Full Funnel Freedom

Trade shows are among the best places you can find, land, and even close prospects. The attendees are people who are actually interested in your product or service, and the fact that they've paid the attendance fee means they potentially have the budget to spend. Unfortunately, not many sales teams get the most out of these opportunities. Today's episode will go through ideas and insights around how you can make trade shows a much more successful vehicle for creating full funnel freedom.

What You'll Learn:

- How to get a better ROI from trade shows

- Why trade shows should not be selling events and what they should be instead

- How to book appointments with prospects at a trade show

- The 5-30-90 Tradeshow Selling Framework

- How to handle unqualified leads at a trade show

- How to differentiate between a suspect and a prospect at a trade show

- When and how to give your prospects a brochure

- How to make attendees earn your product information

Trade show exhibitions are expensive. From getting the booth, working on the display, preparing the materials you will need at the show, and even traveling to the venue, all that requires money. This is why it's important to make sure you make the best ROI possible. Whether the event is virtual or in-person, the strategies in this episode will help you get the most bang for your buck the next time you set up a booth at a tradeshow.

Resources:

- The Sandler Summit 2023 https://www.hamish.sandler.com/orlando

- Sandler on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sandlerinyyc/

- Sandler in Calgary - www.hamish.sandler.com/howtosandler

- Full Funnel Freedom https://fullfunnelfreedom.com

- Connect with Hamish Knox on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/

Today's guest Justin Roff-Marsh is the author of The Machine: A Radical Approach to the Design of the Sales Function. He is also the founder and CEO of Ballistix, an international management consultancy specializing in Sales Process Engineering. Justin shares insights into how organizations can consistently make a tonne of money by simply re-engineering their sales processes and adopting a radical sales approach.

What You'll Learn:

- Why the top organizations focus on having fewer field salespeople

- How to cultivate a team-based approach to sales

- Effective leadership using management by numbers

- Why commission models are never effective in sales

- Understanding the radical approach to sales

- Process-oriented leadership and why it's so effective

- How to improve the outcome of selling conversations

- How to improve your team's overall productivity

- Why leaders need to manage for consistency instead of output

- The engineering approach to processing information

If you've been in sales for the last 20 years, you'll have noticed that organizations have upped their ability to produce while struggling to boost their ability to sell. You'll also have noticed that buyers no longer like interacting with traditional salespeople. Justin believes that the sales manager of the future is one who's prepared to wrestle sales away from autonomous field-based salespeople in favor of a highly efficient team of specialists.

Resources:

- Ballistix https://ballistix.com/

- Justin Roff-Marsh: The Machine: A Radical Approach to the Design of the Sales Function https://www.amazon.com/Machine-Radical-Approach-Design-Function/dp/1626342245/

- The Sandler Summit 2023 https://www.hamish.sandler.com/orlando

- Sandler on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sandlerinyyc/

- Sandler in Calgary - www.hamish.sandler.com/howtosandler

- Full Funnel Freedom https://fullfunnelfreedom.com

- Connect with Hamish Knox on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/

In today's episode, we talk about the effectiveness of power strokes in keeping your team motivated when creating full funnel freedom. Simply put, a power stroke is a psychological unit of recognition. They can be positive, negative or rubber band, which starts off positive and ends up negative like a rubber band snapping back. Today, we are going into the details of using power strokes in your sales team.

What You'll Learn:

- Definition of power strokes

- How power strokes help with keeping your team motivated

- Understanding your team's need for recognition

- The types of strokes readily available for today's leaders

- The consequences of stroke deprivation

- How to custom your strokes for different types of individuals in your team

- Handwritten strokes and why they are so effective

- Why you need to track changes and the efficacy of your power strokes

- Tell-tale signs your power strokes are motivating your team

The interesting thing is that all individuals require a certain number of strokes per day. It doesn't matter if it's a positive or a negative stroke, we all crave the attention that comes with being recognized. Unfortunately, not many leaders practice giving out power strokes to their team members every day, and the ones that do are not that intentional about it. Here's the thing, the high-archiving salespeople want to work for someone who supports, motivates and recognizes them as well.

Links and Resources:

- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322

- The High 5 Habit by Mel Robbins https://www.amazon.com/High-Habit-Take-Control-Simple/dp/B09DTFV5FH/

- Sandler in Calgary https://www.hamish.sandler.com/howtosandler

- Full Funnel Freedom https://fullfunnelfreedom.com

- Connect with Hamish Knox on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/

- Connect with Hamish Knox on Twitter https://twitter.com/sandlerinyyc

In today's episode, our guest Shannon Millar Hopkins shares her insights around how we can achieve full-funnel freedom without burning out. Shannon boasts 15 years of SaaS selling experience and is the current Regional Vice President of Sales at BetterUp. We dive deep into how the top salespeople transition from field sales into sales leadership, decision fatigue in sales, and how sales leaders can spot a skinny sales funnel.

What You'll Learn:

- How to ease the transition from field sales into sales leadership

- The link between resilience and sales success

- Leadership 101: How to say 'No' while still inspiring people

- How to teach your team to sometimes say no

- Why time is your most valuable asset in sales

- How to recognize a skinny sales funnel

- Understanding decision fatigue in sales

- The importance of having patience in sales

Sales burnout is real. It may not be noticeable at first, but often there comes the point in sales when you feel emotionally drained, stuck, and engulfed with negativity. It gets even worse when simple sales tasks feel like chores, and suddenly, the sales quota that you could previously crash with ease now seems like a burdensome task. Fortunately, there is hope. Tune in as Shannon Hopkins shares her resiliency journey on how to spot and overcome sales burnout.

Resources

- BetterUp - https://www.betterup.com/?hsLang=en

- Sandler in Calgary - www.hamish.sandler.com/howtosandler

- The Sweet Spot How to Accomplish More by Doing Less - https://www.christinecarter.com/the-sweet-spot-book/

- The Burnout Fix - https://www.drjacintajimenez.com/theburnoutfix

- Full Funnel Freedom https://fullfunnelfreedom.com

- Connect with Hamish Knox on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/

- Connect with Hamish Knox on Twitter https://twitter.com/sandlerinyyc

It's a no-brainer that a one size fits all approach is ineffective when it comes to sales compensation plans. A compensation plan must be custom designed based on a rep's role within the team, the sales cycle length, and the rep's level of seniority. At its core, a sales compensation plan is a structured system that helps determine how much a sales rep earns based on several pre-set metrics. So how can you design an effective framework that covers every single one of your reps?

What You'll Learn:

- How to create an effective sales compensation plan

- How to design effective and practical compensation systems

- Measuring the effectiveness of a compensation plan

- Methods and strategies used to motivate sales professionals

- Negative effects of having an ineffective sales compensation framework

- Misconceptions around compensation plans

- Why you need accountability and clarity when designing a compensation plan

Sales compensation plans are designed to drive performance and increase revenue. This is the primary reason why the top-performing reps are attracted to plans which reward high performance admirably. In contrast, if your plan rewards top and underperforming reps equally, you'll end up with a demotivated team, high turnover and increased associated costs.

Resources:

- Sandler in Calgary https://www.hamish.sandler.com/howtosandler

- Justin Roff Marsh https://justinroffmarsh.com/

- Full Funnel Freedom https://fullfunnelfreedom.com

- Connect with Hamish Knox on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/

- Connect with Hamish Knox on Twitter https://twitter.com/sandlerinyyc

In today's episode, I speak to Devon Guillard, the CMO and managing partner at F12.net, a Canadian IP provider focused on offloading risk and complexity for small and midsize businesses. We talk about Devon's journey from IT tech into sales leadership, full-funnel freedom in a muddy market, and why the best salespeople only focus on the things within their control.

What You'll Learn:

- How to create full-funnel freedom in a muddy market

- How an IT tech expert can transition into the world of sales

- Why you need to only focus on the things you can control

- Understanding the benefits of having systems and processes in place

- Why you need to celebrate all movements in your sales pipeline

- Sales strategies for your ideal client persona

- Positive selling credentials and why they are so important

- How to differentiate yourself in the core of your business

The good news is that everyone can have a crack at sales and be successful. The not-so-good news is that the learning curve can be pretty steep. Devon explains that, although a techie can be quite conversant with your goods or services, they may not be the best at people skills. This is why all technology experts transitioning into sales must be taught the soft skills that are synonymous with the top salespeople.

Resources:

- Devon's linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/devon-gillard-3144a92/

- F12.net https://f12.net/

- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein https://davidepstein.com/the-range/

- Full Funnel Freedom https://fullfunnelfreedom.com

- Connect with Hamish Knox on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/

- Connect with Hamish Knox on Twitter https://twitter.com/sandlerinyyc

In today's episode, we'll be sharing ideas and insights around the sales year and revealing how the top sales leaders keep their teams motivated throughout the sales year.

The sales year might sound like this long 12-month sales cycle, yet it's simply the amount of time it takes for you to close a deal within a fiscal year. For some salespeople, that's six months. For others, it could be a year. You simply have to measure from the moment you first contact a prospect to when a salesperson's commission hits the bank.

What You'll Learn:

- The definition of a sales year

- What to do when you encounter a bloated pipeline

- How to handle prospect pushbacks

- How to keep your salespeople motivated during the entire sales year

- Where to find quick wins for your salespeople

- Key signs of a bloated funnel

- How to revitalize dormant sales conversations

Keeping your sales team motivated for the entirety of the sales year can be extremely difficult. For example, if your sales year lasts ten months, your salespeople will have to wait at least 11 months before the commissions start trickling in. So what can you do to keep your team members motivated throughout that period? Tune in to find out.

Resources:

- Full Funnel Freedom https://fullfunnelfreedom.com

- Connect with Hamish Knox on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/

- Connect with Hamish Knox on Twitter https://twitter.com/sandlerinyyc

In this episode, our guest Caleb Pierce shares insights and ideas around accurate sales forecasting. Caleb is the Vice President of revenue optimization for AFTI WatchDog, a low-cost oil well monitoring and pipeline leak detection system.

At its core, sales forecasts are probable assumptions based on data. They won't be perfect, but accurate sales forecasts are almost as important as hitting the revenue target itself. Moreover, the more accurate your forecasts are, the easier it is to make smarter decisions about essential business operations like goal-setting, budgeting, hiring, and cash flow management.

What You'll Learn:

- What sales forecasts are and why they are important

- The link between sales forecasts and business success

- How to reduce sales friction

- Upfront contracts, agreements and outcomes

- How to ask for introductions from your contact people

- Warning signs of a leaky sales pipeline

- Mindsets and proactive activities for full funnel freedom

- Dealing with rejection in sales

- How to weed out your sales funnel

Sales forecasting is almost like weather forecasting. The data can predict a sunny day, but then it rains later in the evening. This means that although it's almost impossible for a sales team to predict future sales perfectly, with rigorous sales forecasting they can get pretty close. However, care should be taken when forecasting your pipeline, because unrealistic expectations can really hurt your sales team.

Resources:

- AFTI - https://afti.ca/

- Predictable Revenue - https://www.amazon.ca/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices-Salesforce-com/dp/0984380213

- School of Greatness - https://lewishowes.com/sogpodcast/

- Never Eat Alone - https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=never+eat+alone

- The Infinite Game - https://simonsinek.com/the-infinite-game

- Tech Powered Sales - https://www.amazon.ca/Technology-Quotient-Tony-Hughes/dp/140022652X

- Full Funnel Freedom https://fullfunnelfreedom.com

- Connect with Hamish Knox on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/

- Connect with Hamish Knox on Twitter https://twitter.com/sandlerinyyc

In this episode, we talk about managing performance whiplash in your team. All sales leaders can attest to the frustrations that arise when one or two team members aren't doing what's expected of them. It's even more frustrating when these individuals do so several times a week. However, ensuring employees repeatedly deliver desired results can be challenging. As leaders, the first step to handling performance whiplash is being clear with your expectations and letting inconsistent employees choose to "self-select" if they won't perform.

What You'll Learn:

- 4 best practices for managing performance whiplash

- Corporate culture and how it affects employee consistency

- Why you need to be clear with your expectations

- Introducing the consequence ladder in your team

- How to deal with inconsistent team members

- The primary causes of inconsistent performance

- How to ensure and encourage consistency

- Why poor performance is the manager's fault

Everybody experiences bad days every once in a while and that's understandable. We are all human. Some days are fantastic and some are awful. What we don't want are those bad days becoming a regular occurrence and not doing anything about it. As a sales leader, you want team members that deliver consistent, reliable, high-quality performance that you can count on every day.

Resources:

- Full Funnel Freedom https://fullfunnelfreedom.com

- Connect with Hamish Knox on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/

- Connect with Hamish Knox on Twitter https://twitter.com/sandlerinyyc

In today's episode, Evan Santa from CommerceBear shares ideas and insights around building sales teams that can consistently create full-funnel freedom. Evan is a talented and experienced sales leader having helped build sales teams in some of the world's leading companies, including TouchBistro and VidYard. He goes through some of the techniques he used to create successful sales teams and reveals the key defining traits of a top sales performer.

What You'll Learn:

- Why building the ultimate sales team starts at recruiting

- How to identify and mold the team lead

- Why the #1 sales killer is ambiguity

- VidYard's strategy for building efficient sales teams

- How to remove friction from your sales cycle

- When and how to talk about pricing during a sales conversation

- How to diagnose your sales pipeline to increase performance

- Why elite mentality is very difficult to teach

Building the ultimate sales team starts at recruiting and continues throughout the employee lifecycle. Unfortunately, most sales leaders incorrectly assume that hiring more salespeople equals more revenue. They don't realize that building teams is not a numbers game, and one bad hire could be detrimental to a team's success. Evan affirms that in this highly competitive business environment, you're only as good as your sales team. So, you need to have the right people on board if you're ever going to be successful.

Resources:

- Commercebear.com https://www.commercebear.com/

- Evan's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/evansanta/

- Full Funnel Freedom https://fullfunnelfreedom.com

- Connect with Hamish Knox on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/

- Connect with Hamish Knox on Twitter https://twitter.com/sandlerinyyc