Category Archives: Sales managers

Why Salespeople are Ditching Your New Sales Presentation

February 1, 2018 Julie Hansen Leave a comment

Your marketing department just invested a lot of time and money creating a dazzling new presentation for the sales team. So why, three months later, is no one using it?! Here are just a few of the reasons I hear from salespeople: “There’s too much information in it. It’s not my style. It’s already out of date. I can never find what I need…” While there’s some validity to these claims, when salespeople “go rogue,” (i.e., use a hodgepodge of content or throw out the presentation all together), key messages get lost, and quality and accuracy suffer – along with the customer and the opportunity. Sales or Marketing? Who is responsible? Despite all the talk of the disconnect between sales and marketing, both share a common goal: communicating the value of your solution in a way that drives the customer to take action. And sales and marketing also both play Read More

Executive Presence, Sales managers

Executive Presence (When you Don’t Wear Black Turtlenecks)

November 7, 2017 Julie Hansen 1 Comment

Steve Jobs raised the bar on public speaking and executive presence for all of us. Even acclaimed Irish actor Michael Fassbender felt unequal to the task of portraying the legend in the film, Steve Jobs, telling his driver on the way to rehearsals: “You should slam it. It should cause a break and it should get me out of this gig.” So you’re not an actor. You don’t (always) wear a black turtleneck. And you don’t have weeks to spend obsessively rehearsing for every speaking engagement. Is it still possible to exhibit the executive presence necessary to win over important clients, rally the troops, or engage a large audience? The short answer is “yes.” After all, if you’re alive and taking up space, you have presence. The question is a matter of degree and expression. Do you have enough presence to command the attention of two people, or two-hundred? And Read More

Acting tips, Role-play, Sales managers

5 Sales Role-Play Tips for Success from the Theater

October 13, 2016 Julie Hansen 2 Comments

Sales Reps hate to role-play. But you knew that, right? Done well, role-play can be an exceptionally powerful tool in helping sales reps master communication skills and navigate many changes in products, customers, and competition they continually face. Unfortunately, approaching it with a gallows-like resolve as most sales reps do, limits the opportunity to get the real transformative benefits that role-play can produce. What Sales Role-play Tips can help? Look no farther than your local theater. Stages across the world consistently churn out winning performances using role-play as their primary tool. Applying a few fundamentals from the theater to your sales role-play will greatly increase your sales reps’ understanding and confidence in the process and provide them with valuable insights they can apply immediately in the field. 5 Sales Role-play Tips for Success from the Theater: Clarify expectations. Making sure everyone is clear about the goal of the role-play is key. Keep Read More

Role-play, Sales managers

Get Real Results from Sales Role Play (psst..the secret is in the casting)

December 4, 2014 Julie Hansen Leave a comment

Actors love to work with director Clint Eastwood for good reason: “He expects you to know what you’re doing. And he’s going to take two giant steps back and let you do it,” says Morgan Freeman. But some Hollywood directors are notoriously difficult to work with. Kate Winslet said that working with James Cameron on Titanic was “an ordeal” after nearly drowning and chipping a bone in her elbow. As the director of your sales role-play, you control the experience and ultimately the results for your team. In Part 1 of this series on sales role-play, we laid out how to Set the Stage for success by setting clear expectations and selecting a specific customer and opportunity. Now you’re ready to cast your sales role-play. Sales role-play: the secret is in the casting Take a lesson from acting and don’t thrust salespeople into the spotlight without giving them some tips Read More