One of the most common challenges faced by business managers of both established and growing businesses are “how to compensate their sales teams effectively.” Managers need to implement a compensation model that motivates their sales team to land new accounts, while at the same time upselling the existing ones. But, how do you identify the most efficient compensation model to use? And how do you measure performance against the compensation model?  Well, the information given here will answer these and more questions about some of the most efficient sales compensation models to keep a team motivated.

While the world has shifted and news of a potential slowdown (recession) is being heard in the back pages of financial papers, you remain hopeful and believe there are exciting opportunities ahead.

“Fire the sales & marketing team” may be heard behind closed doors from unhappy and frustrated leadership. The simplest solution is to remove the marginal team and dig into the “deep well” to hire and train fresh candidates.

Before you borrow the infamous phrase “Your fired!” to chop up the sales & marketing team into small pieces, consider how the difficulty and change the role of a CMO is undergoing.

Scoping out a potential CRM project can be relatively short. The duration depends on the complexity of the organization and the number of potential issues to be solved. Once a scope of work is defined, a CRM services company can provide a more refined estimate of what it will take to interview key stakeholders, examine existing systems and then document the detailed functional specifications for a CRM implementation. The following will help you be better prepared for success.

Profits increase when you have engaged, passionate people on your team. Having the wrong people in those seats can be a barrier to growing sales and increasing the overall profit of your organization.

With the level of the talent available today in the marketplace, you can always replace someone if you don’t find the right fit the first time. After a quick hire, a simple plan of “wait and see for 90 days” seems logical with so many available. If the new person on the team does not perform in the first 90 days, terminate and hire the next. However, it's much better if you hire the right candidate from the start.

Much of the conversation focuses on how people can find a job.  “How to get hired” is a question answered again and again. Employers still need to do their part, to hire the right people.  Hiring doesn't have to be gamble. The right recruiting and selection process is one of the most important strategic plans your company needs to improve revenue and profits results exponentially.

Les McKeown, President and CEO, Predictable Success puts the responsibility of success on the employer in this Inc. Magazine article:

The chief revenue officer is a pivotal role directly influencing the future of a company, and covers new business sales, installed client base sales, marketing, and partner strategy. Adding a new CRO to an organization sends the message: “our company wants a growth hacker” with a passion for growing business.

As a company evolves, it may become apparent that a chief revenue officer is needed, and that person will lead the charge as they take on the responsibility for all aspects of driving revenue to the company. As with most CXO positions, each company will require a CRO to play different roles. There is no “one-size fits all” job description.

A leadership action plan does not need to be complex.  Great leaders inspire action without pages of rules. Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership — starting with a golden circle and the question "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers ..

Watch Simon Sinek in this TEDTalk video share his insights about great leaders:

Improving people’s lives at work has a direct influence on company performance. A better culture and work environment offers more potential for accelerated revenue growth as a team is motivated to be innovative with sales and marketing.

Here we will highlight important points about how to retain top performers and why it is is important.

"We want to attract and retain top performers."

Unfortunately many focus on attracting the best and making the “right hire” and not enough time on “retention”. 

If team members are as dedicated and committed to the success and mission of your organization as you are, you might find validation in the ideas below.

In addition to the word “retain”, add “engage.”

“We want to attract, retain and engage top performers.”