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Use These Sales Manager Resume Tips & Templates to Get the Job

Ready for a career pivot to a sales manager position?

You’ve spent hours searching job boards, identified the ideal job, and now it’s time to apply. Then the panic sets in …

You begin to question everything: How do I begin writing my sales manager resume? Do my skills even apply to this role? What does the employer want to know?

Not to fear! Here are some sales manager resume tips and templates to calm your nerves and help you get the job of your dreams.

Sales Manager Resume Tips

After reading your resume, a potential employer should understand the impact you had in your previous roles and how well those experiences and skills will translate to the new role you’re applying to.

I spoke with Pratik ‘Tiki’ Biswal, Director of Sales at HubSpot, and he provided some resume writing tips. He recommends highlighting:

Coaching experience or your passion for coaching.

Projects you worked on to elevate the entire division (especially ones that are outside the scope of your normal job).

How you helped others progress their career.

How you led from the seat you’re in: explain how you mastered your sales job and took on leadership opportunities.

Next, we’ll discuss how to organize all of your career highlights into a resume format that’s clear and concise.

Featured Resource: 12 Free Resume Templates

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Best Resume Format for Sales Manager

So, you brainstormed some of your highlights and you’re ready to write your resume. But, what should you include? For starters, your resume should have a strong objective to get the reader’s attention. Let’s break down what that should look like.

Sales Manager Resume Objective

The resume objective, also known as an executive or professional summary, is the first thing that a recruiter or hiring manager will read on your resume. This is where you’ll provide a brief, one to two-sentence summary of your experience which should demonstrate to the employer that you’re qualified for the position.

When applying for sales manager roles, here are some elements you’ll want to include in your objective section:

A summary of your experience, including years of experience in sales, relevant skills, and high-level qualifications.

How you will add value to the organization you’re applying to work for.

Your career goals related to obtaining the position.

For example, if you are a seasoned sales rep who is ready to take on a position in management your objective could say:

“High-performing sales professional who sold $200K in B2B software products using data-driven sales strategies. Seeking a sales manager position to use my coaching, analytical, and relationship-building skills to motivate and develop a winning sales team at XYZ Company.”

Now that you have a well-written objective, let’s complete the rest of your resume. Here are the key elements of a resume that a recruiter or hiring manager will be looking for.

1. Contact Information

How will a recruiter get in touch with you? Include your name, phone number, and email address at the top of your resume so they can reach out.

While you do not need to put your full physical address on your resume, you may want to include your city and state if you want the recruiter to know you are a local candidate.

2. Work Experience

This is where you highlight the specific jobs that helped you gain your sales and managerial experience. List your most recent jobs first and include action words to emphasize your impact in each role:

Achieved

Established

Coached

Influenced

Expanded

Improved

Collaborated

Trained

Bold any keywords, numbers, or statistics that highlight your impact so they stand out from the rest of the text. Many resume templates and builders allow you to add links as well. Add a link to your LinkedIn profile, a piece of content you wrote, or a project you worked on to provide additional context.

Include keywords that were used in the job description for the role you’re applying to. If you upload your resume to a website, the keywords make it more likely to appear in search engines. And applicant tracking systems (ATS) will scan your resume for keywords to help recruiters see if you’d be a good fit.

3. Education

Include your education experience and academic achievements. If there are any specific leadership roles you took on during that time (e.g., team captain of a sports team or president of a club), add them to your resume. And don’t forget to list any sales training or managerial courses you participated in.

4. Skills and Qualifications

There should be keywords from the job description used throughout your resume. This section of the resume should highlight specific skills and qualifications the employer is looking for.

Add any certificates you earned and any skills that match the qualifications from the job description. Here are a few common sales manager skills and qualifications that sales professionals will list on their resumes:

Coaching skills

Ability to observe, evaluate, and give meaningful feedback

Strong analytical skills

Strategic planning abilities

Strong communication skills

Collaboration and motivation skills

Delegation skills

Ability to remain calm under pressure

Looking to build up your skill stack? HubSpot Academy’s Sales Management Training can help you learn the skills it takes to be successful. Now that you have a better idea of what to include in your resume, let’s explore some examples.

Sales Manager Resume Examples

If you’re ready to see what a great resume looks like, check out these sales manager resume examples next.

1. Sales Manager Resume Example

This example is relevant to all sales managers, regardless of industry. Whether you’re in industrial sales, retail sales, or both, the professional summary allows you to synthesize your skills and identify how you’ll use them to succeed in your new position.

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2. Regional Sales Manager Resume Example

Regional sales managers lead different teams across their regions, from sales development representatives to account managers. The skills section in this example highlights the skills you’ve developed from managing cross-functional teams in your previous positions.

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3. Technical Sales Manager Resume Example

Technical sales managers have specialized skills that set them apart from the rest of the sales org, such as engineering experience and the ability to explain complex technical concepts in an easy-to-understand way. The core qualifications section in this example helps highlight the unique technical skills that set you apart from the competition.

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4. B2B Sales Manager Resume Example

Business-to-business (B2B) selling skills can vary by sector, such as those required for healthcare services or financial technology. The list of skills in this example helps you get specific with your industry-related qualifications.

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5. Senior Sales Manager Resume Example

Senior sales managers are expected to have spent years in their respective fields. The emphasis on work history in this example allows you to highlight your experience, knowledge, and skills.

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6. National Sales Manager Resume Example

National sales managers will benefit from using the skills summary in this example. It allows you to emphasize your expertise in managing a national sales team.

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7. Channel Sales Manager Resume Example

Channel sales managers focus on maintaining relationships with existing clients and keeping them satisfied. The accomplishments section allows you to provide quantitative statistics detailing your client retention rates.

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8. Outside Sales Manager Resume Example

Outside sales managers are unique in that they manage sales representatives who meet prospects in the field and are therefore more autonomous than other inside sales reps. You can use the accomplishments section of this resume example to detail the successes your teams have achieved under your remote-management style.

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9. Sales Development Manager Resume Example

The highlights section of this resume example is a great fit for sales development managers who want to list statistics that prove their successes in identifying growth opportunities and reaching new markets.

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10. Sales Operations Manager Resume Example

Although sales operations managers aren’t necessarily involved in the act of selling, the success of the greater sales team does hinge on their efforts. The skills section in this example can be used to emphasize how you have successfully supported the teams you work with.

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Sales Manager Resume Templates

Need some extra help and inspiration? Use these sales manager resume templates and examples to help you get started.

1. Sales Manager Resume Template from Resume Companion

This simple, sales manager template includes all the key elements you should have in your resume and allows you to customize each section.

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2. Sales Manager Resume Template from Resume Genius

Not only is this resume visually appealing, but it also includes a sidebar on the left of the page that highlights your key skills and achievements. It can be downloaded for Microsoft Word.

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3. Sales Manager Resume Template from Zety

This sales manager resume template is well-organized and can be customized to your liking. If this style isn’t right for you, choose a different resume design that suits your needs.

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4. Sales Manager Resume Template from resume.io

This straightforward template is well-formatted and easy to use for a quick resume update. Simply add your personal and job-specific information, and you’re good to go.

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Get Started Writing Your Sales Management Resume

With a well-written resume, you’ll be prepared to apply to any and all sales manager opportunities that might come your way. Master our tips above and with a little help from a ready-made template, you’ll have a professional resume that stands out from the crowd

This article was originally published in November, 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Sales Cover Letter Tips, Templates, & Examples to Land Your Ideal Role

A strong sales cover letter can do a lot for you as an applicant — like demonstrate effective communication skills, show you’re invested in the opportunity, and give you room to add some color to your application.

That said, stringing cover letters together is often one of the more grating, monotonous tasks job seekers have to put up with — but while putting a sound sales cover letter together can be a chore, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a challenge. There are some key tips, strategies, and structures you can fold into your letters to make them as compelling as possible.

Let’s take a look at some of those tricks, review how to arrange your sales cover letter, and see an example of what a solid one looks like in practice.

Sales Cover Letter Tips

Keep it concise.

You should aim to keep your cover letter between three to five paragraphs, and under no circumstances should it be more than one page. Employers fielding a high volume of applications could be leafing through hundreds of cover letters every day. If you’re too long-winded — stringing together a multi-page history of your entire professional life — you’re going to get overlooked.

Use a professional font.

A cover letter is a professional document, so it warrants a professional presentation. Don’t get too cute with your font selection or colors. Go with something like Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri — and always have the text be black.

Avoid flowery language without sacrificing flow.

You’re not writing an English essay or preparing for a poetry slam here. Again, you want to keep things professional. Avoid flowery phrases like, “At your leisure” or “Please find attached herewith.” That said, you want your letter to flow and sound natural, so try not to come off too stiff.

Highlight relevant skills.

Pore over the listing for the role you’re applying for. What is the company in question looking for? What specific skills and qualities do they call out in the job description? Once you have those questions squared away, try to find ways to include those elements in your cover letter.

Reference quantifiable achievements.

In most cases, employers won’t look at the skills you highlight and just take you at your word — you need to point to hard, quantifiable results that demonstrate you’re the real deal.

How to Write a Sales Cover Letter

Header

If you’re applying to a conservative company or work in a formal industry — like finance, healthcare, or law — include a full heading: Your name and address, followed by a space, the date, followed by another space, and the company name and address.

But if you’re applying to a less formal place, you can probably get away with simply writing your name and email address — followed by a space and the company’s name and email address.

Greeting

Maybe you’re not sure who will be reading your cover letter — but don’t write ”To whom it may concern,“ ”Dear hiring manager,“ or any other generic title. With a little research, you can usually find the hiring manager’s name.

Let’s say you’re applying for the SMB Account Executive role at Joyfull. Google "SMB sales manager Joyfull” and see if you can find the team’s leader on LinkedIn. When applying to a conservative company, write “Dear Mr./Ms. [Last name].” When applying to a startup or relatively relaxed organization, write “Dear [First name] [Last name].”

Intro

Your intro paragraph should highlight why you’re a great fit. It’s a high-level overview, rather than an in-depth exploration of your work history and qualifications, so keep it under four sentences.

The standard cover letter opening line is something along the lines of:

“I’m interested in becoming a sales representative on your SMB team” or “I’m excited for the opportunity to apply for the SMB sales representative role.”

While these sentences might not kill your chances of getting the job, they generally don’t help. You want to grab the reader’s attention and sell yourself from the very start — so don’t be reluctant to try a personalized, compelling line that will draw the hiring manager in and make them want to read more.

Here are a few examples:

“I love working with small businesses — in fact, I’ve helped more than 300 in the past year at my current job — which is why I’m so excited about the chance to help SMBs discover Joyfull.”

“Every week, I write a blog post about a common SMB challenge. Helping SMBs overcome this obstacle isn’t just rewarding – it’s also a great lead gen strategy. My passion for this type of work led me to your SMB Account Executive position.”

Do you know a current or former employee who speaks positively about the company? Mention them in your intro. In some cases, you might have their referral — either by submitting your application or connecting you with the hiring manager — but even if you don’t, you can still drop their name.

For instance, you might say something like, “As a self-starter who thrives in autonomous, results-oriented environments, I’m drawn to the BDR role at Red Shelf. I’ve heard great things about the culture and learning opportunities from Sarah Grossman, who started as a BDR and now works on your L&D team.”

First Body Paragraph

In this paragraph, choose a relevant work experience. What does “relevant” mean? You’re trying to show your existing abilities and knowledge map well to the role you’re applying for, so if you currently work in retail and you want to become a business development rep, you might write:

“As a floor associate for Wilson & Co., I help 60-plus customers every day with questions about brands, fit, quality, and more. This experience has taught me how to provide a positive customer experience and be helpful while driving sales — both skills I’d use as a HubSpot BDR. Finally, it’s made me comfortable approaching strangers and acting as a product expert, which would be invaluable when reaching out to inbound leads.”

Second Body Paragraph

The second body paragraph follows the same structure as the first. Take another relevant work or educational experience, and connect the dots to the role you’re applying for. Imagine you’re currently an AE applying for a manager position. Your second section could read:

“In the past 16 months on the Pacific West team, I’ve taken several opportunities to grow my leadership abilities. I started a mentorship program for new reps, pairing them with salespeople who have been at the company for at least two years. This program has been a huge success — the half-year retention is 20% higher for participants versus those without mentors. As a sales manager, I’d continue to look for ways to support, mentor, and train my salespeople so they can maximize their potential.“

Third Body Paragraph

If you have another relevant experience, discuss it here. But you don’t have to add a third paragraph just for the sake of adding one — a lot of the time, a shorter cover letter is better, provided you can convey an appropriate amount of relevant information.

Let’s suppose you’re applying for a sales engineer role — a highly technical and demanding job that likely warrants a three-paragraph cover letter. You could say something like:

"After spending two years in customer support, I’m in my element when answering product-related questions. There’s nothing I enjoy more than getting a challenging ticket I can dig into — and there’s nothing more satisfying than finally solving it. As a sales engineer for HubSpot, I’d get the chance to talk to customers about the product on a daily basis and answer their most complex questions. In addition, I could use the communication skills I’ve honed as a support rep.”

Conclusion

This section doesn’t need to be long or flowery. Many people end with unnecessary statements like, “Please let me know if I can provide any more information” or "Thank you for your consideration.”

The problem with these? A hiring manager can safely assume you’ll give more info if asked and are appreciative of their time. You’ll seem like every other applicant who’s grabbed a generic template from the internet — which, okay, you might be doing, but they don’t need to know that.

Instead, reiterate your interest with a strong summary line like:

“The best days at work are usually the longest and most demanding — because I go home knowing I’ve helped multiple owners dramatically change the course of their businesses. Your hyper-loyal user base suggests being a Joyfull AE comes with even more opportunities to help young and growing organizations.”

Sales Cover Letter Template

Dear Jane Doe,

I’m passionate about [helping X type of customer, solving Y goal, working in Z industry] — which is how I found the [open position] at [company name]. The more I learned about [company’s] mission to [insert mission here, i.e. “improve the remote working experience,” “make personal finance easy”], the more excited I became. My [applicable skill #1 and applicable skill #2], as well as experience in [field] and knowledge of [related topic], would make me an asset to the [department, i.e. “Customer Development”] team.

As a [title] at [current employer or skill], I’m responsible for [doing X and Y]. This has helped me develop [ability] – in fact, [insert proof of your skill, e.g. “my boss recently said I was one of the most resourceful employees he’s ever had” or “I’m known for my ability to stay collected and take the lead during high-pressure situations.”] I’d use [X skill] as your [job title] to [achieve main objective].

I’m also [skilled in X/possess Y and Z positive traits], which comes from my [previous work or extracurricular experience]. [In that role, on that team], I developed a knack for [skill/traits]. This was instrumental in [hitting specific milestones/exceeding expectations]. You’re looking for someone with [X skill/character traits], and I believe I’m a good fit.

Over the past [number of years], [company] has [accomplished X goal, such as “become a leader in the CRM space” or “used creative marketing and social media campaigns to become a household name in Colorado.”] It looks like you have ambitious goals for the future – I hope I get the opportunity to contribute.

Thank you,

[Your name]

Sales Cover Letter Example

Why It Works

This cover letter is effective for a few reasons. For one, it speaks directly to how the applicant’s hard, quantifiable achievements align with both the role’s required technical acumen and the more abstract qualities needed to thrive in it.

By alluding to the fact that they’re familiar with the vertical the role serves, the applicant establishes the relevance of their experience — and by touching on elements like their experience with mentorship, they’re demonstrating their growth potential within the role.

If you’re in the middle of a job hunt, odds are you’re going to write your fair share of cover letters — so knowing how to put a compelling one together is in your best interest. It might be the difference between ultimately landing a sales role and not even popping up on an employer’s radar.

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60 Small Business Ideas for Anyone Who Wants to Run Their Own Business

A good business idea may seem hard to come by, but with some planning and preparation, you can easily launch a small business to supplement your income — or become your own full-time boss.

Maybe you already have an idea of the business you’d like to start. But while you might feel ready for a new venture and passionate about your idea, you might be looking for some direction.

To help get you started, here’s a list of small business ideas separated into a few sections:

Best Small Business Ideas

Best Businesses to Start with Little Money

Home Business Ideas

Easy Businesses to Start

How to Start a Small Business at Home

The first step to becoming a successful entrepreneur is finding a business idea that works for you. In this article, you’ll find dozens of small business ideas you can start from home and scale up as your clientele grows. Let’s get started.

Best Small Business Ideas

Airbnb Co-founder, Brian Chesky, said, “If we tried to think of a good idea, we wouldn’t have been able to think of a good idea. You just have to find the solution for a problem in your own life.”

If you’re like Brian and you’ve already thought about a solution for a problem you encounter in your life — or you’re on the path to doing so — then starting a small business may be in your future. It may also be for you if you dream of clocking out of your nine-to-five job for the last time and becoming your own boss.

Below, we include the absolute best ideas for you to start your small business — with resources and examples to help you get started.

1. Handyman

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Are you always fixing things around the house? Often on-call when friends need small projects completed? Create a website, conduct a competitive analysis to determine what your time and expertise are worth, and turn to the friends you’ve helped before for referrals.

A handyman business is a good idea if you’ve already built a robust set of skills to help others fix up their homes. Consider specializing in what you feel well-prepared to do — for instance, if you know your way underneath a sink and water system, then you might provide sink fixing services to start, then expand your offerings once you earn more skills.

No certifications are needed to become a handyman, and there are no special education requirements. You might need, however, a license if you’re planning to undertake jobs worth more than a certain dollar amount. Some states might not require this license.

To start your handyman business, we recommend the following resources:

Handyman License Requirements by State

The Most Requested Handyman Services

Association of Certified Handyman Professionals

2. Woodworker

Similarly, if you have a passion for crafting beautiful furniture or other home goods out of wood, that could be a small business niche for you. Get started by listing a few of your pieces on sites like Etsy. Once you build a following, consider starting a website, accepting custom orders, or expanding to refinishing work and upholstery.

A woodworker small business is ideal if you already have a passion for woodworking, as well as the tools to begin fulfilling orders as they begin to come in. Since delivering a well-made product is key to keeping your customers happy, you don’t want to be “training” as you create a custom shelf or a custom storage box. It’s recommended to have at least one year of experience as a woodworking apprentice.

To start a woodworking business, there are no special education requirements, but there are a wide range of woodworking training certifications online, so we suggest starting with a certification. The Woodwork Institute, YesTomorrow, and The School of Fine Woodworking are potential places to start.

3. Online Dating Consultant

Dating consultants usually charge for their time. They help people create successful online dating profiles, source possible matches from outside the typical online channels, and offer a level of personalization that a site like Tinder can’t. Think you’ve got a knack for the match? This might be the business for you.

Online dating consultants need to have strong communication and interpersonal skills, as well as heightened levels of empathy. The good news is that there are no special education or licensure requirements, though we recommend getting a certification such as IAP College’s relationship coach certification or Hart Academy’s online dating coach certificate.

To start an online dating consultant business, you’ll need a website that shares all about you and offers free dating resources your customers might benefit from. Once they download a resource, you can loop them in for a free consultation.

4. Sewing and Alteration Specialist

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People will always need clothing hemmed and buttons mended — and you could be the person to do it. If you love sewing and have a sewing machine at home, start by offering simple services like those mentioned above and expand your repertoire to dressmaking and design as you build a customer base and demand.

You don’t need a special license or degree to begin a sewing and alterations business, but it’s essential to build your skills so you can take on more complicated projects. High-value clients will want to customize complicated items of clothing such as suits, pants, gowns, and dresses. That’s where you’ll see the highest potential for profits.

Altering these items require special skills, however. A few courses you might consider include:

International Open Academy’s Tailoring Course for Beginners

Jackson Sewing Academy’s Basic Alterations Course

American Bespoke Tailoring Academy’s Programs

You’ll also need to shop for sewing supplies of all colors to accommodate your clients.

5. Freelance Developer

From building websites for other small businesses to providing technical support for certain projects, quality web development is in high demand right now. As a web developer, you’ll naturally have a technical skill set. Distill your knowledge and expertise so customers who don’t have your experience are able to understand what it is you’ll be helping them achieve.

To help with this, test your messaging on friends and family who don’t have a firm understanding of the work you do. If they’re able to summarize what you do, your messaging is likely effective among people outside of your industry. You can start finding your first freelance contracts by visiting different freelance websites.

Unlike a few other options in this list, a freelance developer does need some training to launch a successful business and start taking on projects, but if you’re a beginner, don’t worry. There are plenty of boot camps to get you up to speed with either full-stack or front-end web development. Some of these boot camps are even offered through accredited tech schools.

Some boot camps you might consider include:

Coding Dojo

Fullstack Academy

Georgia Institute of Technology Coding Boot Camp

These vary in price, so be sure to do extensive research to find one that fits you and your budget.

6. Personal Trainer

Offer in-home consultations, personalized nutrition and exercise regimens, and community boot camps to get the word out. Don’t forget to populate an Instagram feed with inspirational quotes, free exercise videos, and yummy snack ideas as well — it’s a common way for fitness gurus to build their brands in our digital world.

If you choose to go this route, it’s OK to start small at first, then scale up. For instance, MOURfit is a personal training business in Indianapolis that started in a shared gym, then grew to a private gym that offers group fitness, personal training, and nutrition services.

Check out this video where Chantelle Simone discuss three steps to becoming a certified personal trainer to get started:

To start a personal training business, you’ll need a certification. If you already earned a degree in an unrelated discipline, we recommend starting with the NASM-CPT certification, which is nationally accredited and only requires a high school diploma or GED. You can also get a Bachelor’s degree in physical and exercise science — here’s one example from Emory & Henry College.

7. Freelance Graphic Designer

Set your own hours, choose your projects, and build a portfolio and business you’re proud of. From website design to blog graphics and more, many companies seek out experienced graphic designers for support on a variety of projects.

The good news? There are no special education requirements for becoming a freelance graphic designer, though we recommend seeking a credential (like SAIC’s graphic design certificate or RISD’s graphic design certificate) or an Associate’s degree in design so you can confidently present your portfolio and complete your first few projects.

If you’re just starting out with graphic design, try these tips and tricks that are ideal for beginners. If you’re more experienced but need to build your portfolio to attract clients, these prompts will get your creativity flowing in no time. We also recommend reviewing other people’s work on portfolio websites to get a feel for what is “trendy” and receive feedback as you grow your small business.

8. Life/ Career Coach

If you have experience navigating career, personal, and social transitions successfully, put it to good use as a life or career coach. Many of us are looking for guidance in our careers — and finding someone with the time to mentor us can be tough.

Life/career coaches don’t come cheap, but they are able to offer clients the intense and hands-on training and advice they need to make serious moves in their personal and professional lives. After all, everyone needs some uplifting advice from time to time.

To start your life/career coaching business with confidence, you can look for a certification program (like the Life Coach School’s or Diane Hudson’s), then apply your skills as you acquire new clients.

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Looking for inspiration? Nariah Broadus has dedicated more than 20 years to helping people create better working environments and navigate change successfully as a career and leadership coach. Check out her story for more inspiration to get started with this small business idea.

9. Resume Writer

Creating a resume, cover letter, and — when necessary — portfolio for a new job can be tough and time-consuming. That’s why many people hire help. Assist clients with tailored resumes, beautifully edited cover letters, and carefully-crafted portfolios that make it impossible for employers to ignore. And if you’re feeling nervous about writing resumes from scratch, you can use the templates below to get started:

A resume writing business is economical, has few overhead costs, and has few educational requirements. We still recommend having an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree and a few resume samples on hand. If you still feel that you need to brush up on your resume writing skills, you can take a course like Coursera’s or LinkedIn Learning’s.

Once you’ve gotten resume writing down, you can expand your business to include cover letter writing, and even offer career coaching services in conjunction with these services.

10. Freelance Writer

If you have writing skills, there’s someone out there willing to pay you for them. Write blog posts, magazine articles, and website copy galore — just make sure you have a body of work built up to share with potential clients. Even if you create a few sample pieces to have on hand, they’ll help exhibit your work and attract new business.

To become a freelance writer, it’s essential to choose a specialty. For instance, you might choose to only write for publications in the healthcare industry (maybe because you were previously a healthcare worker), or focus on lifestyle publications. Whatever the case, specializing will help you find your niche market and gain confidence as a new freelancer writer.

There are no educational requirements to freelance writing, but you do need strong writing skills. It also helps to enjoy writing. While a certification may beneficial, getting practice and writing every day is more important. Try these writing prompts to start.

11. Landscaper

Mowing, tree-trimming, and seasonal decor are all neighborhood needs. If you have or can acquire the equipment, a landscaping business can be a lucrative affair. It’s also a great choice if you enjoy doing it for your own home and have a good eye for landscape design.

The good news is that you can start small. For instance, you could offer your neighbors seasonal planting services and start with a few perennial plants, or simply offer mulching services.

To grow your landscaping business, you should consider taking some formal training. The following organizations offer courses:

CCAC

New York Botanical Gardens

USGBC-LA

After completing a course and getting enough experience, you can apply for a certificate from a landscaping organization. While a certificate isn’t necessary to work in the field, it can build your credentials and help you make industry connections to take your landscaping business to the next level. The Association of Professional Landscape Designers offers one potential certificate you could pursue.

Some states require licensure, especially if you’ll be using pesticides and fertilizers. Be sure to review the requirements for your state.

Learn some of the basics now with this video on landscape design from Lowe’s:

12. Videographer

Video production requires you to have invested in the equipment up front, which can be quite expensive. But that’s also what makes your services so valuable. Make sure you have a reel of your work to share or create a website with several selections of your work available for interested viewers.

There are no educational or licensure requirements for starting a video production business. As with writing and other creative arts, though, it pays to specialize. Real estate videos differ radically from wedding videos, and wedding videos differ radically from in-studio interviews and testimonials. By specializing, you target a highly specific customer who’ll benefit the most from your services, and you can also skill-up more effectively in one shooting style.

While you can find general classes on videography, you should consider taking a class in the type of videography you’d like to do. For instance, you could take The Complete Wedding Videography Course, if that’s the route you’d like to take.

Hot tip: If you’re interested in specializing in video marketing, check out The Ultimate Guide to Video Marketing and download our starter pack below.

13. Photographer

Start by conducting photo shoots for your family and friends. As you build a body of work, ask for referrals and reviews. Photography businesses often grow by word of mouth, so create a Facebook page where you can tag recent clients. Photos where you tag those clients will show up in their friends’ newsfeeds, where they can view your work. You can also ask them to leave reviews on your Facebook business page.

Like with a video production small business, you’ll want to specialize. Will you do product shoots or portraits? How about wedding or fashion photo shoots? Once you specialize, you’ll be able to create a body of work that most accurately represents your strengths.

There are no educational or licensure requirements for starting a small photography business, but we recommend investing in a few photography courses, especially if you haven’t used your camera in a while. Some courses you might start with include:

Cornell’s Digital Photography Certificate Program

New York Institute of Photography’s Course

From there, seek courses that help you build skills in your chosen specialty.

If you’re not sure where to start with freelance photography, take a look at Erica Clayton’s journey into the business below. Her advice? Give yourself a firm deadline to turn a profit.

If you’re not sure where to start with freelance photography, take a look at Erica Clayton’s journey into the business below. Her advice? Give yourself a firm deadline to turn a profit.

14. Bed and Breakfast Owner

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This is another business venture that will require you to research the correct licensure from your state, but it will be well worth it to see your dreams come true. Consider what guests will be traveling to your area and create special packages and themed stays that coincide with their interests in your locale.

To start a bed and breakfast business, you’ll need a physical business location and a small staff for maintenance, customer service, and upkeep. For that reason, we recommend it if you have startup funds to start your business. (Don’t have any? Here’s how to start crowdfunding to launch your new business.)

A successful bed and breakfast business will also need an SEO-optimized website with a hotel booking system. If you create your website on the WordPress platform, you can easily create a B&B website using a hotel booking plugin — so there’s no need to code the booking form from scratch.

With Airbnb and hotels stealing market share, the competition is tough in the bed and breakfast space, so we recommend providing a unique angle to the stay. As mentioned, the stays can be themed — maybe your B&B is a vintage home with all original furniture, or maybe you offer traditional fare from your homeland.

15. Clothing Boutique Owner

If you dream of building your own fashion empire, why not start with a local boutique? Build buzz with impressive clothing styles, inspiring social media accounts, and heavy community involvement. While you can open a physical store, you can easily start online — and if that proves profitable, you can open up a local shop.

There are a few ways you can start a clothing boutique. First, you can make the clothes yourself if you already have experience in fashion design or know how to sew, knit, and curate colors and patterns.

Alternatively, you can design certain aspects of the clothing — such as a graphic or a logo — then send it to be printed on-demand at a local print shop when orders come in.

Lastly, you can dropship the items from a warehouse you’ve partnered with. This method is less reliable because there’s less quality assurance for each item, especially if you never visit the warehouses yourself. Regardless of the method you choose, starting a clothing boutique is highly doable, and you don’t need to have a fashion degree (though it certainly helps).

Take some inspiration from Sleep Ova, a luxury loungewear boutique based in Los Angeles, CA.

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16. Specialty Food Store Owner

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Gourmet foods, cheeses, sake, wine — you name a food, there’s a specialty food store out there for it. Put your passion for exotic olive oils to good use and open a store like American Provisions where you offer the kind of expertise and selection your audience couldn’t dream of getting from their local grocer.

To start your specialty food store, you’ll want to curate and source the items from makers that you love and trust. Ask around your community to find local makers of the food you want to sell, and the makers will likely be open to a partnership, especially if they get a cut of the profits.

When it’s time to sell, you’ll want to find a physical location, but if that investment is too high, you can start by setting up stalls at food festivals and local markets. Or you can go the ecommerce route and sell the products through your website, taking care to carefully pack perishable items.

17. Food Truck Owner

Always dreamt of owning a restaurant but not quite ready to take the plunge? Test out your concepts with a food truck. It’s a great way to become familiar with food and restaurant licensing in your state, see what people like and don’t like, and build a ravenous following before ever opening or investing in a brick-and-mortar location.

Food trucks will require a larger investment, but thankfully, you can rent the truck itself — the Food Truck Group and Roaming Hunger are two potential leasers you could look at. The cost will be high, so we recommend renting one in preparation for an event such as a food festival or concert. There, you’ll get to test out the popularity of your cuisine and see if the food truck business is right for you.

Taco Nganas, a taco truck in Memphis, TN, started with one food truck and expanded to three, building a loyal customer base along the way.

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18. Car-detailing Specialist

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The devil is in the details, and you can be too. Car-detailing services that travel to the client are convenient for busy people who can’t find the time to run through the car wash. With this business, your clients only have to pay and the service will be done for them before they know it. Just make sure you have the flexibility, transportation, and equipment to take your business on the road.

There are no educational requirements for car detailing, but you should still take a course such as Auto Finesse’s detailing training to learn core concepts and brush up on your skills.

To get your car detailing business off the ground, you’ll need an SEO-optimized website and a way for customers to book online with you. Before you take that step, however, consider listing your services on websites like Angi, Thumbtack, and even Nextdoor.com so you can get your first local clients.

Best Businesses to Start with Little Money

Don’t have a lot of money to start your business? Check out the ideas below.

1. Translator

Speak a foreign language? Start a translation service. Consider specializing in a specific genre of translation, like medical or financial translation, as you might be able to fill a niche need in your community.

2. Garden Designer

Many people have the willingness to do the dirty work in their backyards, but few have the know-how to complete the first part of this process — designing and planning the backyard space. Draw up the designs for your clients’ outdoor spaces and let them do the actual digging.

3. Ecommerce Store Owner

Do you create, collect, or curate anything special? Consider starting an ecommerce store and turning your hobby into a full-time job. Whether you need somewhere to sell all that pottery you’ve been making, or an excuse to search for the sports memorabilia you love tracking down, an ecommerce store can make it financially viable for you to pursue your passion.

4. Travel Planner

The time of the travel agent might be passing, but people are still looking for those with a knack for more nontraditional travel coordination. If you always plan the perfect vacations complete with beautiful hotels, the ideal location, and a bevy of delicious restaurants lined up for every evening, consider advertising your services as a more modern approach to travel planning.

5. Home Inspector

Working as a home inspector requires certification and a great deal of expertise, but it can offer a flexible work schedule and stable income. Confirm the licensing requirements in your state before getting started with this type of small business. You’ll want to make sure you’re providing the best service to your clients by having all of your credentials in order.

6. House Cleaner

With a low barrier to entry, house cleaning can be a great way to start doing what you love — soon. Consider advertising to homes in your neighborhood and get more bang for your buck by earning a few small businesses as clients as well. They’ll usually bring in a higher paycheck for a similar amount of work.

Need some inspiration? This small business cleaning service grew virtually overnight on Instagram after their content went viral during the pandemic.

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7. Personal Chef

We all love to eat, but few of us have the time or energy to cook healthy, delicious meals. Advertise your services to local families and businesses alike. To save on start-up costs, consider scheduling certain groups of clients together — say, vegetarians — so you can cook larger quantities of the same dish.

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Chef Paul’s mouth-watering dishes are available to clients across the country. His clientele niche consists of athletes, corporate businesses, and local gyms.

8. Property Manager

Many people maintain properties they don’t live in — often based in different cities or states. As a property manager, you can help a property owner ensure their home is being well taken care of, handle small fixes as they arise, and serve as a liaison to renters.

9. Packing Services Facilitator

Moving is always a pain, and many people hire the entire packing process out. Want to have a steady stream of clients? Partner with a local moving service that will refer new clients to you.

10. Massage Therapist

Soothe aching muscles and promote peace for your clients as a massage therapist. Look into training and certification courses in your city and state and invest in a portable bed to take on client visits.

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11. Crafter

Creating novelties by hand is a fun and unique way to start a small business. Whether you make jewelry, knitted comfort items, or even custom wigs, there’s probably a market for your products. Tap into your audience with creative marketing on social media and optimize your website for the search engine using keywords that describe the products you make.

12. Interior Designer

Similar to landscape design — there are many people who have the ability to buy the furniture and home decor they need to fill their rooms, but few who know where to start. It might take some time to build a portfolio but documenting your projects and sharing them online can build a fanbase beyond your wildest dreams.

Need inspiration? Check out Sandra Cavallo’s interior design Instagram account.

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13. Nonprofit Owner

If you dream of devoting your life to a cause you believe in, it might be time to start a nonprofit. You’ll need to incorporate your business and file for 501©(3) tax-exempt status — and then you’ll be required to meet ongoing standards of compliance, but the payoff is making a meaningful impact on a cause you believe in.

14. Tour Guide

Love the local history of your city or state? Consider becoming a tour guide. Sure, you’ll need to conduct plenty of research to be able to do the job well, but that’s half the fun. Set yourself apart by offering tours that speak to a specific niche of your community’s history.

Some tour guides, like the ones at Freedom Trail in Boston, offer historical walking tours of their town’s most haunted spots while others curate guided foodie tours for guests to get a true taste of the city.

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15. Tutor

Whether you’re a math whiz, piano master, or Shakespeare aficionado, there’s someone out there who needs a little help in your area of expertise and is willing to pay for it. Advertise your services through local schools, community colleges, community centers, and even social media to get the word out and build a customer base.

16. Consultant

If you have significant experience in or knowledge of a specific subject, consider becoming a consultant. Perhaps you’re an expert at hiring practices, have a knack for SEO, or have led multiple sales teams to six-figure success. Identify your expertise and market yourself as a consultant and charge the going rate.

17. Event Planner

You might choose to specialize in a specific type of event — like weddings or company meetings — or set yourself up as an event planner of all trades. If you’re highly organized, are detail-oriented, and have experience planning large events, it might be time others benefit from your skills.

18. Personal Assistant

Again, if you’re an organized, highly-detailed person, the life of a personal assistant might be for you. Don’t want to be tied to one office or person all day, every day? Consider becoming a virtual assistant, which allows you a more flexible work environment.

19. Consignment Shop Owner

If you have an eye for style but don’t want to invest in the inventory of a brand-new boutique, consider going consignment. It will allow you to curate a collection of clothing that matches your goals and aesthetic, without the overhead of a boutique selling entirely new garments.

20. Caterer

If that personal chef gig is too restrictive for your schedule, consider catering instead. Pick your projects, work on fewer but larger events, and hone in on your time management skills.

21. Gym Owner

Kickboxing gyms, yoga studios, CrossFit, oh my! Turn your passion for fitness into a community for others by creating your own gym — start one from the ground up, become an affiliate, or open a franchise location.

22. Boutique Agency Owner

What’s your specialty? Whether it’s marketing, social media, or PR, it might be time to start your own agency. Many other small businesses need this type of help but don’t have the resources or volume to necessitate a full-time position.

Consider building a small team and learn from other entrepreneurs who’ve successfully started their own agencies, like Duane Brown of Take Some Risk.

23. Coffee Shop Owner

Turn your caffeine addiction into something a little more lucrative. Opening a franchise or buying an existing shop are lower-risk entry points to the coffee game but they usually require a little more cash upfront. Starting a shop from scratch requires a little more planning and a lot more work — but it also maximizes your earning potential in the future.

24. Moving Company

A truck, moving equipment, manpower, and the correct permits and insurance are the building blocks of starting your own moving company. Before you buy your first fleet of trucks, however, start small with a moving van and keep your costs low.

Still sound like too much of an initial investment? Consider offering packing services only, which have a much lower financial barrier to entry.

You could even take a niche approach to the industry as Astro International has by offering international moving services.

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25. Home Staging

If you have a flair for interior design, a staging service might serve as your creative outlet and professional calling. You can build a portfolio with little initial investment by staging homes using the owner’s existing furnishings and decor. Most stagers eventually build up an inventory of furniture as they become more established and network with area realtors.

26. Makeup Artist

Many people prefer to have a professional do their makeup because they may lack the proper products or just the skills. It may be for a special occasion, photoshoot, or video shoot, or another event. Being able to do a variety of different looks will make your business more attractive to more customers.

27. Professional Organizer

A lot of people struggle with clutter or disorganization in their homes and offices. It can be a large undertaking to create systems and habits that will create continuous organization. Grab a lot of storage bins and a label maker and get started!

Meg Golightly, founder at Gosimplified has made this small business idea into a successful career.

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Home Business Ideas

These home business ideas give you a few more business options that are either based at home or online.

1. Coding

Frontend, backend, and every type of code in between, this skill requires no in-person interaction with your clients. But one skill you’ll want to carry over from the in-person world for this type of business is active listening. It can be easy to zone out while building a product, but developing a connection with the client is just as important as developing the code for their website.

If you keep the client top of mind when you can’t be around physically, you can ensure that you’re meeting their development needs with your coding work.

2. Vending Machine Owner

Since 2015, the growth rate for vending machine businesses has increased 1.4%. Even as social distancing restrictions are still in place, this business can still be lucrative if you choose the right locations. High-traffic is key — places like hospitals, schools, and community centers are smart places to start placing your machines to generate enough revenue to cover cost and turn a profit.

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3. Social Media Manager

Do you have a knack for social media? As a social media manager, you can use your skills to manage the social media accounts for companies and even individual people. Influencer marketing has become more common and many influencers rely on marketing agencies or employees to help them run their social channels.

4. Data Entry Clerk

Many businesses seek data entry clerks to help them enter information into their computer systems and spreadsheets. If you have strong computer and typing skills, this might be the business for you.

5. Audio or Video Editor

As of March 2021, there are 1.75 million podcasts available to listeners. For this reason, brands are turning to audio and visual content to connect with consumers. The catch is that many don’t have the time to invest in the production of this content, or they don’t have the skills to do it. Audio and video editors are in demand when it comes to producing quality content for hungry audiences.

6. Voiceover Artist

Speaking of podcasts and videos, many content creators recognize the value and level of professionalism that great voice talent can bring to a project. There are gigs out there for podcast intros/outros, narration for explainer videos, or even voice work for audiobooks. Learn how to get started with no experience from Kat Theo below:

7. Dog Walker, Groomer, or Trainer

Licensing and insurance will be the two most important factors in opening a dog walking, grooming, or training business, but your canine colleagues will surely make up for the initial red tape. To test the waters before jumping in, consider walking dogs through companies like Rover. Ready to run your own show? Consider a franchise like Dogtopia.

8. Candy Seller

If you grew up in a close-knit, southern neighborhood, you’re probably familiar with the “Candy Lady”. This home business can be started by anyone who’s trustworthy in the community. Aside from selling the most popular snacks, a candy seller can provide the neighborhood with fresh fruit and produce that may be harder to find if you live in a food desert.

9. Online Class Instructor

Tutoring is often done in person and with one client at a time. Remotely teaching an online class offers more flexibility because you can teach multiple students from home. English is a common subject for online classes because of how many people want to learn it. But anything that you have a mastery over could be translated to a virtual class.

10. Small-Batch Goods Seller

Using organic, all-natural ingredients is more expensive, but worth it. There are many products you can learn how to make at home without any preservatives, chemicals, or toxins. Candles, soaps, shampoos, and moisturizers are some examples of goods you can create and tailor with custom scents. Try starting out making soap with this complete beginner’s guide to soapmaking:

Easy Businesses to Start

Whether you’re looking to start your venture today or you simply don’t want to jump through the normal hoops of launching a small business, the below ideas are extremely easy to start — so easy, all you’ll need to do is sign up on a website or tell your friends about your services.

1. Vacation Host

Have you ever used a home-sharing service instead of a hotel? You could make a living by hosting visitors in your own home or renting out a room. Consider becoming a host with companies like Airbnb.

2. Pet Sitter

Do you have a passion for pets? Consider becoming a pet sitter. While the pet’s owners are away on vacation, either host their pet at your home or make visits to their home. Join a pet sitting service like Wag to get started.

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3. Daycare Owner

Childcare continues to be in high demand. While nannies and nanny shares are popular right now, a good daycare is hard to find. Fill a need in your neighborhood by opening your own. And, as always, make sure you’re complying with your city and state’s zoning, licensure, insurance, and inspection requirements.

4. Blogger

If there’s a topic you have a heavy interest in, then there’s an audience out there with a heavy interest in it too. A blog can be used to build an online community whose engagement can be monetized. Affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and co-marketing are some ways to make money once your blog develops a following.

5. Home-Baked Goods Seller

Warehouse-made, store-bought chocolate chip cookies will never compare to a batch made with love in someone’s home. Simple desserts can be easily baked and packaged to sell at local events or around your neighborhood. Use custom labels and watch the word spread about your goods!

Is your head buzzing with small business ideas yet? After all that brainstorming, you’ll need a practical plan to get started with your new small business.

1. Identify your small business idea.

Whether you choose an option from the list above or have another idea up your sleeve, it’s important to have the experience, training, or skills necessary to be successful. Want to run a daycare but have never even visited a successful daycare center? Spend time conducting research to learn whether this is really the right fit for your experience, interests, and target audience.

2. Start as a side business or hobby.

Can you get your business off the ground as something you do in the evenings or on the weekends (a.k.a. a side job)? This allows you to make some mistakes, test the market, and understand whether your idea has legs before you quit your nine-to-five job and lose your primary income.

3. Decide on your software.

You’ve got a lot of things on your plate when first starting up. But one step that’s critical (and often forgotten by first-time entrepreneurs) is deciding on the software that can help you be more efficient as your business grows.

Every business is different — but almost all companies can use software to help with analytics, project management, accounting, bookkeeping, email marketing, and other basic day-to-day tasks.

One of the most important software tools every small business should utilize is a free all-in-one CRM platform to keep track of important customer information in one central database. It will help align your team and make sure you stay organized as your business grows.

4. Create a business plan.

No business plan? No business. Particularly if your small business idea requires investors, you’ll need to draft up a business plan to provide an overview of your market positioning, your financial projections, and your unique competitive advantages. You can download HubSpot’s free business plan templates for free to get started.

Download Free Business Plan Templates

Your business plan should include the following elements:

Executive summary — A high-level overview of your company and market placement.

Business model — Outline what your business does, who your business serves, and how your business is structured. You should include a description of what products and services you offer, and how they meet the needs of your customers.

Market condition — A summary of pertinent competitor information. Determine the strengths and weaknesses of your closest competitors.

Products and services — Use this section to describe your products and services in detail, and outline what differentiates your product from others in the market.

Operations and management — Outline your business’ organizational structure, key roles, and responsibilities.

Marketing and sales strategy — This section should describe how you will market and sell your product. Include information on your ideal customer, how you plan to position your offering, and your sales strategy.

Financial plan — Create a detailed outline of your business financials. Include your start-up costs, your initial financial productions, and how you anticipate generating funding.

Appendix — Once the above pieces are complete, end the document with an appendix summarizing your business plan.

You’ve got a lot of things on your plate when first starting up. But one step that’s critical (and often forgotten by first-time entrepreneurs) is deciding on the software that can help you be more efficient as your business grows.

Every business is different — but almost all companies can use software to help with analytics, project management, accounting, bookkeeping, email marketing, and other basic day-to-day tasks.

One of the most important software tools every small business should utilize is a free all-in-one CRM platform to keep track of important customer information in one central database. It will help align your team and make sure you stay organized as your business grows.

5. Decide whether you’ll be an LLC or sole proprietorship.

Two common legal structures for small businesses are limited liability corporations (LLCs) and sole proprietorships.

An LLC is a more complex business structure than a sole proprietorship and can include individuals, corporations, and other LLCs as members. Additionally, LLCs are not subject to a separate level of tax and offer the business owner liability protection and tax advantages. LLCs are formed on a state-by-state basis.

Sole proprietorships are businesses owned and operated by one person and are not identified as a separate entity from the owner by the government. While a sole proprietorship is the simplest business structure, sole proprietors are personally liable for their business.

Besides an LLC or sole proprietorship, there are a few other options for you to consider.

Sean Flannigan, Sendle’s Content Manager, says, “While many small businesses might be best served by choosing an LLC or sole proprietorship, there are a few other options.”

“Partnerships are great for businesses operated by several individuals. It hews most closely to a sole proprietorship in that the individuals take on the business liability and pay taxes on a personal level.”

He adds, “To completely avoid personal liability, small businesses might choose to incorporate as a corporation, S corporation, or B Corp. S corporations avoid corporate taxation whereas B Corps must meet a threshold for public benefit and accountability.”

Additionally, Flannigan says, “There are tons of great reasons to become a B Corp beyond just doing good business. All that said, many small businesses that aren’t aimed at super-fast growth choose to go with an LLC to keep things simple while shielding owners from too much liability.”

Learn more about choosing the right structure for your business from the Small Business Administration.

6. Create a business bank account.

Once you have a legally formed business and have been issued an Employer Identification Number (EIN), open a bank account specifically for your business. Having a business bank account is essential for keeping your personal and business finances separate which can help you gain an accurate picture of your business’s cash flow and financial health.

Additionally, keeping your personal and business finances separate makes bookkeeping and tax preparation easier.

Many banks offer business checking and savings accounts. Business checking accounts typically do not have a limit on the number of transactions that can take place, and issue a debit card that can be used for making business purchases. However, these checking accounts do not accrue interest.

Business savings accounts typically earn interest over time but have a limited number of transactions that can occur each month. When you’re just starting out, look for a business bank account that does not have a minimum balance requirement so you are not penalized for having low funds as you work to build your business.

7. Determine if your business idea works well from home.

Ask yourself whether your business idea will work well from home. Some businesses simply aren’t suited to be based from home. If you want to run a dog boarding center but live in an apartment without a backyard, you might want to consider a dog walking business instead.

8. Set up an office.

If your business idea is well-suited for being run from home, it’s still important you have a designated workspace. While a home office might not be possible, consider setting aside a corner in your living room or putting a desk in your bedroom for a space that inspires you and creates the conditions for success.

Need a more professional space? If you conduct client-facing work requiring you to be on video calls, no one wants to see your rumpled sheets in the background. Check out local coworking spaces for memberships that earn you access to conference rooms, desk space, and more.

9. Get to work!

You’ve put in the hard work and I’ve got good news — it’s only going to get harder. But most entrepreneurs will agree that the payoff of being your own boss, making your own hours, and working on projects that you’re passionate about will pay dividends for the rest of your life.

Brainstorm Your Next Small Business Venture

Selecting a small business idea to work on is a personal decision. Money is important, but you’ll need more motivation than that to keep going. Bounce ideas off your friends and family until you reach the perfect idea that works for your schedule, fulfills your life’s passion, and makes financial sense. Don’t be afraid to ask for help throughout this process — and remember to have a little fun while you’re putting in the work.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Sales Operations Manager: What They Do, How Much They Make, & More

Would you like to become a sales operations manager? Or are you considering hiring one?

If your sales team needs effective systems to help them be more productive and effective in their roles, it’s likely time to hire a sales operations manager.

For job-seekers, if you are a systems-thinker who enjoys refining and implementing sales processes, you may want to consider taking on a role as a sales operations manager.

So, what key skills and experience should a sales operations manager have? Let’s dive in and take a look.

When a sales organization begins scaling to support a growing company, sales operations becomes a vital function. With more customers and revenue comes more KPIs to track, and more complexity for the way teams sell.

HubSpot Sales Operations Manager Sonia Groff, says the most effective managers have excellent project management and interpersonal skills.

“Sales Ops managers are constantly working on several projects at a time that involve stakeholders across the business: finance teams, strategic teams, HR, etc,” Groff explains.

“All of these teams have their own priorities. Sales Operations managers are often tasked with juggling all of these different interests and negotiating among the different teams.”

Sales operations managers are responsible for developing and overseeing a smooth, effective sales process to enable the growth of the organizations they support. In other words, sales operations managers and their teams take care of everything reps need to have in place to support their ability to sell.

Here are some of the key skills effective sales operations managers need to have.

Leadership and prior sales operations experience are often required for a sales operations manager role. Sales operations managers often report to a VP or director of sales operations. A bachelor’s degree is often required, and a higher level of education like a master’s degree might be recommended for those applying to senior operations manager positions.

“Understanding how process changes, software implementation, and go-to-market initiatives impact all of the teams that you work with is key to being successful as a sales operations manager,” Groff adds

Now that we know what the key skills and qualifications are that are required for the role, let’s review the key responsibilities of a sales operations manager.

1. Oversee the sales funnel.

The sales operations manager is responsible for making sure contacts are moving through their company’s sales funnel smoothly. The individual in this role should be tracking conversion rates through each stage of the funnel, analyzing pertinent data so they can make sound recommendations for how to improve the funnel’s performance.

Additionally, while managing the sales funnel, the sales operations manager should be privy to any sticking points that could impact sales velocity and should propose and implement solutions for improvement.

2. Streamlining and optimizing the sales process.

Chances are your organization has gone through the necessary exercise of creating a sales process. But when was the last time you ensured the efficacy of your sales process and made improvements? If your team doesn’t have the bandwidth for this, having a sales operations manager on board would be helpful.

A qualified sales operations manager can pinpoint areas of your team’s sales process that could be costing you valuable deals. In addition to identifying these areas of opportunity, a sales operations manager can propose and implement solutions to keep your sales process in top shape.

3. Selecting, implementing, and managing sales automation tools.

Does your sales stack provide your team with the tools and capabilities they need to do their jobs? Is your organization getting the most out of the systems available to you?

Your sales operations manager can ensure your sales team has the tools they need to succeed by evaluating usage and capability of the tools you currently have.

Additionally, a sales ops manager can source and manage the implementation of sales automation systems your team needs in the future.

4. Manage CRM data.

While we are on the topic of your sales stack, let’s discuss your CRM. For most sales teams, the CRM system is the most widely used and significant tool in their stack. However, even with a powerful CRM in place, your team can’t reap the full benefit if your system isn’t optimized for your team.

Having a sales operations manager on board who can manage contact lists, ensure that your CRM data is up to date, audit data for consistency, setup automations, and manage custom fields and data can make a huge difference.

If several reps are working out of your CRM using their own naming conventions, adding duplicate contacts, and creating their own customizations can cause things to get messy, sacrificing efficiency.

When you have a key point of contact who can make sure your most valuable data is up-to-date and consistent, it makes the job of your entire sales organization much easier.

5. Perform sales forecasting.

While your reps may be laser-focused on meeting their individual goals, it is imperative each member of your team understands the broader goals they are all working towards.

Having a sales operations manager on your team who can manage forecasting and data analysis can provide valuable insight into your team’s performance, and what’s needed to continue growing the business.

In addition to forecasting relevant data, your sales operations manager can regularly share this information with your team and stakeholders to maintain alignment on key performance indicators.

6. Work with sales leadership to develop organizational goals.

In addition to forecasting and managing key performance data, sales operations managers can work with their sales leaders to provide data-driven input on future organizational goals.

The sales operations manager can be a point person for relevant data analysis that informs compensation decisions and future sales targets.

7. Lead a team of sales operations professionals.

Depending on the size and complexity of your sales organization, having all of the sales operations responsibilities fall on one person can be a large undertaking.

For large and enterprise organizations, having a team of sales operations analysts may be more appropriate. In this case, the sales operations manager would be tasked with leading this team, and overseeing their activities to ensure the tasks and responsibilities related to sales operations are taken care of.

Ready to bring a sales operations manager onto your team? Here are some resources to support the hiring process.

Sales Operations Manager Salary

In addition to Sales Operation Manager responsibilities, you may be curious about how much they can expect to make. According to Payscale, the average base sales operations manager salary is $81,287.

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This number will vary based on your experience and where you live. Additionally, this figure does not include bonuses or commissions. Depending on your experience, base pay can range anywhere from $56,000 for new managers to $122,000 for seasoned managers.

The sales operations manager typically builds reports that are used by salespeople, sales managers, and leadership to inform decisions based on historical data, present-day results, and future forecasts.

Sales operations manager job descriptions often vary by company or the experience level the company is hiring for. Here are a few additional sales operations manager job description examples.

Sales Operations Manager Job Description Examples

1. Sales Operations Manager Job Description

This sales operations manager job description was created by Hewlett Packard. You can see that the focus of the role is all about increasing team productivity and process management.

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2. Senior Sales Operations Manager Job Description

The senior sales operations manager job description was written by ezCater. With this role, the emphasis is on making operational improvements, managing workflows, and providing support to executives.

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3. Sales Operation Manager Job Description

This sales operations manager description is from Sciton. Similarly to the Hewlett Packard role, this position focuses on working across multiple teams, tracking metrics, and process management.

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4. Sales Operation Specialist Job Description

Not quite ready for a manager position? This sales operation manager specialist description is from HubSpot.

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It’s important to note that responsibilities for sales operations managers may vary based on the company and industry. However, having strong organizational and interpersonal skills are key to success in this role. To learn more, check out this ultimate guide to strategic planning.

How to Prepare for a Sales Operations Manager Interview

For those seeking a role as a sales operations manager, take time to carefully prepare for the interview process.

One of the best ways to prepare for a job interview of any kind is to anticipate the kind of questions the interviewer will ask, and to have clear, thorough answers demonstrating your capabilities.

Here are a few questions that may be similar to what you’ll hear while interviewing for a sales operations manager role.

Question 1: Tell me about a time you faced resistance when implementing or changing a sales process. What action did you take, and what was the result?

This question is about change management. Sales operations managers are often tasked with implementing and improving processes. While this is ultimately for the better, getting team members on board with new and changing processes can be a common challenge.

If asked a question of this nature, use this as an opportunity to discuss how you support a team navigating a significant change to how they work.

Question 2: As a sales operations manager, you’ve been tasked with identifying bottlenecks in your sales team’s processes. Walk me through how you would identify and mitigate a bottleneck.

This question gives you the opportunity to share your problem-solving skills. As a sales operations manager, the ability to identify and solve for sales inefficiencies is a major part of the job. Take some time to review your work history and come prepared with concrete examples of how you were able to uncover and fix a problem resulting in better sales process efficiency.

Question 3: Tell me about a time you’ve been tasked with processing and analyzing a large amount of data. How did you approach your analysis, and what systems did you use?

Sales operations managers are often tasked with managing large amounts of data. Whether it’s to support their team’s budgeting efforts, or sales results, an effective sales operations manager must be able to read, interpret, and make sound recommendations from relevant data.

Use this question as an opportunity to show off your data analysis skills, and provide solid examples of similar projects you have been tasked with. Don’t forget to explain the actions you took, and the results.

Become a Sales Operations Manager

Sales operations managers are key to running a successful sales operation and enabling your sales team to do its best work. If you’re highly organized, have project management experience, and enjoy streamlining work processes, this may be the role for you.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in May 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Stalled Negotiations: Why They Happen & 4 Tactics to Handle Them

Some deals are slam dunks and others just aren’t meant to be, but every now and then, a negotiation lands somewhere in the middle and plateaus for a while — and knowing how to navigate those kinds of stalled negotiations serves anyone expected to engage with finicky prospects.

Here, we’ll take a closer look at why deals stall and review some stalled negotiation tactics you can leverage to keep your deals moving.

Negotiating is a delicate art. Prospects can be picky and unpredictable — and there’s no single, definitive reason why one might pump the brakes on a potential deal. Still, some common themes tend to pop up when reluctant negotiators decide to take a step back.

Why do deals stall?

Your prospect’s problem isn’t urgent.

A deal only goes as far as the momentum behind it will take it. If there’s no pressing need for your prospect to buy, they’ll be less inclined to prioritize your deal — stalling negotiations and making the process that much more painstaking and frustrating for you.

You haven’t been talking with the right stakeholders.

There’s a chance that you’ll touch base with contacts at companies who have varying degrees of influence and decision-making authority. That means you might wind up sinking considerable time and effort into a negotiation with a company representative who needs to touch base with higher-ups before they can buy.

Your contact is waiting on more information from within their organization.

In a similar vein to the point above, you might wind up corresponding with a contact at a company who doesn’t have the full picture of their company’s position in the negotiation. They might not know all of the details about key information like budget, approval for a solution like yours, or any other necessary context that can frame a productive conversation with you.

You haven’t built enough trust with your prospect.

At its core, sales is the process of developing and capitalizing on immediate trust with prospects. If they’re not sold on you, they won’t buy from you. Sometimes, your prospect might still be feeling you or your business out by the time you’re ready to close. In those cases, your deal is almost bound to stall.

Stall Tactics

1. Reframe your product’s value.

Prospects often stall negotiations when they struggle to see the merit in your solution. As a deal progresses, they might start looking into similar products or services or begin believing that their need for your solution might not be as pressing as they’d initially assumed.

In those cases, you might need to find a new angle and reframe your value proposition accordingly. For instance, let’s say you’ve been pushing increased revenue as the main selling point for your solution in a negotiation — only to find that your prospect’s interest in that benefit is waning.

In that case, you might want to reframe your product’s value from an exceptional revenue driver to a solid efficiency booster. You’d shift from a “You can expect to see an X increase in gross revenue from Y channel” angle to something like, “Our solution has been known to nearly double productivity from individual engineers in just X months.”

2. Use social proof.

Sometimes, a prospect gets skittish as a deal approaches the finish line, and they lose some faith in your solution. As we touched on earlier, trust is central to any successful sales effort — and trust can be delicate.

When your prospect gets cold feet, they might need some reassurance to end the negotiation productively. One of the better ways to set them at ease is leveraging social proof — show them that their peers have seen success with your solution.

Passing along collateral like case studies, press mentions, positive third-party reviews, testimonials from influencers, or names of prominent companies who use your product or service can often be enough to set stalled negotiations in motion again.

3. Employ “risk reversal” tactics.

Negotiations can put virtually any prospect on edge. They can be contentious, confusing, and stressful at points — especially if the purchase is particularly high stakes. Naturally, the strain a tough negotiation puts on a prospect can often stop a deal in its tracks.

Cushioning the perceived risk associated with a deal is one of the more effective ways to set a prospect at ease and keep deals moving. “Risk reversal” language — reminders that prospects have the option to opt out, get a refund, or request support as a deal progresses — can take some stress out of a negotiation.

Some examples of this kind of language include:

“You have three months to cancel and get all your money back if you’re not seeing the results you’d like … ”

“It takes two minutes to quit, and you can do everything online.”

“Our support team is available 24/7 to answer your questions during the installation process.”

Keeping prospects relaxed and comfortable is often enough to keep a negotiation fluid and productive — using “risk reversal” language is one of the better ways to get there.

4. Close something light, first.

Flex your selling muscles. Start every deal by closing for a phone number, an intro, or a meeting. This introduces the idea of the customer saying yes to you. Once you’ve made a small “sale,” move on to bigger asks like asking to speak with a decision-maker.

Remember, never close the same thing twice. If you ask, “Could you connect me with your boss?” and don’t receive an answer, ask, “Who’s going to be the primary contact after the sale?”

You’ve followed an unsuccessful close with a lighter ask, and you’ve avoided asking the same question twice. Once you receive a successful answer to this light request, you can continue asking questions to lead the prospect back to your initial question.

Stalled negotiations can be major headaches, but they’re hardly ever insurmountable. If you know the proper tactics, remain patient, stay persistent, and approach these situations with the right disposition, you’ll be able to consistently bring seemingly dead deals back to life.

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The 7 Best Selling Platforms for Your Ecommerce Business

When choosing a platform for your ecommerce business, it’s important to do your research. That means deciding whether you should build your own ecommerce site instead of using an existing marketplace or platform or pair third-party tools with your site — like using HubSpot’s Sales Hub on your Shopify or BigCommerce store.

Once you’ve landed on the option that best suits you, you have to actually pick one. Let’s go over the best selling platforms on the market — including their features and benefits — so you can make the best decision for your business.

1. HubSpot CMS — Best for Marketing

A platform built with marketing in mind means each feature and design is made to convert leads and get more customers. HubSpot’s CRM platform offers a selection of Hubs to grow your business — each one focusing on a different aspect of that process. The CMS Hub, for example, is a content management system for building your website, while the Sales Hub is for tracking, advancing, and closing deals.

HubSpot offers well-rounded options based on proven strategies to grow your business. Not to mention, HubSpot software is used by the likes of ClassPass, the World Wildlife Fund, and Casio.

2. Shopify — Best for New Online Sellers

Building an online store has never been easier now that Shopify exists — especially if you’re selling products from a Shopify subsidiary, like Oberlo, or a global drop shipper, like Alibaba.

This platform has all the usual features — like templates, payment systems, and marketing tools — as well as a wide range of integrations with other applications. The Shopify App Store has a huge selection of features that give you the option to customize your store.

If you’re new to online selling, this is the best option because of the ease of use. Shopify offers easy ways to choose and ship products, provide customer support, develop marketing materials, utilize social media, and grow your business overall. This platform is made to help the average person with little experience conduct an ecommerce business.

3. Magneto — Best All-In-One Service

Magneto handles over $100 billion in gross merchandise volume. It’s a trusted and popular platform because it’s reliable, scalable, user-friendly, and packed with essential features.

Whether your business is a small online boutique or a large retailer, Magneto can fit your needs. The software is quite advanced, so the features it offers are extensive. This may make the startup process a little more time-consuming — but it also means you can thoroughly customize the platform to your business.

Magneto also offers a free plan that covers basic features — otherwise, the service will cost your business at least $12,000 depending on what elements you use.

Adobe, Magneto’s parent company, also offers Magneto U — a series of online courses and resources to become a Magneto developer. This means you can learn how to build a site yourself or hire experts that were directly trained for the platform.

4. BigCommerce — Best for Established Businesses

Larger businesses will often need more intensive or complex features and extra support. Platforms made for smaller businesses might charge a lot of fees or higher prices for those things — so a platform built for large-scale companies will have a lot more value for the price. It’s the choice for big brands like Toyota, Yeti, and Ben & Jerry’s.

The powerful integrations, helpful management tools, 24/7 support, and robust applications make BigCommerce a top choice. It also provides security to its users — protecting your business with hacker deterrent provisioning and hardware firewalls. BigCommerce stores are also built to withstand sudden spikes in traffic, so it can keep up as your business grows.

5. Squarespace — Best for Standing Out

This platform started as just a website builder sans the ecommerce tools. Over time, SquareSpace developed into a great ecommerce platform as well.

Squarespace doesn’t just present a library of every feature and application available, it offers curated integrations that choose the best ones for your business specifically. This platform guides users through each step of the way, making site-building streamlined and simple.

The best part of this platform is the design aspect. The templates are gorgeous, focusing on sleek lines and photography. Creating a beautiful site on desktop and mobile is easy with the templates and customizable options that Squarespace offers.

6. Wix — Best Low-Cost Option

Wix was once just a website builder until they developed Wix Commerce for online stores. If you’re a new business owner who doesn’t want to be overwhelmed with high-tech features and intensive customization, it’s a great option. With hundreds of templates and an easy setup process, you can set up a simple store in minutes.

If your business is on a budget, Wix can offer you the essentials for no cost at all. The free Wix plan lets you build a site on a Wix-based domain and sell products. It won’t be the most customizable or have the most advanced ecommerce options, but being able to start for free is a great benefit if you’re just launching your business.

7. Square Online — Best for Simplicity

Square’s card swiper became popular for its convenience and ease of use. Since its success, the company has expanded to offer a lot more. Square Online is made for small-scale operations and newly opened businesses. There isn’t a huge variety of integrations, apps, or customizations, so you can just focus on the essentials necessary to sell.

This platform sticks to the basics. The design templates and user dashboard are both minimalist in style, so you can quickly navigate both. Users also get a free Square card swiper that syncs to the platform. Getting things up and running is fast and simple with this platform for small businesses.

Choose the Best Selling Platform for You

You may have started your business on a marketplace — like Amazon, eBay, or Etsy — to get things off the ground. In the long-term, though, it’s more beneficial to have your own site on a robust selling platform that can help you scale. Having full control over your business and how you sell will give you more opportunities for growth and profit.

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How to Write a Business Proposal [Examples + Template]

It’s finally happened. You’ve started a new business, and your customer base is starting to expand. But even though you’re making progress, you still feel like you could be doing better.

There’s a whole world of untapped potential around you — prospects you know would benefit from your product or service. And the issues you’re running into are less about your solution’s soundness and more about how you can reach your potential base.

That’s where business proposals come in. They can bridge the gap between you and potential clients. A solid proposal can outline your value proposition and persuade a company or organization to do business with you.

Here, we’ll take a look at the various kinds of business proposals and go over how to write one. We’ll also see some ideas and examples to help guide yours.

Know exactly what you need? Jump to one of the following sections:

Types of Business Proposals

How to Write a Business Proposal

Business Proposal Ideas

Business Proposal Templates

Business Proposal Example

It’s a common misconception that business proposals and business plans are the same. The proposal aims to sell your product or service rather than your business itself. Instead of assisting your search for investors to fund your business, a proposal helps you seek new customers.

Follow Along With HubSpot’s Business Proposal Template

Download the Template for Free

Types of Business Proposals

There are two types of business proposals: unsolicited and solicited.

Unsolicited Business Proposals - With unsolicited business proposals, you approach a potential customer with a proposal, even if they don’t request one, to gain their business.

Solicited Business Proposals - Solicited business proposals are requested by a prospective client so that they can decide whether or not to do business with your company.

In a solicited business proposal, the other organization asks for a request for proposal (RFP). When a company needs a problem solved, they invite other businesses to submit a proposal that details how they’d solve it.

Whether the proposal is solicited or unsolicited, the steps to create your proposal are similar. Ensure it includes three main points: a statement of the organization’s problem, proposed solution, and pricing information.

Before writing your business proposal, it’s crucial you understand the company. If they’ve sent you an RFP, make sure you read it carefully, so you know exactly what they want. It can also be helpful to have an initial call or meeting with the new client to ensure you fully understand the problem they’re trying to solve and their objectives.

Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to begin writing your business proposal. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to writing a business proposal, but let’s take a look at some elements proposals often include. (I designed this example business proposal using Canva.)

1. Begin with a title page.

You have to convey some basic information here. Introduce yourself and your business. Be sure to include your name, your company’s name, the date you submitted the proposal, and the name of the client or individual you’re submitting the proposal to.

Your title page should reconcile engagement with professionalism. It’s a tone-setter, so you need to make sure yours is sleek, aesthetically appealing, and not too “out there.”

Here’s an example of what a business proposal template looks like when done right:

2. Create a table of contents.

A solid UX is valuable in virtually any context, and business proposals are no exception. You need to make things as simple and accessible as possible for the people on the other side of your proposal. That starts with a table of contents.

A table of contents will let your potential client know exactly what will be covered in the business proposal. If you’re sending your proposal electronically, it helps to include a clickable table of contents that will jump to the different sections of your proposal for easy reading and navigation.

3. Explain your “why” with an executive summary.

The executive summary details exactly why you’re sending the proposal and why your solution is the best for the prospective client. Specificity is key here. Why are you the best option for them?

Similar to a value proposition, your executive summary outlines the benefits of your company’s products or services and how they can solve your potential client’s problem. After reading your executive summary, the prospect should have a clear idea of how you can help them, even if they don’t read the entire proposal. Here’s what one should look like:

That example thoughtfully and effectively conveys both what the business does as a whole and how it can specifically serve the reader’s needs. Here’s what yours shouldn’t look like:

This particular example is extremely vague. It doesn’t allude to what the reader specifically stands to gain from doing business with Outbound Telecom and fails to actually speak to why it should be considered “the best in its industry.”

4. State the problem or need.

This is where you provide a summary of the issue impacting the potential client. It provides you with the opportunity to show them you clearly understand their needs and the problem they need help solving.

Research, critical thinking, and extra thought are key here. You have to do your homework. Take a holistic look at the specific issues your client faces that you can help solve. Then, compellingly frame them in a way that sets you up for the next step.

5. Propose a solution.

Here’s where you offer up a strategy for solving the problem. Like the last step, you need to lean into specificity and personalization on this one. Make sure your proposed solution is customized to the client’s needs, so they know you’ve created this proposal specifically for them.

Let them know which deliverables you’ll provide, the methods you’ll use, and a timeframe for when they should expect them.

6. Share your qualifications.

Are you qualified to solve this prospect’s problem? Why should they trust you? Use this section of your business proposal template to communicate why you’re best for the job. Include case studies of client success stories and mention any relevant awards or accreditations to boost your authority.

7. Include pricing options.

Pricing is where things can get a bit tricky, as you don’t want to under or over-price your product. If you’d like to provide the prospect with a few pricing options for their budget, include an optional fee table. Some proposal software offer responsive pricing tables which allow clients to check the products or services they’re interested in, and the price will automatically adjust.

8. Summarize with a conclusion.

After providing the above information, it’s necessary to simplify it into one final section. Briefly summarize the proposal. Touch on your qualifications and why you’d serve as the best choice. To prompt further conversation, confirm your availability. At the end of the proposal, the goal is to have the client ready to work with you. Provide your contact information to allow them to follow up easily.

9. Clarify your terms and conditions.

This is where you go into detail about the project timeline, pricing, and payment schedules. It’s essentially a summary of what you and the client agree to if they accept your proposal. Make sure you clear the terms and conditions with your own legal team before sending the proposal to the client.

10. Include a space for signatures to document agreement.

Include a signature box for the client to sign and let them know exactly what they’re agreeing to when they sign. This is also a chance to include a prompt for the prospect to reach out to you if they have any unanswered questions you can address.

There’s a lot to keep in mind when writing a business proposal. Here are a few tips to help you out:

1. Start with an outline.

If you want to produce a thoughtful, effective business proposal, you need to have some idea of what you’re hoping to achieve with it. So before you dive into writing, outline the major sections of your business proposal and the pertinent information you want to include. This will ensure you stay focused and your message stays intact as you write.

2. Include data and visuals.

You want your business proposal to capture your prospect’s attention and help set you apart from any other ones they might have received. One of the best ways to do that is to include hard, quantitative data that helps stress the value of your business.

If you can find some relevant, compelling figures that highlight what you have to offer, you can establish authority and make yourself that much more convincing. It also helps to include visuals such as charts and graphs to enhance your proposal.

3. Add social proof.

Like the previous point, adding social proof lends your proposal another degree of credibility. You can only be so convincing when you’re personally talking up how great your business is.

Prospects are skeptical. In many — if not most — cases, they probably won’t take you at your word. They’ll likely trust peers and fellow customers more than someone trying to win their business. That’s why including elements like customer quotes and testimonials can go a long way.

4. Incorporate video into your proposal.

If you’re creating an online proposal using document file formats like PDF, you can include multimedia elements to enhance the proposal experience. They can make your document richer and more engaging.

Whether you add video at the beginning as an intro to your proposal or in the project breakdown to verbally discuss some of the more confusing parts, extras like this can make an impression. This works especially on prospects who are visual or auditory communicators.

5. Use a call-to-action.

Prospects need direction. The best proposal in the world can only take you so far if you don’t clearly define the next steps. That’s why you have to make sure the reader knows what to do next after reading your proposal.

A clear-cut call-to-action is the best way to get there. Define and highlight exactly what they should do to act on the interest your proposal has generated. Without that guidance, you might leave your reader in limbo.

6. Include up-sell and add-on opportunities.

They say you won’t receive unless you ask. Readers won’t explore the upper tiers of your solutions if you don’t give them the opportunity. If you want to use your business proposal as a chance to get the most out of a reader’s interest, you need to include some additional information about your business for them to act on. They need to know what else you have to offer.

7. Create a sense of urgency.

No one wants to feel as if they missed out on a great opportunity. A lack of urgency tends to cause people to drag their feet and take time when making a decision. As you create your business proposal, your goal should be to create a sense of urgency.

Prospective clients should read your business proposal and feel that now is the best time to sign up for your service. A way you can accomplish this is by stating your short and long-term goals for their business. While they will have to wait for the long-term goals, make the short-term goals so enticing that they are instantly ready to begin a collaboration.

8. Keep it simple.

There’s no definitive blueprint for how long a business proposal has to be. Yours should be however long it takes to convey the information you want to get across.

That said, you’re best off focusing on quality over quantity. Keep your sentences short and simple, and avoid including too much business jargon. You want your proposal to be straightforward enough for anyone who picks it up to make sense of it. So don’t get carried away with being too fancy.

9. Make the decision for them.

Craft your copy in a way that seems like saying “no” to the proposal would be stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. Your offer should go above and beyond their expectations, and you should do everything in your power to eliminate frictions and objections along the way.

10. Stay on brand.

Don’t be afraid to let your company’s personality shine through in your proposal. Stay true to your brand and show the client what sets you apart from your competitors.

11. Quality control.

Your proposal needs to be clean and airtight. You don’t want to undermine your messaging by coming off as sloppy and unprofessional. Before you send the proposal out, make sure to read and reread it for any typos or grammatical errors.

Business Proposal Templates

In need of some inspiration before you begin writing? Here are example business proposal templates from popular business proposal software companies you can use to help create your proposal.

1. Web Design Proposal

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When you make a web design proposal, you must understand your client’s needs. In this template, you will begin by introducing yourself and your plan for the client. This template will walk you through outlining your development process, project timeline, and pricing.

2. SEO Proposal

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For search engine optimization, clients want to hear key phrases like increased visibility and traffic. This SEO proposal template will allow you to demonstrate and communicate your growth plans. It includes sample content and walks you through the essential elements of an SEO proposal.

3. Sales Proposal

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When making a sales proposal, it’s critical to have clients believe in your expertise and previous work. With this template, you can establish this quickly. Starting with your company background and going into client testimonials, you can instantly prove the value of working with your company.

This template also gives you space to elaborate on your service proposal through goals, challenges, and proposed solutions.

4. Marketing Project Proposal

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Marketing is a fast-paced industry, and many marketers don’t want to waste time rifling through multiple pages of proposals. This one-page marketing proposal will help get your ideas across quickly and efficiently. This template features a description, pain points, solutions, goals, costs, and a strategy.

5. Business Consulting Proposal

If your company offers consulting services, this business consulting proposal template is easy to tailor to your business and your prospective client’s needs. This template will include a project summary, project activities (including deliverables), a timeline, and more.

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6. Social Media Marketing Proposal

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Companies, big and small, dedicate resources to establishing a noticeable social media presence. With advertising on social networks projected to reach $56.85 billion dollars in 2022, it’s in your business’s best interest to have a plan for growing your client’s social media presence.

To help you in that effort, the information in this social media marketing proposal includes an executive summary to help introduce your high-level ideas, an assessment of the client’s company to demonstrate your diligence, and a breakdown of billing to show how your company charges for posting, content creation, and analytics.

7. Content Marketing Proposal

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When pitching your content marketing services to clients, this template can help you organize your ideas. While it walks you through initial objectives and how to communicate your prospected results, one of the most helpful parts of this template is the pricing ideas it gives you when charging for your services.

Business proposal templates are helpful places to get started, but what should your business proposal look like when it’s complete? Below, we share an example of a business proposal template that will inspire you.

Business Proposal Example

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In the business template example above, Social Portal Consulting (SPC) pitches a marketing proposal to Graphic Bean. At first sight, this proposal appeals to the creative. A nice touch would include designing the layout in your or your client’s brand colors. In addition to the design, the use of social media icons quickly tells the prospect what platforms Social Portal is pitching. Because we see Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest icons, the client instantly knows that this proposal does not include LinkedIn, YouTube, or other platforms.

While maintaining its design, this example outlines Social Portal Consulting’s plans efficiently. It begins by providing insight into Graphic Bean and its goals before elaborating on how SPC can leverage its expertise to help them achieve it. This business proposal template includes an easy-to-follow timeframe for goals and objectives while keeping the client abreast of how payment will happen across the project.

Overall, this is an excellent example of how to combine the elements of social media marketing into a creative and concise business proposal.

Let your business proposal do the talking.

Depending on the type of business you’re in, your business proposal elements will vary based on the prospect’s needs. After reading through your plan, prospective clients should have very few questions about your company and what it can do for them. With the tips and examples in this article, you have all the tools to guide you through the process. With a professional, customized business proposal, you’re sure to delight your client and potentially gain their business.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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The Sales Rep You're Talking to on LinkedIn Might Not Be a Real Person — Here's What Real Sales Reps Have to Say

Whether or not you realize it, most of us use artificial intelligence (AI) in our daily lives.

Consider, for instance, how you leverage machine learning (one form of AI) when you scroll through Spotify’s recommendations based on your past listening history – or when you watch a show from the ‘Top Picks for You’ list on Netflix.

Alternatively, perhaps you use AI through voice assistant services like Alexa; or when you interact with a company’s chatbot to find important information in a timely manner.

All of which is to say: Most of us are pro-AI when we know it’s AI. But what about when AI crosses into territory typically reserved for real, authentic human interactions? And how would you feel if you only discovered after-the-fact that the profile you’d interacted with wasn’t a real person?

Recently, researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory discovered over 1,000 LinkedIn profiles are auto-generated. Here, let’s dive into this odd tactic, and whether there’s a viable place in business for AI-driven sales or recruiting outreach strategies.

How It All Started: Meet Keenan Ramsey

Renée DiResta, a Research Manager at Stanford Internet Observatory, recently received a message on LinkedIn from a profile listed as Keenan Ramsey.

While the message seemed like an ordinary sales pitch, DiResta inspected it further and saw oddities about Keenan’s profile: For instance, the image portrayed a woman with only one earring, perfectly centered eyes, and blurred hair strands that seemed to disappear and then reappear.

Ironically, DiResta is probably one of the few who could accurately spot the differences between an AI-profile and a real one, since she is a Stanford researcher who studies the spread of misinformation and conspiracies across social networks.

On Twitter, DiResta writes, “This random account messaged me… The face looked AI-generated, so my first thought was spear phishing; it’d sent a 'click here to set up a meeting’ link. I wondered if it was pretending to work for the company it claimed to represent, since LinkedIn doesn’t tell companies when new accounts claim to work somewhere… But then I got inbound from another fake, followed by a subsequent note from an obviously *real* employee referencing a prior message from the first fake person, and it turned into something else altogether.”

The experience led DiResta and her colleague, Josh Goldstein, to launch an investigation which uncovered more than 1,000 LinkedIn profiles using faces that appear to be created by AI.

NPR further investigated the issue and found 70+ businesses were listed as employers on these fake profiles — most of these businesses had hired outside vendors and external marketing agencies, and were allegedly unaware of the use of AI in their sales campaigns.

Once I’d heard of this odd tactic happening across LinkedIn, I became curious: What did HubSpot sales reps and recruiters think of the strategy (since it’s largely used in the sales and recruitment space)? Is it really all that bad, or is it just another futuristic form of automation?

Let’s explore the pros and cons, next.

Pros and Cons of AI-Generated Sales Reps, According to the HubSpot Sales Team

Truthfully, few of the sales reps I spoke with could offer any positive sentiments when it comes to AI-generated profiles. Most of them deeply disagreed with the tactic.

As HubSpot’s Mid-Market Growth Specialist Megan Scott puts it, “As a sales professional, I’m constantly battling the stereotype that we’re all 'greasy’ and deploying manipulation tactics to trick a prospect into meeting with us.”

The bigger issue here is not the use of AI. It’s the deception of AI masking as a real human, particularly when people are generally bad at distinguishing between a real or AI-synthesized face. In fact, a recent study found people have only a roughly 50% chance of guessing correctly whether an image is AI-synthesized or real, and many reported the AI-faces as actually being more trustworthy.

All of which is to say: One bad encounter with an AI-generated sales rep could permanently turn most prospects away from your business, as it quickly diminishes trust.

Jordan Benjamin, HubSpot’s Principal Partner Sales Manager, agrees, telling me: “I think this type of outreach is why sales has had a bad reputation for many years. The amount of unpersonalized outreach I get every day on LinkedIn makes it hard to build true connections and relationships.”

Benjamin adds, “I can tell when people actually put in research and have taken the time to target me with something that could be truly relevant or beneficial. Those are the type of sellers and companies I want to be working with.”

When asked about the use of AI on LinkedIn, Barrett King, HubSpot Corporate Sales Manager, put it plainly when he responded with this GIF:

via GIPHY

King told me, “I’m disappointed in LinkedIn for letting this happen … Is there no sacred place?”

While this practice goes against HubSpot sales reps’ belief in the power of authenticity and personal connection for closing deals, some reps can emphasize with why businesses would use the practice in the first place.

As Scott admits, “While this goes against my true-north principle of being personal and authentic in each of my interactions … would I say no to a hot lead that was generated by a means like this? Probably not. Is it a good customer experience if they can tell they’re being approached by a robot instead of a real human interaction? Probably not, too. But then again, what’s the difference between an AI bot on LinkedIn and an automated marketing email that uses personalization tokens?”

It’s true: While it’s perhaps unethical to pretend an AI-sales rep is a real person, there’s certainly major benefits to using AI in sales. In fact, many sales teams use AI already. Consider, for instance, the sales rep who uses conversational intelligence to transcribe and analyze phone calls, or the sales director who leverages sales engagement software to inform how and where to share high-impact content to prospects.

And, on a broader scale, AI-powered account-based marketing (ABM) platforms are used daily by companies.

Of course, most sales reps and leaders don’t have any problem with AI. They do, however, have a problem with AI pretending to be a real rep – particularly on a social platform that is meant for real, honest, authentic one-on-one business connections and conversations.

So – if not in sales, does AI-generated profiles have a place anywhere?

Should AI-Generated Profiles Source Candidates for Your Recruitment Team?

One other place these AI-profiles have been leveraged is in recruiting.

On some level, this makes sense: Constantly sourcing high-quality candidates for specific roles is exhausting and time-consuming, and a LinkedIn bot can make the process easier for your team, leaving your recruiters to do the heavy lifting only once a candidate has expressed interest.

However, when I spoke with the HubSpot Recruiting team, many echoed the sentiments of their Sales peers.

As HubSpot Executive Recruiter Holly Bisson says, “I think if it’s just used for sourcing and candidates are aware it’s a bot — that’s okay. But if it looks like a real life person and it isn’t … that seems a bit deceiving and unethical to me.”

Steph McDonald, HubSpot’s Senior Technical Recruiter, agrees: “I’m not a fan of impersonating anyone, and it also violates the terms of service for LinkedIn.”

These AI-generated profiles do, indeed, violate LinkedIn’s terms. As LinkedIn’s community policies states, “We don’t allow fake profiles or entities. Do not post misleading or deceptive information about yourself, your business, your qualifications, work experience, affiliations, or achievements.”

As Ryan Kabir, HubSpot’s Senior Talent Researcher for Executive Recruiting, told me: “This idea almost feels like you’re taking the 'easy’ route. It also reminds me when Amazon tried to automate its ATS through AI. Its AI started filtering in more men than women, which is a reflection of bias rather than being held accountable at-scale. This idea might further perpetuate the challenges at hand.”

Additionally, the practice simply might not be that effective. AI-generated profiles likely don’t have the tools to understand specific nuances in conversation, and could incorrectly sort candidates based on general terms — leaving qualified candidates on the table.

As HubSpot Senior Recruiter Heather Bellingham puts it, “I don’t understand how a bot could answer someone’s questions that hasn’t specified if they are interested or not. People aren’t black and white. Also, the less people involved, the better — passing the candidate like it’s a baton is sure to impact candidate experience.”

And even if it does work, AI-generated profiles ultimately take away one critically important part of any business introduction: The ability to build a relationship.

Both recruiters and sales reps are often a person’s first impression of a brand. Taking away that opportunity ultimately impacts how easily your company can build and maintain a positive brand identity.

HubSpot Tech Recruiter Katie Fung says, “Recruiters are brand ambassadors. When you do your first outreach, you might be the first time someone has heard of your company — replacing that with a bot scrubbing for keywords really reminds me of scam callers just casting the widest net they can in order to trick someone into answering. That’s not a great introduction to your company.”

And Stephen Kelleher, Senior Executive Recruiter at HubSpot, puts it even more simply: “This commodification of the practice is wholly unethical and shows a real lack of integrity.”

Ultimately, these AI-generated profiles are at the surface of a widespread problem we’re beginning to see as a result of AI: the ability to create convincing fake audio and video (known as “deepfakes”).

While AI and the use of automation is a critical component of any scaling business, it’s vital your company remain diligent and suspicious of using external vendors who might be leveraging some of these less-than-ideal practices.

There are powerful and effective spaces for AI: but using it in the place of real, human interactions between your business and your prospects isn’t one of them.

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10 Business Resolutions for Salespeople in 2022

New Year’s eve isn’t the only time you can set resolutions for yourself or your business. When you’re noticing a slump in performance, a lack of motivation, or an opportunity to grow in your career, try putting some business resolutions in place to get back on track.

In this post, we give you 10 of the most revitalizing business resolutions to work toward this year.

1. Commit to your why, what, and how.

From the outside looking in, sales can seem like a stroke of luck rather than a skill that’s practiced over time. The truth is, to become a successful salesperson you need to understand why you’re selling.

Take a moment away from the phones, your quota, and your team to reflect on why you chose sales as a career path, why you chose the company you work for, and why you believe in the product you’re selling.

Your personal why will put your what and how into perspective.

From there, be consistent. And to be consistent, you need to set benchmarks — that’s your what.

Creating a sales plan gives you a way to organize these benchmarks into goals, objectives, and tactics.

Keep in mind that setting your goals and benchmarks is not the same as planning a list of tasks for the week. When you lead with your sales plan, you’re leading with what you need to accomplish on a macro level. From there, you can decide how to accomplish your plan on a micro level.

This framework puts first things first and helps you become a more agile professional. As long as your why and what are fixed, you can adapt your how to to meet the needs of the business.

2. Form an SLA with the marketing team.

There’s no such thing as “enough” leads that marketing could supply to the sales team, and sales would love to close deals every hour if they could. But thanks to reality, that just can’t happen. But both teams can get relatively close to this by creating a customer flywheel. This happens when marketing and sales are moving in lockstep.

When the marketing team attracts prospects, they pass the baton to the sales team to engage them. Over time, your business will consistently deliver a remarkable customer experience.

A positive relationship between marketing and sales is paramount to the success of the business. This year, make a commitment to forming an SLA with the marketing team so that everyone understands who’s responsible for what.

3. Form an SLA with the service team.

Remember the customer flywheel we mentioned earlier? One third of it includes your customer service team.

The handoff of a customer’s account from the sales team to the service team can reveal a lot about the customer culture of your business.

A smooth handoff can indicate that your sales and service teams are working in tandem to serve the customer. A frictional handoff can expose some gaps in your sales and onboarding process, leaving customers to pick up the pieces.

To avoid a frictional handoff between these two teams, take a day or two to workshop an SLA with the service team and revisit it often to make sure it’s serving its purpose.

4. Commit to prospecting a percentage of your leads.

Now that you have a business resolution for developing a marketing SLA, that means you can watch the leads roll in right? Not exactly.

Your sales goals should be your main priority and as a result, you’ll want to hold some control over how you meet them. Making a commitment to prospecting some of your leads not only gives you more control over your pipeline, but you’ll build your network as well. We know that not every prospect becomes a lead, but they may be able to make referrals for a person who is a better fit for what you sell.

5. Track your sales pipeline.

Sending out a series of emails to prospects and keeping your messages in the same thread is not the same as tracking your pipeline. Tracking your pipeline is a way to view, in real time, how close you are to meeting your goals.

To do this effectively, start with a sales software that you can use to track each prospect through the entire sales process. HubSpot’s Sales Hub is an affordable CRM that you can set up quickly to start this new year on the right foot.

With a tool like this, you can add new prospects manually or set up a workflow to automate the process for you. As you move through each step with the customer, you can set automated tasks on their account like “Check in with Sandra on April 11th” or “Include the CFO on the meeting invite with ABS Enterprise”, that way, you never miss an opportunity to close a deal.

6. Automate your workflow.

Speaking of automation, automating your sales workflow should be top of mind as you set your business resolutions for the year. Work smarter, not harder by creating workflows, email sequences, and chat conversations.

Each of these touch points is an opportunity to engage a prospect to become a lead who, in turn, becomes a customer. And all of this can be accomplished without manual work on your end.

That means you can spend more time making genuine connections with potential customers and less time on administrative tasks.

7. Join a book club.

How many times have you heard a friend say they wanted to read more in the new year? Reading more books is a popular resolution for folks of all career paths, including salespeople.

If you want to read more but aren’t sure where to start, set a resolution to join a book club. Whether it’s through work, a social book club, or one with your family and friends, you lean on your support system to achieve your goal of reading more.

Plus, reading in community can help you form a deeper understanding of the content and make connections you otherwise wouldn’t have on your own. If you’re looking to strengthen your emotional intelligence with your prospects and leads, this is the way to do it.

8. Commit to mentoring new reps.

New sales reps don’t start the job knowing all the tips, tricks, and best practices for selling — especially if they’ve never sold or even used your product before. But all too often, new reps are expected to learn on the job and fail forward.

Even if you’re not a sales manager, make a resolution to mentor a new rep on your team. Showing them the ropes will only help your team become more successful.

Taking on this extra responsibility can help your career as well by giving you leadership experience and showing your higher ups that you’re a true team player.

9. Grow your network.

This one’s obvious, but it’s worth a spot on your new year’s resolutions list. Growing your network is a goal that you shouldn’t dismiss as a passive outcome of selling. It’s an opportunity to actively give back to your community both virtually and in person.

Expanding your network should be altruistic. Serving others with your content, ideas, stories, and even your own network can have tremendous benefits for you in the long run when it’s time to close a deal.

Wouldn’t it be nice if a customer came to you ready to make a purchase because they heard great things about you from a friend? That’s what growing your network is all about.

10. Measure your performance.

The final business resolution we recommend for sales reps is to measure your performance. You can take a three-pronged approach to this:

Track your metrics using your CRM software. You’ll want to review numbers like your closed-won deals, and time-to-close. This gives you a black and white view of whether or not you’re meeting your goals.

Next, get more subjective feedback from your manager and team. Are you a team player? How are your deals affecting the larger team’s KPIs? What could you be doing better in their eyes? Measuring your soft skills in this way keeps them top of mind so that you don’t sacrifice them in order to hit your numbers.

Check-in with your family , friends, and other non-work stakeholders in your life. Are you showing up for them or is your work standing in the way? There’s no right answer here, but it’s worth checking in to see if you’re happy with your work-life balance or if your other resolutions should be revisited.

Measuring your performance in each of these areas is sure to give you a well-rounded view of how you’re really doing both in and outside of work.

By setting business resolutions now, you have an opportunity to become an even better salesperson for this year and the years ahead. Don’t get too ambitious, however — choose one to three goals this year and add more as you achieve them. Soon enough, you’ll be on your way to your most successful year in sales yet.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in [Month Year] and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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How to Structure a Sales Outreach Strategy That Delivers Results

Companies often believe the more prospects, the better — but pursuing the wrong types of prospects wastes precious time, cash, and resources. That’s why having a well-constructed outreach plan is absolutely critical to your sales department’s immediate effectiveness and long-term success.

In this post, we’ll define outreach strategy, review some sales outreach statistics, see some actionable sales outreach tactics, and go over some essential sales outreach tools.

There’s no one-size-fits-all model for an effective outreach plan. How you structure yours will rest on your business needs, the nature of your product or service, and the personas you’re targeting. That being said, some common objectives guide how many — if not most — outreach strategies are constructed.

Those include goals like closing deals, initiating new relationships with prospects, building trust with your audience, educating leads on your offerings, or simply making contact with potential customers for the first time.

For many, the term “outreach” is most closely associated with traditional models like cold calling and door-to-door visits — but modern sales teams aren’t restricted to those more dated methods.

With access to a diverse array of channels — including email, phone, social media, and marketing campaigns — today’s sales teams can readily conduct more versatile, wide-reaching outreach.

By and large, teams most involved in conducting sales outreach are salespeople and their managers, but nowadays, assisting outreach isn’t always specific to the sales org — marketing teams occasionally provide additional insight to flesh out better-informed, more effective outreach efforts.

Before we get into the hard, actionable strategies you can use to shape your sales outreach plan, let’s take a look at some key sales outreach statistics.

Sales Outreach Statistics

41.2% of salespeople said their phone is the most effective sales tool at their disposal.

19% of buyers want to connect with a salesperson during the awareness stage of their buying process — when they’re first learning about the product.

60% want to connect with sales during the consideration stage — after they’ve researched the options and come up with a shortlist.

20% want to talk during the decision stage — once they’re decided which product to buy.

Only 24% of sales emails are opened.

80% of sales require 5 follow-up calls

44% of salespeople give up after one follow-up call.

Eight out of 10 prospects want to talk to sales reps via email over any other medium.

1. Create an ideal customer profile.

An ideal customer profile (ICP) should consist of five strict bullet points — those will guide who you reach out to and how you reach out to them. If any prospects don’t check all five boxes, aim to discount them.

An ICP might consist of the following:

Revenue size (e.g., more than $200 million in annual sales).

Employee count (e.g., no fewer than 1,000 verified LinkedIn employees).

Organization’s employee structure (e.g., the brand must have an in-house media team).

Type of product sold (e.g., a direct manufacturer).

A mutual goal (e.g., a manufacturer that cares about increasing brand awareness).

Once you’ve created your ICP, start thinking of who might work for a company that fits your ideal bill, and be sure to think beyond the surface. Don’t ask superficial, trivial questions like, “Are they in marketing?” Instead, address in-depth, meaningful issues and concerns regarding their professional motivations.

That leads me to the next step.

2. Create a persona map.

Choose the three primary roles that you sell to — like the VP of advertising, VP of Media, and VP of Brand Marketing — and identify the following for each role:

The buyer’s two to three primary daily responsibilities, like projects they work on and think about each day.

Two to three ways your company can help make their day-to-day tasks more manageable.

Two to three of the buyer’s long-term goals.

Two to three ways your company can help further the buyer’s longer-term goals.

This approach will save you valuable time and effort. By filling in the five points listed above, you can easily craft effective outreach messaging — saving you valuable time and effort that would otherwise go into putting your messaging together without structure.

When conducting email outreach, you can repurpose points two and three for targeted messaging. Here is an example:

Ideas for [prospect’s company] re: [goal]

Dear [prospect’s name],

I am reaching out to you given your role in media at [prospect’s company]. [Vendor] can help [prospect’s company] improve [point #1] with its millennial customers by [point #2]. [Vendor] is helping [Client A] and [Client B] media teams achieve a [point #3] that is [X%] more efficient through [point #4].

Do you have 15 minutes to hear about the unique ideas we have for the [prospect’s company] media team on [date] or [date]?

Thanks in advance, Janet

So let’s say you’ve mapped out the specifics of your ideal customer and the stakeholders’ motivations — now, where do you go from there? You can start by prioritizing the right prospects.

3. Prioritize your personas.

Prioritize the personas you create by ranking each buyer on a scale from one to five on the following metrics:

Alignment with your solution.

Size of their budget.

Level of influence within their organization.

Once you’ve calculated the scores, lay out a strategic plan for your outreach that begins with buyers with the highest totals. This process is sometimes called Account-Based Selling — a strategy that focuses on bringing in the right clients instead of the most clients. The email below is an example of an outreach email to a VP of media, a high-ranking lead.

This exercise will drastically reduce wasted time and optimize your outreach — all while allowing you to get in front of the right people faster.

4. Determine the best outreach channel.

Not all outreach channels are created equal, so do what you can to identify the ones your prospects are most active on. Once you’ve done that, meet them there, and connect with them on their turf — for instance, if you notice a prospect is particularly active on LinkedIn, see if you can initiate contact over the platform.

Or maybe your prospect is on your company’s email list and opens every email they receive. That would tell you their inbox is active and they consistently engage with emails from your business. In that case, email outreach could be a solid bet.

The outreach channel you use at any given time will vary based on the prospect’s preferences, the information you have available, and the nature of the sale. One way or another, meet your customers where they are — and treat that process like a priority, not something you throw on the back burner.

5. Personalize your messaging.

Sales, as a practice, is the process of cultivating trust in a tight window. You’ll rarely land deals with prospects who aren’t sold on you — and coming off as callous, uninterested, and impersonal is one of the easiest ways to undermine a potential business arrangement.

That’s why a thoughtful, tailored message can be a crucial asset in moving a sale along. Prospects want to feel seen, heard, and understood — if you can convey all that through your messaging, you can build the kind of trust you need to develop a lasting, productive relationship.

When conducting outreach, customize your message with the prospect’s name, company name (if selling B2B), and any other relevant context you have about the recipient and the problem they’re trying to solve.

While using templates or scripts can be a good way to keep your messages structured and improve efficiency, you need to avoid coming across as overly-scripted or generic. Thoughtful, personalized messages will feel less sales-y and are more likely to receive a response.

6. Send a follow-up.

Say you’ve successfully contacted a prospect and had a productive consultation. Now, you need to address when they can expect to hear from you and touch base with them quickly enough to keep your conversation top of mind.

Sending a follow-up message shortly after your engagement is the best way to get there. Here’s an example:

Thanks for your time today

Hi [prospect’s name],

I enjoyed meeting with you and learning more about your role at [company]. I understand the next stage [company] is looking to reach and how [challenges discussed in conversation] can inhibit growth.

As promised, I’ve attached more information about our services and how we can help you drive [business objective] and solve [business problem]. Let me know if you have any questions in the meantime. If not, I look forward to talking again on [date and time].

Thank you, Erin

This message recaps the conversation you had with the prospect and establishes your willingness to answer any questions they might have. It also serves as a reminder about the agreed-upon time and date for your follow-up conversation.

7. Record all information in your CRM.

Documenting your outreach efforts in your preferred customer relationship management (CRM) system is crucial to your outreach plan’s success.

Storing all of your prospects’ data in a central location lets you readily pick up where you left off without searching for information — making the rest of your sales process that much easier.

For instance, if a team member has to take over an account for you, logging your data in your CRM gives them everything they need to finish a sale whenever, wherever.

The seven points listed so far are generally enough to establish a solid basis for a sound outreach plan. That said, there are some “bonus” steps to consider that can make your strategy more straightforward and effective.

8. Align with marketing teams.

Sales outreach has a lot in common with certain brands of marketing — after all, outreach is essentially the process of salespeople “advertising” themselves and their businesses to leads.

That common ground — along with outreach’s potential for helping generate and retain business — can make sound sales and marketing alignment a cornerstone of an effective outreach plan.

Marketers can review the copy you create for email, social media, and call scripts to ensure that it is on-brand and in keeping with your business tone and style — or they can even supply you with branding copy that you can incorporate yourself.

Analytics are also central to successful marketing efforts, so you can ask them to give you the data you need to decide on the channels you’ll use to conduct your outreach.

For example, maybe you’ve initially planned on making phone calls, but analytics data shows that emails with CTAs are the most effective for driving conversions. Your marketing team can help you craft the right approach to get the most out of your emails.

9. Automate whenever possible.

Automation is becoming a staple of sales org’s operations and for good reason — the right automation tools can enhance productivity and save valuable time, taking the inefficient legwork out of the more repetitive, rote tasks associated with sales outreach.

There are various routes you can choose to take based on your individual business needs, but you should at least look into standard tools that help with processes like email automation or setting meeting reminders — along with pipeline analytics tools that help you understand how leads engage with what you send them.

Sales Outreach Tools

1. CRMs

Your average customer relationship management (CRM) system offers functionality that can help streamline, simplify, and ultimately enhance your sales outreach efforts.

A CRM provides a shared repository for storing your customer data. It lets various stakeholders within your sales org track any interactions your business has with customers, maintain notes on potential opportunities, and establish and standardize processes and workflows reps can follow to connect with prospects more effectively.

Taken together, those features — among several others — allow your sales team to conduct better-informed, more effective outreach efforts. A CRM can offer a more robust, thoughtful picture of who tends to buy your product or service. With that intel, you can create detailed buyer personas and tailor your messaging to best suit the prospects you connect with.

An estimated 65% of sales organizations used a CRM in 2020 — and that number is bound to trend upward as these systems become more commonplace. If you’re not incorporating a CRM into your sales outreach plan at this point, you’re selling your sales org short.

2. Email Automation Resources

As I touched on earlier in this article, roughly eight out of 10 prospects want to talk to sales reps via email — so any resources that can expedite and assist your email outreach can be invaluable assets for your sales org.

Email automation tools allow your reps to structure thoughtful, effective messages to be distributed via timely, well-targeted workflows and campaigns. These kinds of resources allow you to push along a high volume of messages that don’t sacrifice too much personalization in the interest of efficiency.

Several email automation tools allow you to match the content and cadence of your messaging to suit individual leads’ behavior and preferences — considering factors like the emails your prospects open, web pages they visit, and purchases they make when determining what messages they receive at certain stages of their buyer’s journeys.

It can be difficult to reconcile thoughtfulness and solid time management when conducting sales outreach — especially when trying to reach prospects via email. Being able to consistently strike a balance between the two is where email automation’s value lies.

3. Sales Automation Resources

Sales automation resources — beyond the email ones just mentioned — can add another layer of efficacy to your sales outreach efforts. Tools that allow for automated workflows that notify reps when prospects take noteworthy actions can help your team zero in on who will be most receptive to your contact at certain points in their relationships with your business.

Other sales automation tools like meeting scheduling links, automatic call logging, and predictive lead scoring can help you reach the right prospects at the right time with the right messaging and resources for seamlessly advancing deals.

Your Strategy Will Help You Meet Business Objectives

What’s the result of this upfront investment in strategy? Efficient outreach that specifically addresses the needs of your various buyers. Your messages will resonate more, and your prospects will respond more frequently.

Say goodbye to the typical results at early-stage companies, and say hello to more calls, meetings, and closed deals.

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Sales Close Plan: The Best Tool to Close Way More Deals [Template]

Sales close plans are critical for winning high-value accounts and finally converting customers you’ve been talking to for months. Once you invest that much energy into pitching your product, the last thing you want is to flush the deal down the drain with a poorly-prepared sales closing process.

In this post, I’m going to walk you through my proven process of creating a sales close plan that’s helped me get thousands of deals across the finish line. But first up: What is a sales close plan?

I’m a big believer in preparation, so I always create a sales close plan with my prospect. It always increases my chances of winning the deal and prepares me for any last-minute objections.

The sales close plan should cover whatever your prospect suggests, but will generally encompass the remainder of the sales cycle, how to sell the product internally, and the implementation of the product.

Why You Should Create a Sales Close Plan

Setting up a formal sales close plan makes sure you and your prospect — and anyone else associated with the purchase decision — are on the same page. It also makes the sales process more manageable for a prospect who’s never gone through a major purchase decision before by taking a gargantuan task and breaking it up into little, achievable pieces.

In most sales situations, the biggest challenge is inertia. Whether it’s moving a prospect off a legacy product or introducing a new type of product for the first time, it’s usually easier for prospects to do nothing than to enter into a potentially complicated purchase or implementation.

Not only does a sales close plan remove this hesitation to act, it also helps accelerate the deal. Once the prospect has invested time in creating a plan, they have more incentive to move forward so their work doesn’t go to waste.

Creating a sales close plan demonstrates your understanding of the problem at hand and provides an opportunity to clear up problem areas. In defining how to proceed through the sales process and implementation, you’re reaffirming that your solution is actually solving a problem, and that you’re speaking with the right people.

It’s important to keep goals front-of-mind, both for you and your prospect. Emphasize the solution’s value throughout, not the product’s specific features.

How to Create a Sales Close Plan

A good deal plan can be a complex or a very basic document. Below are the steps I take when creating a deal plan to make sure I’m covering all the bases.

1. Determine your prospect’s goals.

You might have already gotten a good idea of your prospect’s goals during your discovery call and follow-up conversations. But it’s always a good idea to brush upon their goals once again when you’re creating your sales close plan. Their priorities might have shifted during your conversations, especially if you surfaced an issue that they may not have previously accounted for.

Here are a few questions you should ask:

What are your goals?

People who don’t have goals aren’t good customers. Your job as a sales rep is to find great prospects who will become great clients, which will reduce churn.

What’s your why?

Prospects don’t buy for rational reasons — they buy for emotional reasons. Your product is a rational means to an end, but that end is usually influenced by emotion. Your prospect has an image of the future in their head, and your product can help them get there. Prompting a prospect to talk about that future helps them understand why they should invest time and money in your solution.

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, do you know whom to ask to find out?

Hopefully, they’ll know the answers. But if not, they should be able to tell you who has the relevant information.

2. Help your prospect envision the future with and without your product.

Your prospect won’t close with you unless you help them see what their life (or job) will be like after they close with you.

I recommend asking the following simple question: “What changes will result from this purchase?”

Without sounding sales-y, this question helps my prospect to look ahead. If I sell them my product and they use it successfully, what fundamental changes will they need to make to their business? Will they need to add headcount? Set up regular training sessions? Reallocate budget?

But don’t just focus on the logistics. Help them see the positive changes, too, such as growth opportunities and increased revenue. Only after you paint this image should you move on to process- or logistics-related conversations.

Another question I like to ask is: “What happens if you don’t complete this purchase?”

With this question, you can find out your prospect’s Plan B. They might be in a difficult situation if they don’t make this purchase, and asking them to envision that possibility will kickstart the closing process. It could also reveal that you’re in a competitive situation, in which case it’s time to reach out to a coach or champion and figure out where you stand.

3. Identify stakeholders and roadblocks.

After you’ve painted an image of your prospect’s future with and without your product, it’s time to clear up some logistical information, such as who has the final word on the purchase and who has buy-in.

Again, you might’ve uncovered this information at the beginning of your conversations with your prospects, but these answers often change after you’ve established enough trust and rapport. When they first started speaking with you, they might’ve provided vague answers, and your close plan is your opportunity to clarify.

Here are two questions you might ask:

Who’s responsible for buy-in?

This depends on who will be using your product and how it will be implemented. It’s also important to consider whether an executive needs to sign off on a decision.

And don’t forget about potential detractors. For example, if a stakeholder previously acted as a champion for one of your competitors, it’s important to bring them into the fold early. Identify that person and have a conversation about how to save face and smooth the transition — you don’t want to make an enemy.

What are your biggest challenges to the purchase?

Identify the roadblocks to purchase as soon as possible. This question will help you understand what still needs to be done before your prospect signs on the dotted line.

Other questions you might ask include:

Who needs to be involved in the actual purchase — signing contracts, approving budgets, etc.?

Does the purchase require an RFI (request for information), an RFQ (request for quotation), or any other documentation you’ll be responsible for coordinating?

Does Legal need to get involved?

If additional documentation or reviews are needed, how long will those processes take?

4. Create an action plan for informing stakeholders and removing roadblocks.

Once you’ve gotten answers to the questions outlined in the previous section, it’s time to create an action plan to inform stakeholders, address any concerns, and draft any necessary documents.

For instance, if your prospect indicates that they need to create a RFQ or RFP, then your next step might be to draft the quote or proposal and send it back to your prospect (even before they send you a formal RFQ or RFP). If your prospect needs to inform certain parties about the upcoming purchase decision, then you should outline meeting dates, especially if you plan to be in attendance.

Remember that the sales close plan is a collaborative document that both of you are working on to successfully close the deal. Since you’re the salesperson, you might be more driven to close, but success is a goal for both of you, and the action plan should reflect this.

5. Remind the prospect they have personal stakes in this deal.

When aiming for the close, it’s all too easy to look at the deal from an overarching perspective, i.e. “My company will help your company achieve [x].” But when it’s near the end of the sales cycle, it’s critical to zoom back in. You are one person speaking to another, and if your prospect doesn’t buy your product, their company doesn’t lose; they do.

That’s why I like to ask prospects: “What’s your personal goal?”

I always want to know whether my prospect has skin in the game. This gives me a sense of which motivating levers I can pull to move the deal ahead and forces the prospect to revisit exactly why this deal is important to them. The closer you get to the end of a sales cycle, the higher the chance that your prospect will be fatigued. Refocusing them on the prize is crucial.

6. Compile all of this information in a sales close plan document.

Whether you use a spreadsheet, a Word document, or a PowerPoint presentation, it’s important to compile all of your findings in a sales close plan document. You can usually adjust your existing company sales plan to create your close plan, and remember to share it with your prospect so that they can make adjustments and leave comments as needed.

The good news: You don’t have to make your sales close plan document from scratch. I use the template below every time I need to create a sales close plan, removing and adding sections when needed.

Sales Close Plan Template

Featured Resource: Sales Close Plan Template

Download Your Free Template Here

This template includes all the sections you need to create a foolproof close plan with your prospect. You have two options: a plain-text document or a designed one that includes images and graphics. Depending on your industry, you might benefit from going the text-only route.

You can also use this template to create a company-wide sales plan that will enable your entire sales team to sell more effectively, reach revenue goals, and use the resources available to them.

Here are the sections I suggest you include in your sales close plan:

Cover Page: Introduce the company you’ll be creating the sales close plan with. Don’t forget to include your prospect’s name under “Written by” or “Authors.”

Mission [Optional]: Include your prospect’s mission if you feel it will help with the close. Understanding your prospect’s goal from an overarching standpoint can help you make that final pitch more effectively.

Team: I’d recommend listing stakeholders in this section, paying special attention to decision-makers.

Target Market: Outline your prospect’s target market here. Compile all of your notes from your discovery call to populate this section.

Tools, Software, & Resources [Optional]: It might be helpful to know which tools your customer is already using. Are they using a competitor? Do they normally buy the type of product you sell? Change your pitch accordingly.

Positioning: This is a critical section that will help you understand your prospect’s standing in their industry. Fill it in with their help. Guessing won’t do you any favors here.

Marketing Strategy [Optional]: This section is optional unless you sell a marketing product. If you do, it’s important to understand how your prospect currently markets their products and services.

Prospecting Strategy [Optional]: Your buyer’s prospecting strategy isn’t necessary unless you sell a product that can help them prospect more effectively — say, sales software.

Action Plan: This is where you’ll list what you and your prospect need to do to close the deal and successfully onboard them.

Goals: List your prospect’s revenue and other quantitative goals. Any qualitative goals, such as “Streamline operations,” should also be listed here.

Budget: Include a brief outline of your prospect’s budget for this purchase.

When to Create a Sales Close Plan

Ideally, you should start discussing a sales close plan during the discovery phase of the sales process. Not only will you be outlining what the plan contains, you’ll also be determining its scope. I always ask, “Have you bought a similar product before?” In HubSpot’s case, I check for previous purchases of enterprise software.

This question is crucial. If this is the first time they’ve ever bought something like your offering, your plan needs to outline how to buy in the first place. You’ll need to walk them through how to get internal buy-in and how to evaluate if your product is a good solution, working closely with them throughout.

If, however, your prospect is familiar with buying your type of product, your sales close plan might not need to cover the purchase at all. They know whom to speak with internally and how to get a deal over the finish line. They need your expertise in implementation, and that’s what your plan should focus on.

Sales close plans are also useful if you get stuck somewhere in the sales cycle. Sometimes, you’ll speak with a prospect who needs your product but is avoiding you or artificially elongating the process. A sales close plan can help define the process, especially if you suspect the problem is a lack of executive buy-in.

Overall, a sales close plan can streamline your closing process, especially with high-value prospects you don’t want to lose. By creating one, you’ll strengthen your sales process at its most critical point and exponentially increase the chances of a closed-won deal.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in January 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.  

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Startup Financing: How It Works & How to Get It

There’s no shortage of options if you’re looking for money to start a business. Startup financing ranges from news-worthy venture capital rounds to credit cards, grants, and small business loans.

All entrepreneurs need to raise capital at some point — whether to get their business up and running or accelerate growth. But every lending choice comes with advantages and disadvantages. Some have long repayment terms and others require you to give partial ownership to investors.

Understanding your financing options is essential for success. You don’t want to be one of the 38% of startups that fail because they ran out of cash or failed to raise new capital.

To help you find the financing that’s right for your startup, we outline the various types of capital available to small business owners and share the steps to secure capital for your company—no matter the stage, age, or industry.

What is Startup Financing?

Startup financing is the capital that’s used to fund a business venture. It’s used for a variety of reasons, such as launching a company, buying real estate, hiring a team, purchasing necessary tools, launching a product, or growing the business.

Small business financing comes in many forms, but it all falls into two main categories: dilutive and non-dilutive financing. Dilutive financing requires an exchange of equity, or ownership, in the company, while non-dilutive financing allows founders to retain full ownership. For instance, an investor who gives money to a startup and gets shares in that company is considered dilutive financing. But a loan is non-dilutive because it doesn’t require giving ownership in exchange for capital.

When choosing a financing option, you need to consider whether or not it will dilute your ownership and what kind of repayment plan is in place. Small business grants, for example, don’t have to be repaid. But certain business loans require lenders to start payments as soon as they receive the money.

The world of startup financing can be complex, but what about startup funding? How does that impact a company, and what’s the difference between the two?

Financing vs funding

On the surface, startup financing and startup funding appear to be one and the same. Most people use the terms interchangeably, but depending on who you’re talking with, there’s a slight difference.

Startup financing is the process of funding a business through equity financing or debt financing. Equity financing, such as money from a venture capital firm, doesn’t need to be repaid because it offers capital in exchange for partial ownership. Investors risk repayment because they believe the company will be successful and their equity will one day be worth more than their initial investment.

Debt financing, such as opening a credit card, must be repaid. This type of financing includes interest as a way to repay the lending organization for its risk. Many startups use both equity and debt financing to fund their activities.

On the other hand, startup funding refers to the capital a business receives from lenders or equity holders, also known as capital funding. Still confused? Think of financing as the way to get capital (the method) and funding as the capital a company receives (the outcome).

So what are the financing options to fund your business? Let’s walk through the most common sources.

Startup Financing Option

Entrepreneurs can take advantage of dozens of types of small business and startup financing models, but all these options boil down to three main ways to raise capital: by borrowing capital, issuing equity, or from net earnings.

1. Debt Financing

Companies can take on debt to finance their operations, just like people can take on debt to buy a house or pay for school. This can be done publicly through a debt issue or privately through an institution, such as a bank. Debt issues include credit cards, corporate bonds, mortgages, leases, or notes. Private debt financing mainly involves taking out a loan.

Just like you and I, companies that borrow money are responsible for paying the principal and interest to the lenders. They have to repay the creditors at a chosen point in the future, which could be within weeks or even years.

While interest is typically tax-deductible for companies, failing to repay lenders can result in bankruptcy or default. If this happens, it negatively impacts the borrower’s credit rating and can make it difficult to raise capital in the future. That said, debt financing can be less expensive than net earnings or equity financing.

2. Equity Financing

Equity is the sum of shareholders’ stake in a startup and represents the value of the business if all assets were liquidated and all debt paid off. Business owners can use this equity for financing by selling shares to outside investors in exchange for capital.

The investors become partial owners in the company and obtain voting rights, which allows them to weigh in on business decisions. The most common kind of equity financing comes from venture capitalists and private equity firms.

Since all shareholders own equity, they get a slice of future profits. This dilutes the ownership and overall control of the company — but that ownership also means you’re not required to pay back investors’ money.

You have time to build your business without the pressure of monthly payments. If your company goes bankrupt, investors lose out too. Just keep in mind that equity doesn’t come with tax benefits and takes away part of your ownership, so it can be a more expensive form of financing.

3. Net Earnings Financing

The goal of every company is to make a profit. If a startup makes more money than it costs to run the company, it can use its earnings to fund other business activities.

Net earnings financing allows founders to grow a business or fund a new project without issuing equity or taking out debt. They can also use this money to reward investors and shareholders with dividend payments — or even buy back shares to regain ownership control.

In an ideal world, a startup would be able to use its revenue to invest in itself. The truth is, most companies need help to create a product or service worth selling.

While the net earnings model is the most cost-effective way to finance, it’s usually not accessible to startups until they have a minimum viable product to sell. So let’s look at how to get the funding you need to build a customer base, increase revenue, and become a financially independent business.

How to Get Financing For a Startup Business

Some startups need more financial help than others, so take the time to figure out what’s best for your business. If you only need $50,000, don’t take out a $100,000 loan and get stuck with excess interest and payments. Here are a few options for financing:

Business term loan - A sum of cash that small business owners can borrow from banks, online lenders, or financial institutions. These loans come with fixed repayment terms, and 95% have fixed interest rates. The following chart by Statista shows the type of lenders that approved small business loans in Q2 of 2021.

Image Source: Statista

SBA loan - A government-backed loan with low-interest rates and variable funding amounts. In 2020, 30% of SBA microloans were issued to startups. All SBA loans have eligibility requirements, so make sure to check the organization’s website to find the right option for your business.

Business line of credit - A short-term loan that business owners can obtain without fixed repayment terms. It can range from $1,000-$250,000 and be used for rent, machinery, inventory, hiring, or other business expenses. In 2021, the Federal Reserve Bank delivered $44.8 billion in funding to small businesses through more than 61,000 loans. You can see the funding breakdown for minority-owned businesses here.

Business credit card - Similar to a personal credit card, a business card can be used to make everyday purchases for your company. The credit limit is based on your financial history, as well as the company’s financials, so you may have to work your way to a higher limit if you’re just starting out. A major perk of a business card is getting points and rewards for business travel and expenses, which you can reinvest in your company.

Equipment financing - Purchase the commercial fridge, machinery, or computer you need by making small monthly payments to lenders. Your business owns the equipment once you pay the full amount. Almost eight in 10 US companies use financing to purchase equipment, with 43% of financing coming from banks.

Personal loan: A personal loan can be used to finance a business, but it’s based on an individual’s personal credit history. These loans range from $1,000 to $50,000 and are available from banks and credit unions. Keep in mind, a personal loan for business still impacts your personal credit score and savings, so make sure you can make payments on time.

Crowdfunding - A crowdfunding campaign is where numerous backers give a company money in exchange for equity, an early-release product or service, or sometimes nothing at all. Platforms like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and GoFundMe have successfully been used to finance startups. It’s a low-cost method of raising capital since a failed campaign costs little time and money. But be wary of accepting money and failing to deliver results. Brands have ruined their reputations by the platforms by overpromising and under-delivering, which upsets a very important customer base.

Startup Financing Challenges

For most founders, fundraising isn’t usually fun. It takes work to convince people that your business can be a success and time to figure out which financing option is best for your specific needs. Startup financing is even more challenging for minority business owners, who haven’t been given equitable access to capital.

Once you have money in hand, the new challenge is making it last. Smart money management is essential to keep tabs on your cash flow, payment schedules, and dilution. Small business owners need accounting tools on top of sales and marketing software to help manage and build their companies.

Growth can’t happen without capital, so financing has to be the top priority for new founders. But when you get it, do whatever it takes to avoid cash flow issues and build a business that lasts. A founder’s ultimate goal is financial independence, and it’s possible if you properly manage your funding.

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7 Habits of Highly Effective People [Summary & Takeaways]

We all want to succeed. And one path to success is identifying the habits that can help us on our journey.

I recommend starting that path by reading Stephen Covey’s best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Don’t have time to read all 432 pages?

I get it — most of us don’t. That’s why we summarized the entire book for you below.

What habits do highly effective people have?

The book opens with an explanation of how many individuals who have achieved a high degree of outward success still find themselves struggling with an inner need for developing personal effectiveness and growing healthy relationships with other people.

Covey believes the way we see the world is entirely based on our own perceptions. In order to change a given situation, we must change ourselves, and in order to change ourselves, we must be able to change our perceptions.

In studying over 200 years of literature on the concept of “success,” Covey identified a very important change in the way that humans have defined success over time.

In earlier times, the foundation of success rested upon character ethic (things like integrity, humility, fidelity, temperance, courage, justice, patience, industry, simplicity, modesty, and the Golden Rule). But starting around the 1920s, the way people viewed success shifted to what Covey calls “personality ethic” (where success is a function of personality, public image, attitudes, and behaviors).

These days, people look for quick fixes. They see a successful person, team, or organization and ask, “How do you do it? Teach me your techniques!” But these “shortcuts” that we look for, hoping to save time and effort and still achieve the desired result, are simply band-aids that will yield short-term solutions. They don’t address the underlying condition.

“The way we see the problem is the problem,” Covey writes. We must allow ourselves to undergo paradigm shifts — to change ourselves fundamentally and not just alter our attitudes and behaviors on the surface level — in order to achieve true change.

That’s where the seven habits of highly effective people come in:

Habits 1, 2, and 3 are focused on self-mastery and moving from dependence to independence.

Habits 4, 5, and 6 are focused on developing teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills, and moving from independence to interdependence.

Habit 7 is focused on continuous growth and improvement and embodies all the other habits.

Let’s dive into the 7 habits, now — keep reading, or click on a specific habit to jump right to that section. 

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

1. Be Proactive

2. Begin with the End in Mind

3. Put First Things First

4. Think Win-Win

5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

6. Synergize

7. Sharpen the Saw

1. Be Proactive

Quick Summary:

We’re in charge. We choose the scripts by which to live our lives. Use this self-awareness to be proactive and take responsibility for your choices.

The first habit that Covey discusses is being proactive. What distinguishes us as humans from all other animals is our inherent ability to examine our own character, to decide how to view ourselves and our situations, and to control our own effectiveness.

Put simply, in order to be effective one must be proactive.

Reactive people take a passive stance — they believe the world is happening to them. They say things like:

“There’s nothing I can do.”

“That’s just the way I am.”

They think the problem is “out there” — but that thought is the problem. Reactivity becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and reactive people feel increasingly victimized and out of control.

Proactive people, however, recognize they have responsibility — or “response-ability,” which Covey defines as the ability to choose how you will respond to a given stimulus or situation.

In order to be proactive, we must focus on the Circle of Influence that lies within our Circle of Concern— in other words, we must work on the things we can do something about.

The positive energy we exert will cause our Circle of Influence to expand.

Reactive people, on the other hand, focus on things that are in their Circle of Concern but not in their Circle of Influence, which leads to blaming external factors, emanating negative energy, and causing their Circle of Influence to shrink.

Key Lessons:

Challenge yourself to test the principle of proactivity by doing the following:

1. Start replacing reactive language with proactive language.

Reactive = “He makes me so mad.”Proactive = “I control my own feelings.”

2. Convert reactive tasks into proactive ones.

2. Begin with the End in Mind

Quick Summary:

Start with a clear destination in mind. Covey says we can use our imagination to develop a vision of what we want to become and use our conscience to decide what values will guide us.

Most of us find it rather easy to busy ourselves. We work hard to achieve victories — promotions, higher income, more recognition. But we don’t often stop to evaluate the meaning behind this busyness, behind these victories — we don’t ask ourselves if these things that we focus on so intently are what really matter to us.

Habit 2 suggests that, in everything we do, we should begin with the end in mind. Start with a clear destination. That way, we can make sure the steps we’re taking are in the right direction.

Covey emphasizes that our self-awareness empowers us to shape our own lives, instead of living our lives by default or based on the standards or preferences of others.

Beginning with the end in mind is also extremely important for businesses. Being a manager is about optimizing for efficiency. But being a leader is about setting the right strategic vision for your organization in the first place, and asking, “What are we trying to accomplish?”

Before we as individuals or organizations can start setting and achieving goals, we must be able to identify our values. This process may involve some rescripting to be able to assert our own personal values.

Rescripting, Covey explains, is recognizing ineffective scripts that have been written for you, and changing those scripts by proactively writing new ones that are built of your own values.

It is also important to identify our center. Whatever is at the center of our life will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and power.

Our centers affect us fundamentally — they determine our daily decisions, actions, and motivations, as well as our interpretation of events.

However, Covey notes that none of these centers are optimal and that instead, we should strive to be principle-centered. We should identify the timeless, unchanging principles by which we must live our lives. This will give us the guidance that we need to align our behaviors with our beliefs and values.

Key Lessons:

Challenge yourself to test the principle of beginning with the end in mind by doing the following:

1. Visualize in rich detail your own funeral. Who is there? What are they saying about you? About how you lived your life? About the relationships you had? What do you want them to say? Think about how your priorities would change if you only had 30 more days to live. Start living by these priorities.

2. Break down different roles in your life — whether professional, personal, or community — and list three to five goals you want to achieve for each.

3. Define what scares you. Public speaking? Critical feedback after writing a book? Write down the worst-case scenario for your biggest fear, then visualize how you’ll handle this situation. Write down exactly how you’ll handle it.

3. Put First Things First

Quick Summary:

In order to manage ourselves effectively, we must put first things first. We must have the discipline to prioritize our day-to-day actions based on what is most important, not what is most urgent.

In Habit 2, we discussed the importance of determining our values and understanding what it is we are setting out to achieve. Habit 3 is about actually going after these goals, and executing on our priorities on a day-to-day, moment-to-moment basis.

In order to maintain the discipline and the focus to stay on track toward our goals, we need to have the willpower to do something when we don’t want to do it. We need to act according to our values rather than our desires or impulses at any given moment.

All activities can be categorized based on two factors: Urgent and important. Take a look at this time management matrix:

We react to urgent matters. We spend our time doing things that are not important. That means that we neglect Quadrant II, which is the actually most crucial of them all.

If we focus on Quadrant I and spend our time managing crises and problems, it keeps getting bigger and bigger until it consumes us. This leads to stress, burnout, and constantly putting out fires.

If we focus on Quadrant III, we spend most of our time reacting to matters that seem urgent, when the reality is their perceived urgency is based on the priorities and expectations of others. This leads to short-term focus, feeling out of control, and shallow or broken relationships.

If we focus on Quadrant IV, we are basically leading an irresponsible life. This often leads to getting fired from jobs and being highly dependent on others.

Quadrant II is at the heart of effective personal management. It deals with things like building relationships, long-term planning, exercising, preparation — all things we know we need to do but somehow seldom get around to actually doing because they don’t feel urgent.

In order to focus our time in Quadrant II, we have to learn how to say “no” to other activities, sometimes ones that seem urgent. We also need to be able to delegate effectively.

Plus, when we focus on Quadrant II, it means we’re thinking ahead, working on the roots, and preventing crises from happening in the first place! This helps us implement the Pareto Principle — 80% of your results come from 20% of your time.

We should always maintain a primary focus on relationships and results, and a secondary focus on time.

“Think effectiveness with people and efficiency with things.” —Stephen Covey

Key Lessons:

Here are some ways you can practice putting first things first:

1. Identify a Quadrant II activity you’ve been neglecting. Write it down and commit to implementing it.

2. Create your own time management matrix to start prioritizing.

3. Estimate how much time you spend in each quadrant. Then log your time over 3 days. How accurate was your estimate? How much time did you spend in Quadrant II (the most important quadrant)?

4. Think Win-Win

Quick Summary:

In order to establish effective interdependent relationships, we must commit to creating Win-Win situations that are mutually beneficial and satisfying to each party.

Covey explains that there are six paradigms of human interaction:

1. Win-Win: Both people win. Agreements or solutions are mutually beneficial and satisfying to both parties.

2. Win-Lose: “If I win, you lose.” Win-Lose people are prone to use position, power, credentials, and personality to get their way.

3. Lose-Win: “I lose, you win.” Lose-Win people are quick to please and appease, and seek strength from popularity or acceptance.

4. Lose-Lose: Both people lose. When two Win-Lose people get together — that is, when two, determined, stubborn, ego-invested individuals interact — the result will be Lose-Lose.

5. Win: People with the Win mentality don’t necessarily want someone else to lose — that’s irrelevant. What matters is that they get what they want.

6. Win-Win or No Deal: If you can’t reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial, there is no deal.

The best option is to create Win-Win situations. With Win-Lose, or Lose-Win, one person appears to get what he wants for the moment, but the results will negatively impact the relationship between those two people going forward.

The Win-Win or No Deal option is important to use as a backup. When we have No Deal as an option in our mind, it liberates us from needing to manipulate people and push our own agenda. We can be open and really try to understand the underlying issues.

In solving for Win-Win, we must consider two factors: Consideration and courage. Take a look at the following chart:

“To go for Win-Win, you not only have to be nice, you have to be courageous.” — Stephen Covey

Another important factor in solving for Win-Win situations is maintaining an Abundance Mentality, or the belief that there’s plenty out there for everyone.

Most people operate with the Scarcity Mentality — meaning they act as though everything is zero-sum (in other words, if you get it, I don’t). People with the Scarcity Mentality have a very hard time sharing recognition or credit and find it difficult to be genuinely happy about other people’s successes.

When it comes to interpersonal leadership, the more genuine our character is, the higher our level of proactivity; the more committed we are to Win-Win, the more powerful our influence will be.

To achieve Win-Win, keep the focus on results, not methods; on problems, not people.

Lastly, the spirit of Win-Win can’t survive in an environment of competition. As an organization, we need to align our reward system with our goals and values and have the systems in place to support Win-Win.

Key Lessons:

Get yourself to start thinking Win-Win with these challenges:

1. Think about an upcoming interaction where you’ll be attempting to reach an agreement or solution. Write down a list of what the other person is looking for. Next, write a list next to that of how you can make an offer to meet those needs.

2. Identify three important relationships in your life. Think about what you feel the balance is in each of those relationships. Do you give more than you take? Take more than you give? Write down 10 ways to always give more than you take with each one.

3. Deeply consider your own interaction tendencies. Are they Win-Lose? How does that affect your interactions with others? Can you identify the source of that approach? Determine whether or not this approach serves you well in your relationships. Write all of this down.

Email is one place we all quickly build poor habits. Rather than wasting time by copying and pasting email templates that you use every day, we recommend using HubSpot’s free CRM to easily send personalized email templates in Gmail and Outlook.

5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Quick Summary:

Before we can offer advice, suggest solutions, or effectively interact with another person in any way, we must seek to deeply understand them and their perspective through empathic listening.

Let’s say you go to an optometrist and tell him that you’ve been having trouble seeing clearly, and he takes off his glasses, hands them to you and says, “Here, try these — they’ve been working for me for years!” You put them on, but they only make the problem worse. What are the chances you’d go back to that optometrist?

Unfortunately, we do the same thing in our everyday interactions with others. We prescribe a solution before we diagnose the problem. We don’t seek to deeply understand the problem first.

Habit 5 says that we must seek first to understand, then to be understood. In order to seek to understand, we must learn to listen.

We can’t simply use one technique to understand someone. In fact, if a person senses that we’re manipulating her, she will question our motives and will no longer feel safe opening up to us.

“You have to build the skills of empathic listening on a base of character that inspires openness and trust.” — Stephen Covey

To listen empathically requires a fundamental paradigm shift. We typically seek first to be understood. Most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand. At any given moment, they’re either speaking or preparing to speak.

After all, Covey points out, communication experts estimate that:

10% of our communication is represented by our words [CLICK TO TWEET]

30% is represented by our sounds [CLICK TO TWEET]

60% is represented by our body language [CLICK TO TWEET]

When we listen autobiographically — in other words, with our own perspective as our frame of reference — we tend to respond in one of four ways:

1. Evaluate: Agree or disagree with what is said

2. Probe: Ask questions from our own frame of reference

3. Advise: Give counsel based on our own experience

4. Interpret: Try to figure out the person’s motives and behavior based on our own motives and behavior

But if we replace these types of response with empathic listening, we see dramatic results in improved communication. It takes time to make this shift, but it doesn’t take nearly as long to practice empathic listening as it does to back up and correct misunderstandings, or to live with unexpressed and unresolved problems only to have them surface later on.

The second part of Habit 5 is “ … then to be understood.” This is equally critical in achieving Win-Win solutions.

When we’re able to present our ideas clearly, and in the context of a deep understanding of the other person’s needs and concerns, we significantly increase the credibility of your ideas.

Key Lessons:

Here are a few ways to get yourself in the habit of seeking first to understand:

1. Next time you’re watching two people communicating, cover your ears and watch. What emotions are being communicated that might not come across through words alone? Was one person or the other more interested in the conversation? Write down what you noticed.

2. Next time you give a presentation, root it in empathy. Begin by describing the audience’s point of view in great detail. What problems are they facing? How is what you’re about to say offering a solution to their problems?

6. Synergize

Quick Summary:

By understanding and valuing the differences in another person’s perspective, we have the opportunity to create synergy, which allows us to uncover new possibilities through openness and creativity.

The combination of all the other habits prepares us for Habit 6, which is the habit of synergy or “When one plus one equals three or more and the whole is great than the sum of its parts.”

For example, if you plant two plants close together, their roots will co-mingle and improve the quality of the soil, so that both plants will grow better than they would on their own.

Synergy allows us to create new alternatives and open new possibilities. It allows us as a group to collectively agree to ditch the old scripts and write new ones.

“Without doubt, you have to leave the comfort zone of base camp and confront an entirely new and unknown wilderness.” —Stephen Covey

So how can we introduce synergy to a given situation or environment? Start with habits 4 and 5 — you must think Win-Win and seek first to understand.

Once you have these in mind, you can pool your desires with those of the other person or group. And then you’re not on opposite sides of the problem — you’re together on one side, looking at the problem, understanding all the needs, and working to create a third alternative that will meet them.

What we end up with is not a transaction, but a transformation. Both sides get what they want, and they build their relationship in the process.

By putting forth a spirit of trust and safety, we will prompt others to become extremely open and feed on each other’s insights and ideas, creating synergy.

The real essence of synergy is valuing the differences — the mental, emotional, and psychological differences between people.

After all, if two people have the same opinion, one is unnecessary. When we become aware of someone’s different perspective, we can say, “Good! You see it differently! Help me see what you see.”

We seek first to understand, and then we find strength and utility in those different perspectives in order to create new possibilities and Win-Win results.

Synergy allows you to:

Value the differences in other people as a way to expand your perspective

Sidestep negative energy and look for the good in others

Exercise courage in interdependent situations to be open and encourage others to be open

Catalyze creativity and find a solution that will be better for everyone by looking for a third alternative

Key Lessons:

1. Make a list of people who irritate you. Now choose just one person. How are their views different? Put yourself in their shoes for one minute. Think and pretend how it feels to be them. Does this help you understand them better?

Now next time you’re in a disagreement with that person, try to understand their concerns and why they disagree with you. The better you can understand them, the easier it will be to change their mind — or change yours.

2. Make a list of people with whom you get along well. Now choose just one person. How are their views different? Now write down a situation where you had excellent teamwork and synergy. Why? What conditions were met to reach such fluidity in your interactions? How can you recreate those conditions again?

7. Sharpen the Saw

Quick Summary:

To be effective, we must devote the time to renewing ourselves physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially. Continuous renewal allows us to synergistically increase our ability to practice each habit.

Habit 7 is focused around renewal, or taking time to “sharpen the saw.” It surrounds all of the other habits and makes each one possible by preserving and enhancing your greatest asset — yourself.

There are four dimensions of our nature, and each must be exercised regularly, and in balanced ways:

Physical Dimension: The goal of continuous physical improvement is to exercise our body in a way that will enhance our capacity to work, adapt, and enjoy.

To renew ourselves physically, we must:

Eat well

Get sufficient rest and relaxation

Exercise on a regular basis to build endurance, flexibility, and strength

Focusing on the physical dimension helps develop Habit 1 muscles of proactivity. We act based on the value of well-being instead of reacting to the forces that keep us from fitness.

Spiritual Dimension: The goal of renewing our spiritual self is to provide leadership to our life and reinforce your commitment to our value system.

To renew yourself spiritually, you can:

Practice daily meditation

Communicate with nature

Immerse yourself in great literature or music

A focus on our spiritual dimension helps us practice Habit 2, as we continuously revise and commit ourselves to our values, so we can begin with the end in mind.

Mental Dimension: The goal of renewing our mental health is to continue expanding our mind.

To renew yourself mentally, you can:

Read good literature

Keep a journal of your thoughts, experiences, and insights

Limit television watching to only those programs that enrich your life and mind

Focusing on our mental dimension helps us practice Habit 3 by managing ourselves effectively to maximize the use of our time and resources.

Social/Emotional Dimension: The goal of renewing ourselves socially is to develop meaningful relationships.

To renew yourself emotionally, you can:

Seek to deeply understand other people

Make contributions to meaningful projects that improve the lives of others

Maintain an Abundance Mentality, and seek to help others find success

Renewing our social and emotional dimension helps us practice Habits 4, 5, and 6 by recognizing that Win-Win solutions do exist, seeking to understand others, and finding mutually beneficial third alternatives through synergy.

“Not a day goes by that we can’t at least serve one other human being by making deposits of unconditional love.” -Stephen Covey

As we focus on renewing ourselves along these four dimensions, we must also seek to be a positive scripter for other people. We must look to inspire others to a higher path by showing them we believe in them, by listening to them empathically, by encouraging them to be proactive.

The real beauty of the 7 Habits is that improvement in one habit synergistically increases our ability to improve the rest.

Renewal is the process that empowers us to move along an upward spiral of growth and change, of continuous improvement.

Key Lessons:

1. Make a list of activities that would help you renew yourself along each of the 4 dimensions. Select one activity for each dimension and list it as a goal for the coming week. At the end of the week, evaluate your performance. What led you to succeed or fail to accomplish each goal?

2. Commit to writing down a specific “sharpen the saw” activity in all four dimensions every week, to do them, and to evaluate your performance and results.

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The Top 33 Sales Blogs & Websites Every Sales Pro Should Bookmark

As a busy sales professional intent on meeting your objectives, you might wonder if you can afford to consistently read sales blogs.

After all, each minute you spend reading a post is a minute you could be prospecting, coaching one of your salespeople, or developing a new qualifying framework that’ll help your company scale.

But the real question is: Can you afford not to read sales blogs? Whether you’re a rep, a sales manager, or an executive, your ability to reach your goals grows exponentially when you incorporate others’ wisdom, experiences, and strategies.

To help you find the sales blogs with the most valuable content, we’ve curated the following list:

Best Sales Blogs

Gong.io

Heinz Marketing

Jill Konrath’s Fresh Sales Strategies

HubSpot Sales Blog

LinkedIn Sales Solutions

The Make It Happen Blog

Salesfolk

Sales Gravy

Sales Hacker

Sandler Training Blog

Marc Wayshak’s Sales Blog

Art Sobczak’s Smart Calling Blog

Sales for Life

The Sales Blog

OpenView Labs (Sales Category)

Sales Benchmark Index

The Ambition Blog

Inside Sales Experts Blog

Sales Source

SaaStr Blog

Datanyze

The Sales Leader

No More Cold Calling

Topline Leadership Blog

CloserIQ

The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Entrepreneur

Inc.

Forbes

Bloomberg Business

Business Insider

She Owns It

Wall Street Journal

Best Blogs for Sales Reps

1. Gong.io

Best for: Sales reps

Topics: Selling skills, sales management, AI intelligence

Gong is a favorite among HubSpot Sales reps — including Nina Robinett, a HubSpot sales manager, who tells me, “I love Gong’s Content. They share a lot of new insightful information, all of which is all based on data. Their tips help my team improve their skills across every stage of the sales cycle.”

Gong is chocked full of great data, expert tips, and advice for reps in the trenches and sales leaders looking to motivate their teams. You’ll find actionable articles that help you meet your quota, close business, and have more successful calls during your sales cycle.

Must-read post: Revenue Success Secrets From Today’s Top CROs

2. Heinz Marketing

Best for: Inbound sales professionals and marketers

Topics: B2B sales, leadership, pipeline development

If you’re looking for a source of B2B sales and marketing insights, look no further. You’ll find thought-provoking content on engaging your prospects, filling your pipeline, and creating an effective content strategy and that’s just scratching the surface.

Look out for “Sales Pipeline Radio,” a weekly feature from Heinz Marketing’s president and App of the Week, a series spotlighting various apps to help leaders create productive and healthy habits.

Must-read post: 10+ Sales Pitch Pet Peeves I Could Seriously Do Without

3. Jill Konrath’s Fresh Sales Strategies

Best for: Sales reps

Topics: Productivity, leadership, prospecting

Jill Konrath, author of “Selling to BIG Companies,” “SNAP Selling: Speed Up Sales and Win More Business with Today’s Frazzled Customers,” “Agile Selling,” and “More Sales, Less Time,” is an expert when it comes to navigating complex sales, making prospects’ lives easier, and increasing efficiency.

Her posts frequently include stories from her life, which make them relatable and engaging.

Must-read post: Value Proposition Examples – Words That Get Meetings

4. HubSpot Sales Blog

Best for: Salespeople, managers, executives, and entrepreneurs

Topics: Sales strategy, entrepreneurship, inbound sales, leadership

Brand-new reps and sales veterans alike will gain valuable insight from the HubSpot Sales Blog (at least, that’s our goal). Contributors include many of the most well-known names in the sales world, including Donald E. Kelly, Jeff Hoffman, Anthony Iannarino, Trish Bertuzzi, and more.

From writing the perfect email subject line to negotiating a mutually beneficial deal, you’ll receive all the tips you need to meet or beat your quota — or if you’re a manager, lead your sales team to success month after month.

Must-read post: The Best Cold Call Script Ever [Template]

5.LinkedIn Sales Solutions

Best for: Sales reps

Topics: B2B sales, modern selling, sales management, sales strategy

Social selling is becoming a big priority for sales teams. Subscribe to LinkedIn’s sales blog to stay up-to-date on the latest social selling news and techniques and get a refresher on universal sales best practices.

Must-read post: The Water Cooler: Why Posts on LinkedIn About Leadership Are Engaging Decision Makers in the Consulting Industry

6. The Make It Happen Blog

Best for: Salespeople

Topics: Prospecting, leadership, start-ups

John Barrows reinforces his sales advice with stories from his days as a salesperson and his current role as a sales trainer. These anecdotes make his posts both engaging and memorable. Not only will you learn how to give better presentations, address common objections, discover your personal drivers, and more, you’ll also learn how to improve your own narrative skills. Must-read post: The Story of How My Emotions Stopped Us from Winning the Deal

7. Salesfolk

Best for: Sales reps and managers

Topics: Outreach emails, persuasive writing, sales prospecting

You’ve likely seen the difference in your email open rates when you use buyer-focused, personalized messages versus generic ones focused on you and your product.

However, crafting an attention-grabbing message can be difficult even for top sales pros. Heather Morgan’s blog is an excellent source of examples (both good and bad), straightforward suggestions, and fresh ideas.

Must-read post: Why Selfish Emails Never Work

8. Sales Gravy

Best for: Sales reps

Topics: Selling skills, customer experience, sales leadership

You might be the best closer in the world, but you won’t sign any new business without prospects. Jeb Blount is one of the foremost experts on prospecting (he literally wrote the book on the topic), so it’s not surprising his company’s blog has ample content on filling the top of your funnel.

Must-read post: Avoid Missed Opportunities and Sales Disasters

9. Sales Hacker

Best for: B2B sales reps, managers, and executives

Topics: Sales enablement, sales tools, lead generation

Sales Hacker launched a community element for sales pros to ask questions, discuss tactics and more.

Its content ranges from blog posts and ebooks to webinars, videos, and more, meaning there’s an option for every learning style.

Must-read post: 12 Months. $1.5 Million. Zero Cold Calls.

10. Sandler Training Blog

Best for: Sales professionals

Topics: Professional development, customer relationships, sales process

The Sandler training team has a seemingly never-ending stream of advice for every type of sales professional — including individual sellers, managers, and executives. Their posts typically include examples and sample messaging, so readers understand exactly how to put the concepts they learn into action.

Must-read post: 5 Ways To Help Prospects Determine the Break-Even Point

11. Marc Wayshak’s Sales Blog

Best for: Sales reps

Topics: Productivity, cold calling, sales presentations

Marc Wayshak, founder of Sales Strategy Academy and author of “Game Plan Selling,” doles out a wealth of practical knowledge and tips. He uses short videos to communicate most of his advice, so this blog is a good pick for those who prefer watching videos over reading content.

Must-read post: The Single Best Way to Start a Conversation With Any Prospect

12. Art Sobczak’s Smart Calling Blog

Best for: Sales reps

Topics: Cold calling, customer relationships, value proposition

Calling prospects is both a science and an art. Learn how to create interest, handle brush-offs and objections, and lay the foundation for a mutually beneficial relationship — without resorting to manipulative, out-of-date, or selfish tactics.

Must-read post: How to Add Value and Not Just Check In or Introduce Yourself

13. Sales for Life

Best for: B2B sales reps

Topics: Social selling, LinkedIn outreach

The Sales for Life blog helps salespeople sync up with modern buyers. From engaging your prospects in a friendly, helpful, and convenient way to using sales automation effectively, you’ll learn both the fundamentals and latest tips from the Sales 2.0 movement.

Must-read post: Cold Calling Advocates: Sincere, But Sincerely Wrong

14. The Sales Blog

Best for: Sales reps

Topics: Prospecting, leadership, productivity

Anthony Iannarino, author of “The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need,” publishes insights and thought leadership on his blog. You’ll appreciate his direct, readable style, practical suggestions, and motivational words of wisdom.

Must-read post: 4 Battle-Tested Strategies That Create a Competitive Advantage

Best Blogs for Sales Leaders and Executives

15. OpenView Labs (Sales Category)

Best for: CEOs, founders, and sales leaders

Topics: Sales automation, sales hiring and management, sales culture

OpenView is a venture capital firm focusing on early-stage software companies. Its blog is a valuable resource for senior executives — especially the sales category, which features substantial articles on everything from building a sales enablement program and training BDRs to interviewing rep candidates and removing bias from your hiring process.

Must-read post: Establishing Data-Driven 1:1’s as a Sales Manager

16. Sales Benchmark Index

Best for: Sales managers and leaders

Topics: Growth strategy, revenue marketing, B2B sales trends

Every post on SBI’s blog is ultimately meant to help you do one thing — meet or exceed your team’s quota. You’ll discover fresh insights on hiring the best salespeople, crafting a winning strategy, and promoting a healthy yet achievement-driven culture.

Must-read post: Will Your New Hires Help You Hit the Quarterly Number?

17. The Ambition Blog

Best for: Sales leaders

Topics: Motivation, coaching, hiring, Sales Performance Management

Average sales managers supervise their reps. Good sales managers motivate their reps. Great sales managers inspire and coach their reps so each individual is performing at their maximum potential.

Want to be in the last group? Check out Ambition’s blog for tips on hiring, driving performance, and promoting productivity.

Must-read post: A Lethal Weapon for Inspiring Workplace Accountability

18. Inside Sales Experts Blog

Best for: Inside sales managers and executives

Topics: Sales training and coaching

Are you responsible for hiring, retaining, and training inside salespeople, creating and managing territories, and tracking your team’s success? Bookmark the Inside Sales Experts Blog. It features in-depth, tactical content from Trish Bertuzzi, author of “The Sales Development Playbook,” and other members of her consulting firm.

Must-read post: How One Head of Sales Tackled Building a Sales Playbook

19. Sales Source

Best for: Sales reps, managers, executives, and entrepreneurs

Topics: Leadership, productivity, work culture

Geoffrey James, author of “How to Say It: Business to Business Selling,” shares a variety of sales, marketing, and general professional advice on his Inc.com blog. If you’re interested in writing better sales emails, becoming more productive, motivating yourself, improving your negotiation skills, and more, check out Sales Source.

Must-read post: How to Request a Meeting With Someone’s Boss

20. SaaStr Blog

Best for: Sales leaders and entrepreneurs

Topics: Sales performance, scaling teams and startups, leadership

Venture Capitalist and SaaS enthusiast Jason M. Lemkin began SaaStr as a simple WordPress blog housing his answers to questions he received on Quora. Today, it’s one of the largest communities of SaaS founders and entrepreneurs in the world.

Readers can expect big-picture articles on the growth of SaaS businesses, as well as tactical advice for sales leaders on how to get more from your team.

Must-read post: When Should You Add a Second Product?

Best Blogs for Sales Managers

21. Datanyze Blog

Best for: SaaS sales managers

Topics: Sales development, lead development

Software as a Service (SaaS) industry leaders and sales experts regularly contribute to this blog. The average post is upwards of 800 words and jam-packed with tactical tips, so you’re guaranteed to derive value from each one you read.

Must-read post: Why Better Objection Handling Leads to Less Friction in the Sales Process

22. The Sales Leader

Best for: Sales leaders

Topics: Negotiating and closing, productivity, goal setting

Colleen Francis, author of “Nonstop Sales Boom,” gives sales leaders the tools and techniques they need to drive results. Her posts cover a variety of topics — including pipeline management, sales leadership best practices, and personal productivity — and get right to the point. When you’re looking for a quick tip, go here.

Must-read post: The Critical Way Buyers Have Changed

23. No More Cold Calling

Best for: Sales leaders

Topics: Sales trends, storytelling, referral sales

Salespeople hate making calls with zero personalization or research. Buyers hate receiving them. If your team is still using these types of calls to prospect, read this blog. Referrals expert Joanne Black teaches sales leaders how and why to implement a referral program — and eliminate the need for random dials.

Must-read post: How Getting Fired Actually Launched My Referral Business

24. TopLine Leadership Blog

Best for: Sales managers

Topics: Onboarding and training new sale hires, coaching, sale performance

The success of your sales team often hinges on their attitude. However, keeping each member enthusiastic and committed isn’t easy — especially when you’re also trying to diagnose their weaknesses, improve their techniques, and make your playbook as solid as possible.

The TopLine Leadership Blog focuses almost exclusively on motivation. Whether you’re hoping to inspire an unengaged salesperson or encourage everyone to hit their numbers, you’ll find the tips you need.

Must-read post: Gaining the Sales Team’s Acceptance When You Get Promoted

25. CloserIQ Blog

Best for: Sales managers and recruiters

Topics: Employee retention, coaching, hiring trends

CloserIQ is a sales recruitment platform, and their blog provides plenty of guidance on the hottest skills your job candidates should possess, how to identify top talent, and how to manage a successful team.

Must-read post: How to Identify Top Sales Talent by Their Resume

26. The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Best for: Sales managers and recruiters

Topics: Sales training, recruitment, coaching, professional development

This is another blog packed with guidance on recruiting, developing, and managing the best sales talent on your team. Having trouble with turnover or attracting high-performing salespeople? This blog has the tips you need to increase your sales revenue by building a culture centered around professional development and client needs.

Must-read post: The Aha Moment: How to Know When to Pivot Your Sales Strategy

Best Sales Websites

27. Entrepreneur

Best for: Sales managers and reps

Topics: Entrepreneurship, networking, scaling startups, growth strategies

Get news stories about entrepreneurship, small business, and startups. Most salespeople have an entrepreneurial spirit, and reading this website regularly will keep you up to date.

28. Inc.

Best for: Sales managers and reps

Topics: Leadership, work culture, artificial intelligence, sales strategy

Small business and startup news is what you’ll find on Inc. along with interesting profiles of founders and groundbreakers, you’ll get the news you need to keep you up to date for your prospects and dreaming of your own future business.

29. Forbes

Best for: Sales managers and reps

Topics: Prospecting, leadership, innovation

Find articles on finance, investing, and other industry topics. Check in for daily updates and headlines you need to to know for watercooler talk with prospects and meeting chit-chat with your boss.

30. Bloomberg Business

Best for: Sales managers and reps

Topics: Startups, entrepreneurship, productivity

When a story breaks in the business world, it’s important that you know what’s happening and how it affects your business and your prospects. Get up-to-the-minute information on Bloomberg Business.

31. Business Insider

Best for: Sales managers and reps

Topics: Work culture, technology, artificial intelligence

The latest in tech, finance, media, and industry-specific verticals is all covered here. A good stop first thing in the morning — Business Insider will fuel you with the talking points you need throughout the day.

32. She Owns It

Best for: Entrepreneurs

Topics: Motivation, digital marketing, entrepreneurship

She Owns It celebrates, supports, and connects women entrepreneurs. Find inspiration, advice for the unique challenges women face in tech and business, and — if you’re not a woman — some insight into how to be an ally in the workplace.

33. Wall Street Journal

Best for: Sales managers and reps

Topics: Sales management, technology, and entrepreneurship

This Pulitzer Prize-winning publication should be a mainstay in your daily reading. Breaking news, expert journalism, and deep dives into the industry news you need make this an important stop on your morning reading tour.

If you’re looking for specific sales bloggers to follow on social media, here’s a quick list of folks we recommend reading more about. Find them on Twitter. Connect with them on LinkedIn, and start learning from them immediately.

Final Thoughts

Lifelong learning is critical for both professional and personal development. Try setting regular blocks in your calendar for learning new skills, best practices, and trends. You may just discover a killer new cold-calling technique or a nugget of wisdom that carries you through the week.

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10 Steps to Building a High-Performing Sales Team

Building a successful sales team can be challenging.

Not putting time and effort into building a successful sales team will affect all areas of your business, especially when it comes to meeting your business’ overall goals.

In this post, discover expert insight from sales leaders on how to build a high-performing sales team from scratch.

1. Build a culture of engagement.

Anna Taromchi, Director of Sales at PartnerStack, says “Building a successful, high-growth sales team starts with a culture that supports empathy, curiosity, and the persistence to grow.”

A sales culture of engagement is so much more than ping-pong tables, nerf guns, or an endless number of SPIFs. Employee engagement is how employees think and feel about the team they’re on, and how they act (i.e., work) based on those thoughts and feelings.

Don’t mistake satisfaction for engagement, though, as they’re not the same thing. Here’s the difference between a satisfied and engaged employee:

Safety: I can show my true self at work without fear of negative consequences.

Meaning: I have a personal ‘why’ behind my job.

Capacity: I feel capable of accomplishing what is assigned to me.

As sales leaders, the most important job is engaging your teams. Aim to do your best to maximize each team member’s performance and motivate them every day. The goal is to have teams lean forward and think like owners, so they can drive business. How do you get them there?

2. Identify the skills that matter most, and hire for them.

Which of your existing reps embody the elements of the team you’re hoping to build? Think about the reps who consistently meet quotes and drive significant revenue. Think about the traits they exhibit. Are they coachable? Ambitious? Collaborative? Challenging? Hungry?

Those are your points of reference. Every leader will prioritize different traits, but make sure your hiring process is focused on asking questions that help you uncover candidates that possess those skills and will help your team go above and beyond.

3. Set clear expectations.

Knowing what is expected of them is a key motivator in employee engagement, so ensuring your reps know their priorities is critically important to developing a sales team. Take the time to set expectations for your team based on your overall sales goals so they know exactly what they are working towards.

One way to do this, according to Alex Olley, co-Founder and CRO of Reachdesk, is to “Help them understand what quality work looks like.” You can give reps examples of what it looks like to succeed, so they have a frame of reference. For example, maybe you periodically review extremely successful sales calls so reps can learn from them and model their behavior off of those winning calls.

4. Give your teams everything they need to succeed.

If you have a sales rep that is focused on outbound calls but you haven’t given them any calls training, provided scripts, or done role-play, you’re not setting that rep up for success because they are underprepared.

Your sales teams need to have everything they need to succeed. Olley says, “Invest in them [sales reps]. Give them the right tools to succeed across multiple channels (email, phone, social, gifting, chat, video, data, etc.). Coach and develop them.”

Championing this tip involves everything from thorough onboarding to on-the-job training to simply ensuring every rep has a place to work that is comfortable, motivating, and allows them to meet their goals on a day-to-day basis.

Aditya Mohta, Platform and Partner Ecosystem Marketing at Webex, believes in this tip as well — “Great team leaders focus on removing hurdles and empowering everyone to achieve their best.”

5. Monitor critical sales metrics.

Jim Blackie, Chief Revenue Officer at ON24, says, “You must be clear on what winning looks like by having a set of vital metrics that you manage and hold everyone accountable to. It is essential to keep these metrics simple, measurable, and visible so that everyone can stay aligned.”

So, for example, say you have a yearly revenue goal. A leader building a winning sales team with this goal in mind may consistently monitor the average length of their sales cycle to ensure that everyone stays on track and doesn’t get stuck on unqualified prospects that clog up the pipeline and increase cycle length.

6. Give consistent feedback.

Few leaders give it the time it deserves but, if you want your team to get better, you have to give them feedback.

Because, without it, reps won’t know what they’re doing wrong, or what they’re doing right. Granted, if they aren’t closing any deals, they’ll know something is wrong, but they won’t know exactly what is wrong.

Periodically taking the time to review sales rep performance and have conversations with them about their performance can dramatically improve sales performance. Reps will know what behaviors to continue doing, know what needs improvement, and, also, feel as though you genuinely value them and their position on the team because you take the time to ensure they can succeed at their jobs.

7. Share customer success stories

Behind every cold call is a prospect with a challenge that can be solved — and it’s important to remember that on days when sales feel like a thankless grind.

Consider sharing customer success stories about how your product or service helps your customers and allows them to meet their needs. It can motivate your employees to push through challenges and reminds them, even on the most difficult days, that what they do matters.

8. Encourage reps to set personal goals.

Communicating sales expectations is important, but it’s also critical for reps to understand their path forward. Nikita Zhitkevich, Director of Channel Partnerships and Alliances at PartnerStack, says “It’s critical to ensure your team has clearly defined goals and expectations for mapping out growth.”

Encourage reps to think about where they want to be and how their current day-to-day will help them get there. Setting individual development goals can help them stay motivated to remain on track to level up in the future. Olley says allowing salespeople to set their path forward is extremely important — “Let each individual find the right path to progression — don’t dictate where they will go. Not every BDR wants to be an AE.”

9.Use data to identify engagement issues.

Too often, sales leaders use gut feel to make important decisions about the entire team’s performance. No one should do that — not even on small teams.

Instead, sales leaders should pay attention when people at multiple levels of performance flag the same issue. For example, if your top, average, and low-performing reps all mention fairness when they’re asked for feedback around engagement, you know you’ve got a meaningful issue to tackle.

To identify your team’s issues, you need solid engagement data. Otherwise, you’re just stabbing in the dark. Knowing what causes disengagement lets you prioritize initiatives that unlock performance.

10. Always solve for the customer.

While the goal of sales is to drive growth for your business, it’s also to ensure that you find customers that will succeed with the help of your business once you close a sale. Blackie says, “To build a winning culture, you need every person on the team leaning in and feeling they can deliver amazing results to the customer.”

Engage Your People Now

Sales leaders want to work with people who love their jobs and welcome inspiration and growth. You can find those people, and you can move your whole team upward by surrounding them with the safety, meaning, and capacity they need to excel at their jobs.

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7 Sales Voicemail Mistakes + How to Recover [Advice from HubSpot Sales Reps]

“Hi there. I’m not available right now. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you. Beeeep.”

This interaction (or lack thereof) can be a sales rep’s worst nightmare, and for good reason — leaving a good sales voicemail is hard. But it’s an integral part of sales that cannot be ignored.

Here, we’ll discuss seven voicemail mistakes and how to recover from them, plus give a few example scripts to inspire your next call.

7 Voicemail Mistakes + How to Recover

1. Cold calling as the first point of contact.

There’s nothing worse than getting on the phone without any material to start a conversation.

Alli Kramer, Account Executive at HubSpot, shares a tip she learned from her previous HubSpot manager, Chaz Fiorino: “He always advised to send an email before you call your prospect. That way you already have a call script of some kind in front of you when you make the dial and you can quickly refer to your email in the VM.”

The goal here is to warm up your prospects before you pick up the phone. This can be done with an email, a LinkedIn message, or a comment on their social media. Then, reference it later.

Example

2. Using a traditional close.

As you’re nearing the end of your voicemail, it’s tempting to close with a generic phrase like, “Hope we can talk soon” or, “I’ll circle back on X date.” While these are safe options, they rarely inspire action from the recipient.

Before hanging up, try giving an action for the prospect to take (call me back, look out for my email, etc.) — or ask a question. Kramer tells me, “Instead of leaving your phone number at the end of a voicemail, you can ask them to let you know what they think of your email and if it’s worth a brief chat.”

Example

3. Making your voicemail a commercial.

Perhaps the biggest mistake in a sales voicemail is pitching too aggressively. While your ultimate goal is to sell your offering, you first need to sell a conversation. In other words, think of a voicemail as a resume — it’s there to get you the interview, not the job.

Here are a few tips to steer you in the right direction:

Avoid “sales speak” and buzzwords

Lead with your value proposition

Personalize your message

Example

4. Failing to create a sense of urgency.

Sometimes, even the most compelling voicemails don’t generate responses. If that happens to you consistently, try to add a sense of urgency to your voicemails — that might just be what it takes to get your prospect to pick up the phone.

For instance, noncommittal directions like, “Call me back when you’re free,” can make your offer sound unimportant. Instead, say something like, “I can get you a free trial if we can get the ball rolling by Friday.” While this tactic isn’t a good fit for every business, it’s something to consider.

Example

5. Winging your message.

To be clear, this tip isn’t to suggest you should recite a script word-for-word. But you should have a good idea of what you want to say (and how you’ll say it). It’s an effective way to speak more confidently, stay on track, and cut down on those pesky “um’s” and “ah’s.”

Another part of preparing for a sales call is researching your prospect. Visit the prospect’s website and investigate their solutions. Use technology to gather more information, such as their social profiles, their connections, their role, and so on.

Once you find common ground between you and your prospects, lead with that in your voicemail. This signals to the recipient that you’ve done your homework and they’re not just another name on a list.

Example

6. Avoiding the double dial.

You call a prospect and it goes right to voicemail — game over, right? Not quite.

Kramer explains, “A lot of people have their phones on ‘Do Not Disturb’ or vibrate and may not hear their phone ringing the first time around. If they answer the second time, amazing, that’s exactly what you want, and if they don’t answer the second time around, that’s when you can leave a voicemail.”

She continues, “It’s rare people will get upset when you double dial, but if they do, you can always say something along the lines of, ’Apologies for the double dial there, forgot to leave a voicemail the first time around.’”

7. Fretting over unexpected blunders.

We all remember the viral video of the professor doing a live interview with the BBC when his dancing daughter enters the room. If it taught us anything, it’s that some interruptions are unpredictable — an unexpected sneeze, a fire alarm in your building, or even a nosey toddler stumbling into your office — but there’s no need to fret.

When this happens, the best response is to acknowledge the blunder, apologize, and laugh it off. Remember, there’s another human on the end of the line – and they’re probably laughing along too.

Prospecting Voicemail Do’s and Don'ts

Now let’s dive deeper into the top Do’s and Don'ts for prospecting voicemails:

Final Thoughts

Here’s the big takeaway — a good voicemail should be more about the prospect than the salesperson. This means doing your due diligence, asking the right questions, and crafting a good approach. With these tips in mind, start practicing and testing different voicemail scripts to find what works best.

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The Straightforward Guide to Value Chain Analysis [+ Templates]

What’s your business’ competitive edge? A value proposition helps businesses identify what sets it apart from competitors. But how can you tell if your business activities are creating the most value for your customers and resulting in a great profit margin? One way to get there is through conducting a value chain analysis.

What is a Value Chain?

A value chain is used to describe all the business activities it takes to create a product from start to finish (e.g., design, production, distribution, and so on). A value chain analysis gives businesses a visual model of these activities, allowing them to determine where they can reduce costs.

With this analysis, you can take steps to create a competitive advantage, improve efficiency, and increase profit margins. Let’s take a deeper look into value chain analysis and learn how you can analyze your business activities.

We’ll cover:

Value Chain Analysis Definition

Primary and Support Activities

Value Chain Analysis Steps

Value Chain Analysis Example

Value Chain Analysis Templates

Value chain analysis is a way for businesses to analyze the activities they perform to create a product. Once the activities are analyzed, a business can use the results to evaluate ways to improve its competitive advantage.

While one of the goals of value chain analysis is to improve operational efficiency, its final and most important goal is to establish an advantage over competitors.

As you complete your value chain analysis, you’ll identify the edge you’re trying to gain over the competition. Firms choose between two types of competitive advantage: cost advantage and differentiation advantage. Let’s go over these below.

Competitive Advantage

Competitive advantage is what sets your business apart from competitors. To develop an advantage, you’ll need a clear idea of your target market. If you’re an entrepreneur who’s interested in clearly defining your business’ target audience and market, be sure to find the ideal niche market for launching or selling your products.

You’ll also need to know the benefit your product provides to the target market and a solid understanding of your competitors and their offerings. When creating a value chain analysis, a business seeks to gain a competitive advantage in one of two areas.

Cost Advantage

The goal of a cost advantage strategy is to become the lowest-cost provider in your industry or market. Companies who excel with a low-cost strategy have extreme operational efficiency and use low-cost materials and resources to reduce the overall price of their product or service. Examples include McDonald’s and Walmart.

Differentiation Advantage

Using a differentiation strategy, you offer a unique or highly specialized product or service to gain a competitive advantage. The business needs to dedicate time and resources to innovation, research, and development. A successful differentiation strategy allows the business to set a premium price for its product or service. Examples include Starbucks and Apple.

It’s best to pick a single competitive advantage to focus your efforts on. Depending on which competitive strategy you choose, the goal of your value chain analysis will be to either reduce costs or differentiate to improve margins.

Then you’ll have a clear idea of your business’ goals and how you plan to provide value. It also narrows the scope of changes that might need to be made to improve efficiency.

But how would you choose which competitive advantage to go for? Using Porter’s value chain model, you can take a look at your business activities, pinpoint a unique value proposition, and decide your best bet for establishing dominance over your competition.

Porter’s Value Chain Analysis

Michael Porter, a Harvard Business School professor, introduced a simple value chain model in his book, Competitive Advantage. He developed the steps to perform a value chain analysis and split business activities into two categories: primary and support.

Identifying the primary and support activities is a critical step in creating a value chain analysis. You’ll know where you spend the most resources, where your business may improve, and where your competitors may have an edge over you.

Let’s take a look at these activities below.

Primary Activities

There are five primary activities, and they include all the actions that go into the creation of a business’ offering.

Inbound Logistics: This is how materials and resources are gained from suppliers before the final product or service can be developed. In your analysis, take a look at the locations of your suppliers and shipping costs from their facility to yours.

Operations: Operations are how the materials and resources are produced, resulting in a final product or service. Here, you may look at the cost of running your warehouse, machinery, and assembly lines.

Outbound Logistics: Once a product or service is finished, it needs to be distributed. Outbound logistics describes this delivery process. Take into account your shipping costs to consumers, your warehousing fees, your distributor relations (do they charge a fee per sale, for example?), and order processing operations.

Marketing and Sales: This is how your product or service is presented and sold to your ideal target market. In your analysis, take into account advertising costs, promotional costs, reach, and cost-per-acquisition.

Services: This is the support a business provides for the customer which can include support and training for the product, warranties, and guarantees. You’ll look at repair costs, product training costs, product adjustment frequency, and more.

Support Activities

Support activities help the primary activities in creating an advantage over competitors. They include:

Firm Infrastructure: This entails all the management, financial, and legal systems a business has in place to make business decisions and effectively manage resources.

Human Resource Management: Human resource management encompasses all the processes and systems involved in managing employees and hiring new staff. This is especially important for companies that provide in-person service, and excellent employees can be a competitive advantage.

Technology Development: Technology development helps a business innovate. And technology can be used in various steps of the value chain to gain an advantage over competitors by increasing efficiency or decreasing production costs.

Procurement: This is how the resources and materials for a product are sourced and suppliers are found. The goal is to find quality supplies that fit the business’ budget.

It’s now time to bring it all together in a unified process. Below, we’ll go over the common value chain analysis steps.

Value chain analyses require research and can take time to develop. Below are the general steps it takes to create a value chain analysis.

Step #1: Determine the business’ primary and support activities.

Together, the primary and support activities make up the value chain. They include each action required in the development of a product or service, from raw material to final product.

Step #2: Analyze the value and cost of the activities.

The team tasked with creating the value chain analysis should brainstorm ways each activity provides value to customers and the business as a whole. Compare the activity to the competitive advantage you’re trying to achieve (cost leadership or differentiation) and see if it supports the goal.

After the value analysis is complete, take a look at the cost of the activities. Is the activity labor intensive? How much does X raw material cost? Asking questions similar to these will help identify which activities are cost-effective and which are not. This is where areas for improvement can be identified.

Step # 3: Refer to your competitors’ value chains.

In all likelihood, you’re not going to happen upon a nuanced, in-depth picture of your competitors’ primary and support activities. A value chain analysis is a means of improving your competitive advantage, so it serves any business that conducts one to keep that kind of information close to the chest.

Still, you can get some concept of your industry peers’ value chains through competitive benchmarking — using relevant metrics to compare your company to a competitors’. The practice is multifaceted and is used for three primary functions.

Strategic benchmarking: comparing business models and strategies

Process benchmarking: comparing business and operational processes

Performance benchmarking: comparing business outcomes based on a set of metrics

Once you’ve identified the category of benchmarking you’d like to pursue, you can pick the competitors you’d like to measure yourself against. Then, you’d choose metrics that you can realistically collect data for and leverage resources that enable the relevant research.

Step #4: Understand your customer base’s perception of value.

The customer is always right — meaning however valuable your customers perceive your product or service to be is exactly how valuable it actually is. Customer perception might be the most crucial factor in framing your competitive advantage, so you need to have a pulse on it.

Strides like conducting customer surveys, digging into any qualitative or quantitative data you can piece together, or doing anything else that will cue you into what your target market thinks of you are central to successfully conducting a fully realized value chain analysis.

Step #5: Identify opportunities to gain a competitive advantage.

Once the value chain analysis is complete, the primary stakeholders in the business can see an overview of where the business is excelling and where improvements can be made operationally.

Begin with the improvements that take minor changes and provide high-impact results. After the easy wins are identified and actioned, you and your team can tackle the bigger challenges that might be hindering efficiency.

The value chain analysis gives businesses a clear idea of how to adjust their actions and processes to provide the most value to their target market and increase profit margins for the company.

Still not sure how it all works? Let’s take a close look at an example.

Value Chain Analysis Example

Completing a value chain analysis allows businesses to examine their activities and find competitive opportunities. For example, McDonald’s mission is to provide customers with low-priced food items. The analysis helps McDonald’s identify areas for improvement and activities that add value to their products and services.

Below is an example of a value chain analysis for McDonald’s and its cost leadership strategy.

Click here to enlarge the image.

Primary Activities

Inbound Logistics: McDonald’s has pre-selected, low-cost suppliers for the raw materials for their food and beverage items. It sources suppliers for items like vegetables, meat, and coffee.

Operations: The business is a franchise and each McDonald’s location is owned by a franchisee. There are more than 39,000 McDonald’s locations worldwide.

Outbound Logistics: Instead of formal, sit-down restaurants, McDonald’s has restaurants that focus on counter-service, self-service, and drive-through service.

Marketing and Sales: Its marketing strategies focus on media and print advertising, including social media posts, magazine advertisements, billboards, and more.

Services: McDonald’s strives to achieve high-quality customer service. It provides its thousands of employees with in-depth training and benefits so they can best assist their customers.

Support Activities

Firm Infrastructure: The McDonald’s corporation has both C-suite executives and Zone Presidents who oversee the firm’s operations in various regions, with a general counsel overseeing legal matters.

Human Resource Management: It maintains a career page where job seekers can apply to both corporate and restaurant roles. It pays both hourly and salaried rates and promotes its tuition assistance program to attract talent.

Technology Development: The restaurant has invested in touch kiosks to facilitate ordering and increase operational efficiency.

Procurement: The firm uses Jaggaer, a digital procurement firm, to establish relationships with key suppliers across various regions of the world.

Value Chain Analysis Templates

Here are a few value chain analysis templates to help you develop your own.

1. HubSpot’s Value Chain Analysis Template

Available via Google Sheets and Google Slides, this interactive version of Porter’s Value Chain Analysis can be customized to outline your company’s value chain. Click here to get your free copy.

2. Porter’s Value Chain Analysis Model

This Porter’s value chain analysis template provides a general overview of business activities.

3. Template for Cost Profit Margin

If you’re analyzing the cost versus expected profit margin from your primary and support activities, this template’s for you.

4. Template for Educational Institutions

Rather than analyzing the activities that go into creating a product or service, this model looks at the value chain involved in developing academic research.

5. Template for Products

Use this template to analyze the activities it takes to create a product from raw material to finished product.

6. Template for Financial Acquisitions

Did you recently acquire or merge with another business? If so, use this template to analyze the steps in the transition.

Grow Your Business with Value Chain Analysis

Your value chain analysis will help you identify areas for improvement and the activities that provide the most value to your customers and your business as a whole. Eliminating inefficient business activities speeds up production, improves your competitive advantage, and increases profit margins.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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