I was reading a research report by Sandler Sales (Link at end of article). Note that: All of the data & results in this article came from that report. It should be not surprise that folks that had adopted Technology Like Zoom, WebEx and Salesforce CRM before Covid Virus hit and lock downs began did a lot better than those that hadn’t. Playing catchup was a very hard game to play, everything was and in some cases still in short supply, web cams, laptops, technology folks to implement the software. Many folks have found Soloutions to these challenges. Roughly 68% invested in technology to improve selling, with 74% focusing on improving the Sales Process. The next area where people are struggling with people management. Yet only 32% had received training on how to manage people remotely.

According to the survey conducted by Sandler Sales 71% changed their sales process, 77% reported competitive landscape changed, 82% saw an increased commitment to client retention Managing people changed dramatically those have been successful chose the approach of coaching people towards personal development. Those that chose a remedial approach were not so successful. The good news is that about 57% of sales people had been given some new training on how to sell remotely.

The three top areas of coaching are in order: 1. Sales Process, 2. Sales Pipline 3. Sales Calls. I strongly agree with that order of priority. When you have a Sales Process you can measure it and identify where you are doing well and where you need to improve. Versus using a bag of sales tricks. The Sandler Sales Model is one of the best in my opinion. A Sales Pipeline preferably in your CRM keeps the focus on the best Opportunities. Last tracking Sales Calls and the techniques you use is where the rubber meets the road.

When it comes to CRM Technology 50% saw some improvement in use, and 11% saw a considerable improvement in use. With 38% showing no improvement in use. I don’t suppose any of my readers are among the 38% who saw no improvement, on the off chance that is your situation you may want to contact me.

Link to the full report: www.sandler.com/research