October 17, 2023 • 24 mins
We’re so proud to be celebrating Women in Sales Month once again.
For each week in October, we have an amazing slate of women sales leaders who will be sharing their unique insights.
Today, our guest is Laura Coristine, General Sales Manager at Cox Media
Laura makes so many awesome points. Such as:
- Why, instead of asking for feedback, you should ask for “feedforward”
- How emotional intelligence really can boost the overall morale of your sales teams
- And, finally, why, if you’ve got a happy, engaged team of people, success is only a matter of time.
LINKS:
Laura Coristine
Stephanie Downs
Matt Sunshine
The Center for Sales Strategy
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Matt Sunshine (00:15):
Welcome to Improving Sales Performance, a
podcast highlighting tips andinsights aimed at helping sales
organizations realize, and maybeeven exceed, their goals.
Here we chat with thoughtleaders, experts and gurus who
have years of sales experiencefrom a wide range of industries.
I'm your host, matt Sunshine,ceo at the Center for Sales
Strategy, a sales performanceconsulting company.
Stephanie Downs (00:43):
We're so proud to be celebrating Women in Sales
Month once again.
For each week in October, wehave an amazing slate of women
sales leaders who will besharing their unique insights
From offering advice for salesmanagers, new and more
experience, to surveying theanticipated landscape of sales
in the years ahead.
When it comes to improvingsales performance, these ladies
(01:06):
know how it's done.
I'm Stephanie Downs, seniorVice President and Senior
Consultant at the Center forSales Strategy.
I'll be joining Matt Sunshineon the show for the entire month
of October.
Today, our guest is LauraCoristine, General Sales Manager
at Cox Media.
Laura makes so many awesomepoints, such as why, instead of
(01:28):
asking for feedback, you shouldask for feedforward, how
emotional intelligence reallycan boost the overall morale of
your sales teams and, finally,why, if you've got a happy,
engaged team of people, successis only a matter of time.
Matt Sunshine (01:52):
All right.
So, Laura, from your point ofview, what are the things that
you look at in the salesdepartment that let you know
that things are on track, likethat they're going?
Are they there?
In other words, are there threeto five what we would call key
(02:12):
performance indicators that youalways look at to know that
things are on track and reallypay attention to these things?
Laura Coristine (02:23):
So, yeah, there are.
KPIs really can vary dependingon specifics.
Obviously, number one isrevenue and sales targets.
Are we generating enoughrevenue to make our goals?
Conversion rates is really bigfor us because is the sales team
making the calls that they needto make in order to generate
(02:44):
those sales?
So we normally have about a 20%closing ratio.
So we really keep track of whatthat activity looks like for
the MCs and then it really getsdown to pitch and close.
What is that number that we as ateam have to pitch every week
in order to make our goals andthen break it down to our MCs,
(03:06):
our media consultants.
What is it that they need topitch?
And again, we look at a 20%rate closing ratio.
So is there enough revenue inthe funnel to make sure that
they can meet their goals?
And then we look at ourcustomers.
You know, new business growthon existing.
(03:27):
What is the value for us for alifetime client?
Because you know, we all knowit's easier to keep a client
than to gain a client, right?
So those are really the thingsthat I look at.
And again, most important forme is that pitch closed because
again it all really boils downto activity and the activity is
(03:48):
there.
Matt Sunshine (03:49):
Yeah.
So on that closing percentage,curious, I ask everybody this
question Is it from proposalpresented to close, and is there
a window that you say likewithin 30 days, 60 days, 90 days
, one year?
I mean, what do you use toreally lock in on that close
(04:12):
ratio?
Laura Coristine (04:13):
So we look at it once.
So I go out, I give a proposalto Laura Shoes and it's a
$40,000 proposal and it breaksout through the lifetime of the
contract, right, and then welook at it when it closes.
So if I was to look at it againnext week and say, oh, I'm
(04:34):
pitching it for $20,000, it'snot real.
It's that original number thatI look at, because that's that
real number, because you'realways gonna have things that
are changing and then they willaverage themselves out.
Matt Sunshine (04:47):
So when you say 20%, that's 20% of the proposals
presented, not 20% of theappointments or 20% of the leads
.
20% of the proposals Correct me, yes yeah, okay.
Stephanie Downs (05:02):
so thinking about sales managers and where
they should be focused, thinkabout it in terms of big rocks,
or those highest potential, thehighest priorities that they
should be spending time on.
Of course, revenue youmentioned that in the last one
but what else?
Where should they really bespending most of their time?
Laura Coristine (05:23):
Again revenue yeah.
Stephanie Downs (05:25):
Revenue is a operating company right.
Laura Coristine (05:28):
The other thing and probably the it may even
come before revenue right isyour sales team and it's
developing, building andmaintaining.
And I was lucky enough to gothrough a class with you all and
you guys really focused in onthat.
And it really is true.
We focus on recruiting toptalent.
(05:49):
When someone leaves, we alwaystry to hire better because we've
learned right.
It's working with that team,always providing the training,
the coaching.
And a new word for us is feedforward.
So Mike Rostock, my VT, was inArizona last week and he's like
(06:12):
I'm no longer asking forfeedback, I'm asking for feed
forward.
So, instead of asking forfeedback, asking your team for
feed forward Because, again, ifyou can develop that team, that
team will make you successful inthe long run.
And then there's always thetraining, the processes, your
customer relationships, bowlsetting, all of those
(06:35):
fundamentals.
But really it comes down tohaving the right team and really
being open and transparent withthat team.
Stephanie Downs (06:44):
Yeah, there's so much in what you just said,
but you're so right in I mean,the team and the people.
Part of it really is thefoundation of everything else,
right?
If we have the right people,we're doing the right coaching
and developing and we have allof those elements, we should see
revenue grow as a result ofthat.
(07:05):
The more engaged the team, themore likely you're to see
revenue develop or revenueimprovement.
Yeah, you had a lot of goodthings.
I like the word of the use ofthe word transparency.
How important is that?
Right People like that.
They want that All right.
So, thinking about salesmanagement and really how that's
(07:27):
changed over time, because it'svery different today than it
should be Right, is it like Forsure?
Compare that from five yearsago to today.
Laura Coristine (07:40):
Five years ago how long ago was the pandemic?
There's been so many changes intechnology.
I work for Fox Media so we havechanged in technology on the
table side, on the advertisingside.
Customer expectations, I think,have really changed over the
(08:02):
past five years, and especiallyover the last three years due to
the pandemic.
The way we transact with salesnormally it used to be you get
in your car, you go visit aclient or you give them a call,
maybe an email, but now it's anemail, it's social media, it's
(08:23):
all different platforms andchannels that these customers
want to get reached on right.
It's non-traditional and youknow, I think you know, if we
look at the training for asalesperson, I remember when I
started back in 94, I was handeda telephone book and I've had a
(08:43):
paper and said here you go.
Me too Go sell right.
So now it's formalized right,it is it's training classes.
It's really, you know, helpingthe sales managers know what to
do and how to teach their teams.
Stephanie Downs (09:00):
We've done a number of these, you know, over
the last handful of weeks and insome of the things you're
saying, a couple of the commentsfrom previous people that
resonated with me.
You're talking about all thedifferent ways, from technology
and how the customers interactwith us, and all of the training
components and the development.
Sales leaders have a tough job,especially that middle line,
(09:23):
the local sales manager.
That's a hard it's not a hardposition, but it may be
responsible for a lot of thingsand it seems to get more
complicated.
Right, the sales leader todayis very different than the sales
leader five years ago.
Laura Coristine (09:39):
Yeah, they definitely are they.
You know, we call, we say it'sthe toughest job in the building
and it really is, becauseyou're wearing so many hats.
You are, you know, you're thatcoach, you're that mentor,
you're the manager.
You're trying to drive revenue.
You're closing sales.
You're doing a lot more thanwhat they used to be like okay,
(10:01):
here, I sold it.
You go into sales marriage andthey'd be like okay here you
knock that and that was it.
That's right, and that was it.
And then you throw in you knowthe remote.
You know most of us work remotenow and that is really
difficult.
Managing a sales team remotely,it truly is.
Stephanie Downs (10:18):
Yes it is for sure.
Yeah, matt, what were you goingto say?
Matt Sunshine (10:22):
Yeah, so a couple of things.
This is an interesting part ofthe conversation, one that I
always particularly perk up andfind a lot of interest in,
because I think that I wouldimagine that most of the people
listening this are strugglingwith this part.
Definitely, we're at aconference a couple of weeks ago
(10:42):
and there was a conversationthat was about, well, people
that are older or started backin the 90s, early 90s, versus
people that are starting outtoday, and I think the truth of
the matter is is that peoplethat started back in the 90s
whether this was right or wrongwe did what we were able to do
(11:06):
and we didn't ask any questions.
We probably had those questions, but we didn't ask them.
We didn't say them out loud.
Our manager told us to dosomething and we did.
We didn't say I don't like thephone book, this isn't fair, I
shouldn't have that.
We just did it.
We complained to our friendgroup, but we didn't complain.
(11:28):
So nowadays we have peopleentering the sales force that
don't want to be told what to do, but they want to be coached
and developed.
They absolutely want to becoached and developed.
And somebody followed up withus after that meeting and she
(11:48):
wrote us.
I'm going to read you a littleexcerpt of what she wrote.
It's so good Now.
I want your take on this becauseI'm going to ask you, besides
what I'm saying, what are someof the elements in your opinion
that makes a great sales leader?
But this is what she said.
She said this all came to focusthis week when I was talking to
(12:10):
my 12-year-old daughter afterher twin practice.
She was talking about how muchshe loved one of her coaches and
I asked her what made him sogood and she thought about it
for a second and then she saidhe gets in the water.
Think about that.
He gets in the water, she says.
She goes on to say there's noroom anymore for managers who
(12:32):
stand next to the school andbark out orders.
After a while, all the swimmersjust go through the motions and
start to wonder if the leadereven knows how to swim, as I
told our leadership team.
And she goes on to say we needto make sure we're looking for
opportunities to get in thewater.
And that's your point.
I think that the leadershiprole used to be process and
(12:57):
operations and reports andcoaching and development, but it
was process and reports andoperations and all of that stuff
has been replaced.
Laura Coristine (13:09):
Yeah, yeah, it's technology.
You know I look at it and I'm a.
We have so many different chatbots now.
You have AI going on.
Now those products are going totake away some of the stuff
that the sales people back inthe 90s used to do.
I like that.
(13:31):
It doesn't get in the water.
It truly is.
That manager has to be willingto do that.
You got to walk the talk ortalk the walk, whatever way you
want to say it.
There is so much talent outthere and there are so many
opportunities for them to gosomewhere else.
(13:53):
It's not the go make a sale.
You asked about the greatleaders and stuff.
I'm really blessed.
Over 94 or so, that is the mathOver a long period of time, I
have only had a handful ofmanagers and I think I only can
(14:15):
say I had one bad manager.
I'm truly blessed.
I think, when I look at them,they are all very inspiring.
They were leaders.
They were dedicated Again,transparent, inclusive.
They have integrity or hadintegrity.
(14:35):
They were all willing to takerisks, because now it's 2023.
Last five years have changed.
Last three years have changed.
They're willing to take those.
They're willing to look andmaybe take a change that we
normally wouldn't have done inthe past because we would have
been like, don't want to rockthe boat, but they're open to
(14:57):
those ideas and they listen, andthen you have that emotional
intelligence that we never hadback in the 90s, being able to
be transparent and maintainingyour emotional intelligence.
So that way you're not creatinga fluster with your sales team,
because if you're flustered andthey see it, your sales team is
(15:21):
going to be flustered.
It's going to see it as well.
Stephanie Downs (15:24):
Absolutely.
If you were speaking to a groupof new sales leaders, what
advice would you give them?
What would you tell them theyneed to be either paying
attention to, or that theyshould be learning so they're
setting themselves up forsuccess?
What would you tell them?
Laura Coristine (15:43):
Run no.
Stephanie Downs (15:44):
Don't do it.
Laura Coristine (15:45):
Don't do it.
You don't have to teachyourself.
Understand the business in andout before you get into sales
management.
I will go and I'll interviewpeople and the first thing I
look when I see a resume is tosee how many times they moved
(16:06):
around and to how many differentcompanies.
Right, they're sellingadvertisers, the advertising,
then they're selling cars andthen they're selling something
else.
So if you really want to getinto sales management, just pick
the business and learn itinside and out and the
fundamentals it's the grasp knowhow to prospect, know the lead
(16:28):
generation, how the effectivecommunication, be able to talk
to your teams.
And in order to develop thatstrong leadership, you want to
join associations.
You want to take classes.
I really again, I'm not givingyou a blog, but I really was.
We had a great year with youguys and I know our team learned
(16:52):
a lot.
So it's really getting outthere learning and then become a
coach and a mentor.
And then continuously providethe feedback, the feed for the
good, the good and the bad.
Right, because not everythingis roses, it's not, but it's
being able to communicate withthat team that, okay, the rose
(17:16):
has died, but the rose is goingto grow again.
Right, and this is how we'regoing to do it, keeping the
customer centric.
I mean that focus.
That's huge because, again,things have changed.
Customers are looking forsomething completely different
than they were years ago.
Matt Sunshine (17:33):
Yeah, All right, so we've done.
We're gonna say something.
Stephanie Downs (17:37):
That's okay, go ahead.
I was gonna repeat our list.
I liked it.
No, I liked it.
So, advice to give salesmanagers or new managers be a
constant learner, always beseeking information, be customer
centric, practice and use thetechnology.
(17:58):
You said that in a little bitdifferent way, but you know
Legion understand it rightExactly Practice and use, be a
coach, provide feedback,communicate, communicate,
communicate and demonstrate youcare.
Yeah, I like it.
Matt Sunshine (18:15):
So we've done.
We've talked a little bit abouthow it used to be, accidentally
, we talked about how it used tobe like in the 90s, right, and
I wanna ask you, as one of thevery best sales leaders out
there and I don't just throwthat around so, and I'm sincere
(18:40):
when I say that I think thatyour opinion on this, your
thought leadership on this, isextremely important.
So, look into the future.
Look three to five yearsforward, not the forever future,
not the 30 years, just you know, 2026, 2027, 2028.
(19:04):
What are some of the changesthat you think we'll see in the
sales departments?
Laura Coristine (19:13):
Wow.
Well, thank you for thecompliment.
You know, in the media world,you know technology and data.
You know, again, chat, gpt beyour next best friend or be your
worst enemy, right, you knowagain, I think I mentioned
earlier we were talking aboutlike chat bots.
(19:34):
You know, I think we'redefinitely gonna see more of
those powered assistants whichwill take some of the
responsibilities off of thesalespeople remote and hybrid.
I am sitting in a buildingright now that's made for 900
people and I think there's 15 onmy floor right now.
(19:54):
So I think that that's going tobe really huge.
It already has since thepandemic and I think it's only
gonna get bigger.
Moving forward.
Social responsibility withcustomers I think we talked a
little bit about that.
I think customers nowadays arelooking for more businesses that
(20:14):
are really have that socialresponsibility, they have a
sustainability and they aligntheir message with your message.
I work for a very green companyand I know that that's huge
when I'm out in the communitytalking to people and we give
back to the community.
I think that's huge and I thinkthat's only gonna get bigger.
(20:37):
And again, people do businesswith people they like.
So if your company's doing theright thing, then those
customers will come.
And then I think you knowcompanies will probably have,
you know, crisis preparednessmoving forward.
Because what happened on March?
(20:58):
I think it was 18, I was on aflight coming home from Florida
and I remember I'd be p-sig oh,just go to the office, get your
stuff for a couple of days, letme call.
This is great, I just got back,I can work from home.
And then we didn't go back,right.
So I think companies aregetting themselves more prepared
so that way, with the hybridremote model, with all of this,
(21:20):
that they'll be better preparedif something else should happen
down the line.
So I think there's going to be alot, and I think most of it's
going to be driven by technology.
Matt Sunshine (21:30):
Yeah, I think you nailed it.
I think there's a lot, and Ithink you nailed it in the sense
when you said there's going tobe a lot, right, and in some
cases I think we'll see smallersales departments.
In other cases I think we'llsee larger sales departments,
right.
I think we're going to seesales managers being less used
(21:56):
to do reports and processing and, I think, more involved in
coaching, developing, jumping inthe water, so to speak, and
helping out.
So it's going to be interestingand fun and exciting, that is
for sure.
Laura Coristine (22:12):
I absolutely agree.
I think, again, it comes downto that data and we've got
things that can pull, We've gottechnology that can pull those
reports right, so you don't needthe sales manager doing that.
They tend to go out.
And again, it truly is Ifyou've got a happy team and I
know it sounds silly, but ifyou've got a happy- team.
Matt Sunshine (22:31):
That sounds silly , it does not.
It does not too.
Laura Coristine (22:35):
You can have somebody who's like, oh, I'm not
happy all the time, and I'm notsaying happy all the time, but
if you've got a team that'shappy and they're motivated and
they're engaged, you know what.
You're going to be successful.
The number is going to come,the activity is going to come.
A million years ago, my veryfirst sales manager actually my
(22:55):
second sales manager I would doanything for him and I remember
saying I mean well, first handon your head in the corner.
I'm like OK, and he's like,really, and I'm like, oh, yes,
me too, and I believe in you.
I mean, I know it's kind oflike a funny story, but that's
what you want.
You want to be that leader thatpeople are going to follow and
(23:16):
that comes from within.
You either have it or you don't.
Matt Sunshine (23:19):
I think that is the perfect place to end.
Agreed, that is exactly right,laura.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
All of Laura's contactinformation will be in the show
notes.
Connect with her on LinkedIn,as I know she'd love to follow
up with this conversation withanybody that would like to like
(23:41):
to engage.
Of course, you can reach out toStephanie and me at any time as
well, and thank you for joiningus.
We look forward to seeing youtalking to you again on a future
episode of the Improving SalesPerformance on Kess.
Laura Coristine (23:54):
Awesome.
Thank you guys.
Matt Sunshine (23:58):
This has been Improving Sales Performance.
Thanks for listening.
If you like what you heard,join us every week by clicking
the subscribe button.
For more on the topics coveredin the show, visit our website,
thecenterforsalesstrategycom.
There you can find helpfulresources and content aimed at
improving your sales performance.
Welcome to Improving Sales Performance, a
podcast highlighting tips andinsights aimed at helping sales
organizations realize, and maybeeven exceed, their goals.
Here we chat with thoughtleaders, experts and gurus who
have years of sales experiencefrom a wide range of industries.
I'm your host, matt Sunshine,ceo at the Center for Sales
Strategy, a sales performanceconsulting company.
Stephanie Downs (00:43):
We're so proud to be celebrating Women in Sales
Month once again.
For each week in October, wehave an amazing slate of women
sales leaders who will besharing their unique insights
From offering advice for salesmanagers, new and more
experience, to surveying theanticipated landscape of sales
in the years ahead.
When it comes to improvingsales performance, these ladies
(01:06):
know how it's done.
I'm Stephanie Downs, seniorVice President and Senior
Consultant at the Center forSales Strategy.
I'll be joining Matt Sunshineon the show for the entire month
of October.
Today, our guest is LauraCoristine, General Sales Manager
at Cox Media.
Laura makes so many awesomepoints, such as why, instead of
(01:28):
asking for feedback, you shouldask for feedforward, how
emotional intelligence reallycan boost the overall morale of
your sales teams and, finally,why, if you've got a happy,
engaged team of people, successis only a matter of time.
Matt Sunshine (01:52):
All right.
So, Laura, from your point ofview, what are the things that
you look at in the salesdepartment that let you know
that things are on track, likethat they're going?
Are they there?
In other words, are there threeto five what we would call key
(02:12):
performance indicators that youalways look at to know that
things are on track and reallypay attention to these things?
Laura Coristine (02:23):
So, yeah, there are.
KPIs really can vary dependingon specifics.
Obviously, number one isrevenue and sales targets.
Are we generating enoughrevenue to make our goals?
Conversion rates is really bigfor us because is the sales team
making the calls that they needto make in order to generate
(02:44):
those sales?
So we normally have about a 20%closing ratio.
So we really keep track of whatthat activity looks like for
the MCs and then it really getsdown to pitch and close.
What is that number that we as ateam have to pitch every week
in order to make our goals andthen break it down to our MCs,
(03:06):
our media consultants.
What is it that they need topitch?
And again, we look at a 20%rate closing ratio.
So is there enough revenue inthe funnel to make sure that
they can meet their goals?
And then we look at ourcustomers.
You know, new business growthon existing.
(03:27):
What is the value for us for alifetime client?
Because you know, we all knowit's easier to keep a client
than to gain a client, right?
So those are really the thingsthat I look at.
And again, most important forme is that pitch closed because
again it all really boils downto activity and the activity is
(03:48):
there.
Matt Sunshine (03:49):
Yeah.
So on that closing percentage,curious, I ask everybody this
question Is it from proposalpresented to close, and is there
a window that you say likewithin 30 days, 60 days, 90 days
, one year?
I mean, what do you use toreally lock in on that close
(04:12):
ratio?
Laura Coristine (04:13):
So we look at it once.
So I go out, I give a proposalto Laura Shoes and it's a
$40,000 proposal and it breaksout through the lifetime of the
contract, right, and then welook at it when it closes.
So if I was to look at it againnext week and say, oh, I'm
(04:34):
pitching it for $20,000, it'snot real.
It's that original number thatI look at, because that's that
real number, because you'realways gonna have things that
are changing and then they willaverage themselves out.
Matt Sunshine (04:47):
So when you say 20%, that's 20% of the proposals
presented, not 20% of theappointments or 20% of the leads
.
20% of the proposals Correct me, yes yeah, okay.
Stephanie Downs (05:02):
so thinking about sales managers and where
they should be focused, thinkabout it in terms of big rocks,
or those highest potential, thehighest priorities that they
should be spending time on.
Of course, revenue youmentioned that in the last one
but what else?
Where should they really bespending most of their time?
Laura Coristine (05:23):
Again revenue yeah.
Stephanie Downs (05:25):
Revenue is a operating company right.
Laura Coristine (05:28):
The other thing and probably the it may even
come before revenue right isyour sales team and it's
developing, building andmaintaining.
And I was lucky enough to gothrough a class with you all and
you guys really focused in onthat.
And it really is true.
We focus on recruiting toptalent.
(05:49):
When someone leaves, we alwaystry to hire better because we've
learned right.
It's working with that team,always providing the training,
the coaching.
And a new word for us is feedforward.
So Mike Rostock, my VT, was inArizona last week and he's like
(06:12):
I'm no longer asking forfeedback, I'm asking for feed
forward.
So, instead of asking forfeedback, asking your team for
feed forward Because, again, ifyou can develop that team, that
team will make you successful inthe long run.
And then there's always thetraining, the processes, your
customer relationships, bowlsetting, all of those
(06:35):
fundamentals.
But really it comes down tohaving the right team and really
being open and transparent withthat team.
Stephanie Downs (06:44):
Yeah, there's so much in what you just said,
but you're so right in I mean,the team and the people.
Part of it really is thefoundation of everything else,
right?
If we have the right people,we're doing the right coaching
and developing and we have allof those elements, we should see
revenue grow as a result ofthat.
(07:05):
The more engaged the team, themore likely you're to see
revenue develop or revenueimprovement.
Yeah, you had a lot of goodthings.
I like the word of the use ofthe word transparency.
How important is that?
Right People like that.
They want that All right.
So, thinking about salesmanagement and really how that's
(07:27):
changed over time, because it'svery different today than it
should be Right, is it like Forsure?
Compare that from five yearsago to today.
Laura Coristine (07:40):
Five years ago how long ago was the pandemic?
There's been so many changes intechnology.
I work for Fox Media so we havechanged in technology on the
table side, on the advertisingside.
Customer expectations, I think,have really changed over the
(08:02):
past five years, and especiallyover the last three years due to
the pandemic.
The way we transact with salesnormally it used to be you get
in your car, you go visit aclient or you give them a call,
maybe an email, but now it's anemail, it's social media, it's
(08:23):
all different platforms andchannels that these customers
want to get reached on right.
It's non-traditional and youknow, I think you know, if we
look at the training for asalesperson, I remember when I
started back in 94, I was handeda telephone book and I've had a
(08:43):
paper and said here you go.
Me too Go sell right.
So now it's formalized right,it is it's training classes.
It's really, you know, helpingthe sales managers know what to
do and how to teach their teams.
Stephanie Downs (09:00):
We've done a number of these, you know, over
the last handful of weeks and insome of the things you're
saying, a couple of the commentsfrom previous people that
resonated with me.
You're talking about all thedifferent ways, from technology
and how the customers interactwith us, and all of the training
components and the development.
Sales leaders have a tough job,especially that middle line,
(09:23):
the local sales manager.
That's a hard it's not a hardposition, but it may be
responsible for a lot of thingsand it seems to get more
complicated.
Right, the sales leader todayis very different than the sales
leader five years ago.
Laura Coristine (09:39):
Yeah, they definitely are they.
You know, we call, we say it'sthe toughest job in the building
and it really is, becauseyou're wearing so many hats.
You are, you know, you're thatcoach, you're that mentor,
you're the manager.
You're trying to drive revenue.
You're closing sales.
You're doing a lot more thanwhat they used to be like okay,
(10:01):
here, I sold it.
You go into sales marriage andthey'd be like okay here you
knock that and that was it.
That's right, and that was it.
And then you throw in you knowthe remote.
You know most of us work remotenow and that is really
difficult.
Managing a sales team remotely,it truly is.
Stephanie Downs (10:18):
Yes it is for sure.
Yeah, matt, what were you goingto say?
Matt Sunshine (10:22):
Yeah, so a couple of things.
This is an interesting part ofthe conversation, one that I
always particularly perk up andfind a lot of interest in,
because I think that I wouldimagine that most of the people
listening this are strugglingwith this part.
Definitely, we're at aconference a couple of weeks ago
(10:42):
and there was a conversationthat was about, well, people
that are older or started backin the 90s, early 90s, versus
people that are starting outtoday, and I think the truth of
the matter is is that peoplethat started back in the 90s
whether this was right or wrongwe did what we were able to do
(11:06):
and we didn't ask any questions.
We probably had those questions, but we didn't ask them.
We didn't say them out loud.
Our manager told us to dosomething and we did.
We didn't say I don't like thephone book, this isn't fair, I
shouldn't have that.
We just did it.
We complained to our friendgroup, but we didn't complain.
(11:28):
So nowadays we have peopleentering the sales force that
don't want to be told what to do, but they want to be coached
and developed.
They absolutely want to becoached and developed.
And somebody followed up withus after that meeting and she
(11:48):
wrote us.
I'm going to read you a littleexcerpt of what she wrote.
It's so good Now.
I want your take on this becauseI'm going to ask you, besides
what I'm saying, what are someof the elements in your opinion
that makes a great sales leader?
But this is what she said.
She said this all came to focusthis week when I was talking to
(12:10):
my 12-year-old daughter afterher twin practice.
She was talking about how muchshe loved one of her coaches and
I asked her what made him sogood and she thought about it
for a second and then she saidhe gets in the water.
Think about that.
He gets in the water, she says.
She goes on to say there's noroom anymore for managers who
(12:32):
stand next to the school andbark out orders.
After a while, all the swimmersjust go through the motions and
start to wonder if the leadereven knows how to swim, as I
told our leadership team.
And she goes on to say we needto make sure we're looking for
opportunities to get in thewater.
And that's your point.
I think that the leadershiprole used to be process and
(12:57):
operations and reports andcoaching and development, but it
was process and reports andoperations and all of that stuff
has been replaced.
Laura Coristine (13:09):
Yeah, yeah, it's technology.
You know I look at it and I'm a.
We have so many different chatbots now.
You have AI going on.
Now those products are going totake away some of the stuff
that the sales people back inthe 90s used to do.
I like that.
(13:31):
It doesn't get in the water.
It truly is.
That manager has to be willingto do that.
You got to walk the talk ortalk the walk, whatever way you
want to say it.
There is so much talent outthere and there are so many
opportunities for them to gosomewhere else.
(13:53):
It's not the go make a sale.
You asked about the greatleaders and stuff.
I'm really blessed.
Over 94 or so, that is the mathOver a long period of time, I
have only had a handful ofmanagers and I think I only can
(14:15):
say I had one bad manager.
I'm truly blessed.
I think, when I look at them,they are all very inspiring.
They were leaders.
They were dedicated Again,transparent, inclusive.
They have integrity or hadintegrity.
(14:35):
They were all willing to takerisks, because now it's 2023.
Last five years have changed.
Last three years have changed.
They're willing to take those.
They're willing to look andmaybe take a change that we
normally wouldn't have done inthe past because we would have
been like, don't want to rockthe boat, but they're open to
(14:57):
those ideas and they listen, andthen you have that emotional
intelligence that we never hadback in the 90s, being able to
be transparent and maintainingyour emotional intelligence.
So that way you're not creatinga fluster with your sales team,
because if you're flustered andthey see it, your sales team is
(15:21):
going to be flustered.
It's going to see it as well.
Stephanie Downs (15:24):
Absolutely.
If you were speaking to a groupof new sales leaders, what
advice would you give them?
What would you tell them theyneed to be either paying
attention to, or that theyshould be learning so they're
setting themselves up forsuccess?
What would you tell them?
Laura Coristine (15:43):
Run no.
Stephanie Downs (15:44):
Don't do it.
Laura Coristine (15:45):
Don't do it.
You don't have to teachyourself.
Understand the business in andout before you get into sales
management.
I will go and I'll interviewpeople and the first thing I
look when I see a resume is tosee how many times they moved
(16:06):
around and to how many differentcompanies.
Right, they're sellingadvertisers, the advertising,
then they're selling cars andthen they're selling something
else.
So if you really want to getinto sales management, just pick
the business and learn itinside and out and the
fundamentals it's the grasp knowhow to prospect, know the lead
(16:28):
generation, how the effectivecommunication, be able to talk
to your teams.
And in order to develop thatstrong leadership, you want to
join associations.
You want to take classes.
I really again, I'm not givingyou a blog, but I really was.
We had a great year with youguys and I know our team learned
(16:52):
a lot.
So it's really getting outthere learning and then become a
coach and a mentor.
And then continuously providethe feedback, the feed for the
good, the good and the bad.
Right, because not everythingis roses, it's not, but it's
being able to communicate withthat team that, okay, the rose
(17:16):
has died, but the rose is goingto grow again.
Right, and this is how we'regoing to do it, keeping the
customer centric.
I mean that focus.
That's huge because, again,things have changed.
Customers are looking forsomething completely different
than they were years ago.
Matt Sunshine (17:33):
Yeah, All right, so we've done.
We're gonna say something.
Stephanie Downs (17:37):
That's okay, go ahead.
I was gonna repeat our list.
I liked it.
No, I liked it.
So, advice to give salesmanagers or new managers be a
constant learner, always beseeking information, be customer
centric, practice and use thetechnology.
(17:58):
You said that in a little bitdifferent way, but you know
Legion understand it rightExactly Practice and use, be a
coach, provide feedback,communicate, communicate,
communicate and demonstrate youcare.
Yeah, I like it.
Matt Sunshine (18:15):
So we've done.
We've talked a little bit abouthow it used to be, accidentally
, we talked about how it used tobe like in the 90s, right, and
I wanna ask you, as one of thevery best sales leaders out
there and I don't just throwthat around so, and I'm sincere
(18:40):
when I say that I think thatyour opinion on this, your
thought leadership on this, isextremely important.
So, look into the future.
Look three to five yearsforward, not the forever future,
not the 30 years, just you know, 2026, 2027, 2028.
(19:04):
What are some of the changesthat you think we'll see in the
sales departments?
Laura Coristine (19:13):
Wow.
Well, thank you for thecompliment.
You know, in the media world,you know technology and data.
You know, again, chat, gpt beyour next best friend or be your
worst enemy, right, you knowagain, I think I mentioned
earlier we were talking aboutlike chat bots.
(19:34):
You know, I think we'redefinitely gonna see more of
those powered assistants whichwill take some of the
responsibilities off of thesalespeople remote and hybrid.
I am sitting in a buildingright now that's made for 900
people and I think there's 15 onmy floor right now.
(19:54):
So I think that that's going tobe really huge.
It already has since thepandemic and I think it's only
gonna get bigger.
Moving forward.
Social responsibility withcustomers I think we talked a
little bit about that.
I think customers nowadays arelooking for more businesses that
(20:14):
are really have that socialresponsibility, they have a
sustainability and they aligntheir message with your message.
I work for a very green companyand I know that that's huge
when I'm out in the communitytalking to people and we give
back to the community.
I think that's huge and I thinkthat's only gonna get bigger.
(20:37):
And again, people do businesswith people they like.
So if your company's doing theright thing, then those
customers will come.
And then I think you knowcompanies will probably have,
you know, crisis preparednessmoving forward.
Because what happened on March?
(20:58):
I think it was 18, I was on aflight coming home from Florida
and I remember I'd be p-sig oh,just go to the office, get your
stuff for a couple of days, letme call.
This is great, I just got back,I can work from home.
And then we didn't go back,right.
So I think companies aregetting themselves more prepared
so that way, with the hybridremote model, with all of this,
(21:20):
that they'll be better preparedif something else should happen
down the line.
So I think there's going to be alot, and I think most of it's
going to be driven by technology.
Matt Sunshine (21:30):
Yeah, I think you nailed it.
I think there's a lot, and Ithink you nailed it in the sense
when you said there's going tobe a lot, right, and in some
cases I think we'll see smallersales departments.
In other cases I think we'llsee larger sales departments,
right.
I think we're going to seesales managers being less used
(21:56):
to do reports and processing and, I think, more involved in
coaching, developing, jumping inthe water, so to speak, and
helping out.
So it's going to be interestingand fun and exciting, that is
for sure.
Laura Coristine (22:12):
I absolutely agree.
I think, again, it comes downto that data and we've got
things that can pull, We've gottechnology that can pull those
reports right, so you don't needthe sales manager doing that.
They tend to go out.
And again, it truly is Ifyou've got a happy team and I
know it sounds silly, but ifyou've got a happy- team.
Matt Sunshine (22:31):
That sounds silly , it does not.
It does not too.
Laura Coristine (22:35):
You can have somebody who's like, oh, I'm not
happy all the time, and I'm notsaying happy all the time, but
if you've got a team that'shappy and they're motivated and
they're engaged, you know what.
You're going to be successful.
The number is going to come,the activity is going to come.
A million years ago, my veryfirst sales manager actually my
(22:55):
second sales manager I would doanything for him and I remember
saying I mean well, first handon your head in the corner.
I'm like OK, and he's like,really, and I'm like, oh, yes,
me too, and I believe in you.
I mean, I know it's kind oflike a funny story, but that's
what you want.
You want to be that leader thatpeople are going to follow and
(23:16):
that comes from within.
You either have it or you don't.
Matt Sunshine (23:19):
I think that is the perfect place to end.
Agreed, that is exactly right,laura.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
All of Laura's contactinformation will be in the show
notes.
Connect with her on LinkedIn,as I know she'd love to follow
up with this conversation withanybody that would like to like
(23:41):
to engage.
Of course, you can reach out toStephanie and me at any time as
well, and thank you for joiningus.
We look forward to seeing youtalking to you again on a future
episode of the Improving SalesPerformance on Kess.
Laura Coristine (23:54):
Awesome.
Thank you guys.
Matt Sunshine (23:58):
This has been Improving Sales Performance.
Thanks for listening.
If you like what you heard,join us every week by clicking
the subscribe button.
For more on the topics coveredin the show, visit our website,
thecenterforsalesstrategycom.
There you can find helpfulresources and content aimed at
improving your sales performance.
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