Business Analysis - Scorecard Sales

Power Up Your Sales Culture in 30 Minutes

January 25, 2022September 9, 2026Kassy GoodUncategorized, Business Analysis, Sales Management

What’s the difference between managing a sales team and managing a sales culture? A sales team starts with managing a process and a sales culture starts with managing yourself. Which do you think is easier? That answer can vary depending on your past experiences, suffice to say that self control isn’t easy for most people. That’s why sales culture is left to chance for many organizations. But what is sales culture and why is it so important? Your sales culture is a beefy stew that has all the ingredients that make your sales team what it is. Your shared values, beliefs, and behaviors. It is seen in your strategies, structure, processes, policies and results. It is demonstrated in teamwork, motivation, customer satisfaction, and so forth. And that’s just to name a few. Let’s open a new paragraph and talk about why it is important.

Sales culture is your DNA. Much like your own self, without you simply don’t exist. So, besides your mere existence, here are the important things a sales culture can, and should, do for you. It should support a cooperative and cohesive sales team. It stays focused on goals. It identifies and corrects problems (often quickly). It builds trust and collaboration. It develops a better customer experience. It produces results. If you are deliberate about your culture, it becomes your competitive advantage in that salespeople are just as excited to sell your company as they are your products. It also becomes a great recruiting tool when you are scouting for new sales talent. That’s all good and well, but where do you get started? By spending 30 minutes a week powering up your sales culture.

Power Up Your Sales Culture

Celebrate a success (5 minutes) – Take the time to acknowledge and praise something for your team or salesperson. This could be hitting a goal, a great customer meeting or simply achieving their KPIs.
Review the goals (5 minutes) – Make sure everyone knows where they are and where they need to be. If someone is off course, help them by showing them how they can course correct.
What is working (5 minutes) – Talk with someone on your sales team about what is working. What is creating success? You’ll be surprised what you learn when you start to listen.
What is not working (5 minutes) – Now, this time, talk to someone about what they feel isn’t working. Stay alert for the trends you might notice. You may find that there is a problem you can fix.
Fix a problem (10 minutes) – Some problems are easier to fix than others, but when you really devote yourself, you’ll be surprised how simple some solutions are to find and implement. If you only fixed one problem per month, imagine what your sales culture would be like in one year’s time.

CHOPPED For Change: A Sales Culture Makeover

January 24, 2022September 9, 2026Kassy GoodBusiness Analysis, Marketing, Posts, Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Strategy Planning

Do you know what you look like when you are stressed? We think we do, but other people can see stress on us better than we can see it on ourselves. In fact, for salespeople, we are doing our best to hide our stress, but our body language gives us away. Our jaws stay clenched. Our brow outlines the hint of a scowl. You look like you are ready to fall asleep or collapse under the weight of exhaustion. No fun. You want and need something to change. Wouldn’t it be nice to get one of those makeovers that you see on TV? I admit that I am not one to consult when it comes to your physical appearance, but you know what else looks stressed? Your sales culture.

It is hard to hide the symptoms of a stressed sales culture. New sales people last for 12 to 18 months at best. Few, if any, salespeople are reaching their goals. Phones get more attention than the agenda at the sales meetings. There is no sense of sales process. You’re losing customers. You’re not finding new customers. Your sales culture looks like it will collapse under the weight of its own exhaustion. Now, here is a makeover I can help you with. Things need to get better, and they can, but you will need a process to do this. You need to get CHOPPED for change.

Communication – You need to start talking more with your salespeople and their customers. You want feedback that is honest and conversations that happen frequently. Be ready to listen and you will hear what you team and the culture needs.
Habits – Small habits compounded over time make big results. What small and achievable changes can you make with your team today that will start to turn things around? Celebrate victories? Run a better sales meeting? There is much to pick from.
Outcomes – What is it that you really want? It could be sales, higher employee retention, better processes or just better engagement. Stay focused on that goal and, if possible, focus on one or two goals at a time.
Process – Change, as a concept, is easy but the work is hard. You need to create a simple roadmap that you can follow toward your desired outcome in case you get lost along the way.
Patience – Good things take time. Stay the course. Change is not a pass/fail test and some days it is an endurance challenge.
Engagement – Be with your team during the change. Cultural changes are scary for sales people; even when they are good changes (they are a suspicious bunch). Don’t become an absentee leader during this critical time.
Desire – Make sure the change is something that create a mutual benefit and everyone will want. No one ever likes working in a negative sales environment, but if you tap into their desire, you have plenty of people helping you with this change.

Do You Have a Great Sales Compensation Plan? 💲

January 6, 2022September 9, 2026Kassy GoodUncategorized, Business Analysis, Sales Management

It is no secret that most sales managers and owners struggle to find a great sales compensation plan for the sales team. Quite often these discussions lead to analysis paralysis as proposed changes to the comp plan can create even more questions and what-if scenarios. To be sure, salespeople and leadership do not think alike and have a very hard time seeing eye to eye. Everyone has a different opinion about what is fair, so creating the ideal compensation plan is going to be difficult.

There are a lot of variables to consider for creating your plan which is highly dependent on your business model. Do salespeople create the estimates or just sell? Will your customers become repeat customers? How strong are your profit margins and do they vary across products and services? How long does it take to take a prospect to become a customer and then how long until you have a paid invoice? There is no one plan that will work for every company, but there are certain elements that should in every single sales compensation plan.

It is simple – Sales comp plans get really murky when trying to account for every single type of sales scenario. This is especially true when salespeople sell different products and services with different margins. Sale plans, at most, should have no more than 2 or 3 variables tied to. Beyond that, it becomes a tracking nightmare for the salesperson, accounting, and management. It is possible that with a fair plan each person may win some or lose some, but in the end, the net sum is a mutual gain for everybody.
It inspires desire – Successful salespeople should see an easy and attainable path to a 6 figure income that can be sustained by doing a good job for the customers and the company. Don’t create a plan that will starve your team because the good ones won’t stick around for very long. Great salespeople who are appropriately compensated for a good performance rarely quit and never get fired.
It drives the company’s goals – Don’t implement a comp plan that does not align with the company’s goals. If you want to grow the company, you want a plan that rewards new business. If it is profits, then base your rewards on the margin. Be careful to pick a goal that the salesperson can affect.
The salesperson can control it – Don’t create a comp plan based on profits if the salesperson does not create the estimate or negotiate the price. It is out of their control and will often leave them feeling unsatisfied and unmotivated. Great salespeople will always work the comp plan and the more control they have over it, the better results you will get.
It creates trust – Trust is often the biggest gap between the sales team and owners and vice versa. A comp plan identifies activities and results that are easily verified and documented. Commissions, incentives, and bonuses should be a time for celebration for all involved because beneficial results are achieved. If instead, it becomes a moment of stress, criticism, and resentment, then your comp plan may be causing more problems than it is solving.

Am I a Bad Sales Manager?

January 5, 2022September 9, 2026Kassy GoodBusiness Analysis, Posts, Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Strategy Planning

Nobody is perfect. You know this is true if you have ever had, or have been, a sales manager. We all make mistakes and I would believe that most of us want to do better overall. It is a wonder that there aren’t more self-help groups for managers in general; if there are any at all. So, are you a good manager or a bad manager?

No one wants to be told that their breath stinks and I certainly don’t want to be the one that has to tell you that, but maybe I can politely offer you a stick of gum by calling your attention to some of the common mistakes many sales managers make. Here is a list of the top 10 sales management mistakes that you can easily focus on improving.

Not running a good sales meeting – You have no written agenda, you don’t solve any problems and no one learns anything. Time to step it up a bit.
Not maintaining the goals – Sales goals come too late, are ignored, changed or just aren’t being discussed.
Not acknowledging successes and failures – No one is motivated or learns from experience because you don’t discuss what is or is not working.
Withholding information – Your team doesn’t get reports and projections in a timely manner.
Not establishing KPIs – Your team doesn’t really have a great sense of strategy because they don’t know or understand the key performance indicators that will make them successful.
Not establishing a process – Salespeople are forced to make things up as they go along because you have not established best practices for your team.
Not listening – You spend too much time talking to your salespeople because you are too excited to prove how much you know.
Making friends instead of success – You are avoiding difficult conversations and allowing poor performers to continue doing so.
Not spending enough time with each salesperson – You haven’t learned what each person needs, where they can be coached and how they can grow.
Creating excessive pressure – You are over-stressing, possibly micromanaging, the team so that they can’t think straight. Be their partner, not their tyrannical overlord.

Beware of the Comfort Zone

October 18, 2021September 9, 2026Kassy GoodBusiness Analysis, Marketing, Sales Training

Are you comfortable? I’m not asking if you’re in your favorite chair right now, but are you following a routine that keeps you safe and happy? If so, good for you I suppose. If you have really found the key to your happiness and you have arrived at where you always wanted to be, then you are among very few who have. The rest of us have yet to satisfy all of our desires. But if there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that we don’t like being uncomfortable. This is what keeps us from growing. Without discomfort, there is little chance for growth. Think about all the important improvements that have happened in your life. Did it start from a point that was uncomfortable? I am certain that is had, and still, we avoid discomfort even when we desire change and growth.

You must not only embrace discomfort, but you must also have to actively pursue it as well. It is the only way to bring about meaningful change. I’m not talking about change for the sake of change, but rather fully exploring your greatest potential to satisfy your deepest desires. That can mean wealth, status, achievement, or whatever is in your heart, but there is something you have always wanted that you are not actively pursuing because you are afraid of the discomfort that risk will bring. In sales, in order to be successful, we must constantly put ourselves in uncomfortable situations, yet some of us still avoid it. If your sales career has left you feeling unsatisfied for any period of time, then it is time to embrace discomfort. Here are 5 things you can do to get uncomfortable, grow, and achieve better results.

Network – It’s time to get out and meet new people. That’s what you should be doing all the time. If you find yourself in a lull, check your contact list and see how many new names you have recently added. There is a good chance that there aren’t many new faces. Take the uncomfortable chance of meeting new people.
Prospect – Nothing is more uncomfortable for a salesperson than cold-calling. But this activity is what kick starts sales for sure no matter where you are in your sales career. Activity breeds activity, but it must start with you.
Target new markets – Try hunting in a different pasture. It is as exciting as it is uncomfortable. This could be a new territory, demographic, or industry. It is a challenge that you can meet with success.
Set higher goals – Why do you keep settling for the same results every year when you know you can do better? It is because you don’t want to be uncomfortable. Striving to get higher than you ever have can be done easier than you think if you try.
Change careers – If you have maxed out your current opportunities and you are still unhappy, you are likely just collecting a paycheck at this point. No one else can change this for you except for you. Most people don’t like starting over again, but sometimes you have to take a small step back to take a big leap forward.

Do You Understand the Sales Equation?

October 13, 2021September 9, 2026Kassy GoodBusiness Analysis, Sales Management, Strategy Planning

There are many elements that go into sales and to list them all would be overwhelming. That’s one of the reasons why so many of us struggle in our sales careers because we are all over the place looking for answers. The unfortunate thing is that is what we are taught by our managers, experts, consultants, co-workers, blog posts, etc. We search for the latest and greatest solution for what are really some of the oldest problems that salespeople have and it all orbits around getting results.

We all have that moment where we quietly wonder, “What in the world is wrong with me? I’m trying everything and none of it is working”. There is a simple solution to almost all of your sales problems and it is based on the Sales Equation: Pipeline + Sales Activities = Results. That’s it. Naturally you will ask, “What about marketing, messaging, strategy, leadership, pricing, and so on?” Yes, these items are also important, but they are not often the core issue with your sales success. Here are 5 ways to use the Sales Equation to your advantage.

Make the pipeline crucial – The first thing I examine when helping someone with their sales is their pipeline; the list of prospective clients they are working on. It is surprising how this is often non-existent, not current or lacking in quality. Without a good pipeline you cannot get results. You must always be hunting.
Examine the activities – Let’s say you have a great sales pipeline, but it isn’t producing. You must track and examine your sales activities. This is where you will most often find your defect. Activities such as meetings, phone calls and emails are crucial to cultivating your pipeline. If your pipeline is good, chances are there is either not enough activity, the wrong mix of activities or not enough touch points in your activities sequence (you are giving up too soon).
Experiment with the other variables – If your pipeline is strong and sales activities are high, now you can start to tweak your messaging, strategy, promotion, etc. Any sales person with a good list and determination can be successful without the other elements of marketing, although he will perform much better when it is aligned with his plan.
Stay focused on the Sales Equation – You don’t get what you expect, you get what you inspect. Review your pipeline and activities frequently and your results will drastically improve. If you focus too much time on the other variables, the important sales activities tend to be delayed along with their results.
Put it to the test – If you are not convinced, examine your own pipeline and activities, or that of your team, and match it with the results (or lack of). Does it add up? It should. Any time you suspect you have a sales problem, always put your problem to the test of the sales equation and you will usually find your answer there.

What Keeps a Salesperson from Being Great?

August 30, 2021September 9, 2026Kassy Good

Most people want to be great at what they do, and if they don’t want to be great, it makes you wonder why they want to even do it at all. This is so true with salespeople, but considering how many people you have known in sales, what percentage of them would you consider great? What was it about the remaining salespeople that didn’t meet the mark? Can the gap be closed to create more great salespeople? Yes, if you can identify some of the key factors that keep them from being great.

Sales is such an interesting department in businesses because it is so vital to the health of every single business, and yet we invest so little into this critical component. Training is lousy if it even exists at all. Very few managers know how to manage and coach salespeople well. To make matters worse, most salespeople are even embarrassed to admit that they are salespeople. They will go so far as to change their job titles to ‘account rep’, ‘business development’ or ‘client advisor’ to avoid any stigma associated with being a salesperson. As if customers couldn’t tell the difference. So it’s no wonder why so many salespeople don’t become great. Common reasons include:

Lack of proper sales training – Very few organizations have a formal training program. This is especially true of small businesses. Fortunately, there are a lot of third-party options to help you with this. You can also find out more about Scorecard Basic Training and Sales Objection Training here.
Lack of an effective sales process – Be honest; are you mostly winging it? Many salespeople are because they are too proud to write out their process. If you need help with your sales process, check out Scorecard’s Tools and Templates to streamline your organization’s sales process.
Lack of sales experience – Hey, we all have to start somewhere. This is one that you cannot control, but it is important to use our experiences to our advantage.
Lack of preparation – It is all too common that salespeople do not like to plan. Again, too often salespeople are winging it. Take the time to get organized and develop the necessary disciplines.
Lack of self-confidence – We all have bad days, and sometimes our lack of confidence is easily detected by our customers. Read these tips to help with your confidence.
Lack of self-control – We give in to our impulses too easily and lose control of our sales. This is usually seen as desperation by our customers.

There are certainly more items we could add to our list, but these are usually the top issues. At least one of these reasons is constantly getting in your way. Customers, as a result, are taking control of the sale and taking your profits. It’s not that you can’t be great, it is that no one has shown you how to become great. Discover which area you need the most help with so that you can take your first steps to being great.

A Cure For Sales Report Headaches

June 22, 2021September 9, 2026Kassy GoodUncategorized, Business Analysis, Sales Management, Strategy Planning

Sales reports. Do you feel a headache coming on? Do you feel fatigued? Sudden loss of appetite? Shortness of breath, and so forth? That seems to happen to everyone from salespeople, managers, CFOs and owners. Like so many other reports, it is difficult to read and you may or may not like what the report is showing. Like a child eating vegetables, you know you need the reports, but you sure don’t want them.

In my experience, most sales reports need improvement. They have inaccurate data, they lack historical context, they are excessively complicated and they really aren’t telling you what you need to know. For most people, you check to see if the team hit their goals and, if so, you smile and move on, If not, you groan and move on. After all, it’s in the past now and there is nothing you can do about it. However, if you learn how to read a sales report objectively and reflectively, it can offer you so much more than a basic sales figure. Here are the 5 questions you should ask yourself every time you read a sales report to help make the headaches go away.

Can I understand it? – This is not a question of how easy or hard a report is to read. That’s out of your control and reports are hard to change. Every report is trying to tell you a story and, if you are paying attention, you should be able to see trends. That’s the real story. Hitting goals is important, but it is also short lived. Finding trends helps you to enhance strategic advantages or correct defects that block success.
Can I explain it? – Do the trends make sense? Can you explain why the numbers increase, decrease or stay the same? If you can’t understand the trends, then you cannot make meaningful change and, in sales, change is constant.
Can I accept it? – Change is hard, and if the trends are indicating a need for a change or a change that is already happening, you must make a choice. If the trend shows that you are constantly achieving your goals, that is easy to accept. Not everyone is that lucky all the time.
Can I change it? – Sales reports do not generate any action item other than to sell more. But there is so much more that we can do. You can identify the trend and if you choose not to accept it moving forward, what can you do to change it? This is where most of you will get stuck.
Do I need help? – Change is easier with help. The worst thing you can do is identify the need for change and do nothing. That’s why you have a team; to help one another when a problem or opportunity arises. Talk openly with the team not just about the numbers that the sales report shows, but what trends you see and what can be done to stay ahead of your goals.

I Heard A Rumor About You 📢

May 7, 2021September 9, 2026Kassy GoodBusiness Analysis, Sales Coaching, Sales Management

Your sales team sure is a talkative bunch; especially when you’re not around. The role of a sales manager is one of the most difficult ones in the organization. You must hold an alliance with your sales team and upper management even when they are at odds with each other. The bottom line is that the needs of upper management take priority over everything else. That’s the way it has to be done for a company to run effectively. Now you’re in a tight spot because the sales team is unhappy with an unpopular decision from upper management that you have to deliver.

Now you have to do damage control. You’re getting word that so-and-so is saying such-and-such and the rumors abound. Let’s face it, you and everyone else has better things to do than to play the gossip game, but we are humans and the truth is that you have to deal with it. The only way to deal with any issues like these is to have the right conversation with the right person in the right way. Here are 5 tips to help you calm the waters in troubled times.

Signals and noise – Sometimes the feedback you are hearing is just noise; a passing moment in time. Someone needed to vent and the moment has passed. You can’t chase every little issue that comes your way. Are you seeing a trend that must be addressed, such as the team being upset about the new compensation plan, or is it just a fleeting moment. Choose your battles wisely.
Check your communication – Sometimes we can let a couple weeks slide by without regular meetings and things can fall apart at the seams. How often and effectively are you communicating with the group both as a team and as individuals? This is your opportunity to control the message.
It’s nothing personal – It is easy to get emotionally invested in a situation, but chances are it is really not about you. Even if people are gossiping about you. It is really about them.
Confront the issue privately – As I said earlier, it’s all about having the right conversation with the right person in the right way. Discuss the issue privately and be willing to listen. Chances are is this was all that was needed to calm the situation.
Respect – Be respectful and especially if others are not. Most people will change their demeanor when they believe they are being treated with respect. If you always take the high road, others will eventually follow.

Does Success Sabotage Your Pipeline?

May 5, 2021September 9, 2026Kassy GoodBusiness Analysis, Sales Management, Strategy Planning

Managing and maintaining your sales pipeline is difficult. Trying to keep fresh opportunities to work on while servicing existing customers is more than a full time job. And yet, that is what is expected of us as salespeople. If we had our druthers, we would have a healthy book of business with happy customers that keep us busy with constant new order. Rinse, wash, repeat, right? Most of us are not that lucky. We must continually be on the hunt for our next opportunity; especially while we are working on the existing ones.

Although successful sales is the name of the game, it also creates one of the biggest problems with your sales pipeline. No, it’s not just that you’re now busy with your success, but you find yourself becoming complacent as well. Why worry about tomorrow when I have plenty today. But there is a situation that is even worse; when we think we have major deals in the pipeline, we let off the gas pedal, but the deals never close. Now you’re left with no deals and no opportunities to work on. You’re back at the start and hungrier than ever. Here are 5 ways to make sure this doesn’t happen to you.

Be accountable – Accountability is one of my least favorite management buzzwords, but it doesn’t make it any less true. Be honest about your pipeline and don’t make excuses for letting it dry up. Excuses are a lot harder to sell when you’re not meeting your goals.

Set your minimum – What is the minimum amount of prospects you should have active in your pipeline? Most people can’t answer that and therefore they don’t know what to watch for. Even if it is just a 3 – 5 prospects over a month, it is much better than a dry pipeline.

Monthly pipeline review – It is hard to prime the sales pump when the pipeline runs dry. Make a habit of having a monthly pipeline review with a co-worker or supervisor. Discuss the opportunities, where they are in the process and which new ones do you want to focus on? You’ll find that just vocalizing these issues with someone else is enough to keep you focused and accountable.

Mind your activity – Sales work is hard so it is no surprise that we love our breaks whether others are looking or not. A sales pipeline alone is not enough to keep you going. There has to be sales activity. Pipeline + Activity = Results. Make sure you are doing enough to keep the ball moving forward.

Remember your goal – Never take your eye off the prize. You won’t get there with just one sale. You may feel that everything is going your way right now, but chances are you still have a ways to go. Not to mention the fact that there will soon be another new goal that you have to set yourself up for. Your goal should keep you focused on your pipeline. Don’t let your success sabotage your pipeline.

Category: Business Analysis