Halloween has us thinking about ghost stories, candy, and marketing tales from the crypt. While seasons are an important time to engage customers in creative ways, they’re also great times to boost your sales team’s morale and connect with peers on a human level. From zombies to the death to the cold call, these reads should be a quick way to put some pep and spirit into your sales force.
The Best Sales Pitches Don’t Sell Anything (Inc.)
Writer Geoffrey James explains that the best sales pitches are often the ones that result naturally from a conversation, not ones whose overt intention is to sell. In this article, he shows how business leaders and sales professionals can employ this tactic when using email as a primary sales tool.
15 Best Productivity Apps for Getting Things Done (Business Insider)
For sales professionals and managers who are doing an increasing amount of sales work via smart phone, this is a must-read. Writer Steven Tweedie highlight the best iOS and Android apps for doing things like scheduling work, remembering contacts, take notes, and increase your customer relationship management (CRM) skills. Bonus: Over 50% of the apps are free.
How to Manage Sales People: Activity Based Management vs. Results Based Management (Forbes)
Originally posted on A Sales Guy Blog, this article is great advice for both new and experienced managers on good results-driven leadership. Author Jim Keenen suggests that the best workers result from freedom, which enhances creativity and productivity. He also suggests a management style that only eliminates employee freedom when there is a lack of results.
Examining Columbus’s Complicated Leadership Legacy (Harvard Business Review)
In reflection of Columbus Day (Indigenous Peoples’ Day), writer Patrick J. Murphy discusses the conflicting images of explorer Christopher Columbus and what managers can learn from his story. In this thorough and thought-provoking article, sales managers can identify traits for excellence in leadership through iconic examples of Columbus’s political prowess and polarizing influence.
Your Sales Strategy Shouldn’t Rely On a Cold Call (Mashable)
As a part of the new business-oriented Mashable series DBA, this article discusses the current trend of the business industry towards email as a main mode of sales productivity. HubSpot CEO Mike Volpe cites several reasons for this, including lack of time, increased emphasis on authentic interaction, and a more organic style of selling that is personalized. This is a great article for sales professionals and managers who are considering how to better engage their business-to-business clients.
Have Workplaces Become Too Much Fun? (7Geese)
Sales managers with an eye on increasing productivity will benefit from this short, provocative article by marketing expert Kelly Batke. In it, she highlights how productivity measures meant as “perks” can backfire on managers. She also provides an easy self-quiz to help you identify whether your business is “too much fun” to be conducive to a productive staff.
7 Management Lessons from the Walking Dead (Market Watch)
A hilarious and helpful spin on leadership training, this article is guaranteed to please both Walking Dead fans and haters alike. Writer Brett Arends uses examples of the series’ lead character Rick Grimes to identify the worst behaviors in leadership today. From overlooking the obvious to not understanding risks, this article highlights the perfect ways not to lead a sales team.
3 Ways to Help Your Reps Sell More (Selling Power)
Alice Heiman suggests several tools that sales professionals need in order to be fully supported by management, including an excellent CRM platform, regular one-on-one meetings, and time management processes like automated email technology. This article is a short, easy way to reflect on how your organization is supporting sales reps in order to keep them successful.
How to Rise Above Overworked and Overwhelmed (Leadership Freak)
In this post based on his book, Scott Eblin identifies two main reasons that people like sales professionals and sales managers feel too much stress: Using strengths too much and attempting to dominate skills that are not within your wheelhouse. He also suggests 10 simple steps for eliminating this unnecessary stress, and includes audio segments on the value of reflection.
Best 21st Century Leadership Blogs (Serve to Lead)
James Strock curates this wonderful list of leadership blogs that will keep you motivated to manage and excited to sell. He breaks his list down by type of content, including an entire list of little-known but excellent blogs for Sales as well as Customer Service, Management, and Leadership. This is a perfect article to save for future training meetings or to boost your sales motivation.
What were your favorite sales, management, and productivity articles of the week? Share your comments with us.