If you are like most Chief Sales Officers you know you have a tough job. Experts claim that they average about eighteen months on the job before getting fired. In fact, we contend that being a sales leader in today’s market is the loneliest job in the world! The pressures you get from both above and below are tremendous.
Every day you get beat up by your boss, your board, your people, and when they’re done, your customers…
Where do you turn? Sales Summits are peer-groups of sales leaders who meet every other month in half-day sessions with closed doors with an experienced, ex sales executive facilitator to discuss their issues. No pitches from consultants, no bull, just a confidential, safe, honest, open discussion with other sales leaders with whom you can discuss your issues. Members have used the group to:
- Evaluate possible acquisitions and discuss best practices for acquiring companies from the sales perspective
- Plan expansion into new geographies – Europe, Asia, South America, etc
- Determine if they have the best mix of people – should they hire, fire? What is the profile of the best salesperson?
- Network to find the best talent. On more than one occasion members have referred talent to other members saving many thousands of dollars to a search firm
- Network to find a new job for your self! Companies get acquired or new CEOs bring in their own people. The group has an excellent track record of helping members find new positions.
Sales Summits meetings are all about the members and their issues. Each person is given time to discuss what’s going on with their business and the personal and professional challenges they face. Other members provide counsel, advice and needed support. We also have bigger issues and we call them “Member Challenges”. Here are some examples of Member Challenges brought to the group recently. If you had a group of peers who could help with your most pressing issues, what issues would YOU like to bring to the group?
- What is the situation and why is it causing you problems?
- What have you done already to solve it?
- What possible solutions are there?
- What specific help do you need from the group?
Not everyone who shows interest will be accepted into the group. We are highly selective and look for people with the right background, the right job and the right company. We have, however accepted people from startups with a small span of control but who have the right level of experience. For example, one member ran worldwide sales for a $100 SaaS company but now is with a startup with one direct report. His span of control is unimportant. What is important is his level of expertise.
If you have interest, please get in touch and have an introductory phone call to see if it’s a fit.
Not everyone will be accepted
We will not accept all sales leaders into a forum. You’ll have an interviewing process with current forum members and a try-out period. As you might suspect, with such a tight-knit group we’ll be looking for members who will make a big commitment to the group.
Other topics we've discussed.
Ramping Sales Professionals
Sales Process Management
Sales Operations
Demand Generation
Opportunity Development
Channel Partnering and Strategic Alliances
Sales 2.0 – What and Why
Sales Summits are expanding!
What are the Sales Summits?
These by-invitation-only peer groups are the only forums tailored specifically to the singular needs of sales leaders.
In each Sales Summit Forum, six to twelve CSOs from similar industry, but not competing companies meet bi-monthly to solve tough issues, exchange ideas, develop best practices, and discover how to respond to make-or-break decisions. Forums are led by partners from Bettersell Solutions, the parent company of Sales Summits who are noted experts in advising sales organizations and sales leaders. The peer groups fill a crucial advisory function, providing objective insights members can obtain from no other source.
Unique, high impact format
The meetings allow for in-depth discussion of timely, member-chosen topics. Each session addresses “Member Challenges” (CSOs put forth specific issues for debate and feedback), “Best Practices” (CSOs present topical solutions that have delivered excellent results) and common hot issues. Our proven growth models and relevant performance evaluators are used each time to measure progress, illuminate critical areas requiring attention, and provide a common framework for success. This unique design offers significant value:
- Absolute confidentiality and consistent participation build cohesion and trust. Members present their toughest, most sensitive issues and receive unbiased perspectives not available from their boss, others on the management teams, or their subordinates.
- Each CSO delivers a “Member Challenge” and reports back on results before the next meeting.
- The focus is on both operational and the strategic big picture and looks at critical aspects of the CSO leadership role often lost in the fire-fighting atmosphere of most high-growth companies.
- Members share similar business environments so the forums serve as early detection systems for shifting trends that may significantly impact the future of their companies.
Typical Issues Discussed
The beauty of this program is that we discuss YOUR issues, not ours. You suggest and bring the topics, you bring the expertise to help your peers. Some of the topics we discuss are:
- Have I built an effective sales system? Are my people effective at Account Management, Opportunity Management, Call Management? How are we at negotiations?
- Do I have the right sales model? Should I be selling more through the channel? Do I have the right channel mix?
- What is the relationship with my boss? What is the relationship with the Board? How do I prepare for review meetings?
- Do I have the right compensation model? Am I paying my people too much or too little?
- How do I find the right people?
- What are best practices in funnel management and forecasting?