Talent

Start with talent and develop a winner. All the training in the world won’t help a Shetland pony win the Kentucky Derby.  Only if you start with a thoroughbred do you have the possibility of developing a Secretariat or Seattle Slew.  The same is true in selling business services in a competitive environment:   The Center for Sales Strategy helps its clients recruit and select more powerfully.  Our Sales Talent Interview and Profit Center Manager Interview doesn’t just describe the candidate—it predicts whether or not the candidate will become a top performer in your organization.

Read more

Talent is absolutely essential, but in no way sufficient.  The Sales Manager's job is best seen as managing people, not sales.  Gone are the days when the boss can play the role of closer or fixer. The manager’s job might be better named Salespeople Manager… because their best opportunity is to make each member of the sales staff as effective and productive as can be. The Center for Sales Strategy calls its sales management system Talent Focused Management for its people-focused and strength-focused approach.  Systems and tools are provided that help over-stretched managers keep their focus where they know it should be.  Take care of the people who take care of sales, and get a better night’s sleep.

Read more

At the heart of the Talent Plus system is a technology process for the selection and development of associates. This methodology utilizes human resource testing methods to identify and interview job candidates based on the key talents that are found in top performers. Talent is defined as a natural ability that cannot be taught. Talent is different from skill, which can be enhanced through training.

Read more

We cannot change another person’s behavior.  We can only change our own behavior in such a way that prompts that person to change theirs.  This simple truth eludes a great many managers.  An Individualized Management Plan provides a roadmap for the guidance and growth of each individual on the sales team, zeroing in on that person’s strengths, needs, and hot buttons.  The Center for Sales Strategy has been fine-tuning this Plan’s process (and the related Individualized Management Questionnaire) for two decades and our clients can attest to its power.

Some sales managers travel with their sellers and can’t resist the urge to lead the close for the big deal on the table.  Others are office-bound, reading reports, sending emails, or monitoring their KPI dashboard.  The best place for a sales manager to be is in the field—but as the coach, not the star quarterback.  Effective performance feedback that develops talents into performance is achieved by witnessing that salesperson in front of clients.  The Center for Sales Strategy coaches the coaches, putting in their hands the tools that turn the coaching concept into a powerful practice.  We’ll even role-play it in the field if that’s what it takes.