Phil Hammond, CSL’s Post

Early in 2024, the senior leaders of 4,425 small to mid-sized (SMB) companies across North America, kindly answered 48 questions regarding the "state of sales" within their businesses. The feedback THEY provided was compiled into four key areas pertaining to sales: Strategy, Methodology, Analysis, and Organization. As you can see, the results speak to an overall lack of confidence across the board pertaining to the ability of these companies to effectively scale. In fact, 88% of those surveyed, rated their company's sales capabilities as being "Poor" (71%) or "Below Average" (17%). Given the level of importance a well-tuned sales engine plays in long-term business sustainability, or even an owner's ability to maximize the return as part of an exit strategy, this is a significant issue. What it really points to, is a lack of experienced and qualified, sales leadership within the SMB space. The good news? These challenges can be overcome and critical issues fixed, through well designed and executed Sales Infrastructure Strategy and ongoing Fractional Sales Management solutions. To find out more, contact Phil Hammond, CSL for a complimentary, 60-minute discovery session.

If there are 10 Executives sitting at one table, each leader will have a different representational system. The same sales discussion, Succession Plan, ROI, the strategic direction of the company or institution will be observed and recorded differently. This is where we've different techniques to help guide the Executives and Senior Management to work together to align their mindset and communication. It's crucial that all Top Management reach an understanding about the business direction, gain clarity and strategic goals aligned to all functional departments of the company. Photo credit: Google search John-Khalid Brigden DTM

How can sales take a bigger leadership role in the organization? Gartner Sales Leadership guide provides some great insights the art of leading the sales function and driving impactful results across the entire organization through effective influence and strategic leadership. It highlights three critical practices for effective sales leadership: 👉 Executive Skills and Influence: Engage with the board, align with the CEO, build bridges with the CMO, partner with the CFO, and collaborate with the CHRO. This collaboration is an absolute must for sales to achieve greater impact, and sales leaders must figure out a way to make this happen. 👉 Sales Planning:  Most sales leaders see a massive gap between sales analytics expectations and reality. Adopt a decision-driven analytics approach instead. Decision-driven analytics is an approach that emphasizes using analytics to inform and enhance specific business decisions. 👉 Sales Strategy: Disconnects happen when sales leaders build the sales strategy without factoring in the enterprise’s model for growth. Understand and align with the organizational growth strategy, whether it is sales-led, marketing-led, product-led, or customer-led. By following these practices, CSOs can drive commercial growth and achieve long-term success. More details in the Gartner guide ( link in comments ).

Happy Last Day of Q3!! Get those contracts in! 👏 As you reflect on the first three quarters of 2024, have you been happy with your win rates? Were your forecasts accurate? Have you been happy with how your managers engaged your sales team to work deals? Here's a better question--if nothing changes headed into Q1 of 2025, what does that mean for your business? Will you have another flat year? Will you start the year behind the 🎱 , still chasing missed gains from 2024? I work with business owners and leaders in the areas of sales, sales management and leadership development who are frustrated with stagnant growth, overwhelmed by inefficiencies and worried their teams are struggling to consistently meet performance goals. They are often losing sleep over missed sales targets, inconsistent results or a lack of accountability across the organization. Many are concerned about staying competitive, attracting and retaining top talent or making sure their leadership team is equipped to drive real change. We help them solve issues by aligning their sales people, sales processes and sales strategies to the larger goals of the business to create lasting improvement. Interested in a sample workshop to understand why some of these challenges may be happening and what you can do about it? Register at https://lnkd.in/g6_rfU9N October 24th from 10-11am Sandler by Sales Sellutions360

Maybe you noticed. Over the past year or so, the role of technology in the sales process has evolved not just rapidly, but exponentially. The convergence of technology and sales is reshaping traditional paradigms and opening exciting new avenues for growth. To take full advantage of these new opportunities, however, company leaders face a new challenge: recognizing and addressing the pivotal role technology plays in driving sales efficiency and enhancing organizational performance. That means keeping up with, and responding effectively to, the extraordinary pace of technological change selling teams now face. No, nobody can make sense of everything that’s happening. Fortunately, though, we don’t have to. There are three clear, strategically vital areas where the most effective senior leaders are getting their heads around the technology-driven changes their sales teams are navigating. Let’s look at each of these in turn... Read this complete article at: https://lnkd.in/eKJS56MB

A question for Sales Leaders! Let me know what plans are in place to start 2025! Curious to know what the top minds are thinking!

Too many salespeople are taught by their leaders that we have to convince people to buy from us. This is just plain wrong. Think about the last time YOU were "convinced" to buy something? If you actually WERE convinced, you likely felt icky about it and likely felt some buyers remorse. That's no way to start a relationship. If you weren't convinced to buy, you likely felt like the seller was pushy and it reinforced the negative perception people have of salespeople. So when you're teaching your reps how to run a Discovery call ("Disco"), make sure you teach them ➡️ what to look for that is a DQ knockout and then ➡️ teach them how to professionally and respectfully use the phrase "I don't want to waste your time or mine for that matter and based on what you told me, I don't think we'd be a good fit for each other. I recommend we wrap up the call now and part ways as friends. CustomerName, what do you think?" 💡 Learning Lesson: The great sales leaders know that their job as a leader is to teach your teams (AEs, AMs, SDRs) that their job is to DIS-qualify and not to qualify. This puts your reps in a position to LET your buyer buy as opposed to trying to "sell them." Any thoughts on this approach? If you're looking to become a better sales leader, download any one of my 10 sales leadership guides here: Get them here: https://lnkd.in/gUzZ5JXq

In strategic account management, the goal isn’t just to close deals—it’s to create long-term value for both the customer and the business. That means thinking beyond immediate wins and focusing on building relationships that last. When we focus on co-creating value with our customers, we shift the conversation from transactions to partnerships. It’s about understanding their goals, anticipating their needs, and aligning our solutions with their long-term success. This approach builds trust, deepens relationships, and unlocks new opportunities down the line. Strategic impact doesn’t happen overnight, but when you consistently invest in creating value, the returns are significant—and long-lasting. What strategies do you use to create long-term value with your customers? #CustomerValue #LongTermSuccess #StrategicAccountManagement #SalesCoaching #RelationshipBuilding #SalesTraining #CustomerSuccess #ValueCreation #Leadership #ProactivePartnerships

Discover how comprehensive sales management programs transform sales leadership. Equip your sales leaders with essential skills, strategic insights, and personalized coaching to drive team success and revenue growth. Read More - https://lnkd.in/gxKn92uf #SalesLeaders #Leadership #SalesLeadership #SalesTraining #SalesManagement #Sales