In this episode of The Sales Evangelist Podcast, Donald Kelly talks with Helen Fanucci about her timely book, Love Your Team: A Survival Guide for Sales Managers in a Hybrid World. The impacts of the pandemic continue to affect how we do business in 2023. The value of remote work can be seen and felt by workers across a variety of industries, including sales. So how do you connect with your team, ensuring their success and building their skills along the way? Fanucci’s experience as a Customer Success Sales Leader at Microsoft has given her a unique perspective, and she brings her expertise to this conversation. Three Steps for Leaders to Help Their Team Build Pipeline The 3x Rule. Have 3 times the number of customers in the pipeline than what is needed to meet the quota. Fill in the gaps. Ask your team who they’re talking to on a given account, and see how your network, connections, or position can help them get in touch with decision-makers. Use tools like Linkedin Sales Navigator. Use the tools at your disposal and share the information you get with your team. Three Ways to Build Your Team Members as Professionals Encourage critical thinking. Whether they’re successful or struggling, talk through your assessments with your team members. Help them learn to ask the right questions so that they can begin to assess themselves and search for solutions. Work side by side. As your team members start to have bigger accounts, help them understand the nuances of those customers. Think back to when you were first starting - did you have the kind of mentor you needed? If not, what would that have looked like? Emphasize personal connection. When your team members have their first contact with a potential client, the product is not immediately the most important thing. They need to be able to establish a rapport, person-to-person, and to understand the needs of the client. This will get your team much farther than skipping straight to the selling step. “Reduce sales friction. Support your team’s success by using your positional power and your network to reduce sales friction for your sellers.” - Helen Fanucci

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