article |
October 8, 2020
How New Sales Leaders Thrive in the Heat of the Spotlight
By: Andrew Urteaga
As a newly hired sales leader, it’s tempting to sit back and enjoy the honeymoon phase of the job. However, when the spotlight wears off, or rookie mistakes become less forgivable, it becomes a long road to make up any time wasted in your first few months. Any tenured CRO knows that the first 90 days in this position is critical in order to set the tone for the team and build a solid foundation to make the number.
The key to getting a fast start in your new position is rooted in the sales strategy you plan to execute. To help you in your new role, SBI has created the Winning Sales Strategy Checklist that includes best practices for building your strategy and key questions for evaluating segmentation, planning, execution, and more.
SBI research has found that 72% of new sales leaders arrive at an organization with no strategy in place. Before your day one, take the time to define and understand your sales strategy vs. tactics—doing the right things instead of doing things right.
The goal of any sales leader is to build a successful plan and execute brilliantly. With the added pressure of being newly hired, this plan needs to be done quickly. The outcome of your strategy could make or break your reputation, and tenure, within the company.
In order to thrive in your new role, here are 5 steps to consider when developing your strategy.
This is just the start of your overall sales strategy. Next, it’s essential to evaluate it against all other functions to ensure it is in line with the organization as well as the external marketplace. This is defined as strategic alignment.
With all successful strategies, there must be an order and process to ensure profitable revenue growth and alignment throughout the organization. It is essential to visit the following strategies in this particular order as they ultimately will build upon one another.
As a new sales leader, it is vital to involve all other functions in your strategy. Greatness does not happen in silos.
SBI has found that for many organizations the following strategic planning cadence helps to ensure proper alignment across the organization for the year:
To support the quarterly objectives above, establish multiple tactics of communication in your organization, such as:
As a new sales leader, while your first 90 days are critical, it is also essential to define a plan for long-term success. The best way to accomplish both begins with your sales strategy. The only way to guarantee your fast start is to ensure that the plan is not only aligned with your organization’s goals but also the external marketplace.
SBI’s Winning Sales Strategy Checklist is not just for new sales leaders. Download the tool to measure your company against these best practices and ensure your plan will be set up for success. If you need further guidance on building your sales strategy, voice your concerns to our Revenue Growth Help Desk, and an expert will get back to you in 24 hours.
Clients describe Andrew as an industry thought leader. He has deep experience as an executive, having served in multiple positions as a sales leader, with a track record of outstanding performance in F500 companies.
Prior to joining SBI, Andrew held the position of VP of Sales at Avis Budget Group where he was responsible for sales and marketing leadership. He also held a variety of positions with Cintas Corporation, a Fortune 500 multi-national company, including key quota carrying positions in the sales force from sales rep through to executive leadership.
Andrew’s work has included everything from lead generation, campaign planning and sales process to designing complete sales management coaching programs and new compensation plans.
Read full bio >Death by information overload—a theme and phrase we often hear in the age of information techn...
Over the last 6 months, there have only been an elite few known as “Accelerators” &mdash...
Nearing the end of 2020, less than a dozen market-leading CEOs gathered for SBI’s fall Advisor...
As 2020 is finally in the rear-view mirror, the workplace as we have known it looks drastically diff...
It may be easy to assume that tech-enabled services became an overnight success in the wake of the w...
While every industry has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic, private equity professionals have ha...
At SBI’s most recent Sales Advisory Board meeting, market leaders from a variety of industries...
As a newly hired sales leader, it’s tempting to sit back and enjoy the honeymoon phase of the ...
SBI TV episodes bring you Sales and Marketing insights from B2B industry thought leaders and growth experts, on topics like product, pricing, customer experience and success, and go to market. Catch up on new and previous episodes here.