Business Growth Roundup – October 20, 2015

This is probably the time of year when I should be making a pun about how sales doesn’t have to be scary. Having the right process and tools in place can take the fear and uncertainty out of the sales process. That’s the theme of the topics that I’ve been focusing on this week in my weekly Business Growth Roundup. Each week, I like to share what I’m reading and what is trending with some of today’s true thought leaders and business growth experts. Here’s a roundup of who I’ve been following this week, and their recent innovative and insightful articles.

Say It Isn’t So: Salespeople Continue to Suck at Selling? How Leaders Can Bust the Statistics and Win
Nancy Bleeke

Apparently, there’s only been a 1% improvement in the quality of salespeople in
the past 5 years. Like author Nancy Bleeke, I find this very surprising! As she says in this blog post: “The information and message to salespeople around the world is clear: buyers don’t want to be pitched or sold to.” Her blog post outlines what they do want and need, and we can’t be reminded of these four points often enough. I love the way that Nancy has flipped these dismal statistics into an opportunity for team’s to tip the scales in their favor. Great post. Check it out.

3 Reasons to Invest in Your Website, Not a New Sales Person
Brandon Moore

Your website is a bigger asset than you may realize. Websites play a critical role in the sales process, and your website can be a huge selling asset… or a real hindrance to your success. As Brandon Moore reminds us in this blog post, salespeople are now only a piece of the puzzle. A good website supports your sales people and provides the information and influence they need to make a positive decision. Your website is an essential tool for your customers’ research phase. Brandon makes some other strong points that are worth considering so that we can all evaluate our own websites and ensure that they are working for us, not against us.

Is Your Sales Process – a Help or a Hindrance?
Jonathan Farrington

Lacking a plan is often fatal for salespeople. We tend to follow our ‘guts’ too much. While that’s sometimes a good thing, it means that we often lack a solid plan and schedule for follow up — or maybe follow through is a better description. Without the right follow through, statistics show that most opportunities are being lost. In this article, Jonathan Farrington points out that while the details of what goes wrong might differ for each individual salesperson, the net result is always the same. So, what does your plan look like, and is it helping or hindering your business growth? This is a really good article and I hope you’ll have a read.

As you continue to move through this month, and as you head toward the end of the year, make sure you’re on the lookout for amazing resources that fuel your company’s motivation or inspire you to examine new techniques to create business growth. Email me or shoot me a comment and let me know which podcasts or articles you find meaningful and worth reading.