Hiring sales superstars is critical to building a high-performance sales team. Traditional hiring methods—résumés, interviews, and references—play critical roles but sometimes miss deeper insights into a candidate’s capabilities. This gap can be effectively bridged by integrating psychometric assessments into the hiring process, offering a more scientific approach to evaluating potential. Elevating Hiring with Predictive Power Psychometric assessments have been refined over decades and are powered by vast databases from millions of evaluations. These tools are designed to assess and predict ..read more

In this 4:00 video, Hosts Colleen Stanley and Steven Rosen discuss the biggest mistakes and challenges that sales leaders face when hiring and how to avoid them. They the importance of applying best practices in sales to the hiring process, such as creating an ideal candidate profile and identifying non-negotiables. They emphasized the importance of soft skills, emotional intelligence, and coachability in salespeople, highlighting how these qualities contribute to successful client relationships and overall sales performance. They also shared insights on how to build and maintain a successful ..read more

In this episode of the Sales Leadership Awakening podcast, Steven Rosen and Colleen Stanley discuss the high cost of making a bad hire in sales. They emphasize the importance of creating an ideal hiring profile with hard and soft skills and non-negotiables. They also stress the need for a systematic hiring process, including behavioral interviews and assessments.  “As you said, be ruthlessly rigorous, but also follow a defined process. For those who are not that skilled, having the questions helps. Listening helps, and making notes is integral to a good process.” – Steven Rosen Key Take ..read more

In this episode of the Sales Leadership Awakening Podcast, host Steven Rosen and Colleen Stanley delve into mastering difficult conversations, stressing preparation and agreement on the next steps. They highlight vital emotional intelligence skills essential for navigating these dialogues effectively. Practical strategies for delivering constructive feedback and fostering growth are shared, emphasizing the importance of stating intentions and fostering psychological safety. “If this is an important discussion that we want to help someone get better on our team, taking the time to think it th ..read more

Difficult conversations are as inevitable as they are necessary. These discussions, whether addressing underperformance, behavioural issues, or compensation adjustments, are crucial for maintaining a healthy sales environment and driving performance. However, a surprising number of sales managers avoid these critical conversations, a trend that undermines team potential and poses a significant threat to organizational success. A Look at the Stats Recent surveys and studies have revealed an uncomfortable truth: many sales managers regularly sidestep difficult conversations. According to a surve ..read more

In this episode of the Sales Leadership Awakening podcast, hosts Colleen Stanley and Steven Rosen discuss the significant changes in sales post-COVID-19. They address the reluctance of sales reps to return to face-to-face selling and the importance of embracing in-person meetings. Colleen and Steven emphasize the benefits of building trust, rapport, and collaboration through face-to-face interactions.  “If your competitors are starting to visit your clients or are already visiting your clients, and you’re not, you have a problem. You’re at a competitive disadvantage.” – Steven Rosen Key ..read more

In this 4:39 video, Hosts Colleen Stanley and Steven Rosen discuss the importance of in-person interactions for building rapport, trust, and empathy. They highlight the biological aspect of human connection and the release of bonding hormones during face-to-face meetings. By getting off Zoom and meeting clients in person, salespeople can read the room better and strengthen relationships.  Hosts Colleen Stanley and Steven Rosen discuss the importance of face-to-face conversations in sales and how sales leaders can encourage their teams to embrace in-person interactions.  They emphasi ..read more

Ryan Thomas, the sales VP of Elastic, Americas, shares his insights on effective leadership, team motivation, and driving business growth. He emphasizes the importance of inspiring and motivating teams, aligning individual success with the company’s vision, and making data-driven decisions. Ryan also discusses the challenges of leading sales teams in a complex and fast-paced industry and provides valuable advice for sales leaders. “It’s not about just selling them technology. It’s about selling them a solution that they know they’re going to be able to acquire tech, get it implemented, and dri ..read more

In the highly competitive SaaS world, prospecting is often seen as the most challenging task—a test dreaded by many and mastered by few. Indeed, 40% of salespeople cite it as the most challenging part of the sales process, more daunting than either closing or qualifying. Despite this, it is the critical first step in a journey where every interaction has the potential to bloom into a significant deal. However, the significance of prospecting is often overshadowed by the allure of the deal’s close, leading many sales managers to neglect to coach the top of the funnel. This paradox has far-reach ..read more

In the competitive world of SaaS sales, 40% of salespeople cite prospecting as the most challenging part of the sales process, ranking it more daunting than closing or qualifying stages. This crucial yet arduous task is often met with the same enthusiasm as a dreaded dental appointment, leading to avoidance behaviours that undermine pipeline health. Yet, this reluctance can be transformed into proactive engagement with a focused coaching approach. In this article, we reveal how targeted coaching can mitigate the common aversion to prospecting and elevate it to a key strength within the sales a ..read more