Along with the fun and energy of jumping headlong into Sales Kickoff Season, last week was wonderful because I finally knew what day it was! Since Christmas week I had been living in a state of confusion never quite sure what day it was, and it did feel good to get back to work full-time.
I was in (freezing) Fargo helping a large client kickstart their sales year and I returned home with more resolve than ever to help sales leaders and salespeople master the fundamentals. I loved this sales team. They were not only receptive and energized, they were also hungry for content, specifically around the basics of selling and sales management. How refreshing! Not a single person asked for tricks, my opinion on sales tools, or how to enhance their tech stack.
Inspired by this sales team, I decided to use this first post of 2020 to point you to a variety of posts and powerful podcasts/interviews covering important topics…
YOUR INDIVIDUAL 2020 BUSINESS PLAN
If you haven’t yet scratched out your personal business plan for 2020, now is the time. Nothing but good results from drafting an annual business plan that articulates your goals, strategies, action plan, obstacles, and more. I provide they WHY and the HOW for business plans in Chapter 14 of New Sales. Simplified. and Chapter 26 of Sales Management. Simplified. If you don’t have the books handy, take two minutes to read this very popular post that offers eight reasons to write a plan and a simple template to help you.
STOP PLAYING PROCUREMENT’S ONE-SIDED GAMES
If you’ve had it up to here with procurement weenies (yes, that’s the word I used in Chapter 13 of Sales Truth) and their silly, unfair, one-sided policies and processes that prevent you from crafting the best solution and differentiating yourself and your solution, then this just-released podcast is for you! Author, Paul Smith, and I swap great stories as he interviews me in this episode he titled, Getting Past Procurement and Having Fun Doing It! I promise you’ll feel liberated and energized, and you’ll smile along as Paul shares how he even got the Federal Government to back down from an asinine procurement policy.
FOCUS IS THE KEY TO PRODUCTIVITY (AND IMPROVED RESULTS)
If you want to be more productive (and therefore drive increased results), and who doesn’t, then you must increase your focus. Period. My friend, Les Hewitt, is known as The Focus Coach. He’s the co-author the #1 New York Times Bestseller, The Power of Focus, and is probably the foremost focus expert on this planet. There is no better time of year to get serious about focusing on life goals, work priorities, and eliminating distractions than in January, so I grabbed Les for this powerful 15-minute video interview. Salespeople, sales leaders, and execs, do yourself a favor and watch this conversation! I guarantee you will leave with a handful of takeaways to implement, and more than a few of you will seek Les’ help!
UP YOUR SALES MANAGEMENT GAME AT THIS ELITE EVENT
I’ve led two Supercharge Your Sales Leadership Events, one in St. Louis and the other in Atlanta, and they’ve truly been some of the most satisfying days of my career because of the feedback from attendees. By popular demand, we scheduled the next session on the west coast. If you are looking to radically increase your sales management effectiveness, check out this powerful elite event exclusively for sales managers and sales executives – February 20th at The Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles. More info on the objectives, agenda, and the awesome venue HERE, and be sure to watch the short video at the bottom of the page to hear the reaction of sales leaders who attended.
