jun18 01.qxp layout 1 · 2018-06-04 · the author of the bestseller baseline selling. dave kurlan...
TRANSCRIPT
Dave MattsonDave KurlanJoe GalvinJill HarringtonJason JordanJulie HansenKeith RosenKrista MooreMike SchultzMeridith Elliott Powell
TSW18 The EuropeanSales Summit SpeakerLineUp Confirmed
Jonathan Farrington interviews Kevin EikenberryChief Potential Officer, The Kevin Eikenberry Group
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 20182
Three Ways toDevelop YourEmerging SalesLeadersDave Mattson
12Is There Is APlace ForPersonality InSales?Dave Kurlan
16 18Don’t LetTechnologyDumb YouDownJill Harrington
22
Hey, SalesLeaders… It’sTime to GetBack to BasicsJason Jordan
245 Types ofStories EverySalespersonshould be readyto tellJulie Hansen
26
A Jouto YoKeith
3How HighPerformingSmall BusinessCEOs GrowRevenue Joe Galvin
urney BackourSelf
Rosen
30Sales 2.0Krista Moore
32 34 Editors: Jonathan Farrington [email protected] Richardson [email protected]: Bill Jeckells [email protected] by: Top Sales World A JF INITIATIVE
Leading and Selling RemotelyJonathan Farrington interviewsKevin Eikenberry, ChiefPotential Officer, The KevinEikenberry GroupPAGE 10
Featured Top Partnerof the Month
PAGE 38
Hey, Sales Leader, Do YouReally Understand Your Role? Jonathan Farrington PAGE 8
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 2018 3
3 Ways to AddValue to YourSales Meetings(Most SellersDon’t Do)Mike Schultz
Are YouOpening TheDoor For YourCompetitionMeridith ElliottPowell
36
ContentsJUNE 2018
TOP SALES MAGAZINE
Top Sales PostMay 2018PAGE 39
Build an Exceptional Organization with The Road to Excellence
Through our proven six-step system, identify and overcome the leadership oversights that can threaten your business.
Grab a sample chapter of this ground-breaking book and learn critical leadership tools, such as:
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©2018 Sandler Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. S Sandler Training (with design) is a registered service mark of Sandler Systems, Inc.
2018 Columnists
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 2018 5
For 2018, our regular columnists will provide thought-provoking commentary on a widerange of sales issues, specifically, the hot-topics that are the most relevant and indeed, themost significant.
2018 Columnists
Tiffani Bova is the globalcustomer growth andinnovation evangelist atSalesforce. Tiffani is a highlysought after keynote speakerand also a regular contributorto HuffPost, Harvard BusinessReview, and Forbes.
TiffaniBova
Tony Hughes is an experiencedCEO and teaches 'modernizedselling' within the MBA programat the University of Technology,Sydney. His first book was TheJoshua Principle, LeadershipSecrets of Selling and his second,COMBO Prospecting.
Tony J.Hughes
Founder of Richardson, Lindais a thought leader in the fieldof sales performance. She isalso the author of numerousbooks including Changing theSales Conversation whichfocuses on technology and thenew buyer.
LindaRichardson
Brian Sullivan is Vice Presidentof Sandler Enterprise Selling atSandler Training. He is also thecoauthor of Sandler EnterpriseSelling: Winning, Growing andRetaining Major Accounts.
BrianSullivan
Jim Dickie is a CoFounder andResearch Fellow for CSOInsights; an independentresearch division of MillerHeiman Group and has servedas an advisor to numerousacademic institutions.
Dave Kurlan is the founder andCEO of Objective ManagementGroup, Inc. (OMG) and Kurlan& Associates, Inc. He is alsothe author of the bestsellerBaseline Selling.
DaveKurlan
Tamara Schenk is researchdirector at CSO Insights, andone of the world’s leadingexperts on sales enablement.Prior to joining CSOI, Tamaraled the global sales forceenablement and transformationteam at TSystems.
Tamara Schenk
Michelle Vazzana is a foundingpartner and CEO at VantagePoint Performance, and the coauthor of Cracking the SalesManagement Code: The Secretsto Measuring and ManagingSales Performance. Michelle
Vazzana
JimDickie
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 20186
We have also brought together some of the most experienced, successful and forward-thinking sales experts on the planet, to contribute regularly.
2018 Feature Writers
Dr Tony AlessandraHallofFame Keynote Speakerand Founder ofAssessments24x7.com
Joanne BlackFounder, No More ColdCalling® Best selling author.
George BronténFounder & CEO of Membrain,AwardWinning Blogger &Software Pioneer.
Deb CalvertPresident, People FirstProductivity Solutions. Authorof DISCOVER Questions GetYou Connected.
Frank V. CespedesTeaches at Harvard BusinessSchool; author of AligningStrategy and Sales.
Kevin EikenberryChief Potential Officer, TheKevin Eikenberry Group.
Colleen FrancisPresident and Founder ofEngage Selling Solutions andbestselling author of NonstopSales Boom.
Barb GiamancoKeynote Speaker, Author,Corporate Webcast Host SocialCentered Selling CEO.
Julie HansenPresident, Performance Salesand Training, Author of SalesPresentations for Dummies.
Jill HarringtonPresident, SalesSHIFT. Authorof Uncommon Sense , 2017 TopSales Book of the Year.
Joe GalvinChief Research Officer VistageWorldwide.
Jim CathcartBestselling author ofRelationship Selling + 17 otherbooks. Top 1% TEDx video.
2018 Feature Writers
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Graham HawkinsCEO & Founder, SalesTribe.Author of The Future of theSales Profession.
Dan McDadeCEO, Founder of PointClear.Awardwinning blogger(ViewPoint), author, speaker.
Mark Hunter“The Sales Hunter,”prospecting thought leader andauthor of bestselling book,“High-Profit Prospecting.”
Jason JordanPartner at Vantage Point andAuthor of Cracking the SalesManagement Code.
Jill KonrathKeynote Speaker, Author, 3 Bestselling Sales Books,AwardWinning Sales Blogger.
Bernadette McClellandHead of Sales Transformationand Enablement at SalesLeaders Global Pty Limited.
Dave MattsonCEO & President of SandlerTraining.
Cian McLoughlinB2B Win/Loss Analysis Expert,Award Winning Blogger &Author ‘Rebirth of the Salesman’
Keith RosenAward winning author, CEO ofProfit Builders and founder ofCoachquest.
Colleen StanleyPresident of SalesLeadership,Inc., Best Selling Author ofEmotional Intelligence for SalesSuccess …”
Dan WeinfurterDan Weinfurter is currently themanaging partner of ChicagoGrowth Consultants LLC.
Jay MitchellPresident, Mereo LLCRevenue Performance Advisorand Board Member.
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 20188
Hey, Sales Leader, Do You ReallyUnderstand Your Role?
If this is achieved then the sales leader will havecreated a sales team with a shared mental model.This transforms an ordinary sales team into a high
performing one.For clarity, here is a brief description of the
following terms:An organization’s vision is a guiding image of
success formed in terms of a huge goal. It is adescription in words that conjures up a picture ofthe organization’s destination. A compelling visionwill stretch expectations, aspirations, andperformance. Without that powerful, attractive,
valuable vision, why bother?A mission statement communicates the essence
of an organization to its stakeholders and customers,and failure to clearly state and communicate anorganization’s mission can have harmfulconsequences around its purpose.
As Lewis Caroll, through the words of theCheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland says, ‘If youdon’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter whichway you go.”�
Guiding principles are the consequence of amission statement that are intended to inform orshape all subsequent decisionmaking, which alsoprovides normative criteria allowing policymakersto accept, reject or modify policy interventions andactivities. They are a guiding set of ideas that arearticulated, understood and supported by theorganization’s workforce.
Values are beliefs which the organization’sworkforce hold in common and endeavour to putinto practice. The values guide their performanceand the decisions that are taken. Ideally, anindividual’s personal values will align with the spokenand unspoken values of the organization.
By developing a written statement of the valuesof the organization, individuals have a chance tocontribute to the articulation of these values, as wellas to evaluate how well their personal values andmotivation match those of the organization.
The Human Capital Development Model, createdby Krauthammer International, is a logical processthat can take top management concepts, andtranslate them into a context that has real meaningfor staff at all levels.
In my view, the role of a sales leader is to translate the organization’s vision,mission and values into a meaningful context that sales teams can relate toand feel excited by.
Editorial
The key to bringing this model to life is to answer thefollowing questions:
l Do my team understand the organization’s visionand how their role moves the organization closerto achieving it?
l How can my sales team translate theorganization’s mission into one that is relevant tothem?
l How does the organization’s guiding principlesimpact on the daytoday responsibilities of salespeople?
l Which of the organization’s values does my salesteam relate to?
l How can we interpret these values so theybecome compelling for each sales person?
An effective sales team understands the big pictureand the context of their team’s work to the greatestdegree possible. That includes understanding therelevance of their job and how it impacts theeffectiveness of others and the overall team effort.Too often, salespeople are asked to work on anactivity without being told how their role contributesto the organization’s vision, much less how theirefforts are impacting the ability of others to do theirwork. Understanding that vision promotescollaboration, increases commitment and improvesquality.
I would also say that a truly effective team workscollaboratively and with a keen awareness ofinterdependency. Collaboration and a solid sense ofinterdependency in a team will defuse blamingbehaviour and stimulate opportunities for learningand improvement. Without this sense ofinterdependency in responsibility and reward,blaming behaviours can occur which will quicklyerode team effectiveness and morale.
Finally, I must highlight the two distinct levels ofselfsufficiency in how people work:
Involvement. This can be created in various wayssuch as: consultation, giving information and making
it clear that suggestions are welcome and thatexperiment and change in how things are done aregood. This provides the opportunity to contributebeyond the base job.
Empowerment. Empowerment adds the authorityto be selfsufficient (making your own decisions) andcreates the basis for people to become selfsufficient on an ongoing basis. In sense,empowerment creates a culture of involvement andgives it momentum.
Together, involvement and empowerment createan environment in which people can haveresponsibility for their own actions. But remember:Responsibility cannot be given – it can only be taken;thus only the opportunity to take it can be given.
A successful team is one that:
l Is set up correctly.l Responds to the responsibility it has for the task.l Seeks constant improvement (and does not ever
get stuck on the tramlines).l Sees its manager as a fundamental support to its
success.
A team in this situation will do well and is more likelyto go on doing well than a group just told what to do.
Your role, as the sales leader, is one of catalyst –constantly helping the team to keep up with events,to change in the light of events and to succeedbecause it is always configured for success.
In fact, the sales leader’s role has never beenmore critical; it has become pivotal. In my opinion,the paucity of qualified, inspirational, experiencedleaders is one of the main reasons why salesachievement levels continue to plummet – whilstsales costs continue to rise. n
Jonathan Farrington is the CEO ofTop Sales World. You can also follow him
on LinkedIn here and catch up with theJF Interview Series here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 2018 9
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Leading and Selling Remotely
Kevin, I’m happy to have a chance to speak withyou just as your new book with Wayne Turmel TheLong-Distance Leader: Rules For Remarkable RemoteLeadership is released.Thanks Jonathan – we are excited about June 5th asthe day this book enters the world. We believe it canmake are real difference for leaders, their teams andtheir organizations.
So speaking of the book, let’s start there. Why didyou choose to focus on remote leadership?Have you ever had an experience where you aregoing along, doing your work and one day you lookup and things are different, and you never noticedthe change? Nearly the entire business world ishaving that experience today. One day leaderslooked up and saw half the desks empty half of thetime. People are at client sites, people are workingfrom home a couple days a week, people are
travelling. Sales teams have long had some remoteteam members, but now everyone seems to workingsomewhere else. Since this is the reality we live in(and the reality I lead in everyday), we felt the timewas right for this book. It is the first book to get pastmanagerial techniques and think about theleadership challenges of a remote team.
Salespeople reading this are probably thinking, inthe sales world we have worked and sold remotelyfor years. Are we missing something?I would say most probably are missing something forat least one of three reasons. First, just because youhave been doing it for a long time, is it working aswell as it could? Are you developing leaders wholead remotely differently because of this reality, orare they getting exactly the same development asthose who have their whole team in cubicles downthe hall? Second, you may now have more than your
Jonathan Farrington interviews Kevin Eikenberry, Chief Potential Officer, The Kevin Eikenberry Group.
The Jonathan Farrington Interview
sales reps remote, but some of the support andCustomer Service staff too – and that changes thedynamics in ways you likely haven’t considered.Third, you likely could help coach all your teammembers to work more effectively together, andwhen they are remote, and working largelyindependently, you need to think about thatdifferently, raise the expectations, and likely provideadditional tools.
Speaking of relationships, how can we better buildrelationships at a distance, whether with teammembers, or customers?This is a critical question, one I am glad you asked.First it must be a priority. We know that we are moreinfluential with others when we have a betterrelationship with them – and that is why relationshipbuilding is so critical as a leader, as a member of ateam, and as a sales person. We grew up buildingrelationships with people we could see; now we arebeing asked to do that when we seldom (never?) seeeach other. It is true that absence, doesn’tnecessarily make the heart grow fonder. Once yourealize how important this is, and that you will haveto be more intentional to do it at a distance, startwith these three things:
l Move past transactional conversations to learnmore about what people care about and value.
l Quiet yourself and be more present with themwhen on the phone – without visual cues peoplemay make bad assumptions about your motivesor intentions.
l Send fewer emails and fire up the webcam morefrequently.
What have you found are the biggest dangers ofworking remotely?I’ll list just two, given our limited space.
l Becoming insular in work and perspective.When people work alone they have fewerinterruptions and are likely more productive, but
their productivity becomes very focused on“their” work rather than how “their” work fitsinto “our” work. As a leader help people see thebigger picture and expect greater collaboration.As a team member look for ways to collaborateand see how your work is a part of the biggerpicture.
l Fewer barriers to people leaving. This isespecially true if their leader isn’t very effective.The number one reason people voluntarilychange jobs is that they fire their boss. Headhunters love recruiting remote workers becausethe barriers to changing jobs are fewer – theircommute and routines don’t change – theirhome office is still their office. If they believethey will have a better boss, they might be ontheir way out the door.
What about coaching at a distance? What advicedo you have for sales leaders, but also for salespeople working from home, in getting thecoaching they need?First for leaders of remote team members – setclearer expectations of success not just the what’slike the sales volumes, but the how’s too – howthe work is getting done, how you expect peopleto collaborate and how you want them tocommunicate with you and others. And be moreintentional about scheduled time for oneononesto include opportunities for coaching andfeedback. When you don’t see people frequently,this often gets missed or delayed. As a remotesales person, if you want more coaching in aparticular area, ask for it. Let your leader knowwhat you need and where you would like help. Beproactive in getting their time attention. Whenyou do get the coaching you need (and deserve)everyone will win. n
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 2018 11
To preorder your copy of The Long-DistanceLeader: Rules For Remarkable Remote
Leadership, please go here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 201812
Too many managers fail to discuss the careerpath that will take a given sales rep (we’ll callher Karen) from point A to point B. Sometimes
this is because of our desire to hold on to a strongperformer who we decide is “doing fine right whereshe is.” Sometimes it’s because we simply don’tbother to take the initiative to find out what Karenwants to see happen next in her career, or becauselongerterm career questions simply aren’t on theradar screen. Such scenarios put your team and yourorganization at risk of losing precious talent. Today’ssalespeople – and this is particularly true of youngerteam members – want to know what the nextpromotion looks like, what the career track is, whatthey need to know and do to move forward. If you
don’t include a discussion about the nextopportunity as part of your oneonone coachingroutine, Karen and other team members are apt togo through three easytopredict phases:restlessness, frustration, and departure for greenerpastures – the same greener pastures you paintedpictures of during the recruiting/interviewdiscussions.
Whether or not you think they’re doing finewhere they are now, you need to ask each teammember, in private, where he or she would like to beable to make a professional contribution within yourcompany in the next two to three years. Schedulethat conversation, and use it to get a sense of whatKaren’s optimal career path looks like. Start withwhere Karen is heading… you can fill in the blanks onthe how and what as you go along.
Second, Train and Coach to the Gap. That careerpath discussion you just had with Karen probablypointed you toward a specific position thatrepresents just a bit of a stretch for her. Now it’syour job as manager to figure out exactly how faraway she is from being able to do that job, in termsof both skills and experience. It’s also your job toshare that information in a way that motivates Karen
Here are three simple stepsyou can take to hold on to,and grow, the nextgeneration of your
company’s emerging leaders. The first is toTalk One-on-One About the NextOpportunity on This Person’s Horizon.
Three Ways to DevelopYour Emerging Sales Leaders
Dave Mattson
to gain the necessary skills and experience. This isanother important conversation waiting to happen inyour oneonone coaching session: “Here’s whereyou want to go, Karen, and let’s look at where youare right now. Here’s the gap we will need to fill ifyou’re going to get where you want to go. And hereare the people within the organization who can helpyou along.” None of that should be a secret. So, forinstance, if Karen tells you that she wants to managethe marketing department, but she has noexperience with developing a budget and has neverbeen trained in using a spreadsheet, you’re going toidentify that as part of the gap, and work together tofind people and resources that will help her closethat gap. You might suggest some online coursesthat will get Karen up and running with thebudgeting process. You might even offer her somekind of supervisory training, even though her currentjob doesn’t require her to supervise anyone.
In short, you want to create a personalizedtraining and development plan that supports Karen’scareer objective, and that reflects your bestassessment of her potential. If Karen looks at theskill gap and the steps necessary to close it anddecides, for whatever reason, to opt out of theadvancement track, that’s fine. But if you want tohold on to her, you should provide the option tolearn and grow within the organization.
Finally, Delegate to the Gap. Many managersdelegate based on whether they feel like doing agiven task, or perhaps whether they have leftthemselves enough time to complete the task. Alltoo often, this kind of “hotpotato” delegation setseveryone up for failure. (“I am doing several otherimportant projects, so I need you to do this for me…”) Actually, your goal should be to delegate taking acompletely different approach: “Karen, I know youwant to go into managing the marketing department.Why don't we get you involved over there byoffering Carol, the VP of Marketing, a few hours ofyour time each week? You can provide someadministrative support for her budgeting processwith the national branding campaign, and you’d learn
a lot. How would you feel about doing that?” IfKaren takes you up on that offer, she is contributing,she’s learning new skills, and she’s accumulatingvaluable experience – all without the risk of anyformal responsibility for the budget, which is as itshould be.
Why follow these three steps? Because you’veinvested significant time, effort, energy, and moneyto bring Karen to a point where she can contributeat her current level, and grow into the next one.Human capital is and always will be the criticalcompetitive advantage for any company. Wouldn’tyou rather build your organization’s “benchstrength” – and not the competition’s? n
David Mattson is the CEO and President ofSandler Training, an international training and
consulting organization headquartered inNorth America. He is the author of the Wall
Street Journal bestsellers The Sandler Rules: 49Timeless Selling Principles and How to Apply
Them and Sandler Success Principles. His mostrecent book is The Road to Excellence.
Dr. TonyAlessandra
RichardBarkey
LeeBartlett
TiffaniBova
GeorgeBrontén
DebCalvert
JonathanFarrington
GrahamHawkins
Christer BJansson
TamaraSchenk
BrianSullivan
MichelleVazzana
Confirmed Speakers
There can be no doubt that today, we are experiencing an era of selling and marketing that islike nothing we have witnessed before. This requires a new modern tactical and strategicmindset, which dares to challenge the status quo of traditional thinking.
The primary objective of TSW18 is to focus on the future, rather than to dwell in the past and in orderto achieve that aim, we have assembled what is probably the most significant speaker lineup ever toappear on the same stage in Europe.
Our ambition is to deliver a substantial worldclass event, with worldclass speakers in a worldclasslocation.
I am confident we will achieve all of that and I hope you will join us.
Jonathan FarringtonCEO, Top Sales World
LocationThe sophisticated Royal Garden Hotel is nestled inthe heart of London, overlooking the worldfamousKensington Gardens.
It occupies a 1960s glassandstone building and isa 5minute walk from High Street Kensington’sshops, restaurants and tube station.
RegistrationEarly Bird discount of £200 available until end ofJune. Please register here
SponsorshipThere are just a handful of sponsorshipopportunities remaining.Please download the prospectus here
Confirmed Sponsors
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 201816
Is There Is A PlaceFor Personality In Sales?
Then there are the articles written by thosewithout the data, who use observation andanecdotal evidence, using very small numbers
of salespeople, and write about traits, usuallypersonality based, that have little basis in fact. Thatis junk science.
The problem with personality is that there is noone or combination of personality types or traits,that are predictive of sales success. Period. Anyonewho says there are is sharing an opinion, not science.
However, personality does come into play in theprofession of sales, even if personality isn’tpredictive of sales success. There are two areaswhere personality plays a role:
1. Sales Managers must manage at least 10 differingtypes of personalities
I regularly write about salesfrom the uniqueperspective of someonewith 280 data points on1,750,000 salespeople for
a total of 490 million data points to playwith. I mine that data to find correlation,causation and new insights as to howsalespeople sell, why they do it, and theoutcomes that occur as a result. This istrue science.
Dave Kurlan
2. Sales Teams tend to develop a personality oftheir own.
Let’s begin with the various personalities that salesmanagers must deal with.
PETE THE PERFECTIONIST Pete won't startanything until he is sure he can do it perfectly.
NICK THE KNOW IT ALL Nick is easy to spotbecause he drives you nuts. He knows everything,as evidenced by his willingness to say, "I know!" Youcan't tell him anything new and he will alwaysdefend the way in which he has always done things.
ORSON THE OVER ACHIEVER Orson is alwaysbusy, always striving to break the record, outearnhis latest paycheck and set a new company record.
LOIS THE LOYALIST Lois is like a puppy dog,always following you around, sucking up, learningfrom you and even idolizing you. In fact, she'd loveto have your job if it meant you would be getting abetter one!
CONTENT CARL Carl has sales know how butisn't using it as aggressively as he once did. His salesare probably flat and his calls for new business aredropping every year.
NEED FOR APPROVAL ALICE More thananything, Alice needs for you to like her. Her needfor approval will cost both of you a fortune in lostbusiness.
UNSTABLE URSULA Ursula needs to get her headon straight, might come from a dysfunctional familyand is used to being yelled at. In fact, it's the onlything to which she seems to respond.
MIKE THE MAVERICK Mike plays by his ownrules, is difficult to manage, won't take direction anddrives you nuts. The only reason he still works for
you is that he outperforms everyone else on thesales force.
MISERABLE MARVIN Marvin complains a lot. Hehas more excuses than hooky playing high schoolrenegades. His performance is always belowacceptable levels and despite that, everyone thinkshe has potential except that he's neverapproached it.
A sales team can also take on a personality. Whilethey can take on the personality of the mostinfluential or successful salesperson, they can alsotake on the personality of their sales manager.
For example, many of the best salespeople areintroverts because introverts tend to have betterlistening skills. However, most introverts don’t makegood salespeople. It’s a oneway correlation. Whatif the sales manager is an introvert and hissalespeople are extroverts? Or, what if the salesmanager is an extrovert and his salespeople areintroverts. Contradictions such as these will notwork out very well.
There is also risk when the team takes on thepersonality of an influential, formerly successful,but currently unmotivated salesperson, one whodoesn’t exhibit the behaviors that the sales managerwants to see from everyone. This is a recipe forunder performance.
The bestcase scenario is where the mostsuccessful salesperson is also the most influentialand likeable salesperson and has a style thateveryone is comfortable with and over time, theychoose to emulate it to the best of their ability. Asales manager who can quietly help thatmetamorphosis occur, one whose ego won’t get inthe way, is ideal. n
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 2018 17
Dave Kurlan is CEO of ObjectiveManagement Group and Kurlan & Associates.
Learn how to manage these10 personalities in this article.
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 201818
How High Performing Small BusinessCEOs Grow Revenue
In Customer Growth: Decisions for the SMB CEOwe learned about the decisions they face, theinvestments they are making and the winning
initiatives they are deploying to continue doubledigit growth.
Key Learnings
Both high and nogrowth organizations are doingmany of the same types of initiatives. It's not thatthe underperforming organizations aren't trying, it'srather the higherperforming companies areexecuting much more effectively while activatingmore initiatives. They are able to execute more
consistently across multiple winning strategies. They also tend to have dedicated leadership in
place. We anticipated as you go from small to big,even with in the continuum of small business, youwould see a logical connection to when peopleadded managers. But it turned out there was nocorrelation between size of company and havingthose roles in place. Rather it was that you had adedicated manager in marketing, in sales, incustomer service, that made the difference in abilityto execute and performance.
That translated into a really powerful effect interms of not just the use of technology, becauseeveryone's using technology, one flavor or another.We found that those highperforming organizationswere 56 percent more likely to be more effective orhighly effective in the use of the technology. 59percent of nogrowth businesses said they wereineffective in using the technology.
It's not a single factor, it's a combination offactors. And a lot of it, I believe, has to do with theability to impart solid leadership, and have thatleadership have the ability to execute.
Transition to Transformation
A broader trend that has been in play since there's
The tailwinds of a strongeconomy are propellinggrowth for 92% of smalland midsized businessforward with 28% realizing
multiple year double digit growth. Againstthis backdrop, Vistage Research, inpartnership with Salesforce surveyed andanalyzed responses from 1377 VistageSMB CEOs surveyed in August of 2017.
Joe Galvin
been sales and sales technology, and that is themovement from tools of individual productivity like aspreadsheet, PowerPoint or Word to those toolsthat drive organization execution. Like the ability foran organization to impart a common language, acommon approach in terms of how you describecustomers and customer phases, and then havingthe discipline to use the technology to capture andanalyze that data. We can each individually build ourskills as we choose with individual tools, but we mustcollectively develop and execute our collective skillsfor true organizational gain.
Somewhere on that continuum, from, I roll myown, to I'm just going to invest in established bestpractices, is where we see people on the continuum.And directionally, the data shows that those thathave dedicated leaders are twice as likely to outperform, as well as they're more likely to have adedicated application and get better value from that.
The challenge SMB CEOs face today is movingfrom digital transition to digital transformation.Meaning, as I move from paper to spreadsheets, orspreadsheets to some little point application, I'm justtransitioning my analogue processes onto a digitalplatform.
True digital transformation is to look at what theplatform has modelled in terms of established bestpractices on a vertical, business size basis, and adaptwhat you do to technology. Because if you don'tbelieve that technology is the change agent of ourgeneration, then you will be disintermediated ratherquickly out there.
New Clients
As simple as it sounds, high growth companies arealso much more likely to go after new clients. Theyget 29 percent of revenue from new clients ascompared with 19% for no growth companies.Evaluating the revenue mix between existing andnew, they're 53% more likely to rely on newcustomers. So, we focus on what are those newcustomer strategies:
Relationships: Traditional facetoface selling.With small or midsize business, you're always doingbusiness locally. Sometimes regionally, nationally orglobally, but always locally. So, the ability to havefacetoface relationships, especially in longterm,traditional small businesses is at the top of the list.
Defined sales process: High Growth SMBsmaintain an organizational understanding of howyour customers want to buy, and you've been ableto translate that into measurable, definable salesactions and steps. With that common sales processcomes common sales language. Meaning we don'treinvent how we sell every time we sell. Rather,we've now been able to capture, document and thenput some resources behind it.
Referrals: Referrals remain, especially in a smalland midsize business, as a critical growth strategy.it's who you know, and can they connect you to thenext person. Or, more importantly, are yourcustomers out actively promoting and referring you?That's who your prospects listen to most closely.The positive vibe from customers just radiates intothe market.
Case Studies
High growth SMBs are out executing theircompetitors. There are no new secret strategies forcustomer engagement. The leading initiatives of highgrowth SMBs succeed because of execution and theeffective utilization of technology. In the study, wecapture the leading initiatives for Marketing, Salesand Customer Service. At Dreamforce 17, weshared the results of this study in two sessionswhere three Salesforce customers shared theirwinning initiatives for customer engagement. n
Listen to Joe Galvin, Chief Research Officerfor Vistage Research as he shares
research and insights on customer growthfor high performing SMB CEOs:
Quotable podcast #83
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 2018 19
About the BookToday’s prevailing sales strategies are often based on decadesold practices for bringing products and services tocustomers. In the age of technology, buyers come fully informed about what you have to offer, how you stack upagainst the competition and the different options for solving their business challenges. Successful selling demands anew approach to differentiating your offering, engaging customers, and driving profits.
“Sales Enablement: A Master Framework to Engage, Equip and Empower a WorldClass Sales Force” is the turnkeyroadmap for sales leaders and sales enablement professionals who are serious about building a stateoftheart salesforce. This comprehensive guide shows you how to orchestrate a sustainable system of content, training, coaching,and technology along with proven best practices for equipping your sales teams with everything they need to succeedin today’s competitive sales environments. Download An Excerpt Here
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Don’t Let Technology Dumb You Down
While Corey was talking, I noticed Brianskimming his incoming email. He stole afew seconds to fire a short email to a
supplier to confirm a different client’s order. Brianclosed the call by reiterating his enthusiasm to beworking with Corey.
Brian and I reviewed the call. While we agreedthat this client had no immediate need for Brian’sservices, it was evident we took two differentmessages from the same conversation. Corey hadbriefly mentioned a challenge within his data center,one that suggested a possible future need, and thispotential opportunity had blown right by Brian.
Author Nicholas Carr (The Shallows: What the
internet is doing to our brains) cites a body of workindicating that our attempts to multitask hamper ourability to think deeply and creatively. He citesresearch that found that heavy multitaskers are“much more easily distracted by ‘irrelevantenvironmental stimuli,’” have “significantly lesscontrol over the contents of their working memory,”and are generally “much less able to maintain theirconcentration on a particular task.”* In short,everything distracts them.
This is bad news for you if you’re a salespersonwho’s trying to do it all, all of the time. In fact, yourability to differentiate yourself through relevancerequires you to focus intently on what a customer issaying and to hear the implication of their words.Chances are my rep Brian not only missed animportant clue to future opportunity with this newclient, he might also have neglected to include animportant piece of information in his email to thesupplier.
And there’s a bigger concern here. Scientists saythat the plasticity of our brains means the extensiveuse of digital media may be having physiological and
Brian, a technology salesrep, was on the phonespeaking to Corey, the ITmanager for a new account.It was a brief scheduled call
to introduce Brian as the go-to contact forfuture technology purchases.
Jill Harrington
neurological effects, in essence rewiring our brainsto the point where we may become incapable ofdeep thought. Yet the capability for deep thoughtundoubtedly separates the sales superstars from theaverage seller. So if you think your reliance ontechnology is helping you work smarter, think again.
In today’s technologically driven, fastpaced,multitasking, megasurfing world, we are constantlybombarded with distractions and interruptions. I seeevidence on every call, in every training class, and onthe road, that technology may, in fact, be making usdumber.
And it doesn’t simply relate to multitasking.The robotic use of cookiecutter scripts,
templated presentations, and cutandpasteproposals certainly helps the seller churn out morewith less effort. But your communications tocustomers do little to position you to be a gamechanger if they are unaccompanied by the deepthought required to adapt the content and structureto the interests of the specific audience. Similarly,capturing sales rep activity in a CRM system withoutincluding the valuable client insights gleaned fromthe call is a dumb use of an immensely valuabletechnology.
Our unthinking reliance on technology puts us indanger of creating a sales community of shallowthinkers. And that scares me. Shallow thinking is thearchenemy of the gamechanging sales professional.It commoditizes both seller and customer. And it’scausing supertalented people to fail.
The final nails in the coffin: Twitter, texting,Snapchat, and similar technologies have uscommunicating in sound bites, to the point wherethis is now the primary way that some of us absorbinformation. Just the other day, a local universitybusiness student who had scored low on animportant assignment held her teacher (a colleagueof mine) to task: “I worked hard on this finalassignment. It warrants a higher grade.”
Her teacher agreed that she had worked hard.They reviewed the written instructions together andquickly discovered that this student’s selective
reading had caused her to miss an importantobjective of the assignment. Despite her hard work,her failing grade would stand.
Now imagine the consequences ofmisinterpreting or missing our customers’ wordsbecause we skim instead of reading, or we listenselectively. We’re doing too much important workinattentively rather than being fully present.
So here are my questions to you:What are you doing to manage your use of
technology so that you stay focused on yourinteractions with clients?
Are you disciplined in scheduling uninterrupted“digitally turned off” think time for importantpriorities like refining your business developmentstrategy, defining your VIPs (Very ImportantProspects,) creating thoughtful sales messages, andpositioning your proposals to win?
Excerpt taken from Top Sales & Marketing Book of2017: Uncommon Sense: Shift Your Thinking. TakeNew Action. Boost Your Sales. n
Jill Harrington, sales expert, speaker, trainer,and author (UNCOMMON SENSE: Shift Your
Thinking. Take NEW Action. Boost You Sales),has contributed to the success of thousands
of sales professionals and business ownersaround the globe. www.salesshift.ca
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Hey, Sales Leaders… It’s Time to Get Back to Basics
From consultative selling to social selling. Frombig data to artificial intelligence. From insidesales to business development reps. From
incentives to gamification. It seems that sales suffersno shortage of trends.
And yet, it’s my observation that most salesforces still struggle with the basics. While theattention on social selling has risen, the percentageof reps achieving quota has fallen. While
gamification has gotten hotter, rep productivity hascooled. Amid all the technical and organizationalinnovations, sales management seems to havebecome harder, not easier.
At the risk of sounding like an old man stuck incenturies past, I would like to eschew innovation andbring the conversation back to the basics that ourresearch has proven will grow your revenue. I offeryou three sales management strategies that willnever ever go out of style, as long as revenuegrowth is the fashion.
Coaching, Coaching, Coaching
If ‘modern’ sales management was born in the late19th century, then sales coaching must have beenbirthed close behind. However, effective coachingremains one of the most elusive goals in sales.There’s a certain irony here, since coaching is theone thing in a sales force that everybody can getbehind. Leaders expect it, managers like it, andsellers want it. Literally no one will stand againstcoaching, and zero people have ever objected to it.
I have just completed abusy Spring season ofspeaking at conferences. Infact, I’ve been a prettysteady traveler since we
published Cracking the Sales ManagementCode almost 7 years ago. In that time, Ihave seen the topics of other speakersevolve from sales training to salesenablement.
Jason Jordan
Every study done on coaching shows that it isincredibly powerful when done well. We’ve hadclients double their deal win rates when effectivecoaching was applied. We’ve seen the percentage ofreps at quota improve by 20% when coaching wasmade a priority. Time and again, coaching moves theneedle – it’s just that simple. Don’t try to automateit, don’t try to outsource it, just get your managers todo it.
Pipeline, Pipeline, Pipeline
Well before CRM was an acronym, there were salespipelines in computer spreadsheets. Before that,they were scribbled on chalkboards and the backs ofbar napkins. Sales pipelines are ubiquitous andalways will be. In fact, I believe the sales pipeline isthe most powerful tool that management has underits control, though it’s not often viewed as such. Thepipelines is often reduced to a forecastingmechanism or just another report, but it is muchmore than that. Your sales pipeline contains all ofyour future revenue… Or none of it, if you don’ttreat it right.
Our research shows that companies witheffective pipeline management practices growrevenue 15% faster than their peers without them.There’s gold in them thar pipes, if you know how tomine it. Make it an organizational decree to clean outthe junk and start building a clean, healthy salespipeline. A healthy pipeline will have the ideal size,shape, and contents to reach your sales goals in thenear and long term. An unhealthy pipeline will doomyour sales force to wasted time and effort, right upto the moment when you miss your revenue target.
Activities, Activities, Activities
Here is one insight that is so obvious it somehowescapes everyone’s attention: You can only manageactivities. You can’t manage revenue. You can’tmanage market share. You can’t make a customerbuy from you, and you can’t make them come back
for more. The only thing you can manage is theactivities of your team. Yet our research reveals thatsales forces measure very little activity – only 17%of the metrics in CRM databases are activitybased.As a matter of fact, we tend to focus on the resultswe want, not the actions that cause them.
When you shift your attention from results toactivities, wonderful things happen. You havegreater confidence in your team’s fieldlevelexecution. Salespeople have clear tasks that alignwith their desired outcomes. Managers know what’simportant to measure and coach. You start to seecauseandeffect relationships that inform betterdecisionmaking. We tell our clients that this is oneof the most powerful and deceptively simple thingsyou can do to improve sales performance: Focus ondoing the right things right.
Block and Tackle
It’s quite certain that this will not be the sexiestarticle you’ll read this week, but it could be the mostvaluable. Like most things in life, we tend to makesales more complicated than we should. It’s blockingand tackling that wins games, not the most exoticstrategy. Yet, exotic strategies are the siren song ofsenior leadership. Don’t let it be that way in yoursales force.
Okay, maybe I’m not the trendiest person youknow. I don’t sell on social media, and my life is notgamified. But I do know how to improve salesperformance using tried and true managementstrategies. Coach your sellers, build your pipeline,and focus on the right activities. Trust me… If youdo, great things will follow. n
Jason Jordan is a founding partner of VantagePoint Performance, a global sales
management training and development firmfocused on sales managers. Sign up for
Vantage Point’s newsletter to stay up to datewith the latest sales manager research and
best practices.
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5 Types of Stories Every Salespersonshould be ready to tell
In a dynamic marketplace, salespeople should beprepared to tell 5 types of stories in their pitch orpresentation. Here are pros and cons, tips and
examples for each type of story.
1. Your Organization StoryPros: Your company’s unique origin story canilluminate not just the problem you solve, but why. Acompelling founding story can serve to humanizeyour company and offer insight into your values andpurpose.
Cons: Company stories are like opinions.Everyone has one and most people don’t want tohear yours. Typical company stories don’t relate tothe prospect and come across as a whole lot ofchestthumping.
Tips: Don’t lead with it. Use elements of yourorganization story in response to questions or to
reinforce credibility only after you’ve thoroughlyaddressed your customer’s situation. Your companystory should be succinct and purposeful. Focus onthose points that demonstrate the “why” rather thanthe how.
Example: Our company began because a goodfriend of our founder had his bike light stolen andthen was hit by a car coming home. That’s why weare passionate about providing riders with the mostsecure bike lights available.
2. Customer StoryPros: A good case study or customer testimonial isvital to have on hand for any presentation or pitch.After all, a customer who has benefitted from yourproduct or service has much more credibility thanany vendor, and it allows you to “show” actualresults rather than “tell.”
Stories are a powerful selling tool, but rarely is a single story right for everyselling situation or customer.
Julie Hansen
Cons: Your competitors have their own successstories, so you can’t rely on this alone to distinguishyou. Case studies are often delivered in a clinicalfashion with little focus on the emotional value ofthe solution. Onesizefitall customer stories cancause a prospect to question your understanding oftheir own unique situation.
Tips: Find out enough about your prospect sothat you can choose a wellmatched customer story.Tailor it to highlight the similarities and demonstratespecific outcomes when available. Provide enoughdetail about your customer to bring the story to lifeand give it emotional impact.
3. Business StoryPros: A story about a business or industry that isunrelated to your customer’s business can providesurprising insights into problems, solutions oropportunities.
Cons: Many business stories are overused andcan create audience tune out. For example,everyone’s heard the cautionary tale of companieslike Blockbuster and Blackberry who failed to adaptto the future.
Tips: Look for lesser known stories that offer afresh twist on the message you’re trying tocommunicate. For example, the story below mightbe used to help a prospect think beyond the statusquo:
Example: Fiji water is sold in a square shapedbottle. Many people think this was a marketingeffort to set them apart from competitors. In fact,this unique design is actually a less expensive way toship water as more bottles can be packed in a case.
4. Analogy or metaphorPros: A story that compares something new tosomething familiar is an effective way to help yourcustomer quickly understand complex solutions orfeatures. Analogies are also useful for softening anybeliefs or misconceptions your customer may have.
Cons: Stale analogies can cost you credibilitywhile obscure metaphors that require too much
explanation detract from your point. Tips: Know your audience. Pick a topic for your
metaphor or analogy that your audience is familiarwith. To find the right topic, focus on what your keymessage is (i.e., growth, accuracy, safety, etc.) andbrainstorm the different ways it relates to yourmessage.
Example: Much like an iPhone, our solutionreplaces the need for a whole host of products.
5. Personal story:Pros: Drawing on your own personal experience isone of the most effective and memorable ways tocommunicate a message. Unlike business stories,personal stories can connect with your customer onan emotional level.
Cons: Personal stories are often less polished andtend to meander. There may be some customers,businesses or cultures where telling a personal storyis regarded as inappropriate.
Tips: Know your audience and tailor your storyaccordingly. Keep it succinct. Focus on why you’retelling the story, eliminate unnecessary detail, andwhen you’re done, stop.
Example: “When selling my house, I thought Icould save some money by going with a newer realestate agent. After three failed offers, I finally wentwith a proven agent who helped me price it correctlyand get my house in front of more potential homebuyers. In 3 weeks it sold for $10,000 over theasking price. Like that experienced realtor, we canhelp you avoid costly mistakes and make sure youget in front of as many potential customers aspossible.”
Gain a competitive edge by being prepared todeliver any of these 5 types of stories in your salespitch or presentation. n
Julie Hansen is the Author ofSales Presentations for Dummies.
Learn more about the power of Stories andPerformance in Sales here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 2018 27
TSW Roundtables are a monthly live event providing an expert panel ofimmensely successful thought leaders with the opportunity to share theirviews and debate the current hot topics. These highly interactive sessions,which are moderated/hosted by Top Sales World’s CEO, Jonathan Farrington,welcome and indeed, encourage audience participation to create a forum likeatmosphere. They always go on air at 12 noon Eastern (5 pm GMT).
Up Next … Sales Technology: Have We Become Overwhelmed(Constrained) With The Appliance Of Process?
Top Sales Roundtables
TOP SALES WORLDINSPIRING THE GLOBAL SALES COMMUNITY
REGISTER HERE FOR THIS ROUNDTABLE
David Mattson Jason Jordan George Brontén Tibor SHanto
Whatever your requirements for the size your budget,we can tailor a package for you: we have incrediblyattractive 12month partnership opportunities; majorevent sponsorship availability or straightforward oneoff promotions.
Our magazine reaches over 390,000 subscribers everymonth, and the combined Twitter reach of the TSWcontributors is 4.1 million! Top Sales World is now themost visited, most popular, most exciting and mostsignificant sales related site – period.
Advertise,Partner, Promote,Publicize
Please email us on [email protected] to discover the possibilities.
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 201830
Everything, and everyone are significant.Here’s a powerful lesson about life I wasreminded of by a wise receptionist at a
remote hotel in Peru. Open your eyes, and you’llfind your greatest teachers are right in front of you.
It was almost 11am when I arrived at a small bedand breakfast in Machu Picchu, Peru.
It’s been long journey and I was ready to lie downfor a muchneeded rest. I approached the frontdesk, only to find no one was there. After a fewminutes, I walked around the front desk into theback office and found a gentleman, sitting, reading abook, relaxing and enjoying the breathtaking view.
“Hi. I’m checking in,” I said, half asleep.“Welcome!” the man said enthusiastically. It turns
out this receptionist was also the owner. Afterconfirming who I was, he handed me my room key.
“Thanks! Oh, one more thing. What’s thepassword to connect to the internet?” I asked.
“We don’t have internet access here.”Maybe it was jet lag or pure exhaustion. Maybe I
misheard him. So, I respectfully asked again. “I’msorry, did you say you don’t have internet access?”
“Correct,” the man softly repeated. “We don’thave internet.”
“How do you get online and run your business?How do you access the information you need orstay on top of the news, latest business trends andtechnology that could help build and manage yourbusiness? I’ve traveled the world and every hotelhas internet, at least for the guests. Why don’t you?”I inquired with great curiosity.
“How would that help me?” he asked.“Well, if you were online, you could put up a
As someone committed to lifelong learning, I embrace the lessons theuniverse teaches me. Some are more elusive than others, and most of thetime, you don’t see them coming, or the people who show up in your lifethat are your greatest teachers.
A Journey Back to Your-Self
Keith Rosen
website, since I booked my room here through athirdparty website. Then, you could advertise andcreate more awareness of your beautiful bed andbreakfast. Maybe discover new resources that canhelp manage your business.”
“Why would I need to do that?” the man askedwith warm, calming eyes.
“If you did have an online presence, you can alsobuild your business.”
“Why would I want to build my business?”“For one, you can bring in more guests.”“Then what?” the owner inquired.“Then you have an opportunity to expand your
business; maybe open up another bed andbreakfast.”
“Why would I want to do that?”I complimented the owner on the beauty of his
bed and breakfast and asked how long it took tobuild it. The man replied that it only took a littlewhile. The man said he had enough to support hisfamily’s immediate needs.
I then then asked, “But what do you do with therest of your time?”
The man said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play withmy children, take siesta, stroll into the village eachevening where I sip wine and play guitar with myfriends. I have a full and busy life, sir.”
“But with two properties, you can generate morerevenue, make more money, and hire a staff.”
“Why would I want to hire more people?”“If you did, then you’d be able to delegate some
of your responsibilities, as you build a bigger, moreprofitable business.”
“And, why would I ever want that?”I encouragingly shared, “You would initially have
to work harder and spend more time to get theseadditional properties up and running. But with theprofit, you can open another bed and breakfast.Before you know it, you can own several bed andbreakfasts.”
The fisherman asked, “But how long will this alltake?”
To which I replied, “Anywhere from five to
fifteen years, depending on your goal.”“But what then?”“And then,” I concluded, “You can kick back,
relax, have more time to do the things you want todo, and enjoy your family and the quality of yourlife.”
The man stopped and thought for a moment. I’llnever forget his response. Looking at me with awarm smile and wise, elderly eyes, he profoundlysaid, “What do you think I’m doing now?”
Wow. I had to travel across the world to bereminded of this life lesson. Often in search of ourtrue self and what we think success looks like, onour quest for more; more money, acknowledgment,success, selfawareness, a better job, materialpossessions that we think would truly make ushappy, it was this man from Peru who gave me awonderful gift. A gift of perspective andenlightenment.
The Secret is You
Most people don’t realize that throughout your life’sjourney to achieve what you think you want, thesearch isn’t where you go, but where you look. Andthe meaningful journey to discover who you are andthe life you want starts by looking within. Whilemany of us work hard to amass what we think wewant, it doesn’t define you or who you are, and itwon’t bring you the authentic fulfillment and joy youseek.
The journey to lifelong fulfillment, health,meaning and happiness always starts and endswithin you. n
Keith Rosen is the CEO of Coachquest . Hehas written several best sellers including, OwnYour Day, and the globally acclaimed Coaching
Salespeople into Sales Champions, which stillreigns as the #1 bestselling sales
management coaching book on Amazon forthe last 8 years. Visit Coachquest.com
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It is critical to have someone at the helm, whetherthey are the business owner or a dedicated salesmanager that creates and shares their vision and
strategy while leading, inspiring and developingothers to high standards.
Beyond leadership, however, countless factorscontribute to the success of a growing company. Inmy opinion, the second biggest differentiator is theadaptability of the sales organization. Traditionalsales methods are no longer effective in today’s fastpaced world where technology has redefined almostevery aspect of business and life. Times havechanged, and so should your approach to sales. It’stime for Sales 2.0.
Sales 2.0 Approach
Historically, sales approaches have been freeformand unique to a sales person’s personality, talent,style, and experience. Left to their own devices,
each individual would determine his or her uniquemethod of selling. This may have been effective insome ways, but to try and duplicate the results ofone sales rep, or to train a new hire would be nearlyimpossible.
Research shows that processcentric sales teamsoutperform those that rely on sheer selling skills andthe talent of their sales reps. Just as inmanufacturing, a process promotes knownoutcomes, consistent products, and efficient (i.e.,costsaving) behaviors. No one likes change, but thesales landscape and customers’ needs have changed:competition is stronger and the introductions ofadvanced technology, digital marketing, and socialnetworking have greatly affected the way that salesare made.
Isn’t it time your organization adopted theprinciples of a successful system that will streamlinethe sales process, ensure consistent execution, andconvert more leads to customers?
Sales 2.0 is the new age of selling effectiveness.Today, companies want creative, innovative ways todifferentiate their business, compete moreeffectively, close more accounts, and increase theirsales. Having a sustainable, repeatable, andaccountable sales process is the number one areathat aggressive, proactive companies shouldaddress.
Sales 2.0 Methodology
At K.Coaching, we recommend a Sales 2.0Methodology that explores the following:
l What are the clear differentiators in your
As an executive business coach, I’m often asked what the differentiatoris between successful and growing businesses and those that are slow togrow. My first response is always “Effective sales leadership.”
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 201832
Sales 2.0
Krista Moore
business your unique business proposition? l What are your strengths as a company? What
has sustained time, economic conditions, andcompetitors?
l Have you reviewed your brand, image, andmessaging recently? Should it be updated to alignwith your differentiators and strengths? Are yousending the right message to your clients andprospects?
l Do your logo and tag line match the image andbrand message that you want to portray? Is itcurrent and relevant?
l Are your sales, operations, and servicerepresentatives living your brand and carrying itto the market every day? Do they know andunderstand the mission of your organization?
l How can your sales process be better alignedwith marketing to be more targeted andautomated for greater impact?
Sales 2.0 Processes
After the above is determined, it is time to documentand validate your prospecting and sales processes.
A prospecting process may be as simple as aphased approach: Prequalify, Uncover Needs,Apply Solutions, and Close.
A sales process is a bit more involved.
1. Observe and document all of the steps that areinvolved in turning a prospect into a customer.
2. Design a systematic system that reps can followto successfully win business and close accounts.
3. Take into account methods for winning newbusiness, selling more to existing clients, andimproving customer loyalty.
4. Create the job aids, tools, and resources tosupport the sales rep through each phase of thesales process; these include consistentlyformatted letters, email templates, conversationguides, scripts, client testimonials, and marketingcollateral.
A stepbystep guide and a tool set of polishedmaterials will enable your sales reps to be consistent,learn and improve through repetition, close andkeep more business. Aligning a phased approachwith the correct marketing, job aids, training andtechnology takes it to a different level ofeffectiveness!
Sales 2.0 Execution
Once you have a documented sales process, you areready to execute the next generation of sales. A keyaspect of Sales 2.0 involves aligning your definedsales process with an automation tool. Manybusinesses are investing in technology with CRMtools and data intelligence systems to help theircompany and their sales reps become more processoriented and more sharply focused. When usedproperly, these tools and practices ultimately resultin better account management, improved retentionand penetration rates, and organized prospecting.
Sales 2.0 automation involves guiding the repsthrough the sales process and prompting the nextsteps, with appropriate, consistent sales andmarketing aids at their fingertips. This is a freshapproach that will dramatically increase theeffectiveness of your sales team as they go frombeing reactive to proactive. Particularly when itcomes to prospecting, having a proven and effectivetemplate of steps to follow, with supporting aids andmetrics for measuring effectiveness will prove to beinvaluable. These tools ultimately result in ashortened sales cycle, closing more business faster,selling skills development, higher retention rates,and the attraction of better sales talent.
Sales 2.0 is a powerful, proven concept thataligns your organization’s mission with a currentsales approach to ensure aggressive and consistentexecution by everyone, every time and every day.Results = business growth! n
Krista Moore is President/CEO,K.Coaching, Inc. Find out more here
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3 Ways to Add Value to Your Sales Meetings(Most Sellers Don’t Do)
Many sellers talk about value and say theyprovide exceptional value to theircustomers, yet few are actually delivering on
this promise. In the study of 488 buyers, they revealed that 58
percent of sales meetings are not valuable. More than half of the sales meetings buyers are
attending provide no value to them! Those sellers whodo provide value, however, have a great advantage.
What does value look like?
Sellers must get better at driving value in salesmeetings. This begs the question, what do buyersvalue?
To find out, we asked the buyers in our study whatfactors influence their ultimate purchase decision.Their answers point to what they value most fromsellers:
l 93 percent: collaborates with me.l 92 percent: educates me with new ideas and
perspectives.
l 92 percent: provides valuable insight related to myindustry or market.
Here are three meaningful ways you can add value toyour sales meetings.
1. Collaborate with Buyers
Buyers want sellers who will work with and guide themto make better decisions. They want sellers to beconsultants who facilitate discussions, push back onbuyer thinking, ask insightful questions, pull out ideasfrom them, and provide expert advice.
They’re looking for sellers who will help them shapethe path forward together.
Buyers at both new logos and existing accountswant sellers who collaborate. For example, we foundthat top performers in strategic account managementare 2.2 times more effective at working collaborativelywith accounts to cocreate value.
Collaboration vs. Presentation – An Example ofIntestinal Meat
Everyone likes intestinal meat, right? I mean, it’s so
One of the most eye-opening stats from our latest research, TopPerformance in Sales Prospecting, is the lack of value buyers report receivingin their sales meetings.
Mike Schultz
popular that it’s springing up on menu after menu in allthe busiest restaurants, and even the kids are eating it.
Well, maybe not, but collaboration might just beable to make it happen.
One of the founders of organizational psychology,Kurt Lewin, set up a test with two groups ofhomemakers. His team lectured the first group on thereasons and benefits of eating intestinal meat. Theyalso applied social pressure and played on thehomemakers’ senses of patriotism (“you’ll help the wareffort”) to persuade them. They even brought in othersto talk about how much they loved intestinal meat andgave the homemakers recipes to try.
The second group participated in a facilitateddiscussion. Study leaders asked the homemakers howthey might persuade other homemakers to bring thebenefits of intestinal meat to their families. They talkedit out, roleplayed conversations, and shared ideas.
The results were astounding:
l 32 percent of the collaborative discussion groupwent on to serve intestinal meat to their families athome.
l 3 percent of the first group did.
The collaborative process was 10 times more effectivethan the pitchonly persuasion.
When you collaborate, buyers find your meetingsmuch more valuable.
2. Educate Buyers with New Ideas andPerspectives
The emphasis here is on new ideas. What’s new to onebuyer may not be to another. What one buyer findsinsightful may only validate what another buyeralready knows.
If you want to provide new ideas, don’t start with apresentation on something that may or may not benew to the buyer. Instead, start by asking insightfulquestions. Asking these questions can be extremelyvaluable to both you and your buyers.
Once you help the buyer clearly understand the
situation, you can share your expertise, guide theconversation, and inspire them with new ideas.
3. Become an Industry and ProblemSolvingExpert
Buyers want to know what’s going on in their market.They want to know what other companies in theirindustry are doing to succeed. You can be that sourceof information.
In our Top Performance in Sales Prospecting research,the top offers most likely to influence buyers to accepta meeting or connect include: primary research datarelevant to our business (69 percent), descriptions ofthe provider’s capabilities (67 percent), content 100percent customized to our specific situation (67percent), and insight on the use of products or servicesto solve business problems (66 percent).
To start, use your company’s research on topicsrelevant to buyers and deliver that research to them.Or, collect case studies from your customers anddevelop lists of best practices. Then, reach out to yourbuyers with offers to share these best practices,findings, or results in a meeting.
When you show up to the meeting, don’t pitchyour products or services. Deliver what you said youwould—the research, cases, or best practices — anduse this time to demonstrate how your products andservices help achieve these outcomes.
Don’t forget to ask questions and collaborate withbuyers to make it even that much more valuable.
In your next sales meeting, focus on collaboratingwith buyers, educating them with new ideas, andsharing marketing or industry insights. Do this andyou’ll not only deliver more valuable meetings, butyou’ll also win more sales. n
Mike Schultz is a bestselling author ofRainmaking Conversations and Insight Selling,Director of the RAIN Group Center for Sales
Research, and President of RAIN Group, aglobal sales training and performance
improvement company.
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Are You Opening The Door For Your Competition4 Strategies to Stop Inviting The “Other Guy” To Dinner
You sat down and asked well thought outquestions, and you really listened. Youinvested the time to learn what is going on
with them and about their challenges and theirgoals. Perhaps it is has been a while, well you arenot the only one.
My husband and I just had our financial reviewwith our bankers, you know that twice a yearmeeting you have to go over your accounts andyour investments. It was a great meeting, we talkedin detail about our accounts, our next steps, andfuture goals. As we started to wrap up, our banker,nonchalantly, asked when was the last we had ourinsurance policies updated and reviewed? He wasreferring to our life, longterm care, homes, cars, thefull review.
You see, over the course of our conversationsthat morning, we had shared that it had been a busyyear. We were adding on to our home, a new roomand sun deck. We had also had purchased two newcars, and were thinking about selling our beachplace. We had even gone so far as to joke abouthow we would be in desperate need of an upgradeon our homeowners policy one this edition wascomplete.
The moment our banker asked that question,asked when the last time was we had our insurancepolicy reviewed. I realized just how closely he hadbeen listening to us, and I thought how sad for ourcurrent insurance agent. Because I realized ourcurrent insurance agent had just kicked the dooropen and invited his competition in to take his
When is the last time you made a call on your existing clients? No , I don’tmean saw them, said hello or invited them to an event, I mean really madea call. You actually scheduled the appointment, and prepared for theconversation.
Meridith Elliott Powell
business. Plus he had made it so easy.While we like our insurance agent, he is a nice
guy. We see him at events and talk to him onoccasion, he never, and may I repeat never,proactively has a meeting or a call with us to updateor review our relationship. He just assumeseverything is good on our side and if we needanything we will call.
In other words, he leaves the doorwide open, and invites thecompetition in to take his business.Well more than his business hisfees, his commission and anyopportunity to grow this relationship.Not to mention future referrals.
The whole exchange made methink, how many of us in the salesprofession are working hard to getnew business, only to leave the doorwide open and invite our competitionin to take our business?
Here Are Four Surefire StrategiesYou Need To Keep The Door ClosedAnd Your Competition Out:
1. Don’t Assume – Understand youexisting clients are your best salesforce , and your easiest way to growyour business and portfolio. If they are happy andwell take care of they will tell everyone they know.Never assume they are well taken care, loyal to youor cannot be taken by your competition. You needto “re win” your existing business on a routine basis,and treat them as if this is business you are trying towin – because it is.
2. Be Proactive – seeing clients at Rotary, on thegolf course or at a party does not count as aproactive sales call. If is your job, not theirs, to reachout and touch base. Contact them before theycontact you. Make a point to not only see yourcustomers, but have a great indepth conversation
so you can rest assured you are well aware ofwhere they are headed and how you can help.
3. Call Anyway – Even if clients say they don’twant to see or talk to you, make the call or find away to be visible with them anyway. If they aregood clients, someone wants their business ,and if
you are not out there caring for thatrelationship you are just opening thedoor and inviting your competition in.
4. Create Opportunity – Our client’sare not aware of all the products andservices we offer, and it is not theirjob to know. When we are proactivewe learn about the changes in theirbusinesses, new challenges in theirlives, and new and excitingopportunities they have coming in thefuture. We need to take thatknowledge and that information andmatch it to our products and services.When our clients talk, we need tolisten and then think in our minds howour products and services can helpthem achieve their goals. If we wantto keep the competition, out we needto create more opportunity for ourcustomer’s do more business with us.
Put these three strategies into place, and you willnot only close the door to your competition, butyou will put yourself in a position to expandrelationships and build your bottom line.
And yes, we did answer our banker’s question.We let him know that we could not remember thelast time we had had our insurance reviewed or anupdate done. And yes, we would be happy to openthe door and invite our insurance agent’scompetition right in. n
Meridith Elliott Powell is the CEO ofMotionFirst. Find more here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 2018 37
“Put these three
strategies intoplace, and you willnot only close the
door to yourcompetition, but
you will putyourself in a
position to expandrelationships andbuild your bottom
line.”
Top Sales Post
Humans have been waiting for thousands ofyears to discover the secrets of life. Why are
we here? Why do bad things happen? Whathappens after we die? Is Heaven real? What isGod's plan for us?
While many experts have attempted to answer allof these questions, most of us lack proof. There's nodata. If we wake up tomorrow morning andsuddenly there are not only answers to thesequestions, but sciencebased proof, that would be agamechanger for us.
Likewise, every day most companies try todetermine why their salespeople don't close morebusiness, why so many opportunities die on the vine,and what they need to do differently to changechange their results. They try everything! Most
leaders think it's an issue of closing skills. It's not.Others think it's about prospecting. While that hasan impact on the size and quality of the pipeline, ithas little to do with results. But I have discoveredthe cause, will show you the data, and discuss howto fix it.
Recently, Objective Management Group (OMG)integrated its sales force evaluation and its pipelineanalysis. Previously, the pipeline analysis was aseparate chapter and while very revealing, the datawas standalone. OMG also expanded its analysis ofsalespeople's ability to reach decision makers andrather than a finding as it once was, it is now a fullcompetency with 8 attributes.
I have reviewed several dozen sales forceevaluations conducted...
May’s Top Sales PostDiscovered Data Reveals the Biggest Obstacle toClosing More Sales by Dave Kurlan
Read Full Article Here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE JUNE 201840
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