INSPIRING SALES REP PERFORMANCE 10 Industry Experts Share Their Top Tips

eBOOK

HOW TO HIT YOUR #1 SALES PRIORITY

Nothing impacts your business success more than sales performance. Whether you’re looking at it from the perspective of management, enablement, or operations, maximizing your sales organization’s productivity and effectiveness is priority number one.

Companies have many ways to increase performance and to close the gap that exists between top and bottom performers. SPIFs, contests, bonuses, or special events – like a weekend getaway – can be great incentives to motivate sales rep behaviors. However, true inspiration requires more than just dangling a carrot. To inspire sales performance, you must take the time to personally connect with and strengthen individual relationships.

Coaching has been found to have the biggest impact on sales performance – and is one of the best ways that you can inspire your team. With effective coaching and training processes, companies can improve their sales rep retention, scale teams faster, and speed time to revenue.

Additionally, to get reps to quota-bearing status faster, coaching efforts must begin with onboarding. Teach new team members repeatable best practices for your business right out of the starting gate. Make sure that they have easy access to the tools, information and messaging they need to be successful.

In this eBook, 10 prominent industry leaders give their top tips to inspire sales performance. We also share how Xactly Inspire™ can optimize your onboarding, coaching and training processes.

Effective sales coaching can increase top-line revenue up to

20%.CEB

With the right onboarding and training processes, organizations can improve win rates by

14%.CSO Insights

David BrockFounder and CEO, Partners in EXCELLENCE

Elay Cohen CEO and Co-Founder of SalesHood and former SVP Sales Productivity at Salesforce

Jonathan FarringtonCEO, Top Sales World and Editor, Top Sales Magazine

Alice HeimanFounder and CSO at Alice Heiman, LLC

Mark HunterCSP, “The Sales Hunter,” and Sales Author

Jill KonrathBestselling Sales Author

Jason JordanPartner, Vantage Point Performance and Sales Author

Lori RichardsonFounder and CEO of Score More Sales

Keith RosenCEO of Profit Builders

Tamara SchenkResearch Director, CSO Insights

SALES INSPIRATION PROVIDED BY THE FOLLOWING EXPERTS:

DAVID A. BROCK

David A. Brock is Founder and CEO of Partners in EXCELLENCE and author of the Sales Manager Survival Guide. He is passionate about helping sales and business professionals achieve extraordinary goals.

TIP #1

Focus on Vicious DisqualificationThis is the easiest way to increase your win rate. Sales people who do poor jobs at qualifying, or rather disqualifying, fill their pipelines with low quality deals. As a result, they waste lots of time for very poor returns. Know your sweet spot, focus on finding the right deals with customers that have a high sense of urgency to change. Your win rate will skyrocket.

TIP #2 Have a Sense of HumorGreat sales people know the power of creating tension within and with the customer. But every once in a while you and the customer need to lighten things up. A good laugh, distancing yourselves from the situation can be hugely powerful and create great breakthroughs. After all, unless you are selling to NASA or Elon Musk, this isn’t rocket science.

TIP #3 Keep It About the CustomerRegardless how strong your need to sell, if the customer doesn’t have a need to buy, you won’t be successful. We are driven to sell, but our customers aren’t driven to buy. You are wasting your time unless the customer has a compelling need to buy. Focus on helping them say, “We have to change.” After that, it’s easy. When we make everything we do about helping the customer achieve their goals, then we will always achieve our goals.

The Inspire Advantage

With access to up-to-date sales and

marketing content, your team can

correctly communicate the value of

your product and how it solves key

customer pain points.

ELAY COHEN

Elay Cohen is CEO and Co-Founder of SalesHood and former SVP Sales Productivity at Salesforce.

TIP #1 Learn from OthersPracticing the pitch and peer reviewing each other as a group is the best way to get better and learn from the best. There is a proven correlation between better performance and more practice. Sales people need to learn from each other.

TIP #2Always be CuriousFocus on solving business problems rather than selling product. Have a beginner’s mind when it comes to sales execution and executive relationship building. Be in the business of asking why all the time.

TIP #3 Have a PlanHave a plan to build pipeline. Have a plan for every meeting. Have a plan to win every deal. Have a plan to build and nurture executive relationships. Have a plan to crush your number. Always have a plan.

The Inspire Advantage

Performance analysis allows your

team to easily learn from each other

and plan the best course of action

to accelerate your organization’s

time to revenue.

JONATHAN FARRINGTON

Jonathan Farrington is CEO of Top Sales World and Editor of Top Sales Magazine. Jonathan founded Top Sales World to make it the most popular and significant sales resource venue. He’s been described as “a visionary and sales thought leader at the vanguard of sales thinking.”

TIP #1 Stay Close – Very Close – to Your PipelineWe can be involved in only so many accounts or sales situations before we begin to lose our ability to manage what is taking place and at that point, we lose control and the competition takes control. We can only control and manage what we understand and that is the real value of continuous and rigorous assessment of our pipelines. The reality is that at least 33% of opportunities currently residing within your pipeline will never close – this will be for a number of reasons so, when you examine your own pipeline, can you identify those 33%?

TIP #2 No Doesn’t Mean NeverYou have been there. You have worked for days, weeks or months on a significant deal only to learn that the order is going to someone else. Whatever the reasons are, the reality is that you lost and it makes no sense crying over your keyboard. Take the initiative, call the prospect or customer, and tell them that whilst you are obviously disappointed, you hope you will be considered for any future opportunities. By staying “front of mind” with them, you are not only showing good grace but you will, in all probability, be the person they come to first if things don’t work out with the successful bidder – “many a slip between cup and lip!”

TIP #3Detach Yourself from Negativity and Negative PeopleNegative people typically suffer from what I call the three “C’s”: criticizing, condemning or complaining. Sadly, the negative is always stronger than the positive. Yes, it really is! For example, imagine a barrel of 240 really healthy apples. You open the barrel, and you place one rotten apple, right in the middle. When you come back in two weeks time, you would think that at odds of 240 to 1, the healthy apples would have converted the bad one? Far from it, you will discover many more rotten apples. And that is exactly what happens within a company; within an office; within a sales team.

The Inspire Advantage

An online playbook shows sales

reps the appropriate response for

every stage of your sales process

– including what to do when they

don’t close the deal.

ALICE HEIMAN

Alice Heiman, Founder and CSO at Alice Heiman, LLC, has been helping companies increase sales for more than 20 years. Her innovative sales programs produce results. Other sales coaches tell you how to increase sales but few show you exactly what to do and make it so easy.

TIP #1 Provide Quality TimeEveryone wants the boss’s attention. Appreciation from leadership is key. Spend quality time 1:1 with your salespeople. Of course, this should include a well-structured and consistent 1:1 sales meeting. However, managers should also spend time outside the office with reps with the sole intent to get to know them better and enjoy each other’s company. It can be a simple as meeting for breakfast, taking a walk midday to get away from the office, a lunch, cocktails, or even something like a golf game. Think of ways to spend quality time with each one of your salespeople if you really want to improve sales performance. It will go a million miles.

TIP #2 Watch Your TalkThis one is simple but not so easy. Your self-talk and talk around the office could be hampering sales performance. What kinds of things are you thinking and saying about your salespeople and your team collectively? Watch what you think and what you say. Saying negative things can make them true and people know, even when you think they don’t. Make a list of as many positive things as you can think of about each salesperson and your team as a whole. Say these things to yourself, to your team and to others at your company. Say at least 3 positive things every day, more if you can. By staying focused on the positive you will change your mindset, influence the mindset of others and increase sales performance.

TIP #3 Give Random RewardsYes, you already pay your salespeople – and, yes, they get commission. Many of you run elaborate contests as rewards. But better than that, and proven by research, is if you give random and personal rewards. It’s easy. Do a survey of your salespeople and find out what they like to eat, drink and do in their spare time. Then collect gift cards for coffee, meals, movies, golf and other favorite things. These can be under $20 or $500. Have them ready and then find opportunities to appreciate an action internally or for a customer that deserves applause. Say thank you to them and be specific about what you appreciate and then give them the gift cards. People who feel appreciated perform better.

The Inspire Advantage

With more understanding about

each rep, you can coach based on

their particular skill level and needs

– increasing their satisfaction and

lowering turnover.

MARK HUNTER

Mark Hunter, CSP, “The Sales Hunter,” is author of High-Profit Prospecting and High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price. Not only does Mark have expertise in sales, but also knows how to communicate it to others. This is seen by the 50+ speaking events he does each year throughout the U.S. and Canada and around the world.

TIP #1 Coach Toward Shared LearningAt the end of each day, ask your salespeople to share with everyone on the team the big thing they learned that day. Also have them share their big goal for the next day. Having each person share creates accountability and allows for peer learning and motivation.

TIP #2 Use Awards to Inspire SalespeopleCreate a “Salesperson of the Week” award, preferably with a very ugly trophy (to keep the presentation fun!). Each week the sales team votes on who deserves the award based on the results from the previous week and the help the winner gave to others. When the person receives the award, they share one tip that will help the rest of the team sell better. The award is a fun way to create a supportive culture and, at the same time, inspire people to learn from one another.

TIP #3 Build a Reserve of GREAT QuestionsAsk each salesperson to build a list of great questions they’ve asked customers. The objective is for each person to have a robust set of questions they can then share with others. This process allows people to see the value of questions and, at the same time, learn from each other.

The Inspire Advantage

Along with incentive

compensation and recognition

awards, individualized coaching

lets you attract and retain the top

performers.

JILL KONRATH

Jill Konrath, recently named one of the top 7 sales influencers of the 21st century, is an internationally recognized sales strategist, keynote speaker and bestselling author of 4 books. Her newest one, “More Sales Less Time” was released December 2016.

TIP #1 Encourage Constant ExperimentationChallenge your reps to find new, more effective ways for every aspect of their work. Make it fun and competitive — but all about getting better. Share the results with everyone, making sure to recognize those who are discovering the most.

TIP #2 Conduct Pre-mortemsFor important meetings, it’s imperative to reduce the risk of failure before it occurs. With your reps, explore anything that could possibly go wrong. Then ask two questions: 1) How can we prevent this from happening? 2) How will we handle it if it does? Brainstorm with them — and practice responses.

TIP #3 Create Weekly Teaching LabsHave your reps teach each other what they’re doing that works, how they’re handling tough situations, how they used social media to land a deal, and more. The more your team focuses on learning, the faster everyone gets better.

The Inspire Advantage

Gain understanding about what

sales practices work best to

build repeatable processes that

accelerate rep onboarding and

increase team efficiencies.

JASON JORDAN

Jason Jordan, Partner at Vantage Point and author of the best-selling book, Cracking the Sales Management Code. He conducts ongoing research into management issues such as pipeline management, forecasting, coaching, and using CRM to actually improve sales performance. His company, Vantage Point, is the undisputed global leader in sales management training.

TIP #1 Focus, Focus, Focus!If you take an honest look at your week, you’re probably spending time on customers, opportunities, and activities that don’t make sense. Identify the most productive ways you could spend your time, and then spend your time being productive. Extra productivity is almost always hidden in plain sight.

TIP #2Learn Something NewSomeone once told me that in our 20’s, we learn our trade. Then in our 30’s, we discover the tricks of our trade. And if we don’t continue to learn, by the time we turn 40, all we have left is the tricks. Don’t become a trickster. Read a book. Learn something new. Improve yourself and stay relevant.

TIP #3“If I Had 2 Extra Hours This week, I Would Use It to_______.” Answer this question. It will reveal some very important stuff that you’re not setting aside time to do. Then eliminate 2 hours’ worth of stupid stuff and do the important stuff instead. Interestingly, we all know intuitively what’s important…We just never get around to doing it.

The Inspire Advantage

With ongoing training, teach reps

how to prioritize their time, upsell

existing accounts or adopt new

sales processes and – in doing so –

drive greater success.

LORI RICHARDSON

Founder and CEO of Score More Sales, is a thought leader on B2B front-line sales growth and works with technology brands worldwide. She is an integral part of the expertise on selling and lead development on the web and manages Sales Shebang®, a community of the world’s top women B2B sales experts.

TIP #1 Meet with Your Team or Have a Quick Call DailyIn it, get a one-minute overview of how each did the day before. This is not a coaching call or a gripe session but instead a great habit that shows you have time for them and care. Each rep shares what they are working on for today and how things went yesterday.

TIP #2 Set a Great Example as a LeaderThis means doing things like arriving to meetings early rather than exactly on time or even late. It means projecting abundance rather than scarcity. Reps take your lead, so work to continually improve and be self-aware.

TIP #3 Reinforce What is Taught and TrainedProvide reps with a web-based platform they can refer to just-in-time. Adults learn through repetition and reinforcement. Make it easy to find shared knowledge and encourage sharing success stories to help newer reps with context about buyers.

TIP #4Help Reps Set Short-term and Long-term GoalsBy doing so, you help them have a “why?” to work hard for. In my early sales years I posted at my desk a photo of my first home I wanted to buy. As a single mom, I looked at it every day to be inspired to make that extra call and create one more meeting to get me closer to providing a home for my family.

The Inspire Advantage

Online coaching modules make it

easier to reinforce what is taught

by giving reps access to review

information on demand.

KEITH ROSEN

Keith Rosen, CEO of Profit Builders, is a globally recognized authority on sales and leadership and the pioneer of executive sales coaching and transforming managers into elite leaders and coaches. Keith has written several best sellers, including, Own Your Day and the globally acclaimed Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions, the #1 best-selling sales management coaching book on Amazon for six consecutive years. TIP #1 Coach the WINManagers spend time with their binoculars backwards. That is, they magnify what’s wrong and minimize what’s going well. Coaching isn’t always about being a heat seeking missile focused on something to fix or addressing and working through challenges. Coaching is also about coaching the win. Coaching the win is a specific conversation you have so that you can reinforce the behaviors, skills, talk tracks and strategies in the minds of your people. Now, they know exactly what behaviors and strategies to replicate and reinforce in order to achieve consistent success.

TIP #2 Motivate through IndividualityDo you manage, for example, ten salespeople or do you manage ten individuals who happen to share the same job function and responsibilities? A subtle, yet important distinction. Coaching is personal, a designed alliance and each person is to be coached based on who they are, not just what they do. But it’s difficult to coach if you don’t know someone’s core values, motivators and what truly inspires them to come to work every day. If you don’t take the time to discover this, then you’re making costly assumptions around what drives each person on your team, and it’s rarely just money.

TIP #3 Align Personal Goals with Business ObjectivesImagine for a moment that each person on your team has their own clearly defined goals for their career and life. And of course, the company has its business objectives, to which your team is responsible for achieving. Now, what would be possible if you could align each person’s personal goals with the business objectives and their personal sales targets? You have buy-in from everyone, now united and focused on a shared goal and vision; for two reasons. People understand your intentions by setting clear expectations and more important, see the benefit they realize and what’s in it for them.

The Inspire Advantage

Quickly spot which reps need more

coaching, and in what specific

areas, so that you can work

together to more closely align

behaviors with business goals.

TAMARA SCHENK

Tamara Schenk is Research Director with CSO Insights, the research division of Miller Heiman Group. In this role, she connects the dots of 20+ years of international experience in various sales and enablement roles. Prior to this role, Tamara led the global sales force enablement and transformation team at T-Systems. TIP #1 Work with Passion and CompassionCreating business value is mandatory, but how you communicate with prospects and customers really makes a huge difference. Passion for the value you can create is a “must have” ingredient, and compassion, which is an authentic desire to help and to add value is icing on the cake. “Passion and compassion” is an idea to be integrated into the regular coaching practice.

TIP #2 Encourage Curiosity and CreativityCreating business value requires curiosity to deeply understanding the customer’s business challenges and underlying causes. Then, curiosity leads to learning, and learning is a prerequisite to developing creative solutions for clients and prospects. Inspire curiosity and creativity in each coaching moment.

TIP #3 Develop Agile CoachingIt’s great to have a coaching cadence. It’s even more effective to leverage each coaching moment with the data and analytics at hand. Take advantage of today’s technology that can provide analytics on sales interactions, on shared content, learning progress and success, and pipeline performance indicators to use each and every coaching moment, on a call or in a meeting; wherever.

The Inspire Advantage

Mobile and on-demand learning

support tools encourage reps to

discover new information and

gain greater insight into customer

challenges – any time, any place.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT = BETTER PERFORMANCE

Coaching reps to MVP sales behaviors is not a one size fits all. You need to coach individuals as individuals in order to inspire next level performance and support continuous improvement.

With Xactly Inspire, you can customize coaching and training efforts for different team members. It allows you to provide the appropriate amount and the appropriate frequency of support for a rep’s particular ability level and their needed area of improvement.

Xactly Inspire gives you the power to see what coaching techniques work best and in what situation. With the ability to analyze and understand the effectiveness of efforts, you can improve them, making it easier for your reps – and you – to succeed.

Using advanced analytics and industry best practices, organizations can close the performance gap by mapping their coaching efforts to the sales results of each rep – from new hires to reps at the top of the leaderboard – on a single integrated platform.

• Coaching Modules for better knowledge retention

• Online Pre-training for faster onboarding and event preparation

• Customized Reporting with powerful performance analytics

• Access to Sales and Marketing Content for consistent customer messaging

• Mobile Learning Support Tools to review data on-demand

• Social Collaboration for peer learning

To learn how our innovative

onboarding, coaching and training

software can help you inspire next

level performance with continuous

improvement, contact us at

xactlycorp.com.

The Inspire Advantage

Xactly Corporation, 300 Park Avenue, Suite 1700, San Jose, CA 95110© 2005-2016 Xactly Corporation. All rights reserved. Xactly, the Xactly logo, Inspire Performance, Xactly Incent, Incent Enterprise,

and Incent Right are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Xactly Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

David BrockFounder and CEO, Partners in EXCELLENCE

Elay Cohen CEO and Co-Founder of SalesHood and former SVP Sales Productivity at Salesforce

Jonathan FarringtonCEO, Top Sales World and Editor, Top Sales Magazine

Alice HeimanFounder and CSO at Alice Heiman, LLC

Mark HunterCSP, “The Sales Hunter,” and Sales Author

Jill KonrathBestselling Sales Author

Jason JordanPartner, Vantage Point Performance and Sales Author

Lori RichardsonFounder and CEO of Score More Sales

Keith RosenCEO of Profit Builders

Tamara SchenkResearch Director, CSO Insights

SALES INSPIRATION PROVIDED BY THE FOLLOWING EXPERTS:

SALES INSPIRATION PROVIDED BY THE FOLLOWING EXPERTS:

David BrockFounder and CEO, Partners

in EXCELLENCE

Jill KonrathBestselling Sales Author

Alice HeimanFounder and CSO at Alice

Heiman, LLC

Keith RosenCEO of Profit Builders

Mark HunterCSP, “The Sales Hunter,” and

Sales Author

Tamara SchenkResearch Director, CSO

Insights

Elay Cohen CEO and Co-Founder of SalesHood and former

SVP Sales Productivity at Salesforce

Jason JordanPartner, Vantage Point Performance and Sales

Author

Jonathan FarringtonCEO, Top Sales World and Editor, Top Sales Magazine

Lori RichardsonFounder and CEO of Score

More Sales