Doing More ≠ Selling More
If you’re like many of the clients I work with, you’re hitting the more button in a desperate attempt to get more sales.
More calls, more meetings, more discounts, more headcount.
But the more button isn’t working, is it? In fact, the more you push it, the less you seem to sell.
Deals fall through because of the high-pressure tactics your sellers use in emergency mode, loyal customers leave because they don’t experience the value they were promised, and top talent walks out the door in total frustration.
What if there were a better way to lead salespeople?
Being great at sales didn’t make
me a great sales leader.
I got my start in sales selling on-air advertising for a group of radio stations. I was the fastest account executive in my company to reach $250,000 in sales, and then the fastest to a million dollars in sales. I won contests, made lots of money, and had a ton of fun.
Then it happened. I became a sales manager, and my real education began.
- First, I learned that the salespeople who worked for me were not me. They weren’t motivated by what motivated me. They didn’t prospect the way I did, they didn’t conduct sales calls the way I did, and they didn’t close business the way I did. In other words, I couldn’t hit my number by cloning myself. I had to learn how to lead.
- Second, I discovered the team didn’t trust me either. My aggressive style that succeeded in the marketplace alienated the people on my team. I had some major bridge-building to do.
- And, finally, I learned I didn’t know the first thing about coaching, the all-important skill for developing successful sales representatives. I talked too much and rarely listened. I hijacked calls and pressed my own agenda. I tried to be a sales superstar, ready and willing to close any deal at any time, and stunted the growth of every member of my team.
I was my own worst enemy, until I found a better way…
Leading salespeople from the inside out.
Leading salespeople from the inside out means starting with what motivates them (not you) and tying sales activity into that motivation. Pressing the why button, not the more button.
Leading salespeople from the inside out involves working alongside them as a trusted coach and mentor, helping them learn how to sell at the highest levels of excellence, instead of closing deals for them. When you lead this way, you empower your team to perform at the highest levels of excellence year after year. I use three simple words to describe this process.
1. Motivate
Connect with your salespeople so they trust you completely and give 100 percent, 100 percent of the time.
2. Mobilize
Coach your salespeople to execute your company’s sales process at the highest levels of excellence.
3. Multiply
Transform your hiring, onboarding, and promoting practices to achieve sustained sales success.
As head of sales, our team nearly
doubled direct sales revenue.
During this time, we received national recognition from the Radio Advertising Bureau for our contribution to the field of Non-Traditional Revenue development. Eventually, I became President and General Manager of the station group, and together we achieved repeated annual growth in the face of intense competition due to deregulation of the industry.
Along the way, we became a place where high performers wanted to work because of the culture we created. One by one, salespeople from other media companies joined our team, which, of course, generated even more revenue for the business.
I now help hardworking sales managers become better leaders.
Twenty years ago, I transitioned from leading the group of radio stations to helping other sales organizations succeed. I can do the same for you.
- I’ll help you understand that an outside-in approach to sales management—the more button—doesn’t work.
- I’ll show you that by connecting deeply with your individual salespeople, you’ll light a spark in that person’s soul that will inspire them to give 100 percent effort 100 percent of the time.
- I’ll teach you how to coach your salespeople to execute your sales process at the highest levels of excellence and drive double-digit revenue growth year after year.
Ready to crack the sales leadership code?
Smart sales leaders know when to put up their hands and ask for help.
Everyone else keeps grinding it out on their own.
1. Explore
Get clear on your
sales objectives
2. Expand
Develop leaders who
grow their people
3. Execute
Achieve sustained
sales success
"I struggled to 'lead through others' which was hindering the ability to scale my business. Bill's step-by-step approach helped me see things through the lens of visionary leader, not just a manager. And the results have been tremendous!"
— Phil Luong, Chief Revenue Officer, Recast Software
Here is a proven, step-by-step approach to sales leadership success.
Discover how to establish trust, provide praise, coach brilliantly, and build a winning culture. Then, multiply your success in others by hiring well and promoting wisely.
The Ultimate Sales Manager Playbook has been forged in the fires of decades of sales leadership and is packed with real, proven content that will change your career forever.
