with emotion because we were on to our next question.  We missed the blank look because we assumed everyone new that x, y or z was truth. We didn’t clarify because that term means the same for everyone, right?

    Lesson: Slow the F down!  Listen. Look. Learn.  Stop making assumptions.  Ask 3 more questions. Get feedback on what you said.  Listen to the answers.  

    It IS elementary: Holmes cut through all of the noise around a case and saw it at an elemental level.  Watson was distracted by the noise. We often do the same in sales. There is a lot of ‘swirl’ that distracts us.  People. Statement. Goals. Ideas. Suggestions. Phonies. Lots of it. It distracts us from what matters; the presenting, business impacting problem. 

    Lesson: Focus on the business impacting problem, known or unknown, and run to it.  Expose it, solve it and forget the rest.

    Don’t be Watson.  Be Sherlock Holmes.  Yep, it’s a choice. Who are YOU going to be?

    It is elementary.  And in your control.

    Suggested reading: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Dr Carol Dweck

    #BeBrave

  • A Better Lens to Understand Your Team

    A Better Lens to Understand Your Team

    You live in a world of data.  CRM, Marketing and sales metrics, process improvement data, economic and competitive data all drive a business to success. You need this data to inform the important decisions in your business. 

    But what if I told you that you were missing the most important data for success prediction?  Data around your people.   

    Imagine what your world would be like if you could ‘see’ into the capabilities, desires and behavioral goals of every, single person in your organization?  What would that reveal?  

    I suspect it would reveal the following:

    1. Visibility:  You would quickly know who is in the right seat and who isn’t.  You would instantly understand the confounding behaviors preventing people’s success.  You would be more effective at getting the right people on the bus and the wrong people off of the bus.  
    2. Action: With crystal clear insight into the individuals and clarity around the needed attributes and skills, your path to the future you are striving for becomes accessible and attainable.  Lit up with a megawatt spotlight, not the weak candle of today. 
    3. Culture: For so many organizations, culture is hype, a bunch of posters and a foosball table.  Strong on the surface, weak where it counts. Your company has a true culture, known or unknown, that affects EVERYTHING.  It affects how your people sell, how you market, even the code your developers write. Your sales team’s culture is no different. What they value (their culture) is what your clients and prospects expect your business to deliver, their microbrand.  

    Time to put on the glasses and remove the blindfold.  

    How can you get this visibility? At Span the Chasm, we have built an entire Talent Management service offering around this to deliver actionable insights for you.  Removing uncertainty, fear, and doubt, PLUS accelerating success. 

    What are indications you might need to go down this path?  Symptoms or goals like:

    1. Consistently high turnover in your sales force
    2. You’ve just lost your VP of Sales
    3. Changes aren’t taking shape at the front lines
    4. The client experience just doesn’t ‘feel’ right 
    5. You’re preparing for growth either to buy or sell

    Imagine:  Actionable Data on your entire team, by role, driving curated Information so that your decisions – personnel, strategy, culture – are fueled by Knowledge.  To me, that sounds like real Power!

    How would THAT feel?

    So, why Span the Chasm? Simply put, we are adoption-focused. Getting your team working with field-tested, actionable data only works when you have engagement.  We deliver all three.

    “After our sales manager abruptly resigned in Q3, Steve quickly stepped in and helped our sales team keep their pipeline on track. We closed out our year strong and Steve helped us find an exceptional new sales manager.” – David Minnix – CEO CineMassive

    Unlock the power of people for better results – learn more about Talent Management here!

    #BeBrave

  • Recession-Proof Your Sales Team NOW!

    Recession-Proof Your Sales Team NOW!

    Imagine how it will feel when your sales team is left behind by the market because you didn’t make the necessary adjustments to not just SURVIVE but THRIVE in and thru the recession.  It is not gonna feel good, my friend!

    The question isn’t ‘if’ but ‘when’ a recession is going to hit.  Some argue it is already happening. Others claim the economic macros are strong and we are years away. 

    What can you do to prepare for it?

    Having lived and sold through many recessions, I know there are specific activities that separate the ELITE from the rest.

    Three things you can do now to begin the process:

    Back to the basics:  Now is the time to make sure you and your team are excelling at the fundamentals.  Running your sales process with precision and not taking shortcuts. Setting aside time for pipeline building activities.  However your sales process was designed to run, run it. With precision, confidence and velocity. Now is the best time to focus on pipeline, both qualitatively and quantitatively.

    Get to the Economic Buyer:  I have always been a big fan of getting to the EB.  Now, with everything being more tightly scrutinized and signature levels changing, you MUST meet with your EB, or the NEW EB.  If you have been lazy with your EB language in the past, now is the time to make sure your language aligns with their goals. 

    Tighten up value alignment:  When selling is easy, our value alignment often gets a bit lax.  Our value alignment must be in lock-step with our prospect’s goals and vision.  We must be very clear on how we are going to take them from their Current State to the glorious Future State they seek.  It is CRITICAL that you re-make the Current State unacceptable as your prospect is going to be looking for reasons not to act.

    These are just a few of the many things you can do in preparation of the economy changing.  To get them – and more!, do not miss our Monday Morning Pearl series (https://spanthechasm.com/monday-morning-pearls/) on this topic that Ken and I are leading.

    Also, our podcast, Uncommon Sales Success (https://spanthechasm.com/podcast/), is hosting an expert-voice series on Recession Proofing where we are pulling some of the best from several areas like investment banking, HR, executive advisors, and professional trainers.  We are pulling their expertise together for your benefit.

    Don’t miss either of these.  They are rich with actionable content for you to not just survive but to thrive during an economic downturn. 

    Remember: Market share that is captured during an economic downturn stays with you and has a massive impact on profitability up to a decade later. 

    Simple question that you need to answer: Are you and your team going to be in a position to ride the tide of change or be left behind by it?

    Remember, the best time to buy hurricane insurance is before the storm is buffeting the shores!  I doubt you want to pay those premiums!

    #BeBrave

  • 5 Clear Steps for the Ideal Sales Kick Off in 2020

    5 Clear Steps for the Ideal Sales Kick Off in 2020

    What?  You haven’t started thinking about Sales Kickoff 2020 yet?  

    Time is ticking, my friend!  

    You know you’re gonna have it.  You can either half-@$$ it or make it great.  The choice is yours. So are the outcomes that you will get!

    What does an Ideal Sales Kick Off look like?  It has these components:

    • It has a clear mission, with goals and deliverables, in place.  
    • The content educates and inspires the sales teams.
    • It is a complete plan that is developed thoroughly and delivered with excellence.
    • It has clear, measurable objectives in place to determine success.
    • Sales and all relevant teams will leave inspired for 2020 and the potential it holds.

    However, as we talk to sales leaders about their approach to SKO in 2020, here are phrases we frequently hear:

    • ‘The sales reps just need more product training.’  The problem with this is it doesn’t deliver the results desired or drive new behavior.  It results in educated but uninspired sales teams.  Ration educates. Emotion motivates. Get them inspired to new and courageous actions!
    • ‘We will refresh last year’s content and tune it for this year.’  The easy course of action, no doubt. However, this just leaves the sales team frustrated, hungry for more and resenting precious selling time out of the field.  And pissed at you. You certainly aren’t going to gain ‘discretionary effort’ with that plan!
    • ‘Once we get through SKO, we can get on with the year.’  This just results in a massive waste of time, energy and money with unclear goals and expectations.  Again, a frustrated and uninspired sales team.

    Any of these sound like you and your team?  

    If so, 5 clear steps you can take to ensure a fantastic Sales Kick Off in 2020 and drive the highest possible impact on sales and the new year:

    1. Start with engaging all of the key stakeholders for SKO to make sure the PLAN for SKO is in place.  Develop a clear theme for SKO that drives all activity and defines the goals.  Map the expected results. Build a plan that delivers.
    2. With the plan in place, step 2, DEVELOP, drives the agenda, definition, and development for the content and activities needed to successfully carry out the SKO mission.  This includes content type, presenters, activities and real-time assessment.  
    3. Step 3, DELIVER, is all about making sure the message is delivered to the team in a way that will enable, educate and inspire as they enter 2020.  
    4. To ensure impact, step 4, ADOPT, is focused on the 90 days after SKO to ensure that the new skills and behaviors are in place in the field.  Focused on re-enforcement, inspection, and review. Inspect what you Expect.
    5. 9 months out, step 5, MEASURE, is focused on the impact of SKO compared to the goal.  Did the investment drive the expected ROI? What lessons were learned as we approach SKO for next year?  What, if any, adjustments need to be made to improve and raise the bar?

    Sales Kickoff is right around the corner.  You and your team deserve a fantastic experience to ensure you reach your goals in 2020.  They are lofty goal.  Scary goals. They deserve a great SKO to inspire and propel the team into 2020.

    We are here to help.  Check out our content for SKO here: https://spanthechasm.com/sko/

    Make sure that you download our SKO checklist for a guide to the 5 phases of a successful SKO.

    To set up a call to chat, please click here.

    As always… #BeBrave

  • 3 Sales Growth Lessons from a Massively Successful Start-up (plus a Bonus)

    Sometimes at an industry conference, you hear a lot of BS. Complete and utter BS.

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  • Does Your Sales Framework have ‘Weakest Link Syndrome’?

    Does Your Sales Framework have ‘Weakest Link Syndrome’?

    Selling isn’t supposed to be this hard. Driving sustainable sales growth should be easier. You have a great product. Marketing and Product are supportive. Yet the results are sporadic, often more random than predictable.

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  • For Sales: Planning = Winning. Period.

    For Sales: Planning = Winning. Period.

    ‘Victorious warriors win first and then go to war.  Defeated warriors go to war and then seek to win.’
    – Sun Tzu

    It was true 2,500 years ago. It is just as true today.

    A victorious warrior wins first.  How?  By studying his opponent.  By preparing his skills.  By improving his weaponry.  By hardening his body.  They have a victory plan prior to engaging the enemy.

    The question I have for you today is: What is your victory plan?

    There are 5 areas that, with a little effort, will accelerate your success as you march toward your goals.

    1- Who: Do you know who you are pursuing and why it makes for you to engage them?  Why are they on your list?  Size?  Market?  Profile?

    Learning moment: Know what you are aiming for.

    2- What: What information do you need to collect prior to engaging to assure that it makes sense for them to engage you?  Corporate objectives?  Strategies?  Use cases?  Perceived business value?

    Learning moment: Be smart about your resources.

    3- How: What is the best plan of attack?  Do you have the right tools and processes aligned?  Do you have a social selling strategy?  Great executive reference lined up?  What are you doing to optimize your chances of success?

    Learning moment: Thoroughness and completeness matter.

    4- Goals: Have you mapped out these 2 critical elements: 1) What are your goals for the engagement?  What would make it the perfect meeting?  2) What are your pre-planned ‘next steps’ based on your intent?  Obviously, be ready to pivot.

    Learning moment: Without clear goals, plans are just dreams.

    5- Prioritized Action Plan:  Given all of your potential and opportunity, have you taken the time to define and prioritize your sequence of engagement.

    Learning moment: Win what you want to win.

    My list for last weekend is captured above.  Pretty rough.  But I took the time to scope it out.  I could estimate about how long each item would take.  Based on urgency, impact and time needed, I numbered the priority.  Did I get them all done?  No.  But I got the most impactful things done first.  And because I was smart about it, I had plenty of time for my wife, 2 kids, 2 dogs and a cat…. Even a little gym time for me.

    Super-charger idea: If your desire is to truly crush it: Share your goals with someone you trust and will keep you accountable for your success.  Accountability is success steroids!

    Want to start planning for Victory? Start by Contacting us to set up a strategy call!

  • An Anchovy Tale: Is your sales style about YOU or your PROSPECT?

    An Anchovy Tale: Is your sales style about YOU or your PROSPECT?

    Yep.  He charged me $2.00 for Anchovies on my Caesar salad.  Where I come from, Anchovies are part of the Caesar salad.

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