As we look forward to brighter times, and perhaps some return to normalcy, we’d like to share some of our favorite inspirational quotes for sales teams. But first, do inspirational quotes really work?

Are Inspirational Quotes Effective?

Motivational quotes have become quite popular on the internet, but, are they actually effective for inspiring your sales teams? In spite of the cliché, there is evidence to support that they are.

According to psychologist and motivation expert Jonathan Fader, the message that someone else believes you are able to achieve something can be a strong incentive to try harder. Similarly, psychology and communications expert Scott Sobel explains, “Humans are aspirational. We want to look up to role models and leaders and follow what they ask.” He adds that “Leaders and their words –inspirational quotes– affect us on a primal level.” In other words, people tend to work harder when someone they look up to encourages them to do so.

Likewise, a psychological study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals that “affirmation allows people to see otherwise-threatening information as more self-relevant and valuable” (Cascio, C., et. al 2015). This study proved that people that were exposed to positive affirmation were more likely to experience behavior change in the month following intervention. This research suggests that, in various domains, affirming core values helps people do better.

So, you can actually boost your teams’ engagement and performance by giving your sales reps regular feedback and positive affirmation, even in the form of inspirational quotes! What’s most important is that leaders take an active role in their teams’ motivation.

Stop Over-Planning and Start Doing!

Every team is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution to inspire sales reps. But you also don’t need anything complex to get started. You can make big changes by adding small details to your daily activities.

Here are some of our favorite inspirational quotes for sales teams this year. Maybe share a few with your team. You can send an email, a chat, or upload them to your Hurrah! Leaderboards channel. Not a Hurrah! user? Learn more about our sales leaderboards solution to complement your motivation strategy.

20 Inspiring Sales Quotes In 2021!

1. “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” — Spencer Johnson
2. “Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise.” — Frank Ocean
3. “The stronger the why, the easier the how becomes.” — Jim Rohn
4. “Either you run the day or it runs you.” — Jim Rohn
5. “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” — Suzy Kassem
6. “Play up what you got and forget about what you don’t have, in business and life!.” — Barbara Corcoran
7. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
8. “The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.” — Stephen McCranie
9. “A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at them.” — David Brinkley
10. “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” — Earl Nightingale
11. “I could either watch it happen or be a part of it.” — Elon Musk
12. “A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitable have his choice made for him by circumstance.” — Hunter S. Thompson
13. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” — Tim Notke
14. “A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.” — James N. Watkins
15. “A year from now you may wish you had started today.” — Karem Lamb
16. “You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” — John C. Maxwell
17. “Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” — Chris Grosser
18. “The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.” — Mike Murdock
19. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” —Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
20. “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” — Arthur T. “Art” Williams

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The post 20 Inspirational Quotes to Get Your Sales Teams Pumped Up in 2021 appeared first on CRM Gamified | Gamification software for Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.

As our product evolves, we are constantly looking to improve our solution and add value for our clients, without losing sight of the core value our platform provides: To motivate, engage, and recognize achievements with live performance tracking for teams anywhere.

Our team has been working on improvements designed to make Hurrah! more accessible and interactive in order to increase engagement potential for end users. We are excited to begin this transition with a new and expanded user experience as well as more flexible sharing, viewing, and personalization features.

What is New About the User Experience?

Hurrah! “Users” are the individuals whose statistics and other data can be displayed in Hurrah! channel content like leaderboards, contests, and more. Hurrah! 5.4 introduces new ways these users can interact with the platform beyond simple, real-time viewing.

The How

We understand the power of presentation when it comes to data. We wanted to take all the advantages of real-time KPI broadcasting and make an even more engaging platform for users by consolidating the information relevant to them, and adding context about recent activity from their team. The 5.4 user portal allows users to personalize their profile preferences, access and navigate all content in their assigned channels in one place, as well as view summaries of their team’s recent Celebrations and Contest results.

The Where

Hurrah! offers many points of contact for users and many ways to access channels. Hurrah! 5.4 improves the viewing experience and expands the accessibility for users. This includes TV broadcasting, desktop, and mobile access, meaning users can access Hurrah! from nearly anywhere they are.

Hurrah! 5.4 takes users experience beyond the platform itself. New integrations with Slack, Microsoft Teams, and email automations mean users can receive Hurrah! notifications right in their main communication channels in real-time.

What’s Next?

Our latest release includes new features, performance enhancements, and much more. And this is just the beginning. We are committed to making the invaluable tool of live KPI broadcasting as accessible as possible by creating an intuitive, engaging user experience across platforms.

For more information on Hurrah! 5.4 please contact our Support team.

If you are new to Hurrah!, but would like to learn more about our solution, please feel free to schedule a demo, or reach out to our Sales team.

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The post Creating a User-Centric Platform: Hurrah! 5.4 appeared first on CRM Gamified | Gamification software for Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.

Companies are finding that simply offering competitive commissions is no longer enough to keep agents performing at their highest levels. Encouraging agents’ connectedness with organizational goals is key to maintain high employee engagement in the long run.

Fortunately, advances in technology have made it easier to create a greater sense of community by offering modern dynamic methods. Even so, boosting motivation requieres a lot of time, thought and effort. Worry not! We’ll give you some useful tips that will help your field agents become more motivated and engaged than ever.

Build in Accessible Incentives

Outsides sales teams traditionally receive commissions as part of their incentives structure, but including additional and goal-oriented incentives can help greatly boost motivation.

According to a Selling Rewards study, it’s important that companies get reliable information on their agents’ behavior to ensure they’re acting aligned with their organizational goals. In outside sales teams, the lack of this data is compensated by a results-based contract that pays commissions in strict relation to sales volume. On the downside, when a prospect doesn’t become an actual sale, it generates high levels of uncertainty among sales reps.

The study presents two types of performance measurement systems: While outcome systems control the results of the selling process, behavior systems focus on the individual stages of the process. The first one implies little tracking of activities and effort, and is associated with high levels of commissions. Behavior systems on the other hand, imply a more detailed evaluation of performance. This way, sales managers can clearly identify what areas each rep best fits in, helping them pursue long-term goals.

This is why offering new rewards for accomplishments such as closing deals quickly and generating new leads or referrals, is a great way to promote key activities beyond just sales. Similarly, rewarding personal and professional progress shows that the organization is invested in its agents’ success. Small appreciations such as highlighting the skills in which reps stand out is vital for boosting morale and increasing confidence.

Promote Team Building and Communication

A major part of the disconnection agents feel from the rest of the team stems from not knowing what everyone else is up to, how they work and what they could improve. Having a tool in place to help the team learn from their peers’ achievements is essential for improving sales performance. Not only does it foster transparency (and therefore, trust) in the company, but it also generates camaraderie and a sense of recognition among agents.

Communication plays a big role in this, since it ensures team cohesion and inclusion. By holding regular meetings where teams can analyze and discuss metrics, review the cycle and current challenges, companies can strengthen bonds among their agents.

On an individual level, research reveals that employee motivation can increase 3x if they receive feedback from their managers at least a few times per month. Holding one-on-one meetings between managers and sales reps destined to review their progress is great way to recognize agents’ achievements and provide them support with any roadblock they might be facing.

Encourage Healthy Competition

Promoting healthy competition can bring out the best of sales reps as they will push past their limits to keep up with their peers. Seeing your colleagues hit their sales target might work as a motivator for stretching one’s limits. However, the nature of outside sales forces might make it difficult for employees to see their team members’ progress.

Setting up competition instances and rewarding top performers can serve as a way of engaging agents with a shared goal, while making them feel valuable. Not only will your outside sales teams feel connected, but also they also will try to boost their performance.

On this subject, gamification software is an effective way of engaging teams with their work, progress and goals, while encouraging healthy competition and growth.

A study titled “Gamification: Motivation and Engagement”, shows a strong connection between gamification and psychological theory behaviorism. It shows that rewarding people through game mechanics such as the acquisition of points and badges, promotes certain desirable behaviors. Additionally, gamification mechanics add collaboration and competition into the mix, resulting in a sense of belonging. Incorporate game mechanics into your sales process and promote friendly competition among your agents.

Track Team Analytics

Another daunting task for sales teams, but one that can be easily achieved through technology, is team analytics tracking. Knowing the areas each agent excels in, is necessary for any salesperson’s personal and professional growth.

Before, this was considered a tedious task since data was highly scattered making it hard to analyze. However, this process was greatly simplified through many software tools that provide precise data to analyze and act on.

Tracking and sharing team KPIs is a powerful way to engage agents with their performance metrics and help them benchmark their progress. Make sure you share a mix of overall metrics and individual and group KPIs. This will give you a closer insight of your team goals’ progress.

Outside sales teams can get solid results when given the right encouragement. Nowadays, commissions are but a small portion of this equation. Individual development is key to ensure engagement and this can only be achieved by shifting traditional paradigms.

Because of this, we believe that Hurrah! Leaderboards could be a great solution for helping your sales forces become more engaged and motivated than ever, while improving your success tracking. Hurrah! is a fun performance tracking solution that connects to a wide variety of CRM and databases. It allows you to share fully customized KPIs and real-time feedback to your team members no matter where they are.

Begin the transformation today and opt for modern, more dynamic solution such as Hurrah! and turn your field agents into motivated, productive and happy employees!

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The post Why Commissions Aren’t Enough: How to Motivate Outside Sales Teams appeared first on CRM Gamified | Gamification software for Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.

New Challenges of Remote Work

Not every job can be done remotely. Nevertheless, efforts to implement health and safety protocol have meant that many companies have newly turned to remote work.  Before 2020, only 7% of U.S. workers regularly worked from home, while post-pandemic data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that almost one-third of the U.S. workforce is able to work remotely.

At the onset of the pandemic, most companies had to rethink policies that would have likely otherwise gone undisturbed. The 2019 IWG Workplace Survey indicates that more than 50% of companies had no flexible policy with the reason that “longstanding company policy” dictated such. Companies large and small had to enact operational changes quickly in order to continue functioning, and in many cases this involved some element of remote work.  

Today, about 1 in 4 workers is working entirely from home. Under these new conditions, employee behaviors and experiences have changed in some cases dramatically. The pivot to remote work has altered the way teams interact and how people experience their work. Faced with new challenges related to adjusting to this status quo, many companies are trying to play catch up.

We spoke to two companies about their experience pivoting operations during the pandemic. One, Nearsure, a nearshore outsourcing agency, has always had teams working fully remote, but they experienced increased challenges when they were obliged to shift to 100% remote work. The second, UruIT, a software development company, offered a flexible policy for employees who wished to work remotely, but for the most part had teams working in their offices. For these companies, while logistical hurdles demanded immediate attention, the major challenges were related long-term effects on employee well-being and team culture.

EPresenteeism, Loneliness and Work-Life Imbalance

The sudden, obligatory shift to remote work for many companies has brought its share of concerns for human resources teams. Addressing EPresenteeism has emerged as one of these major challenges.

Presenteeism, or working while sick, has been studied as a cause of reduced productivity, exhaustion, and poor health. EPresenteeism stems from the feeling experienced by employees that they need to be constantly online and available while working remotely. Workdays can have the tendency to lose demarcation especially for those with large workloads. The pandemic has also limited non-work activities for many people, which can contribute to an increased difficulty disconnecting from work. This has lead to higher levels of stress and increased risk of burn out.

Workers who assumed the additional responsibility of childcare have been especially impacted by the dueling pressure of working from home. “These times can be challenging for those who have children at home given that everyone is trying to balance work and parental responsibilities”, explains Regiane Folter, Marketing Specialist at UruIT. Folter has been collaborating with her company’s human resources team on initiatives to maintain employee engagement and communication.

Folter explains how UruIT addressed the demands of working from home and caring for a family. “Our PeopleCare team has been offering solutions, such as keeping a flexible work schedule, depending on the role. They also provided daily tips in our Slack workplace with informative links on how to have a positive remote work experience and keeping a healthy work-life balance”.

Work-life balance is a term used to refer to a healthy equilibrium of work and other activities, relationships, etc. that enrich a person’s life. The abrupt shift to remote work, and resulting EPresenteeism, has created or worsened an imbalance for many people.

Feelings of loneliness can also result from isolation and have a severe impact on employee wellbeing. Reduced social interactions between colleagues can attenuate connections that create positive work culture. Folter recounts that this was a key concern for UruIT, a company that fosters a thriving, social company culture. They, like many, have turned to online activities and events to help. “Every Friday, all the employees get together in an online brunch through Zoom where all are welcome to join, listen to the latest company news, and partake in some fun activities with co-workers. Also, we’ve been having weekly online classes to take care of our physical and mental well-being while staying in isolation. This includes activities such as stretching, self-massage and posture tips, online fitness classes, and yoga and mindfulness sessions.”

Combating the averse effects of mandatory remote work takes focus and a good deal of creativity. However, while the shift to working from home presents many challenges, for companies that adapt effectively, the impact may not be wholly negative.

This is why it’s important for leaders to take a proactive approach and start actively looking after their employees’ well-being. On that article, you can learn more on how corporate wellness programs can help you boost employee motivation.

The Upside, Some Surprising Results

A recent Owl Labs report shows that one of the biggest concerns managers had at the beginning of the pandemic was reduced employee productivity. However, there is evidence that suggests that in some ways the benefits might outweigh the costs when it comes to working remotely. According to a recent survey conducted by Lenovo, 63% of the global workforce surveyed reports that they are more productive working from home than they were at the office.

These results coincide with Folter’s observations about her teams. “All the teams are working in a manner as productive as they used to do when everyone was in the office. We’re receiving positive feedback from our clients, and work is going as smoothly as always.”

These positive results may just be the motivation for lasting change in the ways companies work even after the pandemic subsides. Benefits associated with working form home have been gaining traction in the workforce and may just result in shifting expectations moving forward. Flexible work schedule is one benefit that has been slowly gaining ground among employees. As much as 86% of parents now want flexible hours, 40% more than before the pandemic outbreak occurred. In fact, it is currently one of the top benefits of remote work cited by employees, with or without children.

Remote Work: A New Normal?

Industries such as Software and IT have been offering flexible hours and remote work options as benefits for some time. It is a trend that began to reach other industries even before the pandemic outbreak. Baliero believes that this trend will be accelerated and that many more companies as a result will adopt more flexible policies long-term. “I believe that the pandemic has definitely made remote work more accepted in many industries, not just the software industry. On that note, I think it is here to stay and businesses that are able to operate remotely are going to improve their policies and continue to do so”. 

So, is this a glimpse of what work will look like in the future? The answer, it depends. What can be seen, is that people’s opinion of remote work, and their desire for more flexibility has shifted. According to Buffer’s State of Remote Report, 98% of employees surveyed would like to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers. In response, many companies will likely update their policies long-term to accommodated the greater demand for flexibility. Similarly, a study by Microsoft reveals that 82% of managers expect to have more flexible work from home policies post-pandemic.

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The post Remote Work and the Pandemic Part 1: Challenges of the New Normal appeared first on CRM Gamified | Gamification software for Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.

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Crucial KPIs and Metrics for Insurance Companies

CRMGamified ©2020

RATES

Rates are good indicators of effectiveness and lead quality. While overall volumes may vary, reporting success rates at various stages in your sales pipeline can help identify major blockers.

Try these!

• Contact Rate
• Quote Rate
• Bind Rate

COSTS

Measuring costs associated with leads at each stage of the sales pipeline is important for knowing how to optimize spending. Check out these examples!

• Cost per Quote
• Bind Cost: What is the cost to bind a policy or acquire a customer?
• Cost per Claim
• Cost by Source: Which marketing channel is yielding the lowest cost per acquisition?

TIME

Tracking time to respond to or close certain cases helps measure effectiveness and tends to correlate with customer satisfaction indicators.

Measuring agent time dedicated to specific activities shows efficiency and can help identify where process improvements could improve performance.

• Average time to settle a claim by type of policy
• Producers talk time and dials
• Underwriting speed

PRODUCTIVITY

Tracking activities and results by agent, team, or territory provide valuable information about overall performance.

• Quotas vs. Production
• New Policies per Agent
• Expense Ratio
• Loss Ratio

MOTIVATE. ENGAGE. RECOGNIZE.

Many companies struggle to achieve adequate visibility of their most important performance metrics.  Hurrah! offers an easy way to track and share live KPIs with both in-house and remote teams. Connect agents wherever they are. Hurrah! helps companies improve accountability, engagement, and reporting for better data and better performance.

The post Measuring for Success: Crucial KPIs for Insurance appeared first on CRM Gamified | Gamification software for Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.

Art Sobczak

Sales trainer, author and speaker, Art Sobczak started working in the sales industry at age 14, and has never stopped. He founded his company, Business by Phone in 1983. He provides useful conversational advice to thousands of sales professionals, helping them close deals more efficiently.

His book Smart Calling: Eliminate the Fear, Failure, and Rejection from Cold Calling was chosen by Top Sales Awards as the Top Sales Book of 2010. As well as that, he provides a two-day online training seminar called “Smart Calling College”.  He also gives personalized training courses to companies from all over the world.

Sobczak’s YouTube channel has most of his podcast episodes. On them, he targets prospecting, successful phone calls, voice mail and email communications, as well as specific case-to-case analysis. You can also find interviews to other sales experts and authors. There are find short to the point videos with specific tips to help you improve your day-to-day performance as well.

Avg. video length: 40 mins.

Uploading Frequency: Every 2 weeks.

Must-see video: How to Quit Cold Calling and Smart Call Instead

Jeb Blount’s Sales Gravy

Also featured in our “20 Sales Podcasts You Can’t Miss in 2020” article, Jeb Blount is an extremely prolific sales acceleration expert, with new weekly content in his podcast, in his YouTube channel, seven books published since 2009 and four companies: Sales Gravy, Channel EQ, Level 4 Training and Innovate HCG.

He also has more than 25 years of experience with Fortune 500 companies. Jeb Blount is considered a top sales and marketing leader, top selling influencer, top sales expert to follow on Twitter, must-read author, part of the 100 most innovative sales bloggers, and the most downloaded sales podcaster in the history of iTunes.

His YouTube channel is fresh and has diverse quality content. It includes book reviews, sales training on cold calling, prospecting, customer experience, high-performance and sales tips.

Avg. video length: 30 mins.

Uploading Frequency: Once a day.

Must-see video: The More You Prospect, The Luckier You Get

Jim Pancero

In his more than 35 years working as a sales leadership consultant and coach, Pancero has given more 3,000 speeches, seminars, and consulting with more than 600 companies in 80 industries. He is also a member of the University of Innovative Distribution and a member of the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame since 1997.

He is also an author, and has written two books: “You Can Always Sell More – How to Improve Any Sales Force” and “Leading Your Sales Team – How to Manage a Winning Sales Team“.

Pancero not only coaches offline but has a YouTube channel with regular content. It was even rated by HubSpot as one of the 10 best sales video channels out there. He’s entertaining, bright and has extensive research in the sales industry and in every topic he discusses. You can find videos on virtually every subject, and his comments and tips are mainly aimed at sales managers and team leaders.

Avg. video length: 2-5 mins.

Uploading Frequency: 2 videos per week.

Must-see video: Your Price is Too High! 7 Steps to Defending Price

Gerhard Gschwandtner

CEO and founder of Selling Power, Inc., a multi-channel media company that also produces Selling Power magazine for sale professionals and managers, Gschwandtner is a sales expert and in 2010 he received the Sales & Marketing Executives International, Inc. 2010 Ambassador of Free Enterprise Award.

Known as a sales guru, Gschwandtner runs four Sales 3.0 conferences a year congregating over 2,000 sales managers and marketing leaders. As well as that, he created the Peak Performance Mindset workshop that teaches salespeople to throw limits out the window and feel empowered, and he has authored 16 books in sales psychology, management, and selling.

His YouTube channel is also very popular. With almost 2 million views in total, he discusses several different subjects including new sales book releases, useful tips, discussions on accountability, closing a sale, value selling, sales strategy, coaching, and more.

Avg. video length: 12 mins.

Uploading Frequency: Once a week.

Must-see video: How to Teach Business Acumen to Salespeople

Salesman.org

Another popular name in our sales podcast list, Will Barron is not only the creator of the Salesman Podcast, with over half a million downloads every month, but he is also the founder and managing director of Salesman.org, a training platform that promises “to assess your weaknesses, learn effective sales skills, practice them and hit quota or [get] your money back”.

Barron has also undertaken the challenge of building one of the best YouTube channels for sales, which to this day has more than 35k subscribers and almost 1.8 million views. Not only can you find the best episodes of his podcast, but there are also short, easy-to-follow videos that discuss specific topics ranging from how to talk to anyone about anything to cognitive bias, selling anxiety, how to differentiate your product, forcing functions and more.

Avg. video length: 40 mins.

Uploading Frequency: Once every two days.

Must-see video: The Four Personality Types & How to Sell To Them

If you want more awesome YouTube Channels for sales don’t forget to check Part 1!

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The post The 10 Best YouTube Channels for Sales <span> – Part 2 </span> appeared first on CRM Gamified | Gamification software for Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.

Over the last few months, our team of designers and developers has been working to bring you Hurrah! 5.2, with new looks, new features, and functional improvements. We are also rolling out our new look as a brand with an update to our logo.

New Modern Theme

Hurrah!’s 5.2 new, modern UI introduces a colorful, streamlined look for all your leaderboards, charts, contests, and communication slides. But don’t worry, we haven’t gotten rid of hurrah’s classic look; now you have the option to switch seamlessly between modern and classic themes for your slideshows.

New Media

We also have new backgrounds and celebration videos for you, to go with the new design. Enjoy brand new media to go with your slides and announce your team’s achievements.

Fixes

We are always looking to improve how Hurrah! works, so we did some backend fixes to have it working smoothly.

Our brand gets renewed!

Continuing with the updates, Hurrah! got a brand update with a new logo. Our team got together to think about how we wanted to show Hurrah! and what it meant for us. We hope you like our new look as much as we do.

If you want to learn more about Hurrah! and how it can help your company with motivation, engagement, and performance, contact us for more information and you can try Hurrah! Risk-free today!

The post Hurrah! 5.2 is out! appeared first on CRM Gamified | Gamification software for Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.

Jeffrey Gitomer’s Sales Training Channel

With over 50k subscribers, the King of Sales, Jeffrey Gitomer, provides all sorts of videos on the sales process. Learn about the attitudes salespeople should take, how managers and company owners train and educate their employees, successful sales formulas and more.

His YouTube channel offers different, dynamic and easy-to-follow videos with a unique, almost controversial approach. He has videos going all the way back to 2009 that still have value and relevance today.

The best-selling author and speaker started consulting sales teams in 1986 and hasn’t stopped since. He has written 15 books, including the Little Red Book of Selling, The Sales Bible and The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude. He gives more than 100 presentations per year, has his own online magazine, Sales Caffeine. More recently, he created the Gitomer Learning Academy, where he gives online courses on personal development, sales operations and customer loyalty.

Average video length: 3 minutes.

Uploading Frequency: On average, once every 2 months.

Must-see video:  Sales Training – Closing the sale — the definitive answers you won’t like

Victor Antonio

Victor Antonio is a business speaker, best-selling author and sales trainer, with more than 20 years of experience in the industry. He was President of Global Sales and VP of International Sales at two very successful companies. As well as that, he was selected to join the President’s Advisory Council for excellence in sales and management.

He is also the founder of the Sales Velocity Academy, an online sales course platform. As well as that, he offers his Monday Morning Sales Workouts, with 52 different lessons on several sales categories.

Antonio has one of the most successful YouTube channels for sales. He has more than 180k subscribers, and according to him, it’s the “best and most comprehensive sales & motivation channel on YouTube”.

His videos discuss not only the different aspects of the sales process (presentations, negotiations, closing, pitches, etc.), but also the way customers think, how AI can help sales operations, productivity, metrics and sales goals, and more. They are useful for both beginner and experienced salespeople who want to learn how to refine their skills set and become better at what they do.

He also includes his Sales influence Podcast (SIP), where he answers questions from subscribers on sales, discusses very specific cases and reflects on industry-related topics.

Avg. video length: 8 mins.

Uploading Frequency: every 2 or 3 days.

Must-see video: Why Managers Matter

Mark Hunter

The Sales Hunter has been a part of the sales industry for more than 20 years, working in different positions in both sales and marketing in three different Fortune 200 companies. The consultant, speaker and author travels coaching and speaking to companies and associations all over the world. He was also awarded the “Certified Speaking Professional (CSP)” designation by the National Speakers Association.

His videos are fast-paced, very clear yet short, so you can get useful tips on prospecting, closing deals, negotiating and leading a sales team in just a few minutes.

Avg. video length: 8 mins.

Uploading Frequency: 2-3 videos per week.

Must-see video: Three Fatal Mistakes When Giving Your Price

Anthony Iannarino

Best-selling author, entrepreneur, and sales leader Anthony Iannarino has built a successful international career as a consultant and speaker. He has several different businesses, including the Iannarino Sales Accelerator, a learning platform for salespeople to grow professionally and personally, and B2B Sales Coach & Consultancy.

His YouTube channel has been up since 2008. There, you can find useful tips and information on leadership, prospecting, sales approaches, motivation, and productivity. Although he wasn’t publishing in the last year, in 2020 he started uploading new videos and they are compelling and interesting.

Avg. video length: 5 mins.

Uploading Frequency: Every 2 weeks.

Must-see video: Why B2B Sales Is Not a Numbers Game

Mike Weinberg

Amazon best-selling author of titles such as “Sales Truth” and “New Sales. Simplified. The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development”, consultant and coach Mike Weinberg is the #1 sales expert to follow today on Twitter, and one definitely worth taking a look at in this list.

His YouTube videos are entertaining, informative and insightful. Weinberg has a funny and honest way of communicating simple yet very useful tips and it’s a great help for sales professionals.

His YouTube channel includes different content. He has done panels and interviews with other sales experts on this list like Mark Hunter and Anthony Iannarino. He also provides short videos with useful tips for salespeople on attitude and mindset, what makes a salesperson successful, and more.

Avg. video length: 3 mins.

Uploading Frequency: Once a month.

Must-see video: Sales Leadership Through Crisis 1: Encouragement as You Lead

If you want more awesome YouTube Channels for sales don’t forget to check Part 2!

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The post The 10 Best YouTube Channels for Sales <span> – Part 1 </span> appeared first on CRM Gamified | Gamification software for Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.

Don’t know Hurrah! yet?

Hurrah! is a performance tracking solution for sales and service teams. Hurrah! connects directly to your CRM or other databases so you can start sharing live, fully customized KPIs, communications, and custom media to every team member no matter where they are.

Work From Home feature:

Share a slideshow

Bring your remote team closer together by sharing a slideshow.

As simple as copying a link and share it through your communication channels. With a couple of clicks, you will help bring everyone closer during this time separated.

This new feature will not only allow your reps and managers to easily visualize their KPIs at home, but also to see how the rest of the team is doing, and all that in real-time!

Now your browser is your new TV!

You don’t even need a TV screen to broadcast metrics, leaderboards, messages or media content. Visualize everything from your Google Chrome browser.

Navigate through the slides

Want to replay a specific slide? Are they taking too long? Manually select what you want to see with our new navigation panel.

Turn off Big Events

Sometimes you really need to focus, and Big Events can come as a distraction. But don’t worry, you can easily disable that option whenever you want and turn it on again later to keep celebrating new achievements with the rest of the team! 

Unshared and re-share at any time

Whether you want to share a new link with a different slideshow or simply stop sharing, a new unshare option is also available.

We even went beyond that, you can easily enable the slideshow to be visible again. The link will continue to be the same, so you don’t have to worry about re-sending it.

If you haven’t already implemented this new Work From Home feature to Hurrah!, contact our customer success team for a consultation and tutorial.

Stay safe,

The Hurrah! Team.

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Employees might not be used to working remotely and most companies don’t have a clear set of norms when it comes to internal communication. As a result, they find themselves lost in this new demanding situation. So now, more than ever, managers need to make a bigger effort to ensure a constant and effective communication.

To make sure everyone is on the same page, it is of vital importance to establish a long-term strategy. By doing so, it will help avoid confusion as well as enhance communication and collaboration among your team. 

Tools for communication

First, as a manager, you need to ensure everyone has access to all the tech they need to communicate and do their work effectively. As well as that, it is vital that everyone knows who to contact when they need something specific and how to do so. Then, you need to establish which tools are you using and what are you using them for. In other words, designate a channel of communication for each category (video-calling, daily chat room, project management software, etc.) to avoid information loss.

Timing

Set a time to deliver information:

As the line between work and our private life begins to blur, disconnecting can be a trouble. We all need a break and it’s impossible to chill if you are constantly receiving calls and messages from your colleagues. As a manager, you can prevent this from happening by establishing time slots. A good idea is to ask each employee to define what works best for them.

Not everything needs to be instant:

Even if you are connected it doesn’t mean you are available. Constant interruptions make it harder to focus and, as a result, productivity is highly affected. The solution? Asynchronous communication. That is when you don’t expect an immediate response to the message you’ve just sent.

A useful tip is to mark the beginning of every message with a specific level of urgency and expected response time. Consequently, the person who receives it knows whether it is something urgent and they need to respond ASAP or if it can wait some hours or days. This can be especially useful if you have a team working in different time zones.

Clear, Concise, Concrete

Go straight to the point:

Tons of messages are received every day and sometimes they can be a waste of time. Extremely long messages don’t mean more information, so try to simplify them. However, making it simpler doesn’t mean that you must write shorter sentences just for the sake of it. The point here is that you need to identify what is important and eliminate everything unnecessary.

Moreover, carefully choose the kind of words depending on the person you are sending the message to. Then think, do they understand your abbreviations or technical language? Don’t assume that they do. Keep everything to the point but, if necessary, explain. By doing so, they can easily understand your message, and you will avoid ambiguity.

Style and tone:

How the message is perceived by the reader is important as well, and it all depends on the style and tone of the text. These norms can be set to a team extent or even on an individual level. 

If possible, gather information about your employee’s preferences and share it with the whole team. Some people might prefer quick messages on Slack, others a more detailed email. In the same way, while some are more tolerant of humor and informality, others stick to a rather formal writing style. Whatever is the form they choose, make sure everyone is aware of their decisions, and remember, consistency is key.

Video-calls

As all interactions are now happening digitally, there is a bigger risk of miscommunication and misinterpretation of messages. This can affect morale, engagement, and productivity. All due to one crucial factor missing: body language. Is it a joke, sarcasm or real criticism? Even when you are face-to-face it might be hard to tell, imagine how it feels online. 

Video communication is certainly not an ideal situation, but it is definitely better. It allows you to deliver real-time feedback without the fear of being misunderstood.

Not all communication has to be about work

Times are tough and led to new stresses. Whether employees are home alone, with family, couples or friends, seeing and interacting with other people can really help. Not to mention for those teams that are used to being together all the time and now find themselves stuck in this situation. So, find new ways to celebrate and socialize remotely to strengthen relationships and keep motivation alive!

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The post Effective communication for new remote teams appeared first on CRM Gamified | Gamification software for Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.

Challenges inside sales team face when working remotely

Inside sales teams usually work together in the same office, providing plenty of opportunities for communicating and celebrating new sales. Inside sales teams thrive on camaraderie and healthy competition, and teams that now find themselves mostly working remotely can struggle to keep motivation high.

Any inside sales rep who has recently switched to working from home will face unique challenges such as dealing with distractions that don’t exist in an office environment, difficulty maintaining fluid communication, and even a sense of isolation from the rest of their team. These challenges can lead to loss of motivation and even dips in performance levels.

Recognizing and identifying these challenges for your employees is the first step your organization can take towards addressing them and successfully managing a newly remote inside sales team.

Tips for managing a successful remote sales team

Here are a few steps managers can put into place to help make the transition as smooth as possible:

Encourage social interaction

Isolation can be a real problem for employees who typically don’t work remotely, and often has a negative impact on employee engagement. For this reason, creating a space for social interactions among team members is very important. Designate a group chat for your whole team to use as a general communications channel. Make it a space that’s friendly to work-related messages as well as interpersonal socializing. This will help keep up camaraderie. 

In addition, be aware that you may need to check in more frequently with your reps on a one-on-one basis. Your sales reps may be struggling with elements of work from home and they might not bring it up. As a manager, it may be helpful to recognize the challenges of the current situation and ask your team to be open about how it is affecting them. If anything it is important to help your team feel heard and supported. Now more than ever, we all must take care of our mental health and well-being.

Encourage collaboration

Maintaining communication and collaboration within your sales team is vital. It is also important to consider how collaboration with other departments may be affected as everyone is working from their homes. You will need to develop a strategy to keep up communication and continued follow through on projects with other departments such as marketing, customer support, collections, etc. Designating a point person in each department to spearhead communication about a project or ongoing issue can be very helpful. Try to also keep up regular meetings via video chat so everyone stays on the same page.

Establish clear processes and document everything

Having clear daily procedures for teams and individuals to follow provides a framework for each day. This helps reduce ambiguity around what reps need to be doing throughout each day. More structure is often helpful for reps who are not used to working from home. Here are some processes you may want to consider for your inside sales team:

• Ask your reps to write in the all-team group chat when they start their day and when they end so everybody knows when they are logged on and available.
• Designate a point of contact for any issues with computers, vpns, logins, etc. so reps don’t waste time trying to find help with technical glitches.
• Set clear daily expectations, define priorities and the roles each person has within their team and the tasks they are responsible for. Since they all know what’s the standard and what they should strive to achieve, you can increase productivity and motivation.

Empower your remote sales team with the right tools

One of the common issues for any company moving to remote work in a short amount of time is making sure employees have access to the technology they need to complete their day-to-day tasks. This means having the right equipment, good internet connection, and a range of other tools to share, collaborate, and communicate every day.

You will find that some processes can stay the same, (maybe your CRM needs to be used the same as ever) while others will get a lot more use than before as your team needs to rely more on technology to connect. Here are some functions to make sure are well covered for your sales team.

• Internal Communication: It’s important to have a way to message each other on a daily basis, either to check-in, to discuss progress or to just say “Good morning, team!”. Some of the most popular messaging tools today are Slack, HipChat, Stride, and Twist.
• Store data: Having a safe and secure space where sales teams can upload important information like reports, find procedure documents, share files, etc., is key to any sales operation. Some CRM tools already provide storage, but for other files having another central location like Google Drive, PandaDoc or Dropbox can really help simplify processes and keep everything organized.
• Conferencing/Video Calling: Participating in daily meetings can be a good way to keep up engagement, motivation and lower the stress of isolation. Whether you prefer to use Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, etc., the important thing is that you keep up consistent communication.
• Performance management: Knowing which areas of your operation are falling behind or doing well is key to keeping your sales team on target. There are several tools out there for sales teams, including Altify, Betts Recruiting, and Hurrah!

Gamify your remote team

Making your team’s key performance indicators front and center is especially helpful to keep remote employees connected to their goals. Hurrah! Leaderboards is a performance broadcasting solution that helps sales teams stay motivated with live leaderboards, real-time achievement recognition, custom media sharing and communication features, and much more. Employees can stay always up-to-date on team goals, sales strategies, company news, and what their colleagues are accomplishing all in one place. Learn more about our product plans.

Virtually all jobs can be done from home, and sales is no exception. This does not mean that things will run efficiently from the beginning. Successfully managing a remote sales team takes time and effort, but by following our recommendations you will have a solid and efficient team in no time!

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The post How to successfully manage a remote sales team appeared first on CRM Gamified | Gamification software for Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.

1. Sales Influence – Why People Buy!

In this podcast, business consultant, author and speaker, Victor Antonio discusses recent consumer behavior studies and neuromarketing trends and provides useful tips to boost sales.  This is a shorter podcast with engaging and relevant insights on the psychology of sales.

Episode Length: 9-25 mins.

Frequency: 2-3 new episodes weekly.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, PodBean.

2. Negotiate Anything

Considered one of the best negotiation podcasts in the world, Negotiate Anything is hosted by the Director of the American Negotiation Institute, attorney, author and master negotiator Kwame Christian Esq. This podcast discusses the psychology behind negotiating techniques and tips to deal with difficult individuals. It aims to help listeners gain confidence and empower them in all areas of life.

Episode Length: 10-40 mins.

Frequency: 1-2 new episodes weekly.

Listen on:  iTunes, Stitcher, PlayerFM.

3. Conversations with Women in Sales

One of the rising stars in the world of sales podcasts, Women in Sales is an excellent source of information for female sales professionals making their way through a male dominated industry. According to a recent Linkedin report, women represent 39% of the workforce of this industry and only 21% of Vice Presidents in Sales are female. 

This podcast is aimed at empowering women into developing their skills set and thrive in the sales industry. Barb Giamanco interviews experienced and successful women in all sorts of topics, from leadership to social selling, B2B sales, overcoming obstacles, career development and management, etc. 

Episode Length: 20-35 mins.

Frequency: 2-6 new episodes monthly.

Listen on: Website, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher.

4. The Sales Podcast

Commonly known as The Sales Whisperer, author Wes Schaeffer interviews industry experts and provides useful advice on both sales and marketing. Sales coach, speaker and Hubspot partner, Schaeffer brings insightful observations and asks the right questions to ensure his listeners benefit from the time he spends with other experienced professionals.

Episode length: 30-60 mins.

Frequency: 2 new episodes weekly.

Listen on: Website, iTunes, Stitcher.

5. Make it Happen Mondays with John Barrows

Sales trainer and consultant, John Barrows, shares his advice on sales and how listeners can develop the skills every sales rep should have. As a consultant, Barrows has worked with companies like ZenDesk and Salesforce, and he brings his practical knowledge and actionable advice to his listeners. 

Episode Length: 40-50 mins.

Frequency: 1 new episode weekly, on Mondays.

Listen on: iTunes, Website.

6. The Sales Hacker Podcast

Named after the online community, The Sales Hacker Podcast is hosted by Sam Jacobs, consultant and founder of Revenue Collective, and provides useful insights, techniques and strategies related to B2B sales from sales experts and industry thought leaders. 

The podcast offers two different formats on two different days: on Mondays you can get a longer episode, with lots of information, tips and tricks, while on Fridays, Jacobs addresses simpler topics in under 10 minutes in a segment called “Friday Fundamentals.”

Episode Length: 8-45 mins.

Frequency: 2 new episodes weekly, on Mondays and Fridays.

Listen on: iTunes, Stitcher. 

7. Get in the Door

Hosted by the Prospecting Expert himself, Steve Kloyda, this sales podcasts aims at helping sales reps close sales with anyone. He provides a series of useful tips and tricks, as well as personal experiences from his more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Kloyda talks about how to find potential buyers, turn them into leads, and fill your pipeline. This podcast is a good resource for those looking to better capture their potential customers’ attention and close more deals.

Episode length: 10-30 mins.

Frequency: 1 new episode weekly, on Wednesdays or Thursdays.

Listen on: iTunes, PlayerFM, Website.

8.  Your Sales MBA Podcast

Every week listeners can find to-the-point, practical tips and tricks delivered by none others than Founder and CEO of Hoffman, Jeff Hoffman and VP, Cece Aparo. Enjoy episodes of just under 30 minutes with plenty of relatable day-to-day examples to help listeners advance in their careers.  

Episode Length: Approx. 20 mins.

Frequency: 1 new episode weekly.

Listen on: GooglePlay, Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes.

9. Accelerate! With Andy Paul

With more than 40 years of experience in the sales industry and #8 on Linkedin’s “Top 50 Global Sales Experts to follow”, author and consultant Andy Paul hosts Accelerate!, a podcast dedicated to everything related to sales, from leadership to sales automation. He also chats with influential figures about specific topics to gain more in-depth perspectives and insightful tips. 

Episode Length: 30-45 mins.

Frequency: 1 new episode weekly.

Listen on: Website, iTunes. 

10. Sell or Die

Sales expert, trainer and speaker Jennifer Gluckow joins forces with best-selling author Jeffrey Gitomer to host one of the most diverse podcasts in the field. They cover a wide variety of topics with the help of the top leaders in sales, business, marketing, and personal development. No matter if you are looking to learn more about strategies, habits, mindsets or other related topics, there is definitely something in this podcast for you.

Episode Length: 20-50 mins.

Frequency: 2 new episodes weekly.

Listen on: Website, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Overcast.

11. The Advanced Selling Podcast

Sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale have assisted several hundred companies in improving their sales through a series of tips, tricks and strategies meant to grow their talent. Now, in this podcast, Caskey and Neale are sharing their insider experiences and wealth of knowledge with listeners. 

Episode Length: 15-35 mins.

Frequency: 4-6 new episodes monthly.

Listen on: Website, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play.

12. The Jordan Harbinger Show

Although not strictly related to sales, this podcast was selected as one of the “Best of 2018” and one of the “Most Downloaded New Shows” of the year, by Apple. Catalogued mainly as a self-improvement podcast, Jordan Harbinger is witty, knowledgeable and has an incredible gift for bringing the best out of his interviewees. 

You can find relatable stories and lessons from a diverse group of guests: from an FBI negotiator to a business guru, a PhD scientist to superstar Kobe Bryant, there is something for everyone. The most impressive feature? Practical advice.

Episode Length: 45 mins – 1.5 hr.

Frequency: 2-3 new episodes weekly.

Listen on:  Website, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn.

13. Entrepreneurs on Fire

This award-winning podcast (Best of iTunes) is hosted by John Lee Dumas, a retired army officer and author. Lee Dumas interviews some of the greatest entrepreneurial minds of our time, including Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss and Barbara Corcoran and talks about some of their greatest, most disappointing and enriching experiences. This podcast is great for anyone thinking about starting their own business and building up their sales operations. There are over 2,000 episodes to binge. Enjoy!

Episode Length: 4 mins – 1 hr.

Frequency:  1 new episode daily.

Listen on: SoundCloud, Website, iTunes.

14. Conquer Local with George Leith

When it comes to increasing sales of small businesses, George Leith is the perfect mentor. Chief Revenue Officer at Vendasta, Leith has conquered the world of digital marketing, a field in which most small businesses struggle. In his podcast, Leith provides useful advice to both small and big businesses wanting to increase their number of sales and lifelong customers. Engaging yet short, his podcasts are ideal for a long commute or lunch break.

Episode Length: 25-30 mins.

Frequency: 1 new episode weekly, on Wednesdays.

Listen on: Website, Google Play, Soundcloud, iTunes.

15. The Salesman Podcast

The most downloaded B2B sales and selling podcast in the world (+500,000 downloads every month),The Salesman Podcast has been around for a while. In no more than 30 minutes, British sales professional and host, Will Barron, digests complex sales-related topics, turning them into useful, down-to-Earth explanations for sales reps from all over the globe. 

Barron asks incisive questions to his guests on a wide range of topics, including body language and emotional intelligence, and no matter if you are a freshman salesperson or an experienced executive, there is always something new to learn. 

Episode Length: Approx. 30 mins.

Frequency: 4-6  new episodes monthly.

Listen on: Overcast, iTunes, Stitcher. 

16. Sales Gravy

Best selling author, keynote speaker and sales coach Jeb Blount delivers all his knowledge and insights, as well as practical, actionable tips and reminders to incorporate to your daily routine as a salesperson. Episodes are generally short, explanations are clear and concise, and episodes include not only sales tips but also quite a few remarks on the psychology behind purchasing and selling.

Episode Length: 5-60 mins.

Frequency: 1 to 2 new episodes weekly.

Listen on: Stitcher, iTunes, Website. 

17. The Sales Evangelist Podcast

With more than 1,000 episodes, the Sales Evangelist podcast is definitely one to keep an eye on. An eclectic mix of practical recommendations, industry trends, and sales experiences makes episodes interesting and entertaining. Host, senior sales professional Donald C. Kelly helps entrepreneurs and salespeople from all over increase their prospects and ultimately, make more money from their sales, while also addressing other related fields.

Episode Length: 15-40 mins.

Frequency: 2-3 new episodes weekly.

Listen on: Website, Stitcher, iTunes. 

18. #FlipMyFunnel with Sangram Vajre

#FlipMyFunnel is considered one of the top business sales podcasts. Entrepreneur, co-founder and CMO of Terminus, Sangram Vajre hosts. He discusses topics such as marketing, sales, content marketing, customer success, and leadership with guests from all walks of life, providing fresh perspectives of the industry. 

Episode Length: 10-40 mins.

Frequency: 1 new episode daily.

Listen on: Spotify, iTunes.

19.  Sales Game Changers Podcast | Tips From Top Sales Execs

Co-founder of the Institute for Excellence in Sales, Fred Diamond, hosts the Sales Game Changers Podcast. He interviews top sales executives to reveal valuable insights for success in sales as well as the power of coaching and mentorship. This podcast is ideal for younger sales professionals who wish to make their mark on the industry, develop successful habits, and get acquainted with day-to-day operations.

Episode length: 20-45 mins.

Frequency: 2 new episodes weekly.

Listen on: iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher.

20. The Marketing Book Podcast

There are so many great books on professional growth, updated techniques and industry trends, and yet most of us barely have the time to sit and enjoy a good read. The Marketing Book Podcast provides a solution for this conundrum: stand-up comedian, Douglas Burdett, interviews prominent best-selling authors of sales and marketing books. They discuss the essentials of each book and distil them down to the most important information for sales professionals to know. Burdett is entertaining and makes a point of getting practical advice from the authors he interviews. 

Episode Length: 45 mins – 1,5 hr.

Frequency: 1 new episode weekly, on Fridays.

Listen on: Spotify, iTunes, Stitcher, PlayerFM.

Looking for a new way to engage and motivate your sales team? Click here to learn more about Hurrah! Leaderboards.

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The post 20 Sales Podcasts Every Team Leader Should Listen To appeared first on CRM Gamified | Gamification software for Dynamics CRM and Salesforce.