Remember back in pre-pandemic days when sales teams conducted lavish SKOs in person, perhaps with an option to dial in? Things are a bit different today. Some organizations are returning to in-person sales kickoffs, some are holding exclusively virtual events, and others turning to some form of hybrid event. Either way, the same challenge remains: How can you deliver an engaging SKO that spurs reps on into the new fiscal year?

10 Tips for Valuable Sales Coaching

Andy Springer
July 20, 2022

Sales managers tend to believe they do a good job helping sellers solve problems and coaching them to build their capabilities. However, only 32% of sales managers are effective in getting maximum performance from sellers.

Building Your Sales Coaching Plan + Checklist

Andy Springer
June 22, 2022

It’s always important to remember: if you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there. If you want your sellers to perform at the peak of their potential, it’s essential to know the specific objectives you need to help your team achieve, and to map out the road that will help them achieve those objectives.

Why Sales Coaching Matters

Andy Springer
June 8, 2022

Think for a minute about your sales team. Is everyone doing everything they possibly can right now to succeed at their maximum potential? Is everyone on the team completely dialed in, doing everything they should and nothing they shouldn’t? Do they have all the right skills across the sales cycle? Have they completely taken the lead on their own development? Are they motivated and productive?

20 Virtual Sales Relationship-Building Tips

Andy Springer
February 3, 2021

Virtual meetings are now part of our everyday reality. Even in situations where you’re able to meet with some folks in person, you’re still likely to face a high number of virtual meetings on your calendar. This isn’t going to change any time soon. The way the world does business has shifted drastically in light of the pandemic. Even when it’s safe to do so, we’re likely to see many people continuing to work remotely because technology and processes have been put in place to make it a viable long-term option.

Virtual Training Best Practices: How to Get and Keep Attention and Engagement

Andy Springer
July 1, 2020

Engagement Threshold (noun): The point at which attention is captured and maintained, and below which is lost. We teach the concept of the engagement threshold to sellers that need to hold buyers’ attention in virtual sales meetings. When we teach it to sellers, we need to gain and keep their attention. It’s never been easy, but in a virtual environment, it’s significantly more difficult.

How to Choose the Right VILT Platform

Andy Springer
June 10, 2020

We’re asked all the time about which platform for use for virtual instructor-led training (VILT). With all of the choices out there—Zoom, Adobe Connect, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, GoToWebinar, On24, etc.—which one is best? Like any good consultant, my answer to this question is, “It depends.” There isn't a straightforward answer because different platforms excel at different things. At RAIN Group, we’re platform agnostic and don't promote one platform over another. We partner with our clients to determine which platform is right for them and what they're looking to do. There are, however, three key considerations for platform selection.

Virtual and In-Person Training Are Different in These 6 Ways

Andy Springer
May 13, 2020

Ask the question, “What needs to happen at your company for successful virtual training now that sellers are working remote?” and you’re likely to get answers like this: Facilitators need to engage participants Content needs to be relevant to the buyers and scenarios sellers face Sellers need to practice the new skills Training needs to be dynamic and interactive It's a nice list, but not unique to virtual instructor-led training (vILT).

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