Doug Ward, MBA’s Post

Dealing with a sales team resistant to change in the industry can be challenging. Here are some strategies to ease the transition and encourage adaptability: 1. Understand the Resistance: - Listen to Concerns to grasp the root of resistance. - Identify Fear Factors like fear of the unknown or lack of skills. 2. Communicate the Vision: - Explain the ‘Why’ behind the change, emphasizing benefits. - Share Success Stories of successful transitions. 3. Provide Training and Support: - Offer Training Programs for necessary skills. - Provide Resources like tools and market data. 4. Lead by Example: - Demonstrate Commitment by actively participating. - Involve Influencers who can champion the change. 5. Set Clear Goals and Expectations: - Define SMART goals related to the change. - Monitor Progress regularly. 6. Create a Positive Environment: - Celebrate Small Wins to build momentum. - Foster Open Communication for feedback. 7. Address Resistance Directly: - Confront Negative Attitudes constructively. - Offer Support to those struggling. 8. Be Patient and Persistent: - Allow Time for Adjustment as change takes time. - Stay Persistent with a consistent message. 9. Incentivize Adaptation: - Offer Incentives for embracing change. - Recognize the Efforts of team members publicly. 10. Evaluate and Adapt: - Review the Process continually. - Seek Feedback regularly and adapt accordingly. Implementing these strategies can reduce resistance and create a more adaptable sales team.

The one stand-out feature of all Oyster® customer feedback is how widely loved our account management & success teams are, to the point where nearly every review mentions them as a differentiator vs competitors. As the post-sales leader for Oyster's largest region, responsible for nearly 50% of our annual revenue, here are TWO no bullshit things I've learned about great account management: 1. 🩺🥼 The Doctor Analogy No one wants to see a doctor who prescribes medicine without understanding what they're treating. Likewise, no one wants to work with vendors who have zero understanding of their job. Our stakeholders tend to be HR & People leaders, so our AMs spend plenty of time working with our internal People & HR functions to ensure they remain knowledgeable consultants. This approach can be replicated across any business in any industry. It's why sales teams at revenue intelligence SaaS (like Outreach, Gong and trumpet 🎺) are able to make their pitches look so effortless, by the way. 2. ♻️ Win-win Culture Post-sales feeds on new business success - you cannot scale existing revenue without a healthy intake of new customers. Likewise, new business relies on existing happy customers to say great things about the products they're selling. Make your sales team & their leadership your greatest allies to build a win-win culture. Shout out Adam Clarke 🌍 and his amazing team of leaders P.S Check out this review from one of our mid-market customers below 👇 and message me to learn more about the ways we can help our customers to expand internationally

Bridging the gap between sales and operations teams requires fostering better communication, alignment of goals, and mutual understanding. Here are some strategies to help: 1. Promote Cross-Functional Communication: Encourage regular meetings, such as joint sales and operations meetings or daily huddles, where both teams can share updates, challenges, and goals. This ensures both sides are aligned and can address any miscommunication before it becomes a problem. 2. Align Goals and KPIs: Establish shared objectives that both teams can work toward. For instance, sales and operations teams should collaborate on setting realistic sales targets that align with production and delivery capabilities. Use key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure both sales and operational success. 3. Foster Empathy and Understanding: Arrange workshops or training that give each team insight into the other’s challenges. Sales teams should understand the constraints operations face with inventory, logistics, or production, while operations should learn about customer demands, timelines, and market pressures that sales teams deal with. 4. Implement Shared Tools and Systems: Use technology, such as CRM and ERP systems, that both teams can access to track orders, inventory, and forecasts. This ensures transparency and reduces the chance of errors or misalignment between the teams. 5. Create a Culture of Collaboration: Develop a culture where both teams are encouraged to work together. This can be incentivized through joint performance rewards or team-building activities that focus on collaboration. 6. Provide Clear Communication Channels: Set up clear protocols for communication so that issues can be addressed quickly and efficiently. For example, using project management tools or having a designated liaison between teams can help streamline communication. 7. Review Processes Together: Hold joint retrospectives to analyze past challenges, learn from them, and improve processes. This will ensure continuous improvement in both sales forecasting and operational capabilities. By focusing on open communication, shared objectives, and mutual respect, you can build a bridge between the two teams and improve overall organizational efficiency.

Do you know how to keep your sales team motivated and engaged? Here are some essential tips to ensure that your team is always ready to achieve great results: Clear and Transparent Communication: Maintain open and transparent communication with your team, providing clear information about goals, expectations, and challenges. Recognition and Incentives: Recognize and celebrate team achievements, offering incentives and rewards for exceptional performance. Training and Development: Invest in the professional development of your team by offering training and continuous learning opportunities to enhance their sales skills. Constructive Feedback: Provide regular and constructive feedback to help team members identify areas for improvement and develop their skills. Culture of Collaboration: Promote a culture of collaboration and mutual support, where team members feel valued and supported in their sales efforts. With these tips, you can create a positive and motivating work environment, where your sales team feels inspired and committed to achieving success.

Revamping your sales team is a strategic process that involves re-evaluating goals, processes, and people to improve performance and outcomes. 1. Assess the Current Team Performance Review: Analyze individual and team performance metrics, such as sales targets, conversion rates, and client retention. Skills Assessment: Identify skill gaps or areas for improvement in communication, negotiation, or product knowledge. Cultural Fit: Ensure team members align with company values and the team culture. 2. Redefine Goals and KPIs Set Clear Objectives: Revise sales targets to align with current business goals. Introduce Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Include metrics like lead response time, closing rates, and customer satisfaction scores. 3. Restructure Roles and Responsibilities Assign roles based on individual strengths (e.g., hunters for prospecting, closers for negotiations). Establish clear accountability to avoid role overlap and inefficiencies. 4. Upgrade Training Programs Provide ongoing training in sales strategies, product updates, and market trends. Incorporate role-playing scenarios to refine objection handling and closing techniques. Encourage certifications or workshops to enhance skills. 5. Adopt Modern Tools and Technologies Use CRM software like Salesforce or HubSpot to streamline lead management and tracking. Provide team members with digital presentation tools for impactful pitches. 6. Foster a Winning Culture Encourage collaboration through team-building activities.

The Best practices for collaborating with other departments to improve Sales team performance... 1. Effective Communication: Communicate regularly and clearly with other departments involved in the sales process to establish a shared understanding of roles, responsibilities, and goals. This could involve regular meetings, email updates, or digital collaboration tools. 2. Alignment of Objectives: Ensure that the objectives and targets of the sales team are aligned with the goals and strategies of other departments. This will enable a coordinated effort towards achieving common objectives. 3. Cross-Departmental Training: Organize training sessions or workshops that involve collaboration between departments, such as providing product knowledge training to the sales team by the product or R&D department. This will enhance the sales team's understanding of the product and foster collaboration and information sharing. 4. Shared Data and Analytics: Share relevant data and analytics across departments to provide insights that can help improve sales team performance. For example, sharing customer feedback from the customer service department can help identify areas of improvement. 5. Teamwork and Cooperation: Foster a culture of teamwork and cooperation by encouraging collaboration, open communication, and mutual support among different departments. This can be achieved through team-building activities, cross-departmental projects, or joint problem-solving sessions. 6. Feedback and Continuous Improvement: Regularly seek feedback from other departments on sales team performance and vice versa. Use this feedback to identify areas for improvement and implement changes as needed. 7. Recognition and Rewards: Recognize and reward collaboration and cooperation between different departments. This could be done through incentive programs, public recognition, or team-based rewards. 8. Clearly Defined Processes and Responsibilities: Clearly define processes, workflows, and responsibilities between departments to avoid confusion, duplication of efforts, or conflicts. Establish guidelines and protocols for collaboration to streamline operations and improve efficiency. 9. Regular Review and Evaluation: Conduct regular reviews and evaluations of collaborative efforts and their impact on sales team performance. Identify what worked well and areas that need improvement to refine the collaboration process. 10. Executive Support: Obtain support and buy-in from the top management to prioritize and encourage collaboration between departments. Having leadership support ensures that collaboration is given adequate resources, attention, and importance.

Communication connects! Finally, I got to sit down to "see eye to eye" with Andy! Clear communication is established when the sender sends out undistorted signals and the receiver receives at the right frequency. That's the definition of communication in engineering term. Coffee with Andy, Founder of 6i Communication and distributor of Beekeeper, is a good blend of human and tech Communication. Andy represents a a Swiss secure App internal communication platform for every employee to stay connected. While Beekeeper is widely adopted across key industries such as hospitality, healthcare, retail and any organisation with high mobile workforce, Andy anchors his niche in the marine industry with deep domain knowledge. I used to serve the mobile workforce with Aruba Wireless solutions as a distributor. The technology is now acquired by HPE. Both of us spent an indepth conversation sharing thoughts, ideas and hard questions. The very core theme that bonds us is we believe in providing technologies that help organisations. Even though today I am not selling Tech solutions, I help Tech sales teams to proliferate their technologies into key sectors. If you want your team to communicate more effectively with strong connections over Tech, look for Andy! If you want your Sales team to communicate more effectively across internal functional teams and close more deals with external clients, look for me! Only when we communicate well, understand one another, then it is easier for all of us to "see eye to eye". Agree?! 😍🤭💪🏻🙌🏻👌 📸 Whether Andy and I are a meter apart from eye level or at the same eye level, we will see eye to eye in most things because we hold similar beliefs in life and work ethics. Agree, Andy?! 🥰🙌🏻👌💪🏻 Please feel free to reach out to me if you need a chat on how to grow your Sales. Christina TAN Min Shyan @ Sales Symphonyᵀᴹ Your Sales Success Orchestrator Sales Solutions for Corporations and Individuals Train | Coach | Advise #sales #training #coaching #advisory #personaldevelopment #skyhightower #lbfalumni

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐨 𝐈𝐟 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 ? Providing an exceptional customer experience is essential for business success, but it can be a significant challenge for leaders. If you find yourself struggling to deliver a top-notch experience, it's crucial to take immediate action to rectify the situation. First and foremost, identify the root cause of the problem. Is it a lack of proper training for your customer service team? Are there inefficient processes or systems in place? Or is there a disconnect between the promised experience and the actual delivery? Once you've pinpointed the issue, you can develop a targeted action plan. Next, prioritize customer feedback. Actively seek out and listen to the voice of your customers through surveys, social media, and other channels. This invaluable input can provide valuable insights into areas that need improvement and help you better understand their needs and expectations. Empowering your employees is also crucial. Ensure they have the necessary resources, training, and authority to resolve customer issues promptly and effectively. Foster a customer-centric culture where exceptional service is not just a goal but a core value ingrained in every employee. Additionally, leverage technology to streamline processes and enhance the customer experience. Implement user-friendly self-service options, streamline communication channels, and invest in tools that can help you better understand and anticipate customer needs. Finally, continuously monitor and measure your performance. Set clear metrics and benchmarks, and regularly evaluate your progress. Celebrate successes and learn from failures, making adjustments as needed to continuously improve the customer experience. By taking a proactive approach and making customer experience a top priority, leaders can overcome challenges and create a loyal, satisfied customer base that drives long-term business success. #sales #salesmotivation #customerexperience

Building a strong team during the process of selling your company is crucial for success. Here are 10 steps to help you create a high-performing team: Start with the Basics: Define roles, responsibilities, and expectations clearly. Ensure everyone understands their contribution to the team’s success. Choose Your Team Carefully: Look for complementary skills and diverse perspectives. Consider experience, cultural fit, and alignment with your company’s values. Have Necessary Tools Ready: Equip your team with the right resources—software, equipment, and training—to perform effectively. Define What Counts as a Win: Set measurable goals and celebrate achievements. Align individual and team objectives with the company’s vision. Invest in Training: Regularly train your team on sales techniques, product knowledge, and industry trends. Continuous learning is essential. Encourage Feedback: Foster an environment where team members can share insights, challenges, and suggestions openly. Learn from each other. Monitor Metrics: Track critical sales metrics (e.g., conversion rates, pipeline growth) to identify areas for improvement. Provide Consistent Feedback: Regularly review performance and offer constructive feedback. Recognize achievements publicly. Share Customer Success Stories: Inspire your team by showcasing positive outcomes and satisfied clients. Personal Goals Matter: Encourage reps to set personal goals alongside team goals. A motivated team drives results. Remember, a cohesive, motivated team will enhance your company’s value during the sale process! 🚀🤝1

#HowToLead A High Performing Team!!! Leading a high-performance sales team requires a combination of skills, strategies, and best practices. Here are some key factors to help you lead a successful sales team: 1. *Clear Goals and Vision*: Establish specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. Communicate a compelling vision and align the team towards a common purpose. 2. *Effective Communication*: Foster open, transparent, and regular communication. Encourage feedback, active listening, and address concerns promptly. 3. *Coaching and Development*: Invest in ongoing training, mentoring, and coaching. Help team members improve skills, address weaknesses, and advance in their careers. 4. *Motivation and Incentives*: Implement a fair and competitive compensation plan, recognize and reward outstanding performance, and celebrate successes. 5. *Collaborative Culture*: Foster a culture of teamwork, trust, and respect. Encourage collaboration, idea sharing, and mutual support. 6. *Data-Driven Decision Making*: Use data and analytics to inform sales strategies, track performance, and make data-driven decisions. 7. *Accountability and Responsibility*: Set high standards, establish clear expectations, and hold team members accountable for their performance and results. 8. *Lead by Example*: Demonstrate leadership, integrity, and a customer-centric mindset. Lead from the front, and inspire your team to follow your example. 9. *Continuous Improvement*: Regularly assess and refine sales strategies, processes, and tactics to stay competitive and drive growth. 10. *Empowerment and Autonomy*: Give team members the autonomy to make decisions, take ownership of their sales territories, and provide the necessary resources and support. Remember, leading a high-performance sales team is a continuous process that requires dedication, adaptability, and a customer-focused mindset.