I stopped doing a formal list of New Year’s resolutions a long time ago. I don't remember when exactly… I just know that I did. Maybe I just got tired of the process of knowing that, in the end, some of the things I wrote down would get done and others were just wishful thinking.

As a sales manager or VP of Sales, I’m sure there is a long list of things you could come up with that, if committed to and executed, would lead you to great success in 2016. But what is really going to be different this year from last year? My guess is that some of the problems you need to go away in 2016 existed in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Why are they still on the list?

Here are my suggestions for resolutions in 2016 that, if and when executed, will solve most (if not all) of your sales problems.

1. Performance management - Simply inspect what you expect and what you expect will get done.
2. Eliminate excuses – Stop making them for your people and stop accepting them from your people.
3. Coach your people – Focus your attention on the training and coaching that improves skills and changes behaviors.
4. Apply the 80/20 rule to yourself – If there are 20 things you do week in and week out, there are probably only 4 to 6 that really matter. Those 4 to 6 activities generate 80% of your results. Spend 80% of your time doing those things.
5. ABR – Always Be R You have at least 20% of your team that is not performing and are not going to perform. Fire them. In order to do that, recruiting has to be on the list of 20% of the things you do that impact results. Spend at least 20% of your time finding the right talent to do the right job.

Additional Resources:

Hire Better Sales People – Link to a program to eliminate hiring mistakes

Sales Management Certification – Become a better sales manager

9 Keys to Successful Sales Management – A primer on sales management success

Text me for help – 513.226.3913 – Text “HELP” and provide your name.

I’m reading Fast Company magazine this morning and realize I don’t get out of it what I used to.  It’s probably a combination of how I’ve changed, how our company has changed and how the magazine has changed. This got me thinking about other articles I’ve read about how selling has changed and the “keys” to selling in today’s market.

I did a quick Google search for “keys to sales success” and here are some of the articles that Google found:

• Inc. – Four Keys to Sales Success
• Rainsalestraining.com  – Sales Prospecting:  6 Keys to Success
• Forbes – 3 Powerful Skills You Must Have to Succeed in Sales
• Sales Force Blog Post – 8 Sales Cloud Tips To Boost Your Productivity and Drive Revenue

But, this is what I think – the keys to successful selling really haven’t changed that much… if at all.

In 2005, I read Dave Kurlan’s book, Baseline Selling.  Dave took the fundamentals of effective selling and used the baseball diamond and baseball terminology to explain his sales process. If you think about baseball, or look at old baseball videos or pictures, you will find that the game today is essentially exactly the same game that was formalized in New York about 1840.

I am convinced that the “game” of selling is exactly the same game that Frank Bettger (Author of How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling) was playing in 1952.  I read his book over 15 years ago, but I didn’t know this fact about Frank until today – he played professional baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals. With that in mind, let’s stick with the baseball theme.

The Rules of the Game for Successful Selling

1. Take batting practice every day - Practice
2. Take what the pitcher gives you – Focus on what problem your prospect has to solve.  Leave your product briefcase and brochures in the car.
3. Swing at YOUR pitch – Just like a batter faces lots of pitches and only are a few are ones he can really connect with, you will face lots of prospects, but only work with those that you can really work with and help.
4. When the 1^st base coach is waving for you to keep going, go to second base. When you find out that your prospect has a “have-to-fix-problem”, that doesn’t mean you try and steal home.  Go to second and make sure they have the money to fix the problem. Go to 3^rd to make sure they are committed to investing the time, money or resources to fix the problem.  Before you head for home, make sure you can score when you get there – the prospect is committed to making a decision.
5. In the first inning, you might strike out, hit into a double play, walk to first, get hit by a pitch, get stranded on first, etc. You have to shake all of that off because you have 8 more innings to play. Anything can happen as long as you keep going and getting at bats.
   
   

Additional Resources:

Drafting better players – Hirebettersalespeople.com

Sales Management – 9 Keys to Coaching Sales Success

Free book for your salespeople – Why is Selling So Damn Hard?