Tag: sales strategy

Missing targets

Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes That Sabotage Your Sales Strategy

Posted on | by Sienna
Missing your target illustration

Crafting the perfect sales strategy can feel like chasing a moving target. The market shifts. Customer expectations evolve. And just when you think you’ve nailed it… something slips. Sound familiar?

The truth is, at KONA, we have seen even the most experienced sales leaders fall into surprisingly common traps that quietly undermine performance and potential. But the good news? With the right awareness and a few intentional tweaks, you can steer clear of these costly missteps.

Here are five of the most common mistakes we have seen that sabotage your sales strategy—and what you can do instead.

1. Ignoring the Sales Team’s Input

Here’s a big one: decisions being made about the sales process without input from the sales team.

Your team are on the front lines. They’re the ones having real conversations, hearing objections, and feeling the friction. Yet too often, strategies are built in boardrooms and PowerPoint decks—with little connection to the real-world selling experience.

To avoid this mistake, make your salespeople part of the strategy development process. Their insights can uncover roadblocks you didn’t even know existed—and unlock smarter, faster wins.

2. Chasing Every Lead (Instead of the Right Ones)

It’s tempting to think that more leads = more sales. But without focus, your team wastes time and energy on prospects that were never going to buy in the first place. An effective sales strategy means targeting your ideal customer profile with laser precision.

How to fix it:

  • Clarify who your high-value buyers really are.
  • Build detailed customer personas.
  • Prioritise quality over quantity when it comes to lead generation.

3. Overcomplicating the Sales Process

A bloated, confusing sales process slows everything down—and frustrates both your team and your prospects.

If your salespeople are jumping through hoops, battling multiple approval layers, or juggling too many tools, it’s time to simplify.

You can overcome this mistake by auditing your sales process regularly. Eliminate unnecessary steps, simplify communications, and ensure your CRM is a help, not a hindrance.

Don't overcomplicate things

4. Focusing Only on Short-Term Wins

It’s easy to get caught in the month-to-month quota chase. But when your entire sales strategy is focused only on hitting immediate numbers, you lose sight of long-term growth.

This tunnel vision can lead to poor customer relationships, burnout, and missed opportunities for repeat business.

A good way to avoid this is to build in strategic goals that go beyond the next quarter. Train your team to think like trusted consultants—not just deal-closers.

5. Skipping Sales Training and Development

Sales is a skill that needs continuous sharpening. Yet many businesses treat training as a “one-and-done” box to check.

If your team isn’t growing, neither is your strategy.

It’s important to invest in regular, high-impact sales training tailored to your team’s unique challenges. Whether it’s handling objections, qualifying leads more effectively, or adapting to buyer psychology—targeted sales training and coaching turns average salespeople into top performers.

Strengthen your sales strategy

Ready to Strengthen Your Sales Strategy?

If any of these mistakes hit close to home, don’t worry—you’re not alone. The best sales leaders recognise when it’s time to rethink and refine their approach.

At KONA, we specialise in tailored sales training designed to elevate your team and align your sales strategy with real-world success. Whether you’re scaling a team, launching into new markets, or simply want to improve performance—we’re here to help.

👉 Contact KONA today to create a sales strategy that actually works. Your team—and your revenue—will thank you.

Call 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au

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Loss of revenue

Is Your Sales Strategy Costing You Money? Here’s How to Fix It Fast

Posted on | by Sienna
Loss of revenue

You could have the best product in the world, an awesome team behind you, and still be leaving serious money on the table because of one thing—your sales strategy.

At KONA, We see it all the time. Sales teams working hard (really hard), but chasing the wrong leads, pitching the wrong angles, or following outdated processes that just don’t land anymore.

The result? Lost deals. Burned-out salespeople. Frustrated managers. And yes… lost revenue.

If your sales strategy isn’t built to match today’s buyers and today’s market, it’s costing you. Big time.

But here’s the good news:

You don’t have to overhaul your entire team, invest six months, or spend a fortune to fix it. You just need a smarter, sharper, faster approach—and that’s where KONA comes in.

How to Spot if Your Sales Strategy Is Draining Your Profits

If any of these sound familiar, your strategy might need a serious refresh:

  • Your team is working harder, but closing fewer deals.
  • Your ideal customers aren’t engaging—or worse, they’re ghosting you.
  • You’re discounting heavily just to win business.
  • Your sales cycle keeps getting longer.
  • Your messaging sounds like everyone else’s—and it’s getting ignored.

If you’re nodding your head right now, know this: it’s not your team’s effort that’s the issue.

It’s the strategy they’re being asked to follow.

Sales strategy

Here’s How to Fix It—Fast

Here’s the part you’ve been waiting for: what can you actually do to turn things around?

1. Revisit Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

If your team is spending time on leads that don’t convert, your ICP is either outdated or too vague.
✅ Define exactly who your best-fit customer is—industry, size, pain points, buying behaviours.
✅ Talk to your current top clients and analyse why they chose you.
✅ Align marketing and sales around that ideal target.

2. Audit Your Sales Messaging

When was the last time you updated your pitch, emails, or objection handling?
✅ Use language that speaks directly to customer pain points—not your product features.
✅ Replace generic scripts with customer-focused conversations.
✅ Build credibility with proof points and quick wins early in the conversation.

3. Shorten the Sales Cycle by Fixing the Middle

Most deals stall in the middle. Why?
Because reps aren’t equipped to lead the buyer forward.
✅ Train your team to identify decision makers early.
✅ Use call planning and next-step agreements to keep deals moving.
✅ Arm your reps with tools like ROI calculators, quick demos, or customer stories to close gaps fast.

4. Rethink Your Metrics

What gets measured gets managed—but are you tracking the right things?
✅ Go beyond call volume and start measuring conversation quality, pipeline movement, and conversion rates.
✅ Focus on leading indicators that show progress, not just lagging results.

5. Coach, Don’t Just Manage

Your salespeople don’t need another spreadsheet—they need guidance.
✅ Offer consistent coaching based on real calls, not just pipeline reviews.
✅ Tailor your coaching to each rep’s strengths and gaps.
✅ Celebrate progress, not just wins.

Fixing loss of revenue - balancing costs

At KONA, we specialise in helping sales teams adjust fast—so you can see the results fast.

Our Sales Strategy Training is built to meet your team exactly where they are and quickly guide them to where they need to be.

Ready to stop losing money and start closing smarter?

👉 Contact KONA today for tailored Sales Strategy Training designed for your team’s real-world challenges. Let’s get your sales strategy working for you, not against you.

Call 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au

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Always be closing

Sales Strategies to Help You Close More Deals

Posted on | by Sienna
Close more deals

Closing deals is the ultimate goal for salespeople, but it’s not always easy. Deals can slip through your fingers for countless reasons, and sometimes it feels like no matter what you do, the prospect just isn’t ready to commit.

The good news? There are proven strategies that can help you not only close more deals but do so in a way that is authentic and customer-focused.

Here are six strategies to close more deals:

1. Understand the Buyer’s Journey

Before you can close a deal, you need to know where your prospect is in their decision-making process. Are they still gathering information? Comparing options? Or are they ready to make a decision? Tailoring your approach to their current stage shows that you understand their needs and builds trust.

Ask open-ended questions like, “What’s most important to you in choosing a solution?” or “How do you see this impacting your goals?”

These questions uncover valuable insights and move the conversation forward.

2. Focus on Solutions, Not Features

It’s easy to fall into the trap of talking about your product’s features, but prospects don’t care about bells and whistles—they care about solving their problems.

Shift the conversation to how your product or service addresses their pain points and delivers value.

For example, instead of saying, “Our software has a built-in analytics dashboard,” try, “Our analytics dashboard helps you track key metrics in real-time so you can make data-driven decisions faster.”

Customers are more likely to make a purchase when they clearly understand how a product or service will deliver personal value and meet their unique needs.

3. Create a Sense of Urgency

Sometimes, prospects linger in the decision-making stage longer than necessary.

Creating a sense of urgency can help them move forward, but it’s important to do this ethically. Highlight time-sensitive opportunities, such as limited availability or upcoming price changes, only if they’re genuine.

You might say, “We have a promotion running until the end of the month, and I’d hate for you to miss out on the savings.” But be careful not to overdo it—pressure tactics can backfire.

Always be closing

4. Handle Objections with Confidence

Objections are a natural part of the sales process. Instead of dreading them, view objections as opportunities to address concerns and build trust.

The key is to listen actively and respond thoughtfully.

For instance, if a prospect says, “This is too expensive,” don’t just defend your price. Dig deeper: “I understand—can you share more about your budget or what value you were hoping to see?” This approach allows you to explore their priorities and potentially reframe the value of your solution.

5. Ask for the Close—Clearly and Confidently

One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is not asking for the close. It might feel awkward, but your prospect expects it. When the time is right, be direct and clear.

For example, “It sounds like this solution aligns with your goals. Are you ready to move forward?”

If they hesitate, don’t panic. Ask follow-up questions to understand their hesitation, and address those concerns on the spot.

6. Follow Up!

Not every deal will close on the first attempt, and that’s okay. A well-timed follow-up can make all the difference. Check in with additional information, address any lingering concerns, or simply remind them of the benefits of moving forward.

A quick email like, “I wanted to follow up and see if there’s anything else you need from me to make your decision,” keeps the conversation open without feeling pushy.

Importance of follow up

Closing more deals isn’t about being pushy or aggressive; it’s about understanding your prospect, addressing their needs, and guiding them toward a solution that benefits them. By focusing on these strategies, you can build stronger relationships, close more deals, and ultimately grow your sales success.

Which of these strategies do you plan to try first? To read more of KONA’s insights into Sales Closing Strategies, click here, and to read about how KONA’s sales training process stacks up against the Miller Heiman methodology, click here.

Contact KONA today to discuss our range of tailored Sales Training programs and the value they will bring to your Sales Team.

Call 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au

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4 Ways to Make 2022 Your Sales Strategy G.O.A.T.

Posted on | by Sienna
Make Your 2022 Sales Kickoff the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time)

For many post the pandemic, the thought of actively selling makes their hair stand on end. The dreaded sales task, or worse, networking events, leaves the body shuddering. But pandemic or not, products and services still need to be sold. So, what are the steps to make that apprehensive sales strategy more enjoyable? And also more rewarding. That is, to ensure you get the desired outcome.

Garret Norris, CEO of the KONA Group and Sales Executive Coach, teaches businesses and sales teams how to confidently sell their products and services. Here he shares with you his top tips and 4 Must Haves in Your 2022 Sales Strategy.

Get your team onto these tips (and if you’re one of the wise ones, get them on a Sales Intensive Workshop), and learn how to calm the networking nerves. That is, learn to prospect confidently to ensure your pipeline is full all year. Have a read and get busy living the dream.

4 Must Haves in Your 2022 Sales Strategy

1. EMBED A HYBRID SALES MODEL

The good part of the past two years sent sales teams into survival mode. The attitude was typically to move our offline operations all entirely online. That is even just for the short term. And we would then all see how it pans out. However, as we know, fortune favours the brave. And for those of us who jumped into the deep end and invested in remote working options, ultimately reaped the benefits as the pandemic drew on, and on, and on.

“According to HubSpot’s 2021 Sales Enablement Report, 64% who transitioned to remote selling met or exceeded their revenue targets.”

Hybrid Sales Strategy

Now we are at the time where many are playing catch up. To stay ahead in 2022, it is now time to shape our policies and processes around a hybrid working model.

And guess what? It is not just remote leaders or salespeople who are benefitting from moving towards remote operations. The “LinkedIn State of Sales Report 2021 revealed 50% of buyers believed remote working had made the purchasing process easier too”.

Book Your Team’s Tailored 2022 Sales Strategy Workshops

2. PERSONILSATION!

Personalisation in sales pretty much means the act of tailoring your pitch so it acutely addresses the pain points, needs, and challenges of your client. That is, all while making them feel appreciated.

In other words, personalisation in sales means getting rid of generic one-liners and messages. Instead, replace them with ones that provide a more customised customer experience.

Talking Business: Predictive analytics to improve personalisation and boost sales

Among many Personalisation Techniques in his Sales Intensive Workshops, Garret suggests for higher levels of conversion, embedding some of these tips:

  • WHAT’S IN A NAME: Include your customers’ names in the subject line.
  • SPECIAL EVENTS: Send them a note on their birthday. (Keep in mind this means knowing how to create a customer profile, so you know when their birthday is. As well as those other important points you gained from your quality questioning skills!)
  • RECALL A CHAT: How did your daughter go at the championships? Did Billy get his braces?
3. KNOW YOUR WHY

According to Garret, the key to knocking the sales nerves out of your system is by having a really solid value proposition and knowing it off by heart. He adds, your reason for selling – your Why Statement – should be at the core of your sales strategy. To help craft your team’s Why Statement, Garret suggests asking yourself three questions.

  1. Why do we do what we do?
  2. What are the problems that I’m going to solve for them?
  3. How am I going to solve their problem?

Your value position is not an elevator pitch about your product or service. Rather it is the problems it solves for them. Now once you have crafted your Why Statement, make sure you know it back to front. As well as the answers to all the possible questions that could come out of it.

In Garret’s Workshops and Coaching sessions, he role-plays with his clients to go through the various scenarios and questions that a potential client might ask. He says that after doing this, clients are much more confident in pitching their product or service. As well as very keen to strike up a conversation at a networking event. They often replay these conversations as a team and share answers and insights

4. GET TECHY

It does indeed circle back to our work-from-home setup. Consider, just how much time have we spent in front of screens during the last two years? So it stands to reason that buyers too have now developed a preference for digital.

Sales Technology Landscape: Blueprint

Now, from a buyer’s perspective, that may mean relying more on live chat options. Or perhaps platforms where questions can be posed and answered on demand. But it also speaks to wider technology sales trends in 2022. Such as automation’s growing role. Or giving your salespeople more tools to drive efficiency and productivity. Keep up with the apps, software, and databases that make the selling and buying process a lot smoother for both you and your customers.

To Book Your Team’s Tailored 2022 Sales Strategy Workshops

Stay ahead of your competition by ensuring your team is sales savvy and ready for 2022. Gather the team and we will take care of the rest – learning and laughs included.

Call us at KONA on 1300 611 288 for a conversation, or email info@kona.com.au anytime.

LAURETTE WITH HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY ON IT FOR KONA GROUP SALES TRAINING SALES HEALTH CHECK

 

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Are You Sales Match Fit? What We Know About Prospecting in 2021

Posted on | by Sienna
For many, 2020 comes pretty close to a curse word. And while there appears to be a chance of a resurgence at the moment, the fact remains, we still have no clear certainty about the path the pandemic will take businesses on next year. But that does not mean we just sit back and wait. You will not survive. Start getting Match Fit and Sales Ready in these closing months of 2020, otherwise 2021 will be even bleaker for businesses than this year was. Companies that are still standing strong and successful today must be Sales Ready and prepare to adapt their approach on a strategic level in 2021. While we can’t predict the future, we can use what we’ve learned to shape our strategies and maximise prospecting potential for next year. Here is a list of what we have learnt so far from the pandemic experience, and how to be Sales Ready, prepare for prospecting and go hard. 2021 SALES READY AT A GLANCE For those of you that want to go straight to it click on the link of your choice:
  1. Adapt, Apply, Adapt Again
  2. Clean for Clarity
  3. Trust Your Gut But Act on Fact
  4. Measure to Manage
  5. Create a 2021 Sales Strategy
 
ADAPT, APPLY, ADAPT AGAIN
Digital change has been around for a while now. Suppliers, buyers and and consumers are already living the digital lifestyle. Online purchases with small, medium and big-name vendors are now part and parcel of B2B purchases. This sounds like it may mean sales prospecting is going to get harder. It doesn’t have to be the case. Your Salespeople need to be adaptable in all their approaches. To be Sales Ready and prepare for 2021, there are big changes to B2B prospecting. Train your sales team to:
  • Sell to remote buyers
  • Identify new opportunities
  • Come up with their own unique selling points to meet the needs of a changing market
  • Try to enforce on-site purchasing where possible
  • Completely take onboard digital channels
  • Get socials-savvy – enable more social platforms to reach a wider digital-first audience

 
CLEAN FOR CLARITY
While most people dislike the chore of cleaning, some find it soothing. Either way, it is a necessary activity to maintain order. The same applies to your business’ database. coloured clip art image of vacuum cleaner behind computer monitor and paperwork and a rubbish bin for sales ready cleaning your database training
  • Clean up your Sales database and CRM: correct typos, incomplete records, incorrect email addresses, and so forth.
  • Check you have the correct CRM fields in place – as well as, correctly filled in.
  • Sift through bounce-backs from your email marketing.
  • LINKEDIN: Clean Up YOUR PROFILE! KONA’s LINKEDIN WORKSHOP was one of the most demanded trainings this year. What are your employees’ profiles saying about your brand?

 
TRUST YOUR GUT BUT ACT ON FACT
It is crucial Salespeople prioritise their leads based on data analysis rather than just gut feeling. This is critical – to convert the most customers and deliver an extraordinary experience, data must play a significant part in your strategic decisions. Train your sales team to ANALYSE FOR PROFIT. Do they know how to:
  • Gain a deeper understanding of their customer?
  • Create Customer Profile accounts?
  • Research techniques to personalise responses?
  • Maintain a sense of urgency while building rapport?
  • Defend price based on fact and value?
  • Use behaviour profiling to engage effectively with different buyer behaviour styles?

 
MEASURE TO MANAGE
Track and analyse your business’ actions. Measuring your marketing, as well as individual and team performances, gives you insight into strengths and weakness, as well as revealing what is working and what is not. Take a measure of:
  • The company’s Google Analytics figures: how many people are visiting the site? Where are they from? What particular pages are they frequenting?
  • What the numbers of your social media platforms are. Is your business growing in followers and connections? Is your team actually engaging with the marketplace to generate leads, or is it just a page for presence not profit?
  • The efficiency and accuracy of your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) System. Are your Salespeople adding new prospects to the pipeline? As a Leader, are you tracking movement through it? How about conversions, what is the bids versus wins ratio?
  • Measure it in many ways: Year-to-date versus Last-year-to-date. Year-to-date versus Goal, by service line and as well as by industry served.
The vital information from these measurements will form the foundation for your marketing, but also your Sales Strategy for 2021.

Do you and your Sales team require training on how to measure performance, and what to do with the results?

 
CREATE A 2021 SALES STRATEGY
At the very least, make notes about the business’ marketing and sales activities for the next 12 months. Address your team’s ability to commit to:
  • Investing in time and effort in their marketing and sales approaches
  • Setting, achieving and measuring individual KPIs, as well as team KPIs
  • Task Responsibilities for 2021 – most importantly, put all of these activities into a calendar-system, assign specific skill-based responsibilities, and then share the calendar with the team
kona group logo with Image of a clipart man and woman standing above a sales pipeline funnel with coins and arrows flowing in     Consider KONA’s ACTIVITY PLANNING Workshop to set your team’s goals for 2021. This needs to be done before 2021 arrives! For example:  as you think about your team’s goals for next year, do not just focus on the end result… set individual and team goals for the activities that will help you achieve the end result. This includes:
  • How many conversations to generate leads?
  • The number of Sales calls per week
  • The cost in time and money of prospecting properly
  • The Power of Power Hour – done right, done regularly
  • Maintaining Systems and Processes
  • Accountability Measures
  • Getting Geed-Up to Sell

    These are areas we need to focus on before 2021 gets here – to smash KPIs, skyrocket results and get back the company and team’s mojo. All these learnings are available to you and your team in KONA’s 2021 SALES READY WORKSHOP, addressing:
  1. Adaption and Resilience
  2. LINKEDIN Training | Employee Profiles and the Effect on the Brand
  3. Analyse for Profit
  4. Measure to Manage with Accountability
  5. Sales Strategies: Geed-Up to Sell in 2021
To Get Sales Match Fit for 2021 and learn more about KONA’s 2021 SALES READY WORKSHOP, contact KONA today on 1300611288 | info@kona.com.au for a conversation.   hope is not a business strategy kona hbb group garret norris

Is “Always Be Closing” Strategy Still Relevant for Your Business?

Posted on | by Sienna

Some industry experts believe that the mantra of using ‘Always Be Closing’ concept is becoming unfit to use for sales strategy. ‘Always Be Closing’, or ‘ABC’ is a familiar phrase to salespeople, made iconic by Alec Baldwin in the 1992 film, Glengarry.

Its since become the go-to line for two camps: Those who firmly believe in its power to drive action, and those who feel that it takes sales back to the dark ages.

Today, as fast as how technology can get different consumers, it is genuinely a norm that different unique sales techniques are being made and some old techniques come to old.

Is “ABC” strategy still relevant for your business today?

A study by CSO Insights indicates successful salespeople spend at most, 35% of their time selling or “closing.” In this article, we will review certain points on how relevant “Always Be Closing” can be for different businesses:

  • Confirms Buyer Commitment – Regardless of which stage you are currently in the sales process, continually and respectfully confirming your prospect’s commitment is smart and proactive. The “ABC” strategy starts from setting your first meeting with prospective buyers that gives an interest with your products and services. Even though it is just the first meeting, confirming their interest and willingness to know more about your products and services early on will allow you to determine whether they are actually serious in making business with you. If they show otherwise, then you will be able to move on to your next prospect and start selling again.
  • Mobility to Adapt – Always be closing may seem to deteriorate and become old for some salespeople, but, the idea of “ABC” can take on a new meaning in today’s hyper-connected mobile world. Work is no longer a place, and salespeople no longer have to physically be in their prospect’s office to build, nurture and develop relationships. Mobility for sales is bringing new meaning to “Always Be Closing,” where you can further the sales on any device.
  • Influences Social Selling – With the active use of consumers with different social media platforms in their everyday activity, it seems that “ABC” has its way of bringing a new flair for acquiring more sales. Social media enables sales professionals to build and execute their own variation of ABC but in a more engaging and meaningful way. As such, one salesperson may still consider using “ABC” as a linearised step in creating a new sales strategy for their campaigns.
  • Creates an Interactive Mode of Communication – As mentioned earlier, it is no doubt that modern technology is gradually taking its course to change the view of most salespeople with their strategies. Still, “ABC” serves as the foundation of the new age of interactive sales in which both the customer and salesperson can engage more efficiently and easily. ‘Always Be Closing’ comes to a new way of the collaborative and modern view of what it promotes from the later years; leaving no physical, emotional, and technological barriers to closing deals.

It is truly alarming that change seems to act fast and change the views of every consumer that is loyal to your service; but, always remember that sales are not a flash card game that everyone can efficiently perform. It is still about how you close a deal with assurance and effectiveness of your sales strategy.

‘Always Be Closing’ may seem to wash all down its great skin, but today, salespeople still rely on the effective and sharp usage of this strategy. This strategy did not fade, nor come to the grave of use; rather “ABC” adapts to the modernized needs of today’s consumers.

If you want to learn the modern application of “Always Be Closing” strategy in sales, you may contact KONA Customised Training and Consulting to let your sales team be trained and exposed to different effective plan to close the sale.

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