Jeff Schneider

It’s no secret the war for sales talent is at an all-time high. By now, every sales manager has a story of an employee who abruptly departed for another opportunity.

The STORY:
One of the most interesting salespeople I ever saw in a selling situation was a new car saleswoman. In the small community where I lived at the time, the dealership in which she worked was very successful. As I later found out, she was responsible for most of the sales.

Once upon a time, there was a young kid who graduated from high school, took a look at the help wanted ads, went out on a couple of interviews, and, within just a few days, landed his very first job. He was hired as a salesperson by one of those big box stores.

Holding salespeople accountable: This is one of the major challenges of managing a sales team – regardless of whether it’s a traditional team where people show up for work at a central physical location, or a team working remotely, or a team at a call center. What, exactly, is the best way to do this? And how do you do it without falling into the trap of micromanaging people?

The STORY:
“I’m going to get him to buy,” said Bob, just having learned that the prospect had canceled for the third time, “no matter how much he tries to avoid me.”

One of Sandler’s critical selling rules – “Don’t spill your candy in the lobby” – can sound a little confusing to someone who is unfamiliar with the Sandler Selling System® methodology. What does a spilled box of candy have to do with a sales call? Everything.

In addition to the people in your company who deliver services and keep operations running, how much do you value the folks who bring in the most revenue, i.e. the top sales performers? Answering this question directly should be part of your overall business plan.

The STORY:
Nick was cold calling trying to find someone, anyone, who would listen to him. Invariably he was screened out before he ever got the person he wanted. His calling script wasn’t working — he never got past the part where he explained why he was calling.

Tom’s best customer, Meg, called and asked for a favor: “Can you talk to my new assistant Karen about getting up to speed with your software? She’s got a couple of questions that I don’t have time to answer.”

What kind of salesperson should you always be on the lookout for? What specific traits does the ideal sales hire always possess, no matter what industry you’re in, and no matter what your market looks like? What does someone who consistently supports a rapid-growth sales culture on your team look like?