From doom to bloom

INDUSTRY NEWS

From doom to bloom

The economy may be shaky and unpredictable, but at least mushroom spores haven’t turned the world’s population into zombies, yet. B2B buyers might seem a little lifeless, but now is not the time to give up. As sales leaders work towards optimizing their teams in 2023, it’s helpful to look at how reps have spent their time over the past four years. According to Forrester’s annual sales activity study, sales productivity is down, and face-to-face interactions are up. After sifting through the data, Forrester Principal Analyst Anne Slough offers up several tips for automating and streamlining sales processes in 2023. Even if economic headwinds make things difficult, sales reps are resilient creatures. It won’t be the last of us.

SOS

“So when you’re near me, darling, can’t you hear me, S.O.S.?” If members of ABBA moonlighted as sales leaders, they could very well have been singing about Sales Operations Success. An increasing number of people within a company’s larger commercial organization want to get nearer to SalesOps, but they can feel unheard when sales ops aren’t equipped to handle all of this newfound attention. According to Gartner VP Analyst Steve Rietberg, there are three strategies you should employ to increase sales operations success in 2023. Don’t let SalesOps be the unsung hero in your organization. Give it the attention it deserves.

The comeback (to work)

The Mandalorian, Ted Lasso, Party Down. There are a lot of good things coming back right now, but one of them is a little divisive: the office. No, Michael Scott and crew aren’t returning, but a few high-profile companies have been in the news recently for their return-to-office plans. However, while some companies will inevitably ask their workers to return, the vast majority seem to be smitten with the flexibility and cost-savings that remote work provides. But here’s the catch: change is coming. According to the MIT Sloan Management Review, work-from-home regulations are coming, and most companies aren’t ready. This is one area where you don’t want to be like Michael Scott – clueless and out of touch.

IN THE GROOVE

Groove Plays

This week we served up a steaming hot dish of sales re-imagined with the announcement of Groove Plays, our new capability for sales leaders to make their strategy actionable. With Groove Plays, Groove is delivering on our vision for connected sales execution, where teams, strategy, and technology all come together in one actionable platform. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, this dream will become reality later this summer. Learn more about Groove Plays and connected sales execution on our blog. Watch the video for dessert.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW

The odds are in your favor

Your chances of winning the Powerball are 1 in 292,201,338. Sadly, those aren’t the best odds, but many have tried anyway. In sales, it seems like the odds are never in your favor – uninterested buyers, cold leads, and long decision processes all stack up against you in your effort to get to closed-won. But, what if we told you that by sharpening these nine selling skills, you could be 94% more likely to become a top performer? Mary Flaherty at Rain Group has it all written out for you. Those odds are definitely in your favor.

The underdog

We like to cheer for the underdog in movies, but in life, being the underdog doesn’t always mean you’re going to make it to big-screen success. Nevertheless, Alex Alleyne, Area Vice President at Braze, beat all the odds stacked against him. From growing up poor to being a successful sales executive and podcaster, Alex is the ultimate underdog turned top dog – some even call him the “Machine.” Curious how he got to the top in sales? Check out the LinkedIn Sales Blog’s “How Alex Alleyne Sells.” It’s sure to inspire you to get your systems in order and be the best version of yourself every day.

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