Last week, we interviewed Brandon Thoms of Marketsharp and i360 on the five things he wishes he knew sooner about scaling a sales strategy. This post has:
- The bullet pointed recap
- The 4 minute highlight reel
- The full recording
Scaling a sales strategy: the 4 minute highlight reel
Top 5 takeaways
1. Standardize the processes, not the individual's technique.
2. Hire for culture, train the skill—there's an art to interview questions.
3. Use data to drive decisions—even hiring decisions.
4. The sales rep needs to sell the whole journey to the customer, not just the initial purchase.
5. Your team cannot succeed without the right technology.
Scaling a sales strategy: The full recap
Intro
- Welcome and icebreaker: Kristen engages attendees with a fun icebreaker about lessons learned in life and sales.
- Introduction of hosts: Kristen (Head of Marketing at Hatch) and Brandon Toms (VP of Sales at MarketSharp) are introduced.
- Company overview: Hatch uses AI to automate communication for sales and service teams; MarketSharp offers CRM solutions for the home improvement industry.
1. Standardization is key
- Consistency and efficiency: Standardizing processes ensures consistent performance and efficiency.
- Challenges of customization: Individual methods can lead to inefficiencies and complications.
- Solutions: Implement standardized processes, tools, sales playbooks, and onboarding plans.
- CRM lead management: Enter lead details accurately, set follow-up tasks, and use automations/templates.
- Demo certification: Use standardized demo scripts and frameworks to enhance engagement and maintain flexibility.
2. Hire for culture, train the skill
- Cultural fit: Prioritize hiring candidates who align with company values and culture.
- Interview questions: Focus on cultural fit by asking about challenges and scenarios related to company values.
- Team cohesion: Hiring for culture helps in building a cohesive, high-performing team.
3. Use data to drive decisions
- Data-driven approach: Base decisions on data and analytics rather than intuition.
- KPIs and metrics: Define and analyze key performance indicators to understand what works.
- Decision guidance: Use data to allocate resources, and guide hiring, marketing, and sales strategies.
- Data accuracy: Ensure accurate data entry and reliable reporting to support informed decisions.
4. Incorporate customer/post-sales success into sales strategy
- Integration with customer success: Coordinate pre-sale and post-sale processes to enhance customer retention.
- Customer journey: Communicate timelines, onboarding, and installation expectations transparently.
- Upselling and referrals: Identify opportunities for additional sales and leverage happy customers for referrals.
- Effective communication: Use automated campaigns and CRM integrations to keep customers informed.
5. Sales enablement and technology
- Importance: Invest in tools, training, and content to support the sales team and prevent friction.
- Modernization: Transition from manual processes to integrated CRM systems for better efficiency.
- Investment: Recognize the costs and benefits of upgrading technology for sustainable growth.
- Incentives and tools: Use sales enablement tools like call recording software, forecasting tools, and email automation.
Q&A section
- Budget for employee engagement: Plan budget based on revenue goals and include costs for events and incentives.
- Evaluating cultural fit: Use interview questions and profile testing to assess cultural fit and candidate commitment.
Conclusion
- Final thanks: Appreciate attendees for their participation and questions.
- Follow-up: Encourage follow-up questions via email and mention that inquiries about Hatch or MarketSharp will be addressed.
About MarketSharp
MarketSharp is the home improvement CRM that gets the job done. With in-depth reporting, lightning fast invoicing, and on-the-go functionality, teams that use MarketSharp can enjoy higher conversion rates and customer engagement. Learn more here.
