rainmakerinthemaking

Enterprise Sales executive

Any advise for first time Sales manager ?

Hi all,

I was task to train a new sales rep in my company, she was previously our inside sales rep. They promote her to full AE but she has not been performing.

I gave her a list to work on, her job is to get insights instead of meetings. By doing so, she learns to be curious and learn to ask questions to prop more pieces of information. I use actual opportunities to teach her about managing the sales process and how to spot risk/bs and opportunities. Her homework daily is to go through 1 video from this channel - brutal truth of b2b enterprise sales and tell me what she learns.

Am I doing the right thing so far? any suggestions or mistakes I make?

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19 comments

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Gasty

Notable Contributor

War Room Community Manager

Try shadowing? Invite her to live calls, sit, observe? Live-action on the ground might pump her up

braintank

Politicker

Enterprise Account Executive

Also Brian Burns is a dumbass.

rainmakerinthemaking

Politicker

Enterprise Sales executive

any better recommendation?

Sunbunny31

Politicker

Sr Sales Executive 🐰

Shadow successful AEs at your company is my recommendation.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

+1 for shadowing those that are successful.

nomdeguerre

Executive

Account executive

You really think so. I agree he is a bit of a goof ball, but I honestly find his content pretty good, so I’m interested in understand your point of view.

braintank

Politicker

Enterprise Account Executive

In general, there's very little you can learn from a 2 minute video.

Specifically the guy just spouts inane cliches. No substance or actionable takeaways. I muted him on LinkedIn because I was tired of seeing his crap clog my feed. The last interaction I had was on a post where he was advocating that logging activity in the CRM was a waste of time. I commented that I disagreed and he made rude comments and called me an idiot.

If you need content for a new AE I'd suggest 30 minutes to presidents club podcast.

But the best way to learn is by doing. Have the new AE shadow tenured AEs and talk to prospects.

rainmakerinthemaking

Politicker

Enterprise Sales executive

Oh, I'm talking about those interviews done by Brian burns. At least learn from a senior AE/ season sales persona perspective of sales.

Agree the best way is by doing, I'm planning to put her in charge of 1 product and practice she learned

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

It's hard to listen to those videos because he's out of breath.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

I've never heard of this guy, but now I'm curious..

How out of breath?! Like Adam Sandler as Fatty McGee?

NoSuperhero

Politicker

BDR LEAD

I agree, the value of Brian Burns is the people he brings into his podcasts, I agree with this comment.

NoSuperhero

Politicker

BDR LEAD

I agree, that's why if I were to consume his content I rather go to his podcasts. Corporate has it down on how to provide value in short content to the sales world.

TheQueenofDiamonds

Politicker

Account Executive

Ong so much yes for that, plus his ego is so fragile! He blocked me on LinkedIn lol

SADNESSLieutenant

Politicker

Officer of ♥️

So shes an ae but the only thing she does is gets insights? Why would you make someone who only has inside sales experience an AE… and the only homework to watch a video?

Im so comfused

rainmakerinthemaking

Politicker

Enterprise Sales executive

it's not my choice to promote her, she's like ... 6 mths into sales. She uses to do SDR/BDR work.

Insight is to train her curiosity over the phone and to prevent her from setting up shitty meetings to waste my time.

Yea, 1 video at a time for now. Any better suggestions?

TennisandSales

Politicker

Head Of Sales

shadow. she HAS to see things in action. have her on EVERY discovery call EVERY demo, and EVERY meeting after that. involve her in how and why you set up meetings down funnel and how you navigate the process once you get a verbal "yes"

once she sees the whole process in action she can start connecting the dots.

Also make sure she has solid product knowledge. not just HOW the product works but WHY the product is a value add and what the real value of the features are.

this will also help her set better meetings

dvalerian

Valued Contributor

Consultant and Distributor for Wired/Wireless Networking Solutions

One of the best ways to reverse engineer this process is to get her on the phone with REAL customers of yours. Learning from a lousy HR video vs. getting her to reach out to current happy customers and get her into story telling mode is my suggestion.
i.e. "Got it. Candidly, I just started in an account executive role and was hoping to tap into your likes/dislikes, preferences to best serve my future clientele. If you had 5 minutes, could you tell me about your experience using *product/service*?"

Sales And Marketing Specialist

Watching videos about "brutal truths of enterprise sales" isn't going to teach her to become a salesperson.
1 - research and read any book you think best fits your organization style and read it together. Everybody here will give you their favorite but there are lots of good selling processes books out there.
2 - the way you sell is going to be different than the way she sells. Figure out her communication style and make sure you can train her to speak comfortably in front of clients in her own voice.
3 - chart out your sales process together, get a cookbook of what needs to happen to close deals, track it and work it
4 - hope... (normally I say pray but I don't want to offend anybody) that this all works
5 - consider getting outside help if it doesn't

TheQueenofDiamonds

Politicker

Account Executive

Ask her what would work for her, you would not 'dictate' a prospect, you use curiosity. Same thing here. Good luck!!!

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rainmakerinthemaking

Any advise for first time Sales manager ?

19 comments

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