263: Merit Gest, Sales Engagement

Adam and Jeannie interview Merit Gest to discuss powerful sales engagement and onboarding strategies for customer-focused sales teams. Onboarding for outstanding sales engagement Sales is often treated as separate from the customer experience. Consequently, sales staff is often not trained to deliver a customer-focused experience from start to finish. Even when customer experience principles are included, typical sales training falls short on empowering sales professionals to deliver great experiences throughout the entire customer journey. “Onboarding continues…through the entire sales cycle…” -Merit Gest Merit Gest joins us today to help onboard and train sales staff the right way. She explains that the onboarding process should continue through the entire sales cycle, not just through the initial closing. Therefore, training a customer-focused sales team requires much more time and attention than most of us may think. First of all, it’s critical to let trainees know they’re being welcomed into a customer-focused team. Next, they need to stay motivated through a long and sometimes frustrating onboarding process. “People are going to need to have some wins along the way.” -Merit Gest Above all, sales teams need to have the emotional intelligence to understand the experiences they are delivering from the customer’s perspective. Furthermore, the individuals in that team need to know they will have the support they need to keep at it. “Whether or not you say, ‘We’re about team,” it should be obvious.” -Merit Gest Does this sound overwhelming? You’re in luck, because Merit is here to help you develop an onboarding and training process that is both highly engaging and rewarding for your sales team and yourself! As a result, you'll build a sales team that delivers amazing experiences throughout the entire sales cycle. Listen in to amp up your sales engagement today! Interview highlights How can a better sales process set the stage for a better overall customer experience? [2:20] Merit outlines the tiered onboarding structure she recommends to clients. [5:02] How can we motivate sales staff through a long onboarding process? Merit shares 3 actions to keep them focused and efficient. [8:30] What are the most important things professionals should keep in mind as the sales landscape changes and evolves? [13:30] About our guest Merit Gest has more than 20 years of experience working with companies to grow revenue, increase profitability and reduce turnover. She is President and Founder of Merit-based Consulting; a Denver based firm specializing in getting top performers in the door and ramped up fast.   Merit is one of a small handful of specialists in the world certified in both Emotional Intelligence and Cultural Transformation, giving her a unique perspective for hiring, onboarding and retaining top talent.  An active member of The National Speakers Association and now a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and author of Myth Shift: Challenging The Truths That Sabotage Success, Merit engages audiences with content, connection and comedy by day as a popular keynote speaker and by night as a stand-up comedian. Connect with Merit LinkedIn Twitter MeritGest.com MeritBasedOnboarding.com Related Content 360Connext® post, 3 Ways to Add Magic to your Customer Service Training Customers That Stick® post, The Importance of Onboarding Employees Episode 176: (Tip) Hiring a Customer-Centric Employee Episode 249: How Customer Service Training Goes Wrong We’re on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts Sponsor message Give your team the customer service training they deserve Want to bring game-changing customer service training to your team? CTS Service Solutions offers a half-day in-person workshop designed to motivate and educate your customer-facing team members. Using energy, excitement, and interaction, our workshop helps frontline teams embrace a customer-centric outlook, then — using the principles from our book Be Your Customer’s Hero — gives them the skills and confidence they need to handle any service interaction. Don’t leave your frontline team hanging… Give them the training they deserve. Learn more at customerheroworkshop.com, that is customerheroworkshop.com.   Take care of yourself and take care of your customers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices