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SALES PERFORMANCE AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INSIGHTS FROM AMY FRANKO
Podcast: Sales Objections and How to Turn Pushback into Progress
Objections are an inevitable—and valuable—part of the sales process. In this episode of the Sales Reinvented podcast, host Paul Watts and I discuss why it’s essential to welcome objections from prospects. Often, objections reflect concerns around value, trust, or priorities. Identifying which category the objection falls into can guide how you respond. I offer actionable strategies to help you handle objections with confidence. Some highlights: Common objections salespeople face (0:58) The biggest mistake(s) salespeople make (3:10) How to respond to objections (4:31) The role of empathy in handling objections (7:05) How to handle objections with confidence (9:06) Amy’s dos and don’ts for handling objections (11:32) Turning a challenging objection into a sale (15:01) You can listen to the episode here: Would you like to your sales team to progress in 2025? Don’t let your competition get an...
How Self-Awareness in Sales Transforms Your Approach
Self-awareness in sales helps you understand how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors shape your actions and results. Pair it with self-leadership, and you'll show clients you're the right choice. ****** Mastering Sales Through Reflection Sales is very much a forward-looking profession, whether that is a new quota goal for the sales year, or helping a client look forward in their business. What I’ve learned through working with my clients and with my own experience as a seller is that there’s a helpful skill that requires us to look back instead of forward: self-awareness. In all of the years I’ve been writing this blog (since 2007), my post on self-leadership is the #1 most-read blog on the site. Self-awareness is closely related to self-leadership, but has some distinct differences. What is Self-Awareness in Sales, and How Is It Different from Self-Leadership? Self-awareness is the inward...
Video: 3 Steps to Learning a New Sales Skill
Whether you're learning a brand-new sales skill or refining an advanced technique, the journey to mastery typically unfolds in three distinct phases: awareness, application, and integration. Each phase builds upon the last, helping you transform a skill from a concept into a natural part of your sales toolkit. 1. Awareness: The Foundation Awareness is where the learning journey begins. It’s about understanding why a particular skill is valuable and what it takes to execute it effectively. This phase involves breaking down the mechanics—what are the steps, processes, and strategies involved? By developing a clear picture of the skill, you lay the groundwork for successful learning. 2. Application: Practicing in Real-Time Once you understand the skill, the next step is application. This involves practicing the skill in real-world or simulated scenarios. Role-playing sales conversations, for example, allows...
Top 10 Sales Strategy Takeaways from OutBound 2024
OutBound 2024 was packed with powerful insights on mastering the craft of selling! From AI’s role in prospecting to perfecting the fundamentals, here are my top 10 takeaways to sharpen your sales strategy and drive results. ****** OutBound 2024 is officially wrapped! What an awesome week of learning, networking, and motivation. As a keynote speaker, I always learn just as much as the attendees about the craft of selling, growing leadership skills, and the future of the profession. I’m sharing my OutBound 2024 Top 10 List. 10. This was an intentionally smaller conference, and I believe our best one yet. I shared the stage with several of the stars of the profession, and it was one of those events where I also got to know many of the attendees. I believe that speaker-attendee networking is the secret sauce of OutBound. 9. Role play it to get better at it. Nothing like role-playing a prospecting call, and...
Video: The Essential Role of Client Success in the Renewals Business
For sales organizations with a strong focus on renewals or maintaining a steady client base, a robust Client Success function is crucial to long-term success. While Client Success isn't the same as Sales, it operates alongside it to sustain client relationships, identify opportunities, and drive growth from within the existing client base. Why Client Success Matters for Renewal-Based Models In industries where products or services renew on a regular schedule—such as annual contracts or technology subscriptions—Client Success is the backbone of relationship management. From onboarding to ongoing support, Client Success ensures each client feels valued and has a positive experience with your organization, reducing the risk of churn. Key Functions of Client Success Client Success teams or individuals work to resolve potential issues and maintain consistent touchpoints with clients throughout their contract...
Sales Strategy: Use This Data Framework for Any Sales or Leadership Decision
Sales leaders: overwhelmed by data? This article introduces a sales strategy using a Data Framework to help cut through the noise. Learn how to balance data with context, avoid overload, and make confident, impact-driven decisions. ******** There’s usually no shortage of data in a sales organization. CRM metrics, forecasting data, deal velocity, revenue and profitability, marketing activity, industry-specific data, and research data are but a few. There are probably more you can add to this list! As it relates to data, I have a customer experience colleague who would talk about “using both the head and heart” when it comes to running an organization and finding balance with data. That includes interacting with customers, working with business partners, living in the greater community, or guiding internal teams. There are so many sources of data, how do we use it smartly to guide our sales decisions? How...
Podcast: Boosting Sales with Pipeline Velocity
In this episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, Jeb Blount, Jr. and I discuss pipeline velocity, qualifying deals, and the importance of asking the right questions in sales. Some highlights: Defining Velocity with Quality (00:12) Balancing Pipeline Quantity and Quality (02:45) Strategies for Declining Low-Quality Opportunities (07:03) Overcoming the Need for Approval in Sales (10:42) Overcoming Inertia (11:22) Identifying Sales Bottlenecks in Complex Offerings (15:38) Real-world Examples of Successful Pipeline Building (19:20) Outbound Conference Preview (24:45) You can listen to the episode here: Would you like to build your sales pipeline? Don’t let your competition get an advantage. I can help. If you want to know how to improve your prospecting strategies or you’d like an outside perspective, let’s talk. Contact me to schedule a conversation.
Video: Why Momentum Matters in Sales Strategy
Momentum is one of the most powerful tools in sales. When a sales process has momentum, it drives opportunities forward, keeping client connections strong and deal pipelines healthy. But momentum doesn’t just matter for individual deals—it’s crucial for sales strategy itself. After the initial excitement of creating a vision for where you want your sales and business growth to be in a year or two, it’s easy for that enthusiasm to fade. Without momentum, a well-crafted strategy can stall, impacting overall success. So, how can you ensure your sales strategy stays on track and achieves the impact you envisioned? 1. Identify Where Momentum Could Stall First, recognize where your strategy might lose steam. This could be due to gaps in accountability, shifting priorities, or even limitations in infrastructure, whether in personnel, process, or technology. Understanding these areas allows you to tackle...
Identify And Eliminate 4th Quarter Sales Distractions
It's easy to let sales distractions take you and your team off track in Q4. But as a sales leader, now is the time to refocus on revenue-producing elements like target accounts, decision makers, and effective messaging. You will empower your team to identify and eliminate distractions, emphasizing the need to operate with strategic speed and create an environment that fosters success for impactful sales activities. ***** I was working with a client on fourth-quarter sales strategies, one being prospecting. Not only the tactical skill of reaching decision makers, but the account strategy and consistency practices that create true forward progress and meaningful results. The conversation veered toward tracking activity. On the surface this was a valuable part of the conversation, but as we dug deeper into it, getting the mechanics and technology right began to overshadow the substantive sales activity....
Video: Maximize Your Sales Conference Strategy with Curated Events
As sales professionals and leaders start planning conference budgets for the upcoming year, it’s important to consider how to make the most out of each event. Having recently wrapped up a conference, I’ve realized that one of the most impactful elements of a successful conference strategy is incorporating smaller, curated events. Here are the key takeaways you should keep in mind when structuring your own conference plans. The Power of Curated Events One of the biggest advantages of attending a smaller, curated event is the quality of the connections you can make. At a recent event, I had the opportunity to engage with 20 to 30 decision-makers and leaders in a specific market that my business serves. In a larger conference setting, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd, but a more intimate environment allows for deeper conversations and relationship-building. These individualized relationships can turn into...
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