Improving Sales Performance

At Improving Sales Performance, we are proud to be celebrating Women in Sales Month once again.  

For all of October, we have an amazing slate of women sales leaders who will be sharing their unique insights.  

From offering advice for sales managers new and old to surveying the anticipated landscape of sales in the years ahead, when it comes to Improving Sales Performance, these ladies know how it's done. 

Joining Matt for the entire month is Stephanie Downs, SVP & Senior Consultant at The Center for Sales Strategy. 

In this episode, Matt and Stephanie are joined by Jenn Scilabro, Senior Vice President Local Digital Sales at Nexstar Digital, and Traci Wilkinson, Senior Vice President/Regional Manager Broadcasting at Nexstar Media INC. 

Together, Traci and Jenn share so many amazing observations. Such as: 

• The vital importance of maintaining customer relationships 
• Why leading from inspiration will always beat leading from fear 
• And how to be the type of sales leader that your salespeople want to take out on calls 

ABOUT IMPROVING SALES PERFORMANCE: 
Improving Sales Performance is hosted by Matt Sunshine who speaks with guests that are thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus, to share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance.   

CONNECT: 

CSS: 

https://www.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/ 

Matt Sunshine: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattsunshine/ 

 
Stephanie Downs:  

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniewdowns/ 

Jenn Scilabro: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennscilabro/ 

 
Traci Wilkinson: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/traciwilkinson/ 

 
TIMESTAMPS: 

2:24 From your point of view what are the things you look at in the sales dept that let you know that you are on track? In other words, what are the 3 to 5 Key Performance indicators you pay attention to? 

4:18 Retention vs. New Business Are we churning out salespeople?  

5:12 What should sales managers be focused on? Think of it in terms of big rocks or highest priorities that they should be focusing on? Revenue of course, but what else? 

5:28 Talent/growth and personal relationships. 

6:12 Recruitment has to be an on ongoing part of everyday duties 

6:26 How do we create the next generation of sellers? 

7:32 Nexstar has a lot of markets 

8:53 It’s crucial to understand the needs of the local markets 

10:54 How has the role of sales managers changed in the past 5 years? 

11:06 The complexity of our products 

11:50 What are the road blocks that we can take away? 

13:04 Describe a great sales leader 

13:17 Sales leaders who lead from fear vs. Those who lead from inspiration 

14:40 Think of your team like a baseball team 

15:30 Advice to a brand new sales leader 

15:43 Always be read to do exactly what you’re asking them to do 

16:30 Learn your audience 

17:50 Be the type of sales leader that your salespeople want to take out on calls.  

18:43 3-5 years ahead what do you anticipate changing in sales departments?  

19:06 We have to de-silo 

21:59 What’s not going to change 

22:52 Final thoughts 

At Improving Sales Performance, we are proud to be celebrating Women in Sales Month once again.  

For all of October, we have an amazing slate of women sales leaders who will be sharing their unique insights.  

From offering advice for sales managers new and more experienced to surveying the anticipated landscape of sales in the years ahead, when it comes to Improving Sales Performance, these ladies know how it's done. 

Joining Matt for the entire month is Stephanie Downs, SVP & Senior Consultant at The Center for Sales Strategy. 

In this episode, Matt and Stephanie are joined by Nicki Harkrider-Probey, VP, Local Revenue Officer at TEGNA 

Nicki brings so many awesome points to the table. Such as:  

• The importance of fostering a culture of engagement amongst your sales teams 
• Having and maintaining your core purpose as a sales leader 
• And, the power of staying “resilient through the fatigue of change.” 

 
ABOUT IMPROVING SALES PERFORMANCE: 
Improving Sales Performance is hosted by Matt Sunshine who speaks with guests that are thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus, to share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance.   

CONNECT: 

The Center for Sales Strategy
www.thecenterforsalesstrategy.com/ 

Matt Sunshine:
www.linkedin.com/in/mattsunshine/ 

Stephanie Downs:
www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniewdowns/ 

Nicki Harkrider-Probey:
www.linkedin.com/in/nicki-harkrider-probey-4650563b/ 

TIMESTAMPS:  

2:19 - From your point of view what are the things you look at in the sales dept that let you know that you are on track? In other words, what are the 3 to 5 Key Performance indicators you pay attention to? 

2:58 Sales Dashboards 

4:43 When you have a great culture and depth, that’s a great sales organization 

6:25 What should sales managers be focused on? Think of it in terms of big rocks or highest priorities that they should be focusing on? Revenue of course, but what else? 

6:55 Engagement 

7:35 You’ve got to be more engaged than ever 

9:15 How has sales management changed over the years? Compare what it was like to be a sales manager 5 years ago compared to what is expected now? 

9:38 Sales leaders have a lot on their shoulders 

10:41 Leaders have an important role amidst all this uncertainty 

11:16 Galvanize  

11:56 The future is optimistic 

12:24 Let's say you were speaking to a group of new sales managers, and you were asked to give them advice on what they should be doing or learning right now to ensure they would have success; what recommendations would you give them? 

12:48 Optimistic spirit and attitude are important 

13:20 If you can create an environment where people want to run through a wall for you, then you have high engagement 

14:32 Recap from Matt 

16:38 Part of acceptance is resilience 

17:42 Reacting in this environment is just not healthy 

21:11 We have to be more clear on setting expectations 

23:20 Final Thoughts: Look into the future 3 to 5 years and tell us what you think some of the changes will be in our sales departments. 

24:20 What better job could you be in than where you’re actually helping change people’s lives? 

Season 5 of Improving Sales Performance is hosted by Matt Sunshine and co-hosted by Stephanie Downs, and focuses on celebrating #WomenInSales for the month of October.

Guests are female thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus, who share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance.

Episode 39, part of the #WomenInSales series, welcomes Jaleigh Long (VP/GM Atlanta and Athens Radio, Cox Media Group), and Katie Reid (VP/GM Jacksonville, Cox Media Group).

Season 5 of Improving Sales Performance is hosted by Matt Sunshine and co-hosted by Stephanie Downs, and focuses on celebrating #WomenInSales for the month of October.

Guests are female thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus, who share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance.

Episode 38, part of the #WomenInSales series, welcomes Lori Clark, Director of Local Sales at KHOU-TV; TEGNA - HOUSTON, and Dana Nagel, Director of Sales, Tegna/WKYC Media.

Season 5 of Improving Sales Performance is hosted by Matt Sunshine and co-hosted by Stephanie Downs, and focuses on celebrating #WomenInSales for the month of October.

Guests are female thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus, who share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance.

Episode 37, part of the #WomenInSales series, welcomes Nicki Harkrider-Probey (VP, Local Revenue Officer at TEGNA), and Jessica Hagan (President & General Manager at KTVB News Group).

In Episode 8 of Improving Sales Performance, Gary Pizzati, Founder of 11 Street Media, joins Matt for conversation on Sales Leadership and Performance with Gary Pizzati. 

ABOUT IMPROVING SALES PERFORMANCE:
Improving Sales Performance is hosted by Matt Sunshine who speaks with guests that are thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus, to share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance.  

ABOUT GARY:
30-year media and advertising veteran Gary Pizzati is the founder of 11 Street Media, a firm built around a team of industry experts that will provide business transformation services along with brand creation strategies for clients. The 11 Street approach bridges mobile, social, video and traditional media to ensure their clients connect and thrive across all available platforms. As former President / Chief Revenue Officer for Modern Luxury, Gary was responsible for the company’s 100-million-dollar revenue portfolio. His oversight has P&L responsibilities for the 24 markets Modern Luxury does business in. And for over 11 years, Gary shaped the face of advertising via his role as Senior Vice Presdent at Cumulus Media, the nation’s second largest broadcaster. Not only did he fuel company expansion and profitability, he also consulted the sales and marketing portfolios of hundreds of businesses from coast to coast.

In Episode 6 of Improving Sales Performance, John Henley, Managing Partner at The Center for Sales Strategy,  joins Matt in Exploring The IMPACT Sales Leadership System by The Center for Sales Strategy.

ABOUT IMPROVING SALES PERFORMANCE:
Improving Sales Performance is hosted by Matt Sunshine who speaks with guests that are thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus, to share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance. 

ABOUT JOHN:
John is a Managing Partner at The Center for Sales Strategy, he has been instrumental in the development of The CSS Partner team, which has been a key factor in driving both growth and diversity for the company.  He has a strategic approach and is often working directly with many of our larger clients' senior leadership. John has been the driving force on writing and refining the concepts for two key training programs at CSS.  The IMPACT Sales Leadership System and Sales Accelerator, both help our clients drive winning sales performance. John joined the company in 1996 and became a Managing Partner and Owner in 2008. He gets involved in client renewals, new business presentations, and directly managing a number of people on the team.  The Partner team’s depth of leadership has guided the launch and growth of our two new divisions - LeadG2 and Up Your Culture. 

In Episode 5 of Improving Sales Performance, Taja Graham, Vice President of Sales for Emmis Communications, joins Matt for a conversation on Team Engagement and Performance. 

ABOUT IMPROVING SALES PERFORMANCE:
Improving Sales Performance is hosted by Matt Sunshine who speaks with guests that are thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus, to share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance.  

ABOUT TAJA:
Taja Graham is Vice President of Sales for Emmis Communications. Taja started her radio career in 1991. In 1996, she joined Emmis Communications and has worked in various roles leading up to her current position. She currently leads a team in selling omi-channel marketing strategies to national and local accounts both B2C and B2B. She has been recognized by the RAB, BMI and the Most Influential Women in Radio (MIW) as an emerging leader in the radio industry having completed the Rising Through the Ranks Management Course for Women. She is the 2011 MIW Mildred Carter Mentoring Program Finalist. Taja was also recognized as the 2011 Indianapolis Junior Achievement Best & Brightest Winner for Media, Entertainment and Sports. She is a 2018 Center for Sales Strategy Super Hero Recipient.

In Episode 4 of Improving Sales Performance, Tony Hartl, Founder of Crunch Fitness Austin, joins Matt for a conversation about Business Performance and Culture. 

ABOUT IMPROVING SALES PERFORMANCE:
Improving Sales Performance is hosted by Matt Sunshine who speaks with guests that are thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus, to share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance.  

ABOUT TONY:
Tony is the founder of Crunch Fitness Austin and has a zest for lift and fitness, enjoying a career that combines both of his professional and recreational interests. He is a Midwesterner, father, world-traveler, author, optimist, and experienced entrepreneur. As the founder and former CEO of Planet Tan, which he started in 1995 in Dallas-Fort Worth with three locations and a vision “to provide an affordable luxury where everybody can feel better about themselves." As with all of his business ventures, Tony has a deep passion for health and exercise. To name a of few of his physical feats, he has climbed the Grand Teton in Wyoming and ran a 2:58 in the NYC Marathon.

In Episode 3 of Improving Sales Performance, Jay Bailey, CEO and Founder of Reatro Ventures, where they discuss Creating a Winning Culture. 

ABOUT IMPROVING SALES PERFORMANCE:
Improving Sales Performance is hosted by Matt Sunshine who speaks with guests that are thought leaders, experts, and industry gurus, to share their insight, tips, and knowledge on various topics that help companies improve sales performance.  

ABOUT JAY:
Jason Bailey is the founder and CEO of Reatro Ventures, a creative advertising agency and digital technology company located in Boca Raton, FL. Bailey is also the founder and former CEO of Sun Broadcast Group, a national radio sales and syndication network. Through his 12 year tenure, Bailey grew Sun to a top 5 network and was named by INC Magazine as the fastest growing radio company in America three years in a row.