Gary is a founder and co-owner of Pivotal Advisors. He has
worked for 20+ years as a salesperson and sales leader. Gary has been a guest speaker for many groups such as Vistage,
Allied Executives, CEO Roundtable, Sales Management Association, and more. If you want to find out more about Gary check out his profile here.
It’s a new year, and whether 2020 was a good or bad year for your company should not change the fact that you want to drive sales growth in 2021. In the blink of an eye, new competitors emerge, products similar to yours are released, and before you know it, there’s a race to get on top. Here are five ways to drive sales growth:
The year 2020 was far from typical. COVID-19 struck humankind and, scientists responded with unprecedented speed to discover and manufacture vaccines. People were isolated from loved ones, but instead of letting that distance consume them, they embraced Zoom and FaceTime video chats. Protests rose up across many major cities, and instead of repressing the cause, many states took notice and started the beginnings of reform.
The crux of sales leadership is to hit the sweet spot between not pushing your team hard enough and committing to an overly ambitious goal, right? Too often, sales leaders resort to increasing goals without considering their team’s sales capacity. Knowing your team’s capacity allows them to generate more leads, close more deals, manage time more effectively, and make sure they do not burn out.
Owners and entrepreneurs are the driving force in generating revenue for most new companies. They thought of the idea for the product or service. Created the go-to-market strategy. They actually sold the product/service despite many of them not having formal sales training. Then hired other people to sell it. They’ve done it all, but they often find themselves being stretched and pulled, so they hire a sales leader, but they struggle to give up control. Here’s why.
When you first establish your business, you do it all; marketing manager, human resources, product or service expert, finance analyst, sales leader, etc. But there comes a time when you want to grow your business, and you know hiring a sales leader is a step in the right direction. Here are signs it’s time to hire a sales leader.
For some sales leaders approaching you, the CEO, can be nerve-wracking. They may think some questions are better left unsaid, either because they “should” know the answer but don’t, or because they are nervous about how you’ll react, or they may think it’s a dumb question.
We asked four technology experts these three questions:
1. What is the most important thing companies should know about technology in light of all that is happening in the world today?
2. What are the most significant technological trends emerging right now and what do companies need to know?
3. What is the most important technology to leverage during this uncertainty? What do companies need to consider for the future?
This year certainly has had its challenges, personal or professional. But, whether your company surpassed its sales goals, or it struggled to stay afloat, you still need to figure out some way to set your sales goals for 2021.
Whether you were hired brand new to the company, or started out as a salesperson and were promoted to sales leader, you need to build credibility with your sales team. Establishing credibility as a leader is not something that happens overnight. It’s a process that involves time, effort, and patience, and is worth the investment for successful leadership.
As the world starts to move out of panic mode, into healing mode and back to growth, you may find yourself in need of a sales leader. There are few decisions more critical for a company than hiring the right leader for your sales organization. This role is responsible for executing your company strategy out in the market. Use these tactics when looking to hire for your next sales leader.