We hosted our latest #WeAreProspects roundtable event with speakers from #samsales Consulting, Corporate Finance Institute, and ThreeFlow.
And what an event it was!
Hundreds of sales leaders from all over the world registered to hear about practical ways you can manage a sales team during the current recession. The number of registrants for the event reinforces how important it is to find ways to keep your sales team motivated while improving the buying experience for prospects.
It was super interesting to hear strategies for managing sales teams for success, especially during these unpredictable times.
If for some reason you weren’t able to make it, don’t worry! You can still watch it on-demand now.
We gathered a few of our favorite nuggets of wisdom from the roundtable just for you:
Devin Liu moderated the event and opened by explaining why it’s more important than ever to keep your team motivated.
“The recession really hit us a lot harder than people initially thought, and there’s little reassurance that the end is near. Not only are we seeing constant layoffs on our LinkedIn news feed, but now we just witnessed the largest holder of tech money, a tech icon in Silicon Valley Bank, go under in just less than 48 hours last week. And for us that are still lucky to have a job, the pressure is even higher now. So we’re asked to do more with less.”
Samantha McKenna explains the importance of taking the time to understand what your sales team needs and how to give it to them.
“We spend too much time really focused on the business results and not remembering about investing in our people. So one thing I would tell you is you’ve been bestowed with the greatest honor. You have individuals who report to you whose livelihoods and success and growth depend on you being able to do your job successfully. So figure out what it is that you need to coach them on.
And be honest with yourself. Do you know how to do the things that they need from you? And if you don’t, get that professional development or hire an outside counsel that can do that. But they depend on you for coaching, for investment in them, for giving a shoot about them. So make sure you take the time to do it.”
Debra Senra gives practical tips to help you keep your team’s morale high even during troubling times.
“It’s not pretending that what’s hard isn’t out there. It’s doing the work to figure out how do we succeed despite everything that’s going on. If you don’t have an answer for that, that’s probably where you need to start as a leader.
The last thing I’ll say is just being as transparent as possible. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the market. I don’t know what six months from now is going to look like. And anyone who says they do is lying through their teeth. But being transparent about what we know, what we don’t know, what we’re tracking, what we’re looking for, what are the indicators that help us make decisions, being really open about that. So, at a minimum, people can feel like they understand the framework you’re using to make tough decisions.”
Anna Talerico breaks down what she looks for as a key characteristic when hiring sales reps.
“I believe that to be a really effective salesperson as a professional through a career, you have to have innate curiosity. It’s like what Debra said. You’ve got to show up and want to hear and receive and process, and then ask the next question that’s a continuation of what you’ve just learned or a clarification about something they just said. And you’ve got to kind of have innate curiosity.
So even if the way curiosity shows up for this generation versus the 40-year-old generation, it might show up differently, you still have to find it. And so I like to design hiring processes that get to that curiosity. And if they’re not displaying it pretty early on, they’re not going to continue on in the hiring process. I think that’s just part of being somebody who’s going to be really effective at sales. Just like there’s different characteristics for different roles. I think curiosity is a core characteristic for a sales professional.”
How to help your sales team thrive even during trying times
As sales managers, it’s your job to help your team stay motivated, give them the coaching they need, and make sure that the work environment is a positive place for everyone. All while improving the buying experience for prospects.
And even though we shared a few of our favorite snippets from the webinar on how to do just that, there were just too many insightful pieces of advice to fit into this one blog.
But don’t worry. You can still listen to every nugget of wisdom our experts gave. Watch the full on-demand webinar now!
Haven’t tried Walnut yet? Well, there’s no time like the present to start! All you need to do is push the “Get Started” button.
