At Vorsight, we split the inside sales process into two activities: preparation and execution. Recently, we set out on a quest to determine if it was possible to optimize our success through a few tweaks to our process. We discovered that strategic time management can be a game changer for your team.

As a business development associate, we tend to focus on scheduling as many meetings as possible. But what good does this do if the meeting never occurs? Past blogs have addressed tactical measures to increase the odds of a meeting occurring. But all of these tactics build on the same foundation: building the value in a meeting.

• My sales reps are accountable for hitting weekly goals. These goals are publicly stated and written, and the members of my team hold each other to the number.

• People on my sales team work with each other and exchange best practices without me having to ask. I frequently see two people sitting together making calls.

• We use headset splitters for continuous improvement.

• Almost everyone on my sales team has a best friend at work.

• Our organization utilizes SPIFFs to drive the desired behavior, create energy, and stimulate activity. SPIFFs are loosely defined as Short Term Performance Incentives For Fun.

• Some portion of our comp plan is non-financial and dedicated to fun events and things like extra PTO that the reps earn through team goals.

• We use company events like team lunch, parties, and outings to strengthen the team dynamic and celebrate success.

• There is a buzz on my sales floor that feel like a Wall Street trading floor. I never say, “Geez, it’s so quiet it feels like a library in here.”

• We have an annual or semi-annual incentive trip to a place like Playa del Carmen or the Dominican Republic. At least half the team makes the trip.

• New members of the team seek to emulate the successful team veterans.

• I bought a sales gong that is prominently displayed on my sales floor.

• My sales managers focus on making the most of people’s talents and strengths while minimizing their weaknesses.

• We use praise all the time. If you visit my sales floor for one day you will see at least 3 high fives.

• The sales reps seem enthusiastic when coming to work in the morning and get on the phones right away.

• Time seems to fly here, and many reps comment that they have no idea how the day went by so fast.

• Our sales team creates friendly competitions as a way to drive each other to achieving higher performance.

• Sales reps send out email announcements every time they schedule a sales meeting, demo, or onsite meeting with a prospects.

• We do countdowns in these meeting announcements to show progress towards team goals.

• In our office you will find a ping pong table, pool table, dart board, Wii, or some other way to de-stress.

• My organization has a larger vision and purpose that is well known. The sales team believes in this mission statement and how it benefits the company, the clients, the employees, and them personally.

1. Attitudes and behaviors that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization
   
   
2. A particular society at a particular time and place

So how do you rate your sales culture? Of the 19 items on the checklist, what’s your score? Is your sales culture strong enough as to be categorized as a ‘particular society’ – in other words will people remember it and know about it long after leaving your company? Will others seek out your culture to learn from you?

Today’s guest blog comes from Mike Smalls, Founder and CEO of Hoopla Software.

Not too long ago, I wrote a blog about the “3 questions your team needs to ask when finding leads at events.” The feedback I received was great and I’ve decided to add a part two to go a little bit more in depth on how to win business with those leads. It just takes a little prep and follow up.

The first step to getting out of this mold is simple: Don’t be a sales person. The only goal for a cold call is to get a meeting. You’re not selling anything. At this point the main objective is to prove value in continuing the conversation.

I go to a lot of events, sometimes as a sponsor and other times as an attendee.  Depending on the day I am the prospector or prospected; the hunter or the prey.  Maybe it’s just me, but I’m finding that the number and quality of interactions between sponsors and attendees is slowly getting worse over time.  Whereas it used to be that people who attended these events would approach sponsors’ tables and now they stay away from the vendors all together (myself included).

In a sales office, it’s not an uncommon practice for employees to announce their meetings to the office. While everyone can agree that bragging is in poor taste, there’s nothing wrong with sharing your accomplishments with your coworkers. Here at Vorsight, our sales reps on the appointment setting team send what we call an email announcement. An email announcement is what you send to the entire office once you’ve booked a meeting with the decision maker. If you think about it, the benefits of announcing your meetings extend far beyond just patting yourself on the back.

Thinking about outsourcing meeting setting?  Your decision is more than simply a question of evaluating the vendor.  It’s also a question of evaluating yourself!  Sure your vendor needs to perform.  But ROI is all about a partnership.  Half of the partnership is you.  It’s like a marriage.  Don’t get married because you “fall in love.”  The best marriages last because of a long-term shared outlook that lasts long after the infatuation ends.  Your vendor doesn’t want a one and done (hint – it’s not particularly good for them financially either).  They’re looking for that special someone for a long-term relationship.

If you are in sales, you are all too familiar with the phrase above. During the holiday season, this is the most common objection to scheduling a meeting. On the call, it may feel most comfortable to agree to follow up in the New Year or throw something on the calendar for January. We all know that getting your prospect on the phone can be a time consuming task and getting off the phone without a specific plan for reconnecting creates unnecessary work for yourself.  The alternative, scheduling time in January, is a recipe for fall off. Luckily, I stumbled upon a third technique to get time on the calendar in December!