Getting Inside the Black Box: Harsh Realities of Selling to a Committee

“Committees” are the mysterious black boxes of the sales universe. Sellers often assume they know what’s inside the box only to find that it was not at all what they suspected.  The word “committee” is often used to cloak a buying process in secrecy.  One individual’s “committee” is another’s team or group.  When executives are […]

Lost & Found: Finding Who Cares & Who Pays

As buying processes become more complex, sellers find it increasingly difficult to identify all of the stakeholders and buying influences.  There are two over-riding reasons.  First, the seller never bothered to “map” the buying process in the target organization.  Without that vital information, it’s difficult to appreciate how multi-layered a buying process can become.  Often […]

Why Last Sales Quarter Was a Miss!

Well, for most of us we are almost halfway through Q-2. As you reflect on Q-1 you may come to one of the following conclusions: Q-1 was a good sales quarter. One down and three quarters to go to make my annual revenue plan. Q-1 wasn’t great but it wasn’t a total bust. I am […]

Concession Strategy in Complex Negotiations–Planning Your Give-And-Take: Part 2

In “Concession Strategy Part 1” we explored what goes into a concession strategy, the importance of detecting your counter-part’s approach to negotiation (collaborative vs. competitive) and four guidelines for conceding. In Concession Strategy Part 2 we’ll focus on the five skills you should develop or refine to become a better practitioner of “win-win” negotiations. It […]

Concession Strategy in Complex Negotiations–Planning Your Give-And-Take: Part 1

Consider this situation. Your manager offers you a newly created sales management position that includes an increase in salary and a $30,000 bonus. As you reflect on the offer you realize that if you earn your bonus, your total compensation will increase but not markedly since you are paid a salary plus commission now and […]

Is Sales Planning a Waste of Time?

The Context In a recent sales workshop we had lunch with three sales representatives. For purposes of anonymity we will call them Abbie (A), Bill (B) and Charlie (C). It was 10 months into their fiscal year and the conversation turned to their sales funnels, sales planning activities and their efforts to close the year […]

Lesson Learned: No Response! Why?

In a recent sales workshop a participant asked us for some help to solve a problem that perplexed her. We asked for some context before she asked her question. Here is the scenario she (we’ll call her Sally to protect her identity) painted for us rather graphically. Have you ever found yourself in this situation? […]

30 Words or Phrases That Resonate With Hospital Buyers!

Newsflash! Hospitals don’t simply buy products and services; they seek out quality solutions to solve problems. Healthcare professionals are looking for partners that can help them to fix gaps in service delivery and help them to avoid complacency in order to achieve exceptional results. If you want to connect with hospital buyers, it’s essential to […]

Do You Know the Pathway to the PO?

Hallelujah you have just been told you won the sale. Now the next challenge is to get the purchase order (PO). Be careful about celebrating too soon, you are not home yet. You would be wise not to include this order against your sales goal at this time. Finally, don’t forecast it yet and above […]

13 Questions You Should Be Able to Answer in Every Opportunity Review! Part 2

Within MedTech sales every sales professional manages a myriad of sales opportunities. Each of these is at different stages of the buying process within their “sales funnel.” It is good practice to review the most important opportunities with your manager. Best in class sales organizations do these reviews with a finite schedule, when key changes […]