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SALES PERFORMANCE AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INSIGHTS FROM AMY FRANKO
Growth Mindset and High-Value Sales Opportunities
How fast you bounce back from adversity depends on a growth mindset. There’s a quote I love from Sir Richard Branson, “business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.” Whenever I hear or see that quote, I think of when I lost a big sales opportunity. It was one of those opportunities where every sign was positive. One of those opportunities with great customer momentum; they loved my approach and the solution I had to offer. This was high value in terms of the type of work, the deal size, and the customer relationship – it would’ve made a big difference to my year. You know those opportunities. The scheduled follow-up call was simply a formality in moving forward. I was excited to take this call! A short seven minutes later, the call was over and I had lost to a competitor. Why did I lose? It came down to one area where they perceived the competitor to have a more compelling...
10 Sales Strategy Books Every Sales Professional Needs to Own
Statistics show that top business leaders read a book a week. They know…. you are what you read.
So, as a sales professional or sales leader, what books are on your bookshelf?
As I consider my own library, there are dozens upon dozens of titles in it you’d recognize. And some that you wouldn’t. Out of all my books, a handful jump out as having made the biggest impact on me as an entrepreneur, sales professional and sales leader.
These are the 10 books I recommend for sales professionals and sales leaders.
Why Your Energy is Important in the Sales Process
Do you bring the right energy to the sales process? This is an especially important question when so much of our business is conducted virtually now. In this episode of the Scale Your Sales podcast, Amy discusses energy with host Janice Gordon. The Scale Your Sales weekly podcast, dedicated to learning from amazing experts and influencers to help you on your sales journey to scale your sales. 00:00 Why Your Energy is Important in the Sales Process. 01:28 With the pandemic, it is necessary to adapt to virtual. 04:33 Why maintaining your positivity and energy are important in the sales process. 05:56 Amy’s book: The Modern Seller, and the entrepreneurial idea behind this book. 09:51 Why as an entrepreneur, the company's growth is based on your ability to build customer relationships. 11:44 Why there is more awareness, more action, and more pressure to get women into a Sales Career. 3:23 Why take the...
A Life You Love: The Modern Seller Podcast
Sales is the BEST JOB EVER! Thanks Jennifer Fisher, MBA for hosting me on "A Life You Love" podcast. On her show, Jennifer tackles sales questions, tips, and tricks while helping you overcome challenges to build a life you love in sales - all while having fun doing it! In this episode, I talked to Jennifer about what it means to be a Modern Seller and the critical skill sets that rise above the rest. About Amy and her journey as a sales leader (2:27) Risk taking (6:10) Writing The Modern Seller (8:57) The five dimensions of The Modern Seller (12:15) A Modern Seller is Agile (15:07) A Modern Seller is Holistic (16:32) A Modern Seller is Entrepreneurial (22:44) The challenge of continued remote work (when you're go-to moves are gone) (26:06) Some final tips (28:24) You can catch Amy on more sales podcasts here.
5 Keys for a Successful Sales Training Methodology
There are some phrases I’m hearing my clients say more often when it comes to sales success. They want to be more data driven. They want to use information and not only instinct. They want better structure. They talk often of needing stronger sales culture. The Future of Sales Needs Fresh Sales Skills A recent Harvard Business Review article, “Reengineering the Recruitment Process,” shares some eye-opening results from a recent Gartner study that should change the way organizations view their sales training strategy. It shares: “A survey of 3,500 managers found that only 29% of new hires have all of the skills required for their current roles, let alone future ones. The research finds that in key functions such as finance, IT, and sales, positions filled today will require up to 10 new skills within 18 months.” I took that to my own network with a recent LinkedIn poll. I asked their opinion on the biggest...
4 Keys to a Winning Sales Culture
Many of my clients are focused on growth as they continue to recover from the pandemic. While performance results varied widely depending on their industry, there’s still a common theme-- they all want to forge ahead and succeed. A healthy sales culture is key to that move forward, as well as thriving in the future. Never has it been more important for both a top-down approach with growth officers and sales officers, but also a bottom-up approach with individual sales professionals to define, own, and foster a sales culture. I also refer to it as a sales growth culture. This article shares some trends and themes around the four key areas I see organizations needing to create a successful sales growth culture. Questions to Ask Yourself about Sales...
Sales Closing Dos and Don’ts
Closing a new sale is never the end of your sales process, but rather the beginning or continuation of your customer relationship. Sales closing is the skill that improves your deal velocity and helps you achieve your sales quota. I find often that sellers and business developers don’t have this skill mastered. Usually it’s due to a combination of mindset and skillset. Sellers see closing as complex, intimidating, and even as something to avoid. I’ve also seen situations where closing a sale is treated as a linear action, and it’s not built into the overall strategy. For example, it only becomes part of the conversation after a big presentation has taken place. Developing your skills with the sales closing keeps...
6 Life Lessons from My Bucket List Trip to Kenya
You never know where you'll learn new life lessons. Before the world shut down earlier this year with the pandemic, my husband Dave and I had the opportunity to travel to Kenya for a “bucket-list” safari trip with friends. I’d done a fair amount of traveling, but not yet to Africa. One of our travel friends is a former zoologist (and now a nurse) -- this was a trip he had been planning in his head for decades. The trip finally became a reality, and Dave and I were lucky enough to be invited along. The adventure was amazing, and the country beautiful. We traveled about 24 hours each way and crossed eight time zones. We visited five diverse regions of the country. We’ve created countless memories, and we hope to return in the future. Writing this post has been on the list ever since returning, but until now, it didn't seem right to blog about travel. I’ll share some of the life lessons I’ve taken away from...
Our Top 5 Sales Posts of 2020
As we begin to bid farewell to 2020 (some might say "good riddance!"), it's the perfect time for reflection. One thing is for certain, this year challenged us all in ways we never expected. Even through the disruption, I'm pleased to say I remained committed to continually growing the thought leadership resources for the sales community, to help you ignite your sales and make a leadership impact. That included producing sales webinars, eBooks, appearing on industry and sales podcasts, and publishing this sales blog-- which I'm proud to say was recognized as a Top 50 Sales Blog by Top Sales World for the third consecutive year. From the dozens of posts in 2020, here’s a recap of the top 5 sales posts that most captured your attention and can provide you with important lessons you can bring with you into the new year. The Future is Now: Top Skills for Sales Leadership Considering the dramatic disruption...
On Gratitude
In the U.S., we’re quickly approaching the Thanksgiving holiday. For many this will look and feel much different from previous holidays, as we continue to adapt to what the pandemic keeps “gifting” us. But one thing is for certain – my gratitude is still as strong as ever. This time last year, my family was dealing with a major health crisis. While on the surface that doesn’t sound like something to be grateful for, there were some lessons and moments that bolstered my gratitude. My perspective on what’s truly important has been permanently shifted for the better. I also had a unique travel opportunity to Kenya earlier this year, before everything shut down. I promise a post before year-end on that experience, because it had some very inspirational surprises. For now, I want to take a moment to share my gratitude for my family, friends, team, business partners, and clients. I’m grateful for the work I get...
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