🎓   Work Smarter and Harder
đź’Ş Â Â Effort, Indicators, Results
đź’ˇ Â Â Management Is Humbling
🎓 Work Smarter and Harder
“Work smarter, not harder” is good advice for almost every job, except in sales. Sales has to work smarter and harder.
Nothing can replace the hard work of selling. Sales is a job that requires showing up and doing the work every single day.
The foundation of an effective sales organization is hard work. But it’s not just dumb, hard work. Sales is a numbers game that requires intelligence. Think of it as effort with finesse. One without the other, and sales doesn’t happen.
Numbers reveal how and where to improve the system. In 2007, I saw David Berman, then President of WebEx, speak at a conference. He demonstrated how WebEx had compressed its sales cycle from ninety to twenty-one days.
David’s message still resonates with me: Strip away everything that causes a delay in the sales cycle. Optimize for messaging, conversion rates, outreach, and tactics. But don’t reduce volume.
Jerry Seinfeld attributes his success to taking a blue-collar mindset to writing new material every day. He said, “I realized construction workers don’t want to go back to work after lunch. But they’re going. That’s their job. If they can exhibit that level of dedication for that job I should be able to do the same.”
A strong sales organization is both smart and consistent.
đź’ŞÂ Effort, Indicators, Results
When starting something new, you can’t measure performance based on results. Instead, break your measurement system into three stages:
- Effort
- Indicators
- Results
Based on our research and experience, a sales funnel takes nine months to fill. This is fairly consistent across industries with an average size sale of $10,000 to $100,000.
A new salesperson can’t be expected to hit quota in ninety days. Instead, measure their development in stages.
The first stage is activity: Measure for effort. What steps is the rep taking to learn the products, understand the market, and develop their pipeline?
Within three to six months, activity starts to produce leading indicators. This can be measured by the number of active opportunities or quotes. The rep may even have a few deals under their belt and is gaining traction.
Finally, the results follow, and they achieve sales targets.
Sales is a universal example because it’s so quantifiable, but the three stages — effort, indicators, and results — apply in almost any new venture.
By measuring to the appropriate stage, you adapt faster. You don’t have to wait for a result to know if you’re on track.
đź“ŠÂ One Stat to Watch
$0
I’ve had a guaranteed base salary of $0 for 22 years. Every entrepreneur understands this number. It may sound like a risk, but it’s the freedom to create something amazing.
💡 Management Is Humbling
Looking back over my career, nothing has been more humbling than learning to lead.
Managing people is hard AF. It’s a lifelong commitment, and I am convinced the lessons never end. Whether a business has 10 or 10,000 employees, people issues are a constant.
As you lead, you see patterns and parallels. No two situations are alike, but they’re not all that different either. These experiences are invaluable because they hone your awareness and responsiveness. Each builds on the last, giving you a chance to improve your leadership abilities.
At the same time, you can’t rest on your laurels. As long as you are growing your business, your learning never stops. My mentor used to say, “The ability for a business to grow is dependent on the ability of the entrepreneur to change.”
Instead of resenting the challenges of management, treat it as a craft:
- How do you positively and productively procure results through others?
- How do you evolve your leadership and management skills to not only serve where your business is at, but where it’s going?
🤔 Thoughts on Today’s Issue?
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