Do You Take a “Posse” to Sales Calls?
As we discuss call planning and execution with sales professionals we often come across organizations that send several company personnel on a sales call. This selling approach is much like dispatching a “posse”–a metaphor from the frontier era–when a band of citizens, led by a sheriff, chased down and cornered a bandit. Sales calls can […]
How Well Do You Know Your Buyer?
Buyers begin each purchasing process with varied degrees of knowledge. Some may have direct experience with products and solutions, while others may have read blogs and industry reports or had conversations with former buyers. That perspective includes information, data, experiences and feelings. Some knowledge may be firmly grounded in direct experiences while other aspects […]
Lesson Learned from a Sales Autopsy
Recently we had an interesting conversation with Ben, a very frustrated medical device sales representative. Ben has been a top 5% performer for his firm (Origin) in each of the last five years. He has exceeded quotas every year and consistently outsold his competitors. Origin competes against several companies that offer similar services. Further, Origin […]
Partnering with Procurement: Five Steps to Building Buy-Sell Collaboration
All too often sellers view Procurement staff as the dark forces that obstruct the selling process. They are the “black hats” that delay or stop sales. They are the commandoes of commoditization. Some sellers subscribe to the belief that Procurement is obsessed with price discounts and turns a “blind eye” to obvious product value. Consider […]
Getting Past the Gatekeeper!
You can’t sell if you can’t get in front of the people who would find value in talking to you. It’s a vital step in the sales process and none of your other selling skills matter if you can’t get to the people who buy. Getting past the gatekeeper is critical. A Gatekeepers has two […]
4 Sales Reviews That Every Organization Should Conduct Routinely!
In meeting with sales executives and global account managers who exceed their revenue goal each year, discussion invariably focuses on the benefits of four review processes that pave a pathway to sales success. Successful sales executives meticulously conduct four types of sales review processes: Win-Loss Analyses, Global/Strategic Account Reviews, Must-Win Reviews and Funnel Reviews. Let’s […]
10 “Best Practices” Sales Representatives Should Consider When Planning That “Big” Presentation
Sales representatives give presentations all the time. They can range from a fifteen-minute Q & A to a multi-hour comprehensive review of a company’s response to an RFP. There are decades of books, programs, videos, articles and chapters on conducting an effective sales presentation. Unfortunately, most sales representatives build a comfort zone around a PowerPoint […]
Another Sales Year–Another Sales Quota Miss!
It’s a new sales year and last year is behind us. The slate is clean and everyone begins at the same starting point. In every sales organization optimism soars at this time of year. Recent research findings, however, suggest there are reasons for grave concern. The Fact CSO Insights, a division of MHI Global, paints […]
Crafting a Powerful “Green Field” Sales Strategy
While many account managers are quick to voice their desire to become a “trusted advisor” or “valued partner” to their key customers, they are mistaken in believing that periodic, well defined and publicly completed sales opportunities will serve as effective pathways. Savvy account managers don’t strive for incremental growth year-over-year, they are obsessed with developing […]
What Is a “Green Field” Sales Strategy?
In many regards, account managers—especially those charged with managing large, revenue generating account teams—have to adopt two very different mindsets. On one hand, they must develop a powerful defensive strategy to insure the competition doesn’t gain a foothold that compromises existing business. On the other hand, they must craft an offensive strategy that will grow […]
