Effective sales leaders might keep their eyes on the sales success prize, but they also know that fundamentals matter. Simply put, without the right building blocks in place, sustainable sales success is unlikely. These fundamentals include carefully crafted strategic vision and mission statements which set the tone for success. They also include building the right sales structure – including markets and territories – as well as how the team itself is organized. With everyone marching toward the same goal, the foundation is set for sales success. A Strategic Framework The superior sales leader knows that strategy is also essential. Building on the foundations for sales success, the sales leader can strategically design a plan that targets the right prospects in the right territories, and aligns with the best sales reps. Of course, targeting these prospects can only succeed if compelling messaging, including the company’s Unique Sales Proposition (USP) and Unique Value Proposition (UVP), are consistently utilized. With the right sales reps sharing the right messages with the right targets, sales success becomes easier. Processes in Motion Naturally, even the best sales strategy falls flat unless supported by the best sales tactics. Sales leaders know that effective sales processes are where “the rubber meets the road.” They implement well-defined, well-understood, and actionable processes to empower sales reps. These top-to-bottom, start-to-finish processes are proactive rather than reactive. They standardize sales operations but play to the strengths of sales reps. They accelerate the sales funnel’s flow from prospecting to conversion. And to magnify the power of processes, the wise sales leader also equips the sales team with the right sales tools and team support to get the job done. Measuring and Adjusting One of the tools that top-performing sales teams use effectively is a customized Customer Relationship Management system. By analyzing high-quality CRM data, sales leaders are empowered to project revenue performance by forecasting with leading Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs. The CRM, along with clear sales processes, also makes it easier to determine where tactical problems exist. For example, everything could go well, step by step, up to the point of conversion where it all falls apart. But with high quality CRM data, a focused process analysis can reveal problems in the sales operation. By pinpointing the identified areas of weakness in the sales process, the effective sales leader can then make strategic adjustments. Leadership It might seem redundant to say that an effective sales leader needs to be a good leader, but here’s a surprising fact: too many sales managers or VPs of Sales often concentrate too much on structure and strategy and process and adjustments – and forget they are also called to lead people! The best sales leaders know that to truly drive superior sales performance they must do more than merely hold their reps accountable for results; they must also coach and educate, empower, and encourage. They must motivate performance. They must inspire greatness! While it’s true that not every sales manager is a born leader, the good news is that effective sales leadership can be learned.

This article is all about Visionary Leaders! We dive into who these Visionaries are, why they are, and what specific actions they can take to overcome their unique challenges and become brilliant. Check out the video series - or - Read the full article

Do you ever just wish you could see around the "next corner" for your business? Have you ever been blindsided by a major challenge that seemed to come out of nowhere? But in hindsight, you realized it had been brewing for a long, long time; you just didn't see it coming. Check out the video series - or - Read the full article

Leaders lead. And by definition, things or stuff cannot be led. Leaders don’t lead a what – they lead a who. Managers manage things. Leaders lead a person or group of people. Leadership is not about efficiency, performance, or getting the task done. It’s about building a “strong repertoire of positive relational habits that produce trust, joy, and engagement.” (Warner, Wilder) The outcome is a team that wants to be together (joy:: they’re glad to be together) and work together on the common goals of the team – whatever those may be (what matters). When working in joy, people and teams will have their greatest impact. True RARE Leaders must be relational and must know what it takes to create joy in a team – where people are glad to be together – and help the team return to joy after enduring hardship. The Rare Leader does four things exceptionally well: R – Remain Relational – Despite circumstances and problems and how daunting they may be, they keep relationships bigger than the problems. A – Act Like Yourself – Whatever emotions this leader faces – fear, overwhelm, inadequacy, confusion – they consistently remain true to their character. The people around them feel secure knowing that they won’t be on the receiving end of a tirade. R – Return to Joy – After feeling negative emotions, they are able to return to joy themselves and help others do the same. These leaders are genuinely glad to be with others, and others are genuinely glad to be with the leaders because they acted like themselves. E – Endure Hardships Well – The Rare Leader knows that on the other side of the hardship is joy. And although they don’t like hardship, they recognize it is part of life. They know that enduring hardship well and then returning to joy is the healthiest way to deal with it – and best for the relationship(s). They don’t have outbursts, go into hiding, or turn to some coping mechanism. RARE Leader book: https://www.amazon.com/Rare-Leadership-Uncommon-Increasing-Engagement/dp/0802414540

I've been pushed to write for a number of years now.. mostly to extend the invitation to all ... to spend more time praying and improving your relationship with God. http://www.expectmorenow.com/godscompany.html

Should you be pivoting your business right now? How do you know when to pivot, and how do you know what to pivot to? Should you jump to a new industry to make ends meet or even make the switch altogether? The COVID-19 pandemic has got business owners and leadership teams scrambling to answer these questions.  Check out the video series - or -Read the full article

It seems that people either hate or love going through performance reviews. I've built several different review processes for large and small organizations and found that if done properly they can really help employees feel cared for and become more aware of how they can grow to help the organization. Properly designed reviews can help bring visibility and accountable to a company's culture and values while giving the employee an opportunity to speak into how they are being led and celebrated. Send me an email if you would like help in this area or just want to bounce some ideas around.

As business owners, we all feel pressure. Sometimes the pain of that pressure seems unbearable...and it is. As very human...human beings, we can become depressed and sometimes even come to the end of our selves with statements like "take me now Lord - this is just too hard." The Podcast known as Cards On The Table, an Alliance Partner of Iron Forums, spends some time doing a deep dive into this. Give it a listen. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/depression-suicide/id1466856933?i=1000452829102

It's important to give the best you can but that doesn't necessarily mean to the point of causing your efficiency to be affected by it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot1CVLI2QaM&t=20s

Just because you have a URL for your business does not mean you own the TM! It's essential to make sure you have all your ducks in a row when maintaining a URL and TM. Take a listen and let me explain the difference in how they coincide in importance! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D7ctbiE9tk&t=1s