Can you hear me now?

INDUSTRY NEWS

Can you hear me now?

There are times when you don’t really want to pay attention. It could be a call with your in-laws, an 8-hour traffic school lecture, or the pre-flight safety announcement.  But, a call with a top prospect is not one of them. That’s the beauty of conversation intelligence technology. Not only are these tools paying attention – capturing every word and revealing insights in the moment – they also let you give your full attention to the prospect. Some might say that conversation intelligence is the key to unlocking sales productivity. We know that because Seth Marrs, Principal Analyst at Forrester, recently wrote a post about the four main ways CI can help sellers spend more time with buyers. Now that’s worth paying attention to.

Top down or top up?

If you’re Malibu Barbie, there’s only one answer to the top up or not question. The roof of her iconic pink Corvette is always down. If you’re a sales leader in the midst of sales planning, the question isn’t so straightforward. Even if you want your reps to make it rain, a top-down approach might still be best. A bottom-up approach is also valid, even if you find your sales turtling. Unless, of course, you choose to go “hybrid.” Confused? Dini Mehta, former CRO at Lattice, sheds some light on these three approaches to sales planning and why you might want to choose one over the other. Choose wisely, so you can be like Barbie and have a great day, every day.

Sprint ahead

Since we gave Verizon a veiled reference earlier, we thought we’d top this article off with another cellular carrier’s slogan. Don’t remember it? That could be one of the reasons they ultimately got forced out of the race. In the world of agile methodologies, sprints have been very successful. While sprints have been popular with project managers, sales leaders are now getting in on the action. In the fast-moving world of B2B sales, sprints can help sales teams be more focused and accountable. The Harvard Business Review thinks so too, as evidenced by the recent article on using sales sprints to boost a sales team’s performance. If you’re not using sprints, you might want to follow the advice of a certain magenta cellular brand, and “make the switch.”

IN THE GROOVE

Get ready to elevate

Are we dreaming? Dreamforce 2023 is almost here! We can’t wait to reconnect with our customers and chat with excited prospects. Elevate your Dreamforce journey with us at The Groove Lounge. Stop by at Novela, one block away from Moscone Center, anytime between 8 am to 4 pm on Tuesday, September 12, and Wednesday, September 13. Whether you need a caffeine pick-me-up, a delicious snack, space to catch up on work, or are interested in learning more about Groove – The Groove Lounge hosts all of your needs! Ready to be treated like a VIP? Save your spot today and dream away.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW

Pick your brain

Like a fingerprint, every human being’s brain is uniquely wired. Don’t you wish you had the opportunity to pick the brain of the best sales leaders in the world? We know we do. That’s why the “How I Sell” series on the LinkedIn Sales Blog is so great. Take a look inside the sales brain of Cynthia Barnes, Founder and CEO of National Association of Women Sales Professionals and one of LinkedIn’s Top Sales Voices. From her sales philosophy to what motivates her, and her biggest transformational failure in sales, Cynthia has a lot to share. This one’s sure to make you feel empowered and encouraged to work toward your dreams.

Just keep swimming

When things get hard, it can be easy to want to give up. But, Dory in Finding Nemo always kept swimming, motivating herself with the song, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” While telling your unmotivated sales team to “Just keep swimming” could garner a lot of laughs, it is sadly not the way to bring your sellers out of a slump and toward success. Luckily, a recent article by Challenger goes over the importance of employee motivation, outlines sales motivators, and discusses how to motivate salespeople using proven strategies. This guide many not help you find Nemo, but it could usher in an endless wave of motivation for your sales team.

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