Full Funnel Freedom

In this episode, we are dissecting the six ways sales leaders steal from their salespeople. Sales leaders are often the high-performing salespeople who get promoted into management positions. At the core, they're salespeople and essentially operate like every other salesperson in their teams. This is why they sometimes unintentionally steal the thunder from their team and struggle to manage the expectations of both senior executives and salespeople.

What You'll Learn:

- Why sales leaders need to stop stealing credit for leads or closes from their salespeople

- How to manage the expectations of senior executives and salespeople

- Why it's never a good idea to try and rescue every sales situation

- Relationship handling and account growing

- How to develop a self-sufficient team

- How to build a team based on trust

Remember that sales management is not a place to get your emotional needs met. Neither is it a place to stroke your ego and rule with an iron fist. The best sales leaders are the ones that manage their emotions, help their sales team succeed, and most importantly, don't steal from their salespeople.

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

This week, we are talking about the two responses to "send me a proposal" every sales leader needs to teach their salespeople to help them stay in control of their sales process for as long as possible. When a prospect asks a salesperson to put together a proposal, it usually sounds like the deal is one step away from closure. However, it's astonishing how salespeople work on a proposal, then blindly send it off to the prospect assuming it will get the go-ahead. And chances are, even after sending a well-crafted proposal, they'll never hear from that prospect ever again.

What You'll Learn:

- Why you need to co-build proposals with your prospects

- How to review your first draft

- Maintaining control over the sales process

- Establishing the "why you and why now"

- Why you always need to have a call to action

- How to get your prospect to commit to the sales process

- Involving the prospect throughout the proposal creation process

We all know that people buy from people. The reason why most salespeople fail to close more deals is their inability to involve the prospect during proposal writing and maintain control of the sales process. Yet, it doesn't have to be like that. As long as you're smart, paying attention to details, presenting something that suits your client's needs and involve them throughout the process, everything else will automatically fall in place.

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, we are talking about the seven words sales leaders can use to create clarity and motivation. Salespeople work best when using their creativity, discretion and judgment to solve problems and get work done. The best sales leaders encourage this engagement, create clarity and know it's part of their job to help their team grow and evolve.

What You'll Learn:

- The seven words you need to use when managing

- How to lead with clarity

- The benefits of managing a highly motivated team

- How to have an emotional conversation without being too emotional

- The best sales role-play exercises

- Power questions for your sales team

- Why your team members need to have a well-defined next step

When it comes to managing an effective sales team, a lot of emphasis is put on seeing the big picture and leading by example. However, words are equally as important, especially when people are looking for inspiration, guidance or reassurance. Further, using the right words at the right moment will enhance the impact of your messaging.

Resources:

- Asking Questions the Sandler Way https://www.hamish.sandler.com/resources/sandler-books/asking-questions-sandler-way

- 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 will talk about how we can make our interviews much more effective and weed out bad-fit candidates. In the current economic landscape, there is no shortage of candidates for just about any sales position, which is why most sales leaders assume they can seamlessly find the best candidate for the job in no time. However, it's rarely that simple. There is always the possibility that you might end up hiring the wrong person.

What You'll Learn:

- How to find and hire the best sales candidate

- How to check for compatibility in a candidate

- The red flags you should be on the lookout for

- The financial implications of a bad hire

- Why you need to keep your phone interviews short

- How to verify a candidate's past performance

- How to build a structured hiring process

- Manage excitement and anxiety during the hiring process

It never makes sense to waste time and money training and developing your sales team if the people in the team are not the best fit. Unfortunately, no level of investing in the sales processes, training, attractive incentive plans, technology, or marketing support will make them improve. The only thing that can be done is hiring the best-fit individuals right off the bat. And it all starts with building a structured hiring process and having a competent individual doing the hiring.

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, I will explain why your turnover starts during the onboarding process. Many organizations underestimate the benefits of seamless onboarding, and prefer to instead focus on retention. While retention is crucial for sales success, first impressions do matter. Companies that solely focus on hiring or retention activities tend to miss the first impression mark, which results in a domino effect of negative internal influences, which then often leads to higher turnover rates.

What You'll Learn:

- Why an effective onboarding process is so important and how it saves you money

- How to allow new hires to reach their full potential faster

- How to ensure everybody is on the same page from day one

- The importance of highlighting role-specific skills

- How to set clear performance expectations

- The link between successful onboarding and employee retention

Successful onboarding is essential because it acclimates employees to their role, the company's philosophies, and what is expected of them. Businesses that invest proper finances, time, and efforts in implementing effective and comprehensive onboarding experiences have higher productivity, employee engagement, and, best of all, employee retention.

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, we talk about how sales leaders can get the right people on their sales teams. Most sales managers ignore the fact that having the right people in the team starts at the moment you decide it's the right time to hire new salespeople. Having the best people on the team will have larger, company-wide effects. Therefore, a watertight sales hiring framework will save you money, reduce turnover, and help you nurture a world-class, revenue-producing sales team.

What You'll Learn:

- How to nail down your ideal candidate profile

- Why sales hiring strategy is important

- What to look for when hiring new salespeople

- How to hire for the task

- Be clear about what you mean by "relevant experience"

- How to write the roles and responsibilities document

- How to write succinct job descriptions

- The differences between the non-negotiable, need to have, and the nice to have attributes

- How to listen for clues and red flags

When putting together a sales team, it's a no-brainer that you'd want to recruit only the best. The sea of applicants you'll receive must be weeded through before settling on the selected few, who then must come in for an interview. However, hiring salespeople can be tricky because candidates can be great at selling themselves, but not necessarily great at selling your products or services.

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, we will go through practical steps to building and running an effective sales team. Building an effective sales team involves hiring the right salespeople, providing the best selling tools, and giving them all the information about the product they're selling. However, building is entirely different from running a team, which is what we'll focus on in this episode.

What You'll Learn:

- Building vs. running an effective sales team

- Why you need to understand that every salesperson is different

- The three Ps of leadership

- Why creating clarity is a sales leader's most important duty

- How to encourage quality sales conversations

- The three Cs of running an effective team

- How to create a sales culture that's more than just about hitting quotes

If you want to build and scale a top-notch sales team that drives company growth, consistently wins new clients and expands existing ones, you need to develop a sales team with intent. When done right, your sales team will enrich your company's culture and help grow the company to insane heights.

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

Today we explain why upselling is a dirty word in sales. Companies use upsells to boost revenue and spark faster growth. Historically, the traditional buyer didn't see upsells as an issue. But today's buyer views upsells as opportunities for salespeople to sell more instead of adding value to the client. This is why top sales people prefer going after expansion opportunities rather than upsells.

What You'll Learn:

- How to create expansion instead of upselling opportunities

- Solving problems and increasing customer satisfaction

- The power of storytelling when asking for expansion opportunities

- How to become a trusted advisor to your client

- Why you need to choose the right expansion opportunity

- How to personalize expansion stories

- Creating urgency and providing social proof

- How to add value to your selling

We've all likely come across some form of expansion strategy before. Some restaurants might get you to upsize your meal, or your internet provider suggested add-ons on top of your primary coverage. The interesting thing is that most people never seem to complain about these things as long as the opportunity is personalized and relevant to our current value.

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, we're talking about why honoring your clients is vital to your pipeline. Your clients are investing a lot of money in your product or service. They might be nervous about the efficacy of the product or service, and so it's your duty to squash their worries by personalizing and elevating their experiences.

Unfortunately, most sales leaders treat their customers like items on an assembly line; they move them along, take their money and shift focus to the next prospect.

What You'll Learn:

- What honoring your clients means for your business

- The unique benefits of having quarterly reviews with clients

- Why you need to give introductions to your clients

- How to build relationships with people in your client's organization

- Setting clear goals and expectations

- Why you should never under-communicate

For the most part, sales teams are caught up flooding their pipelines with the next batch of leads immediately after a deal is closed. However, we all know that the most valuable part of a pipeline is the already existing customer, so it makes sense to take care of them. It's always a great feeling knowing that your client fixed a pain point and got the outcome they wanted.

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

Today we discuss three ways in which quality delivery can create full funnel freedom. In business, quality delivery is everything, yet everybody seems to have their own idea of what quality is.

What your client hopes to get from a new purchase might not necessarily be what you plan to deliver. Thus, it always pays to clarify expectations immediately after a deal is closed.

What You'll Learn:

- How to guarantee quality delivery of products and services

- Setting clear expectations of what your client will get from the deal

- The benefits of scheduling quarterly reviews immediately

- How to set up a warm handoff to the delivery team

- Providing tools for the delivery team to uncover new opportunities with a client

- Why you need to think long term and factor in customer success

- How to deliver contextual-based support

- The benefits of personalizing the customer journey

Deals are closed for results. Buyers expect that what they're paying for will solve a particular problem within the allocated time and for a specific cost. Nevertheless, quality results that satisfy expectations are possible by agreeing on mutually understood objectives, requirements and specifications.

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