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Richard Brock

Story So Far


Our Story So Far page shows the SEQUENCE of the discussion points during the call – providing the Sales Manager with the actual call flow and the actual time spent on each topic – to ensure the rep is following the proper sales sequences . . . .  a powerful coaching tool.  

The other key component of the Story So Far is the “begins” tab, which shows WHEN on the call the key point was discussed. 

This feature allows the user to quickly go the specific part of the recorded call they want to hear, saving significant time and frustration.  

This maximizes the value of your call recording solution by dramatically increasing the use of the recordings, because reps and managers can now easily select the short segments of interest to them. 

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Interactions Insights and Analytics


In this video, we will review how our Interactions Insights feature takes the information captured during a sales call and documents all instances within the call a key Point was discussed, and the duration of the time spent on each Point.  Duration is a key indicator of what is most important to the prospect.

 Let’s review a recent prospect call. Our Interactions page shows us the following in descending order, based on the duration of each Discussion Point:

  • Time of and duration of the call                                                                                         
  • All captured Discussion Points 

You will also see a Targeted Time Value given to several of the Discussion Points. These values represent the average time top reps usually spend covering these topics, and can be easily modified to more accurately reflect different sales roles – such as a new business rep vs an installed based rep, for example. 

We then calculate the actual time spent on each point and compare it to the targeted time, represented as a percentage. This is a great, easy-to-read report for Sales Managers to see where reps are spending their time on sales calls and how that compares to best practices.

Not all Discussion Points have Targeted Times associated with them for several reasons.  For instance, not all prospects would be interested in a particular feature. 

Since these topics may not be discussed on every call, giving them a targeted time may not be appropriate. What is appropriate (and helpful), is knowing which features were discussed . . . .  and for how long.

Our Interactions Insights provides sales pros with unparalleled views into the anatomy of a sales call, helping both reps and managers to easily and accurately review how, and where, they should be spending their time with the prospect to ensure the highest levels of sales success.

Introduction to TalkTagging


SalesTalk’s latest feature, TalkTagging, helps sales teams review and manage their sales conversations more quickly and effectively,  .  . and is immediately ready to go right out of the box. 

TalkTagging creates call maps of everything that is discussed in recorded phone calls or meetings, captures the sequence within the call a key Point was discussed, and the duration of the time spent on each Point – which is a key indicator of what is most important to the prospect.

Our Meeting Mapper includes the standard processes in a sales cycle for your team to use “as is”, or easily customize them by simply clicking on the “pencil” icon, to make the changes that are most relevant to them.

  • the green flag icon signifies that this Discussion Point has recently been added, allowing reps to easily see what’s new

To start TalkTagging, simply click this button to begin actual time tracking. As the rep begins the different phases of the call, they simply click on the topic being discussed. 

After the call, reps can easily update the status of the deal by clicking the CRM Updates section. All updates will be automatically synced back to the CRM, saving the reps significant time and improving the accuracy of the CRM. 

Our next video will cover our Interaction Insights & Analytics which help sales reps and managers to easily review call recordings for forecast validation and coaching against best practices. 

Thank you for your interest in SalesTalk!

What are the Qualities of a Good Sales Team Leader?

The best sales teams will always be led by quality sales leaders. All good sales reps know that their success would be held back by a lack of leadership and, by the same token, enhanced by great leadership. As a sales leader, it’s important to take on certain qualities to truly lead your team towards success. The sales leaders who simply sit back and watch the revenue come in are probably going to be waiting longer than they’d like to fully realize the fruit of their labor, or lack thereof. Staying involved in the sales machine and playing an active role in the process is going to go a long way in increasing the production of your team.

Roles of a sales team leader

A great leader should take on certain responsibilities and fill certain roles that help support the individuals that make up the rest of the team. It’s important for your sales reps to know that you are there as a leader to fall back and lean on when needed. It’s also vital for a team to have a leader where less experience reps can learn and grow from. 

Here are some roles that every sales leader should be taking on in order to ensure a successful approach.

  • Coach:

As the leader of your team, you need to be there to help your individual sales reps improve. This can come in the form of strategies or techniques they use on a sales call or maybe just adapting their voice to fit the product they are selling. Regardless, any sales leader needs to be ready to jump in and coach up their reps. The ability and willingness to coach your reps in real-time is a huge factor in your success at the helm.

  • Motivator (Creating Goals):

Every great leader has one thing in common. They are able to motivate their team to victory. This is no different in sales. Creating relevant goals that will motivate not only each individual rep, but also the whole sales team, is going to put your team in a position to want to succeed. If your sales reps aren’t pushed to be great, chances are they won’t produce the results you’re looking for.

  • Evaluator:

Overseeing your sales team means seeing each rep’s strengths and weaknesses. As an evaluator you need to be able to recognize this and act accordingly. Whether you need to coach that rep up in a particular area, or determine where a rep will fit best within a team, you will have to be able to properly evaluate the situation. 

  • Arbitrator:

There are times that members of your team won’t always see eye to eye. Maybe one rep “stole” a sale from another. You need to be ready to step in and become the arbitrator in these situations. Remaining calm and neutral, always hearing both sides out, will help you succeed in this role.

sales teams

Qualities of a great sales team leader

Just like the top-tier sales reps have certain traits to look out for, sales leaders need to possess certain qualities in order to be truly successful in the sales world. A lot of times, these qualities come second nature to sales leaders. Other times, the traits are learned with experience. Regardless, it’s important to remember these qualities when going through your own development process as a sales leader.

  • Ability to identify and hire the right people:

The importance of identifying the right people for your sales team cannot be understated. Knowing which personalities will work for your specific process and being able to weed out those who don’t fit the mold you’ve carved out for your team is a skill that will improve with experience.

  • Communication Skills:

Every great leader, really in any realm, needs to have effective communication skills in order to bring a team together. You need to be able to provide feedback the right way so that it is absorbed by that particular rep. Also, you don’t want to leave your sales reps in the dark in any facet of the sales process. Always keeping your team in the loop is going to make you a better leader in the long run.

  • Sales Intuition:

Having that institutional knowledge will always put you ahead of the game. This quality will only develop over time, of course. The ball is in your court however, with how you take your experiences in the sales world and target trends that can help your team improve..

  • Adaptability:

Speaking of trends, the sales landscape is full of change. Trends come and go, and as a sales leader you need to be able to adapt your strategies to support these changes. If you are one of those people who remain stuck in their ways, without the willingness to change it up, you may see a plateau effect with your results.

SalesTalk can help you become a great sales team leader

Taking the next steps in your progression of a sales team leader can be difficult. Having the right information is one aspect of this, but having the right tools in order to implement your leadership is what will separate you from the pack. At SalesTalk Technologies, we provide our clients with a toolset to allow them to elevate their sales process to the next level. Our sales enablement modules give you the ability to really empower your team to generate more leads and convert those leads into customers with higher consistency. If you’re ready to take the next steps as a sales leader, contact our team to request a free trial of our software. 

How to Build a Sales Team with Top-Tier Sales Members

The most important aspect of building a successful business, one that is ready to scale at an acceptable rate and maintain that success, is building out your sales machine. This process relies on a foundation of great sales reps to lead the charge of selling your product and keeping your customers happy. To build a successful team, you need top-tier sales members contributing to your process. 

What characterizes someone as a “top-tier” sales rep? How can you successfully build your team with these top-tier performers? 

In this blog we will discuss the answers to these questions and get you on track to building the sales machine your business deserves.

Characteristics of highly successful salespeople

Not all successful sales reps possess the same qualities; some thrive on competition, others rely on collaboration. There are however, some general characteristics that you can look out for when determining whether or not a candidate would be capable of helping your sales process really take off. The best sales reps will generally have these traits and it would be beneficial for you to keep these in mind when going about building out your sales team. 

The “Hunter’s Mentality”

When deciding between candidates to bring into your sale operation, you want to find those reps with the “hunter’s mentality.” Meaning you want the reps who are always hungry to land the big deal. They will do anything and everything it takes to accomplish this. They won’t take any issue with doing the legwork to get a deal finalized and convert all of their leads into customers. 

The reps who don’t take no for an answer and won’t accept failure are the ones who will drive your team to success. A sales rep with a hunter’s mentality will finish off one sale and immediately be looking towards their next. A constant flow of wins is what your team needs to be truly successful, the hunter’s mentality rep will help build that culture. 

Personality and Charisma

The stereotypical sales rep has this extremely outgoing personality, one that will catch the attention of anyone they talk to. The fact is, a sales rep’s personality and charisma does not need to hinge on the overly extroverted approach. Top tier reps can take many forms when it comes to their personality. Cool, calm and collected can work just as well as the overly excited and enthusiastic approach. 

The one common denominator with both of these however is the ability to have the customer hanging on every word. The rep should be engaging enough and interesting enough to keep the attention of anyone who is one the other end of the conversation. If the leads or customers don’t particularly like the personality they are dealing with, it will be hard for that rep to make a sale.

Resilience

The ability for a sales rep to bounce back quickly after a loss is one of the most important traits a salesperson can have. Rejection is a harsh reality that can accompany any given sales interaction. The fact is, more often than not, the lead on the other end of the conversation will not give a rep the time of day to make their pitch. 

A top-tier rep will have the ability to see the big picture with these rejections, realizing that every interaction presents an opportunity and that when one lead doesn’t necessarily work out, there are others waiting to be converted. You don’t want a team made up of reps who reflect on the losses, you want those that take the loss and use it to fuel the next win.

sales teams

How to build a sales team with top-tier performers

Once you have the right sales reps in place, those with the top-tier qualities we all look for, how can you build towards success? Once assembled your team needs tools, direction, and a common voice that they can all fall back on in order to really drive the process forward. Part of establishing all of this means doing your part as the sales leader to train and motivate while also knowing which tools will help each individual rep do their job effectively.

Training

Even the greatest sales reps out there need to have a proper onboarding and training process to get them up to speed with your particular product and culture. The most effective sales teams will have a repeatable, digestible system in place for bringing on new reps. Too many businesses take their entire “handbook” and throw it at their new reps expecting them to read and learn every aspect of the sales process in a short period of time. This just isn’t realistic for any rep. It’s more beneficial for your team if you provide smaller, bite-sized pieces of information throughout a period of time. Pairing this with real-time coaching and ongoing training is much more effective for bringing your reps up to speed.

Goal setting and motivation

It’s not enough to just assemble the team and sit back to let them do what they do. To an extent, the hands off approach will be beneficial to your reps, but they will need some reason to sell. This is where setting the right goals to keep your team motivated will come into play. Goals should be developed both with the individual rep in mind, as well as the sales team as a whole. 

Sales reps are prideful people. They like to know that they are always driving towards and accomplishing something. Being strategic with your goals will keep your reps and your entire team moving forward and motivated to keep selling for your business.

Providing reps with the right tools

Even the best sales reps can be pushed that much farther with the right tools at their disposal. In today’s selling environment, sales enablement tools are becoming the norm. In actuality, they are even becoming a necessity for sales teams. The convenience and efficiency these tools offer your team is second to none and will keep your team moving forward instead of staying stagnant. The ability to have access to the right content for each individual contact, at the exact right time, is an invaluable luxury to have. You want your reps to always be confident in what they pitch. Giving them access to sales enablement tools empowers your team to generate and convert more leads.

Empower your top-tier reps with SalesTalk

At SalesTalk Technologies, we give sales teams access to an entire suite of tools that help every step of the sales process. From onboarding, to training, to live coaching, your team will be prepared and on the same page with the ultimate sales operation. We also provide you with modules that keep track, organize, and present your sales content with the relevance you need to generate those leads into customers. If you think your reps are ready to progress to the next tier of sales, contact our team to request a free trial of our suite of sales enablement tools.