Remote Leadership

Sales Confidence: How to Build it During Onboarding

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How to Build Sales Confidence During Onboarding

I’ve heard from many sales leaders lately that it’s tough getting the next generation of sellers to pick up the phone.

We all know that no one wants to make cold calls, but the endless email and InMail touches and cadences that your reps are using aren’t working.

And, with the new Gmail and Yahoo email restrictions that kicked in this year, it’s more important than ever to go back to basics and get new sellers to pick up the phone.

At Factor 8, we’re focused on teaching reps tactical phone sales skills to help them build sales confidence (so they’ll pick up the phone AND feel great about it!)

Today, I’m talking about new sales hire onboarding.

When you’re bringing on someone new – especially when they’re remote – one of the most important things you can do in new hire onboarding is use call recordings.

READ: Tips for Virtually Onboarding New Sales Reps

The game has changed over the past few years. When sellers are remote, they can’t just sit next to their peers,  hear what’s happening, and learn the good, bad, and ugly.

If your company doesn’t record calls, or you’re worried about not having a specific rep’s call recordings, toss that – it doesn’t matter. You can learn so much from any call recording.

In fact, at Factor 8 in our Sales Bar, our online sales training platform, we have thousands of user-submitted recorded sales calls from all different industries, organized by skill (i.e. call intro, overcoming objections, call bridging, closing, etc.)

READ: 7 Hacks to Improve New Sales Rep Onboarding

During onboarding, break down the call and let reps listen to what it sounds like, even if it’s not a good call, because what we’re scared of is what the customer is going to say to us (and the inability to think on our feet to respond to them intelligently).

When reps hear different scenarios on sales calls 20 or 30 times, they begin to feel comfortable and that fear starts to go away and the confidence rises.

And that’s the name of the game, folks: confidence. You’ve got to have it to succeed in sales, and building it begins at onboarding.

Need help building sales confidence in your sales reps? Email me at LB@factor8.com. I’m happy to help!

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Sales Enablement Secrets: Actionable Sales Training Tips, Trends, and Advice [Webinar Recording]

Sales Enablement Secrets: Actionable Sales Training Tips, Trends, and Advice

[Video Recording]

TOP SALES TRAINING TIPS FOR ENABLEMENT LEADERS

Partnering with Sales Leaders to onboard and upskill digital (and often remote) sellers may well be the hardest job in the enablement department – and certainly the one with the least thanks!  

Join 25-year sales enablement veteran LB to hear tips on:

  • The fastest way to reduce new rep ramp time
  • Tiny skills that make a BIG difference (we get 2-3x results of past new hire classes)
  • How to engage managers to support training
  • Why videos don’t work (and how to teach sales leaders this)
  • Where AI can (and can’t) help
  • What we have to do now for remote sellers
  • Implementation guides that ensure new skills get used
  • Skills every seller and sales manager needs in 2024

Who should watch this session?

  • Veteran trainers/training leaders that want to better partner with sales
  • Sales leaders who onboard their own teams
  • New sales enablement/trainers that want trends and best practices
  • Sales managers keen to build learning cultures

This webinar was made possible thanks to our sponsor, Uniphore.

Meet “Q for Sales“, an AI-powered Sales Assistant from Uniphore to help you eliminate busy work, coach smarter, and close faster. Learn more here.

Watch the video replay!

TOP SALES TRAINING TIPS FOR ENABLEMENT LEADERS

Partnering with Sales Leaders to onboard and upskill digital (and often remote) sellers may well be the hardest job in the enablement department – and certainly the one with the least thanks!  

Join 25-year sales enablement veteran LB to hear tips on:

  • The fastest way to reduce new rep ramp time
  • Tiny skills that make a BIG difference (we get 2-3x results of past new hire classes)
  • How to engage managers to support training
  • Why videos don’t work (and how to teach sales leaders this)
  • Where AI can (and can’t) help
  • What we have to do now for remote sellers
  • Implementation guides that ensure new skills get used
  • Skills every seller and sales manager needs in 2024

Who should watch this session?

  • Veteran trainers/training leaders that want to better partner with sales
  • Sales leaders who onboard their own teams
  • New sales enablement/trainers that want trends and best practices
  • Sales managers keen to build learning cultures

This webinar was made possible thanks to our sponsor, Uniphore.

Meet “Q for Sales“, an AI-powered Sales Assistant from Uniphore to help you eliminate busy work, coach smarter, and close faster. Learn more here.

Watch the video replay!

Improve Manager Rep Relationship

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How to Improve the Relationship Between Sales Reps and Managers

With all the economic uncertainty out there, it’s tough to find and keep good reps right now. Data from HubSpot indicates that sales rep turnover is around 35% (even in an economic downturn, attrition is shockingly high).

So how do you keep your star players around? Well, according to our Sales Team Retention Research Project study, the top reason both reps and managers stay with a company is ongoing training and development opportunities to help them succeed in their roles.

In my opinion, the key to a solid rep-manager is: both sides support each other to develop and grow. Here are some tips to put it into action to improve the sales rep-manager relationship. 

What should managers do to retain their reps?

READ: How to Hire and Retain Sales Reps

1. Create coaching opportunities outside the normal flow

A lot of managers wait until the pipeline call or the forecast call to coach. While those meetings add value, they focus on specific outcomes. Where reps often struggle is investing in skills that they can apply to a variety of situations, like negotiation and price anchoring. Spend 30-60 minutes with your reps to work on these skills, and you’ll start seeing more engagement from them. As a general rule, newer or underperforming reps should be coached once per week and tenured or high-performing reps should be coached once per month.

2. Create an explicit growth template

Reps can’t grow if they don’t know what their growth path is supposed to look like. This means you need to actually document the basic competencies and objectives you expect. Then monitor rep improvement on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis—not just during an annual 360-review. 

READ: Increase Sales Coaching Frequency

3. Don’t be hypocritical

People have a strong B.S.-meter. They know when you’re faking them out. So if you’re going to expect things from them, you better make sure you’re holding yourself to the same standards.

This doesn’t mean you need to be “macho” or push bravado all the time. You’re going to make mistakes, just like anyone. But set the example of always striving to be better, holding yourself to a high standard, and fixing problems when they arise. 

4. Drive deeper engagement

The more engaged your reps are at work, the more they’ll stick around. So make sure their work stretches them and helps them grow. Provide opportunities for them to push themselves without setting them up to fail. 

When appropriate, let them provide input on the direction and growth of the product and company. They have valuable insights that you can use. Plus, it helps them feel included. 

5. Stay hungry and humble

Even though you’re in a management position, there’s always the opportunity to learn more. Don’t rest on your laurels. Stay hungry, and always look for ways to learn, grow, and improve. 

DOWNLOAD: Tips for Retaining The New Generation of Sales

6. Don’t expect your people to always copy you

Don’t fall for “mini-me” syndrome. Just because you have a great process for selling doesn’t mean it’s the best for everyone. Instead, think about how effective reps are in driving results and meeting quotas, and focus on helping them close gaps and reach those goals faster. There can be an openness in process and style, while at the same time consistency in results. 

7. Seize on little opportunities to build human connections

Managers can do a lot to show reps that they care about them not only as sales machines, but as individuals. And these don’t take a lot of extra time. 

Especially in virtual environments, reps hear from their managers only to discuss forecasts, or when there’s a problem. Find other ways to connect with them as well, even if it’s just to talk about how they’re doing on a personal level. 

What can reps do to build a better relationship with their managers?

1. Be solution-oriented

Don’t come with problems and no solutions. Be a solution-oriented thinker. It helps show the manager that you’re taking ownership of a problem, rather than force them to handle every little thing that comes up. 

2. Be coachable

The opposite of coachability is “I already know everything.” Know what you know, but also know what you don’t know. And be open to learning and growing. It’s really hard for a manager to support a rep who thinks they know everything. 

READ: 10 Tips for Sales Success from a High Performer

3. Don’t blame the leads

We all hear it all the time: If only the leads were better… Strike that phrase from your vocabulary! Stop blaming outside sources for your problems. Find a way to make the most of what you already have. 

4. Get comfortable with ambiguity

Things aren’t always going to be straightforward, especially at different stages of companies. Can you execute when the answer isn’t fully defined? Are you willing to put the answer together yourself? If so, your manager will love you for it. 

5. Always be curious

No one knows everything. There’s always a chance to learn, grow, and evolve. While your manager should be open to your own style, don’t assume that your way works best. Learn from others, and find a way to implement those learnings in your own unique way. 

Final thoughts on the ultimate rep-manager relationship

The key to a good rep-manager relationship is this: support each other, hold each other accountable, and focus on growth. If you do that, you’ll build a solid foundation that makes both parties hesitant to leave the organization. Happy selling!

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remote leadership

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Strategies to Improve Your Remote Leadership Capabilities

The concept of work-from-home isn’t new, but in recent years this mode of work has quickly become the norm. The pandemic restricted everybody’s mobility, and adjustments had to be made in order to compensate for the physical limitations.

Studies show that the increasing benefits that many have experienced with remote work — such as flexibility and productivity — have given birth to a new culture. More companies continue to consider making permanent work-from-home arrangements to reduce office space. An example of this is Morgan Stanley. Around 90% of their employees worked from home during the pandemic, leading to Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman noting that the company now needed much less real estate. Companies, like Morgan Stanley, are now trying to strike a balance to minimize the risks and maximize the gains.

Finding balance can be tricky, however, which is why a remote team requires strong leadership. Top executive leadership plays several roles in an organization, including effectively delegating tasks, as well as managing relations among different individuals (which is why the median wage is far above the average at $103,950). Executive leadership is particularly important for designing programs and setting standards so that organizations can meet their goals.

Improving remote leadership capabilities means executive leadership can do their work. Fortunately, this can be easily developed with consistent practice. Read on to know the tips for effective leadership in a remote team.

Keep track of your goals

It is easy to feel disconnected when your work environment all lies within a screen. This is where designing programs and setting standards come into play. It helps to establish clear and measurable goals with quantitative objectives, key performance indicators (KPIs), and a set schedule. This sets a direction for the team.

Above all, these goals must be consultative with your team members. Business development goals usually go through multiple phases before completion, so keeping track of everyone’s progress allows leaders to adjust accordingly.

Pay attention to your team

Transparency and consultation are key to ensuring that your goals are realistic. This is where checking in with your team and remembering their needs come in. Our previous post discusses the different ways leaders can engage their remote team, which surprisingly means strategies like fewer calls – Zoom fatigue is real, after all.

The important thing to remember throughout is that numbers and performance are important, but teams are composed of individuals. Only a healthy, collaborative team can produce great outcomes in the long run.

Trust in your team

The fear of a dip in effort and production can be overpowering. Some leaders may find themselves micromanaging their teammates to compensate for the distance.

However, it is actually the lack of trust that causes a breakdown around employee autonomy, perceived competence, and respect, and that ultimately affects productivity in your team. Remember that your goals are their goals as well, so what’s left is to guide and lead the way.

Focusing on improving communication skills

To build trust, open channels to discuss company goals aren’t enough. Leaders need to cultivate a workplace culture of clear communication. Sharing every little detail about your life isn’t necessary — a level of independence in working is essential after all — but transparency allows your team to understand one another and fosters empathy. It also encourages asking questions, which minimizes the chance for misunderstandings.

The physical distance of remote work is hard enough to manage without knowing what your members are going through in their homes. Having a clearer picture of this allows you to adjust accordingly and provide a safety net for the entire team.

To lead is to be responsible for others, and this weight is never easy. However, under effective and collaborative remote leadership, not only will you be watching out for your team, but they’ll also be watching out for you.

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Sales Leadership Challenges

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3 Sales Leadership Challenges (and How to Fix Them)

Being a leader is hard. When faced with a new sales leadership challenge, it can often feel like you are alone on an island. Turns out, finding a group of peers that both grasp your issue and can provide valuable insight into how they have handled a similar situation is like finding a needle in a haystack. Enter Factor 8’s Executive Open Bar, a place where we can speak openly about the challenges that often accompany a C-level position. Whether we are talking about the big picture or the daily struggle, we have created a safe space to share our challenges. 

This quarter our participating executives shared some timely issues. We want to share the insights we discovered; in case you find yourself facing these same quandaries! 

  • Question 1: The company will be shifting a portion of the team from live selling to online bots. During the transition, we will need the live team to assist our customers in making the switch to digital. We are struggling with the strategy for keeping the live team members motivated when there is a foreseeable end to their position. What advice can you share about a change in strategy that results in job loss? 
    • Communicate, communicate, communicate! If we do not talk with our team members about the elephant in the room, the elephant only gets bigger. 
    • Town Meetings with the executive team can help ease employees’ anxiety. This will work best if relevant and specific information about the process is provided.
    • Money talks. Offering a staying bonus to team members can be a great motivator.
  • Question 2: With the weather getting nicer and the world reopening, we are seeing a drastic drop in staff engagement and performance. We are still 3-6 months from returning the full team to the office. What advice can you share for keeping people motivated?
    • Change up your contests. Have the quantifier be the area that your team is struggling with. So, instead of awarding for the number of deals closed, maybe concentrate on the shortest deal closing window. Instead of just measuring the number of successful call connections, break it out into two games. Measure the number of successful connections both before and after lunch. 
    • Communicate! Have an all-team meeting. Acknowledge that you know the world is exciting again. You’ve let it slide for the last 2 weeks because we know the pandemic has been hard for everyone. However, it’s time to get back to work and crush those goals! We now have just 2 weeks to (insert goal here). 
  • Question 3: We’ve reached our end-of-year goal early. The CEO is saying “sell, sell, sell” while the supervisors are sharing that we need to ease off because the workload is not sustainable. How do I have the conversation with the CEO that selling more might not be in the company’s best interest? 
    • Do your research! Before speaking with the CEO, have hard numbers on hand.
      1. What is the expense to the company of burnout? How much does turnover cost the company? 
      2. How much will it cost the company to hire/train new employees to execute additional sales? 
      3. Come prepared with a better option. For example, “If you give the team a 30% break on the new goal, here is what we will be able to do with the time ______ (train to up our game, upsell current customers, prospect larger accounts, etc.)”
    • Ask the CEO to help you find the best solution AFTER you’ve presented your research. Make finding the solution a collaborative effort. Often the CEO is looking at the big picture, not necessarily the daily details you are facing. 

I always feel so invigorated after one of the Executive Open Bar sessions! I want to thank the leaders that joined us for their openness, insight, and assistance.

If our Executive Open Bar sessions would be helpful for you, please email us at info@factor8.com for an invitation! 

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top virtual sales challenges

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Top Challenges Inside and Virtual Sales Teams Are Facing Today

Is virtual sales here to stay? YES! (although your field sales teams sure hope not…)

The truth is, virtual sales is HARD. In fact, a recent Gartner research study cited that “An overwhelming 93% of sales reps are experiencing significant virtual sales challenges.”

We hear it all of the time. Reps aren’t being taught the tactical skills to help them sell in a virtual environment. There’s a massive disconnect between where reps are experiencing challenges vs. where leaders think their reps are struggling.

So, what are reps’ top virtual sales challenges? More specifically, where are they falling short when it comes to prospecting? And, do leaders really know what skills their reps need to succeed? We wanted to know all these things and more. So, we recently surveyed thousands of sales professionals (reps, team leads, managers, directors, VPs, C-suite – you name it!) in 50+ different industries across the world to learn the top virtual sales challenges their teams are facing today.   

We began by asking what the most challenging aspects of the current sales market are. Then, we dug deeper to find out what makes those challenges, well, challenging. We asked about everything from prospecting to running sales demos to closing deals and more. Then, we compiled and condensed all of the results into our Factor 8 infographic of “The State of Virtual and Inside Sales: Top Virtual Sales Challenges”, putting the raw data right at your fingertips.

Spoiler alert! We found that reps and leaders are not always aligned when it comes to the challenges reps are facing on a daily basis. Let’s take ‘closing deals virtually’ for example, the majority of leaders that were surveyed reported that their reps struggle most with gaining referrals after a deal closes. When the truth is that most reps claim that knowing who is involved in the decision-making process was actually the hardest part of closing. 

Have no fear, there were other areas where reps and leaders were seeing eye-to-eye! Namely, prospecting. Here, the majority of both reps and leaders found having a valuable message and enticing message to be the most challenging piece of the prospecting puzzle. We get it, crafting a short and enticing message isn’t easy.

Want more insight? Make sure you grab your free copy of our survey results below!

Download your copy of
“The State of Virtual and Inside Sales: Top Virtual Sales Challenges”

Learn where sales reps are experiencing the most virtual sales challenges.

virtual sales challenges

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the tooth fairy has covid 19

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Tooth Fairy Has COVID-19

Last week the tooth fairy didn’t come to my house due to the Coronavirus.  Hey, if a tiger can get it, so can a fairy. Frankly, I’m a bit worried about the Easter Bunny.  Really:

EPIC.  MOM. FAIL.  

Me:  Boy honey, I’m not sure why she didn’t come. (aw, crap!)  What do you think could have happened? (Classic facilitation technique)

Cameron: Well, maybe she got coronavirus?

Me (to self): (Why didn’t I think of that!?  Brilliant!)

Cameron: Yeah, fairies are REALLY old.

And then it was done.  And I let myself and my husband off the hook.  And looks like she got out of quarantine the very next day.

A few more fails to admit to (because if you’re reading this you may need them too):

  1. I never figured out the online school portal. I got into one, got lost, got locked out, went to paper packets by week two. Totally missed “ATI testing” (what is this?)
  2. I’ve consumed more bottles of wine in the past 3 weeks than in the past 3 months.
  3. I’m no longer cooking healthy interesting meals.  If the kids want hot dogs, the family eats hot dogs.

So now that I’ve established myself as COMPLETELY credible, here are some things I am doing that are helping:

  1. I’m getting up before they do so I can have a peaceful walk.  I’m not good at meditating but I’m great at BASKING. What a beautiful tree, bird, bush, facemask…you get it.  I’m a better human this way (and it lasts until about 1pm.)
  2. I’ve scheduled at least 2 hours into every day for mom/kid time.  I’m not trying to “sneak away” from either one and feeling like a failure at both. Focused time is better for everyone.. but especially me.
  3. I’ve canceled pipeline meetings and instead I’m asking my team to tell me about what they’re learning.  Redefining wins helps us all feel like winners.
  4. The entire team is value-hunting. What can we do to help our clients, our community, our pipeline?  We’re doing it with a fervor that actually outpaces how we approached sales. I’m proud of that.
  5. I’m researching degrees in Fortnight (kidding). Kids (2nd, 3rd grade) are easily spending 6 hours/day on iPads and I’m just letting that be OK. They’re learning teamwork, right?
  6. I’m paying for good behavior. We use a chore point system (sales leaders, you’d love my bonus and SPIFF plan).  They get an extra point at the end of the day when there is no fighting, fussing, or parental nagging required.
  7. I’m paying for chores. Before Covid, I had a housekeeper who helped me run the house while I ran two businesses. Nope, it turns out it’s NOT humanly possible to do it all. So now I pay my kids. Laundry – check. Vacuuming – check. Dishes, Dogs, Dusting, floors, and toilets! It takes longer the first time, and then it’s gold. They’re earning $15 – 20 / week and I’m adding structure, life skills, and sanitization to us all.  
  8. I’ve added more team meetings and made more 1:1 phone calls to check on people. Video happy hours are gold and we figured out how to play virtual cards against humanity one night (that’s because I am the HR department…maybe start with pictionary).
  9. I’ve communicated clearly our intent to keep jobs, cut expenses, add programs and do all we can to thrive with the team. Including my own pay cut.
  10. This one is most important. I’ve stayed positive. I’ve refused to watch the news or engage in doomsday conversations. I get plenty of what I need to know second-hand, but we are all in charge of our own mood, attitude, and outlook.  Surround yourself with fear and negativity, and put out more fear and negativity. I adamantly believe that… 

The worst thing we can allow right now is fear.

OK, I’m taking a bonus tip to express gratitude. The number one way I’ve maintained some balance and normalcy is due to the help of my amazing husband. I’ve always felt blessed to have such a true partner in life and home, but I’m so wonderfully blessed right now. Where I’ve failed this month he’s stepped up. I feed and wash the kids, he teaches. I cover mornings, he has afternoons. And when I celebrated my 46th birthday this weekend in lockdown, he found a way to make it incredible all the same. Not all of us are as lucky to have someone to help us through the crazy. I’m blessed. Thank you, Steve Sharr.

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How to Coach and Provide Leadership in a Remote Environment [Webinar Recording]

How to Coach and Provide Leadership in a Remote Environment

[Webinar Recording]

Leading in a Virtual Environment

Business as usual has changed in recent years, and top leaders are getting out in front in ways beyond work-from-home management. AA-ISP is bringing our community a Factor 8-produced virtual workshop for real-time help, skills, tips, and strategies in a highly interactive virtual training session (not a listen-in-the-background webinar!). Let’s help our front-line leaders manage productivity without micromanagement, ensure preparation for a tough economy, and increase the quantity AND quality of their rep coaching. We’ll go beyond tips to templates, steps, and even remote practice of new skills.

In this session, you’ll learn:

  • How to move floor coaching to remote coaching
  • Dos and don’ts of remote management
  • A step-by-step model for delivering quality call-coaching feedback
  • Identifying culture-killing behaviors (the NOT great coaching)
  • A formula for making time to coach the right reps the right amount
  • Building rep confidence
  • Hands-on practice with new skills

As an added bonus, you’ll also get 5 uber helpful coaching cheat sheets!

Watch the video replay!

Leading in a Virtual Environment

Business as usual has changed in recent years, and top leaders are getting out in front in ways beyond work-from-home management. AA-ISP is bringing our community a Factor 8-produced virtual workshop for real-time help, skills, tips, and strategies in a highly interactive virtual training session (not a listen-in-the-background webinar!). Let’s help our front-line leaders manage productivity without micromanagement, ensure preparation for a tough economy, and increase the quantity AND quality of their rep coaching. We’ll go beyond tips to templates, steps, and even remote practice of new skills.

In this session, you’ll learn:

  • How to move floor coaching to remote coaching
  • Dos and don’ts of remote management
  • A step-by-step model for delivering quality call-coaching feedback
  • Identifying culture-killing behaviors (the NOT great coaching)
  • A formula for making time to coach the right reps the right amount
  • Building rep confidence
  • Hands-on practice with new skills

As an added bonus, you’ll also get 5 uber helpful coaching cheat sheets!

Watch the video replay!