Productivity is in the eye of the beholder. At least, that’s what it seemed like when we did our research for this week’s roundup. Whether you ask the biggest names in the sales game (like Paul Castain and Jason Jordon) or cutting-edge sales and management researchers, everyone has a different secret for better sales and productivity. Fortunately, we gleaned the finest responses from all over the web, making this week’s roundup the perfect catalyst to help you reevaluate the effectiveness of your sales and management strategies.
4 Omnichannel Tips to Improve Customer Experience and Increase Sales (MultiChannelMerchant)
Omnichannel marketing is the concept that customers should have a seamless interaction with an organization, no matter what channel they are engaging with. In this article, Sridhar Nagarajan explains how small businesses can employ this big-box strategy through increased integration of social media, creative in-person sales, and mobile selling optimization.
Companies With a Formal Sales Process Generate More Revenue (Harvard Business Review)
Sales management gurus Jason Jordan and Robert Kelly provide an in-depth look at new data from Vantage Point Performance and the Sales Management Association. This research shows that three key sales pipeline practices can lead to 28% revenue growth: Defining the sales process, spending three hours a month on managing the pipeline, and purposefully training sales manages on how to maintain the pipeline effectively.
10 Most Productive New Tab Extensions For Google Chrome (Make Use Of)
Writer Mihir Patkar highlights a set of fantastic new extensions for Google Chrome that allow you to streamline your daily tasks and save time. Some of the most effective include Prioritab, an interactive calendar app that shows you a to-do list with how much time you have left to complete each item. He suggests other great extensions such as Taco, Limitless, and Dayboard, which limits your daily tasks to increase focus.
13 Essential Content Marketing Tips to Convert Website Traffic Into Sales (Business 2 Community)
For sellers and sales managers who are dipping into content marketing for the first time, this is a must-read article. Sandeep Sharma gives a very thorough overview of how businesses can effectively use content to increase leads and conversions. Some of his tips include creating quality content, developing different types of content (such as memes and videos), and tracking and auditing content effectiveness.
A Quick Tip to Start Your Week Strong – Audio Podcast (Your Sales Playbook)
Paul Castain explains research from Steffanie Wilk that shows workers who arrive to their job in a good mood stay in a good mood. Alternately, the research shows that negative feelings can lead to an over 10% decline in productivity. Castain focuses this podcast on ways you can get into a good mood before you begin your sales day, such as positive personal mantras, avoiding negative news, and using music to elevate your mood.
Five Productivity Lies We Tell Ourselves (Fast Company)
Writer Stephanie Vozza explains some of the common productivity fallacies that managers and sales producers believe, such as “I work best under pressure,” and “meetings should be in the morning,” and how they can damage productivity. Vozza also interviews Tracey Foulkes of Get Organised South Africa, to get insight on how professionals can overcome these common mistakes.
Building Trust in Sales Presentations (Tom Hopkins)
Tom Hopkins pens this 5-minute read, which is a great reflection on the power of trust in the sales presentation process. He focuses specifically on the need for the sales representative to be proud of his or her company, as it is one of the most effective ways to dispel buyer fear. This engaging article is a great resource for both new and seasoned sales professionals.
10 Simple Tips for Managing Freelancers (Hubspot)
For small businesses who work with freelancers, this is a great article to increase productivity and quality of work. Writer Erich Stefanovich explains how small agencies need to create a freelance environment where things like budget, expectations, and limitations are clearly defined before a freelancer even begins. For any sales manager who works with freelancers, this is a great refresher on how to set clear guidelines for success.
Face-to-Face Status Meetings Are Bad For Productivity (Beta News)
Technology writer Ian Barker discusses a new survey by Clarizen research showing that 35% of workers feel status meetings are a waste of time. In addition, the research shows that managers spend over 10 hours each week preparing for and participating in meetings, many of which could be avoided by using customer relationship management (CRM) software.
6 Tips for Creating an Effective Management Training Program (Inc.)
Steve Cody, CEO of Peppercomm, talks with the co-founder of Affinity Networks, Jeff Solomon, about the best ways to create an effective, low-cost management training program. Solomon suggests creating a culture of learning within your business, making training easy for management to participate in, and holding employees accountable for being a part of the training program.
What do you think?
How do you think sales professionals can best improve sales productivity and conversion rates? We’d love to hear your perspective on what works and what doesn’t. Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!