Revolutionary Marketing and Sales Strategies

Putting Technology In Perspective

Technology has certainly done wonders for all of us in the Sales and Marketing professions.  Personally I love technology and using the latest and greatest tools.  I use many of them and have extracted a ton of value from them.  In fact. I've written about the underutilization of great sales and marketing tools.

At some point though, we (including me) need to get back to a more balanced approach.  Balanced between people, process and technology ... almost on a 1/3 : 1/3 : 1/3 basis.

I was watching a 60 Minutes segment with Prince Charles this past Sunday and something he said struck a chord with me.  He made a statement along that lines that in many regards technology has destroyed our socialization skills, our sense of human-ness.  My thought was that technology didn't do this but the way in which we use, and rely upon, technology has.

In the people/process/technology triad, my experience is that the people part of that equation is the most important part AND it has been the first-to-go as we become more technology reliant.  This applies equally, if not more so, at the management level than at the individual contributor level. Additionally, people skills are the most difficult to master and improve upon.  Whenever I don't feel like trying to work on "people" guess what I do?  I play around with technology.  So much so that my 1/3:1/3:1/3 balance is tilted way too much toward technology.

The challenge is getting us back to a state of equilibrium.

A good friend of mine, Kevin Ashworth, sent this to me the other day.  It talks a little bit about how relationships and friends used to be such an integral part of our lives:
Download TO_ALL_THE_KIDS_WHO_SURVIVED.doc (24.5K)

Sales Statistics

Read these sales statistics.  If they are true, some of us should be very afraid, while others of us should be full of hope ... depends on your perspective.  Here's the link:

Culpepper Sales Factoids

When Meeting Customer Needs is Not Enough - Part B

Article contributed by Barry Rosen, President of The Pursuit Group
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When it comes to “meeting customer needs,” top performers implement a structured and consistent program for identifying customer needs, then use this insight to generate solutions.   We call such a program Solutioneering.

Please note:  Solutioneering is not market research, where marketplace intelligence is gathered to identify new products and services for development.  Rather, Solutioneering is the organized practice of understanding an individual customer’s business issues – including those issues that don’t directly relate to your product or service – and aggregating a set of solutions that will make a difference for that customer and others with like needs.

 

An example:  ABC, Inc. has a network of service locations and couriers across the country.  Its insurance carrier provides an array of driver safety training that can reduce ABC’s accident rate and lower its insurance cost.  But, ABC is challenged to communicate the details, and manage compliance, for this training among its widely dispersed staff.  Through its Solutioneering effort, XYZ Insurance offers to create and administer a simple follow-up and testing program to ABC’s drivers that will increase compliance and identify additional training needs.  XYZ also creates a reporting form that it will review monthly with ABC to document progress.

In this example, Solutioneering works for XYZ on several levels.  For one, it demonstrates a clear understanding of the customer’s needs.  Secondly, it creates a meaningful differentiation between XYZ and other providers, even when the product – insurance in this case – is exactly the same.  And thirdly, it changes the comparative value proposition, forcing the buyer to evaluate purchase options on value received, rather than on price paid.

Starting an effective Solutioneering program at your organization will require a multi-discipline team that can think creatively about the customer’s needs and the solutions you could provide.  And, if your focus has traditionally been more “pushing product” than truly “meeting customer needs” you’ll need to address that first.   But it’s worth the effort.  Not only can it lead to a more loyal and profitable customer base, but effective Solutioneering may be the closest you can get to a sustainable competitive selling advantage. 

When Meeting Customer Needs is Not Enough - Part A

Article contributed by Barry Rosen, President of The Pursuit Group
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Using Solutioneering to Improve Sales Performance

Today’s sales managers typically agree that “meeting customer needs” is one of their team’s highest priorities. (In case they don’t agree, use this:  In a recent poll conducted by Revolutionary Marketing and Sales Strategies, 82% of top-level executives cited “Ability to demonstrate they understand my issues” as the number one reason for sales success.)

But what does “meeting customer needs” really mean?  And how can we do it better?

In our work with business-to-business sales organizations, we come across a wide range of perspectives for “meeting customer needs”.  Unfortunately, these perspectives are often observed in practice as “persuading customers that our product will meet their needs”. 

Highly successful sales organizations are clearly different ....

Find out how in Part B of this article which will be released on October 19th, 2005.

Close Technology Deals Faster! - Part 4 of 4

How to Get CEOs to Love You, Your Technology and Get Your Contracts Signed Faster!
Article Contributed by Oreste "Rusty" D'Aversa, President SELL More Technology NOW! www.SELLMoreTechnologyNOW.com

Know, Like and Trust
Know, like and trust are the three most important characteristics senior management people like to see in sales professional when doing business with your organization.  Though these are “soft” quality they are extremely important.  People buy emotionally and justify intellectually.  If you do not strike the right cords with the senior management team chances are very good they will not sign your contract.  These characteristics can be achieved by any number of ways.  Know – perform a needs analysis consultation, by doing so you are spending time with your prospect. Like – when talking to senior management and ask them about their professional needs, wants and desires. Trust – keep your word on everything – say what you mean and mean what you say!

Consultative Seller
Another very important characteristic of a technology-based sales executive is to be a strong consultative seller.  When meeting with senior management learn about their business and what the real problems are with their technology operations.  Many times you are told what the “symptoms” are of the problem and are not being told the true cause.  Do your best to get to the core or root of the problem.  By doing so you may even find a larger deal than you anticipated.   Also, be an active listener when speaking with senior members of the management.  Many senior management team members tell me that too many sales people come in and really do not “hear” what is being said but rather are just interested in getting their deal signed and their solution installed as quickly as possible.

Persistent but Professional
Senior management people are extremely busy with running the affairs of their companies.  Your technology contract may not be the number one priority on their mind.  Fear not if it is on their list they will get back to you.  What to do in the mean time?  Be persistent and professional.  When calling always ask for a time that is good for your prospect.  Morning, noon or night, be accessible for senior management to call you.  Make it is easy to buy from you.  Leave your office number, cell phone number and email address so you can be contacted immediately.  If you are working a hot opportunity and your deal is in the contract phase, you’re getting ready to close.  So how often should to contact senior management?  While there is no rule written in stone, I would suggest no more that three times within a given week.  A tip is to call before or after business hours as these are the times when there is no one in the office and you may get a senior member of the management team to pick up the phone.

What you have learned in this article have been real life – battle tested techniques that are currently being used in the field to get members of the senior management team to like you, your technology based products and services and to get your contracts signed faster.  While no one technique is absolute and works every time like having a “Swiss Army Knife” (different techniques for different circumstances) approach will greatly increase your probability of closing more technology based deals. 

Oreste "Rusty" D'Aversa has more than 20 years experience in technology-based sales. He is a speaker, consultant, author, university lecturer and advisor to senior management providing strategic sales planning, consulting and training services to technology based: corporations, small to medium sized businesses, entrepreneurs, sales people and consultants.  He is author of the book, SELL More Technology NOW! Proven Sales Methods and Established Practices that Deliver Results. He can be reached at 201-727-9368 or email Rusty@SELLMoreTechnologyNOW.com Visit www.SELLMoreTechnologyNOW.com for more information.

David Nour on Relationship Economics

Do NOT miss this week's Boosting Executive Level Relationships Across Verticals webcast.  As most of you know, this Thursday, 10/13, from 2pm to 3pm Eastern time, we are going to have as our special guest, David Nour, Managing Partner of The Nour Group.  David is THE authority on the subject of Relationship Economics.  Read the flyer on this event and RSVP if interested in attending:

Read the event flyer on Boosting Executive Level Relationships Across Verticals webcast (141.8K)

See you there !!!

 

Close Technology Deals Faster! - Part 3 of 4

How to Get CEOs to Love You, Your Technology and Get Your Contracts Signed Faster!
Article Contributed by Oreste "Rusty" D'Aversa, President SELL More Technology NOW! www.SELLMoreTechnologyNOW.com

Don’t Lower Your Price
When deals don’t close with your necessary time frame don’t be quick to lower your price rather increase the value of your offering to your prospect.  When your prospect is dragging their heels to sign your contract build more value in your deal to get them to move forward faster.  The value may be in the form of extended services contract, 24 x 7 support or any other product or service that does not cost you much but delivers much value in the eyes of your prospect.  Also if you give something, you must receive something, so when you give additional value, put a price on that value and a date as to when the additional value will expire.  By doing so there is an incentive to your prospect to sign your contract to get the extra value added “goodies”!

The Company You Keep
Another tactic to get your contract signed faster is to supply client references to your prospect - with a different twist.  References are extremely important especially if you’re selling technology based services.  The twist is - having your references call your prospect as opposed to your prospect calling your client.   Ask one of your current clients with which you have a very strong relationship to call your prospect on your behalf.  You will be pleasantly surprised as to your prospect willingness to talk to your client, especially if your client is a CEO/President or a senior member of the management team.  This technique also known as “Executive Bridging” and has closed many a stalled deal. I have spoken about what the CEO is looking for from your technology based solution now what is the CEO looking for in the sales professional who is working the opportunity.

Oreste "Rusty" D'Aversa has more than 20 years experience in technology-based sales. He is a speaker, consultant, author, university lecturer and advisor to senior management providing strategic sales planning, consulting and training services to technology based: corporations, small to medium sized businesses, entrepreneurs, sales people and consultants.  He is author of the book, SELL More Technology NOW! Proven Sales Methods and Established Practices that Deliver Results. He can be reached at 201-727-9368 or email Rusty@SELLMoreTechnologyNOW.com Visit www.SELLMoreTechnologyNOW.com for more information.

Close Technology Deals Faster! - Part 2 of 4

How to Get CEOs to Love You, Your Technology and Get Your Contracts Signed Faster!
Article Contributed by Oreste "Rusty" D'Aversa, President SELL More Technology NOW! www.SELLMoreTechnologyNOW.com

Business Issues versus Technical Issues
Having asked the question to CEOs/Presidents, “What are the most important issues when making an investment in technology based products and services?”  Their answers had nothing to do with the technology itself but rather the business problems they solve.  People who run companies are concerned with how your technology based product or service can: save them money, make them money, increase company productivity, do things quicker – faster – smarter, is user friendly so that the employees will use it and if there is a problem know they can get their problem solved in a quick, efficient and courteous manner.

Very few senior management individuals will not know the difference between a firewall and a “hole on the wall” nor are they paid to do so.  Senior executives are concerned with Profit and Loss type business issues.  When a technology based sales person meets with a prospective company and starts discussing how “128 bit WEP Security needs to be used in your WAN” you might as well be speaking a foreign language.  While this is an important Technical Issue it is not a business issue that most senior management will understand.  Now take that same statement and say “the importance of using 128 bit WEP Security in your Wide Area Network it protects your company from financial exposure and liability from hackers and other bad people.” Now senior management clearly understands that if they do not deploy this type of technology the company is at risk.  Senior management is in the business of Risk Management – how can they manage or mitigate business risk to their organization.

It is critical when speaking to senior management that you talk in terms of Business Issues and discuss only Technical Issues when and if warranted.  You will find that Technical Issues tend to be discussed with department or divisional management and Business Issues tend to be discussed with senior management.  While this may not always be the case is it true more times than not.

Understanding the difference between Business Issues and Technical Issues will give you the advantage over your competition.  Many a deal has been lost because the sales person was focusing more on the technical issues rather than the business issues.  Technology is a business tool for companies to work more efficiently and effectively, it must reduce costs and increase productivity or it is not a good investment.  Simply put, companies are in business to make money.  Your technology based product or service must have answers to these issues.

Oreste "Rusty" D'Aversa has more than 20 years experience in technology-based sales. He is a speaker, consultant, author, university lecturer and advisor to senior management providing strategic sales planning, consulting and training services to technology based: corporations, small to medium sized businesses, entrepreneurs, sales people and consultants.  He is author of the book, SELL More Technology NOW! Proven Sales Methods and Established Practices that Deliver Results. He can be reached at 201-727-9368 or email Rusty@SELLMoreTechnologyNOW.com Visit www.SELLMoreTechnologyNOW.com for more information.

New, High-Powered Guest Authors

I am proud and honored to announce four incredible new guest authors to the Revolutionary Marketing and Sales Strategies weblog.  We're all looking forward to current, relevant and actionable content from these folks.  Enjoy, learn and grow:

Keith Eades - Chairman of Sales Performance International and author of two recently published books, "The New Solution Selling" and "The Solution Selling Fieldbook" 

Naras Eechambadi - CEO of Quaero, author of the soon to be released book, High Performance Marketing and on the Board of Advisors at CRMguru.com.

Renee Walkup - CEO of Salespeak and author of Selling to Anyone Over the Phone

Oreste "Rusty" D'Aversa - CEO and author of Sell More Technology NOW

Always trying to add value to my marketing and sales sisters and brethren :)

Close Technology Deals Faster! - Part 1 of 4

How to Get CEOs to Love You, Your Technology and Get Your Contracts Signed Faster!
Article Contributed by Oreste "Rusty" D'Aversa, President SELL More Technology NOW! www.SELLMoreTechnologyNOW.com

Having personally sold millions of dollars of technology based products and services, I know the challenges encountered to get your deal closed and your contract signed in a timely manner, especially when you have quotas to achieve, sales forecasts to complete and a management team who are seeking answers as to when you will be picking up a signed contract. At times it may seem easier to perform the events of a modern day reality show of walking through fire or playing in a cave full of snakes than to get time with a CEO or senior member of the management team to find out when you can get their signature.

You are a sales professional, on top of your game, working your deal.  You qualify your prospect, do your need analysis, do your presentation and supply your references.  You work your sales process (and if you don’t have a sales process to close technology deals you better get one immediately!), the deal is going well, moving at a good pace, you go in for the close, they like what they see…you are the “Black Belt” of technology salespeople!  You submit your contract - then the deal goes into the “black hole” of “it needs to be signed by the President”. Then you ask - When will it come out? When will my contract be signed? What do I tell MY management team about when the deal will come in?

To get your contracts signed faster you need to know what is important to the CEO or the Contract Signer.  The contract signer, depending on the size of your technology deal and the size of the company you are selling to, is sometimes the President or someone in senior management.  You need to find out what is keeping these people up at night!  Since some of my clients are CEOs and Presidents of small to medium sized businesses and being in the position of “Trusted Advisor” they confide in me as to the concerns they have regarding the business issues in operating their organizations.

Oreste "Rusty" D'Aversa has more than 20 years experience in technology-based sales. He is a speaker, consultant, author, university lecturer and advisor to senior management providing strategic sales planning, consulting and training services to technology based: corporations, small to medium sized businesses, entrepreneurs, sales people and consultants.  He is author of the book, SELL More Technology NOW! Proven Sales Methods and Established Practices that Deliver Results. He can be reached at 201-727-9368 or email Rusty@SELLMoreTechnologyNOW.com Visit www.SELLMoreTechnologyNOW.com for more information.

 

Upcoming "Boosting Executive Level Relationships Across Verticals" Webcast

As many of you know, I host a webcast every so often (whenever it tickles my fancy), around the theme of "Boosting Executive Level Relationships Across Verticals".

On October 13th from 2-3pm Eastern Time, I will have, as my special guest, David Nour, Managing Partner of The Nour Group.  David is THE absolute authority on the subject of Relationship Economics™, The Art and Science of Relationships. Below is an event flyer with more details:

Download NourAppearance101305.pdf

This should prove to be a well-attended webcast as it has relevance across-the-board.  My guess is that we'll have more attendees than we have room for on the webcast.  As a result, this is an event that requires an RSVP to confirm your attendance.  RSVP by emailing me at sjones@executive-link.com.  Once you confirm, within 48 business hours you'll receive the web and audio access codes needed to participate.

Stay tuned as we are going to be having some absolutely incredible guests on the webcast in the near future.

Selling to Multiple Decision Makers

Article contributed by Renee Walkup, CEO of SalesPEAK and author of her recently released book Selling To Anyone Over The Phone 
 

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In this article, you will learn how to:

1. Have a strategy for selling to multiple decision-makers
2. Identify those who are your internal "coaches"
3. Use hints, tips, and ideas that will help you close more business!

Would you ever consider purchasing a new car without asking a family member or a friend to look at it with you? Probably not. Now think for a moment about your buyers. Most buyers today don't make decisions by themselves even when they have the authority, the need, and the money to buy.

Why not? The reason is risk-adverse buyers want to insure that they are making the right decision for their companies. Sometimes your customers may even worry that a wrong buying decision may cost them their job! So to close more sales, become an expert in selling to multiple decision makers-reducing the customers risk and increasing your likelihood of closing the sale. Here's how to go about it, using the acronym CLOSE.

C = Contact all of the possible decision makers involved. First, find out who you need to contact. Ask this specific question.  "Who else is going to get involved in the decision and what is the decision process?"  Then be quiet, while the customer talks.  Now go and contact everyone who is involved and focus on what is important to them, as individuals.  It's OK to contact the buyers using  personal appointments, telephone, e-mail, fax, and snail mail.
L = Learn as much about the buyers as possible. Begin building relationships with each of the buyers immediately.  Use your skills as an interpersonal relationship-building expert and match their personalities to generate trust and a desire to do business with you.  Uncover their wants, needs, and goals, so that you can put the best spin on your product with each buyer.  This will help you create a trusting relationship with them so that you'll have the support that you need to close the sale.
O = Organize your sales strategy. Once you have uncovered each individual's needs and goals, start tailoring your presentation.  For example, if you have an analytical person on the buying committee, provide him/her with back up statistics, testimonial letters, white papers, and more.  They may need to use or see a demo, visit one of your customer's sites, or conduct research on their own.  They need detail, so be prepared!
S = Set up success. Rally your supporters behind you.  Make sure that those who are most vocal will speak for you when you aren't in the room.  You want the most outgoing decision makers your advocates so that they'll sell your product to their colleagues.  The quieter people on the committee may support you, but they won't speak up for you.
E = Energize your buyers. Motivate the decision-makers by being consistent and congruent with exceptional follow up.  People do business with people they like and trust, so share your enthusiasm and desire to work with the buyers.  Keep in mind the 80/20 rule.  People like to hear themselves talk, so encourage your buyers to talk while you listen 80% of the time.  If they like you, believe me, you'll get your turn!

Finally, to close business with multiple decision makers, just remember the last time you bought a car and brought someone with you to check out the car's sound system, sink into the seats, and offer their opinion on the color. Your customers are going through the same process, so make it easy and enjoyable for them to buy from YOU!
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©Renee P. Walkup, 2005.  Renee Walkup is a nationally recognized professional executive coach, speaker, and author. She is President of SalesPEAK, Inc., and works with Fortune 500’s, such as The Coca-Cola Company, Charles Schwab, and CNN, as well as those companies in smaller and mid-sized markets. Renee’s monthly sales newsletters are available by registering through her website, www.salespeak.com and she can be contacted at: walkup@salespeak.com or 678 587-9911.

Poll Results - Executive Suite Access

Months ago we began a poll where we asked the readership a simple multiple-choice question.  The question was:

What is the #1 reason top-level executives give for the reason they grant a salesperson access?

Here are the results:

• 15% said "Reputation of selling organization"
• 82% said "Ability of salesperson to demonstrate they understand their issues"
• 3% said "Executive understands the features and functionality of the offering"

Thanks to everyone who participated. 

My hope is that this is of tremendous value to those organizations that are trying to adopt a consultative sales approach and sell at the executive level. 

Marketing - it's your job to ensure that your messaging will resonate to reflect this finding and that you do everything in your power to get your Sales team prepared for what they need.

Sales - this will require more focused work than you're accustomed to but productivity will shoot through the roof

A new poll has just been started addressing sales training gaps.  Look in the right-hand toolbar.  I'd like to encourage maximum participation.

Selling With Stories

Article Contributed by Mark Satterfield, CEO of Gentle Rain Marketing, LLC
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Let me tell you a quick story. Perhaps you will find it relevant.

In the early 1990s Fortune magazine decided to do an article on selling. The question they set out to answer was:

Why were some people so good at selling while others so blatantly bad?

To find out the answer the writers interviewed 24 top sales performers across a broad spectrum of fields. Among those who were interviewed were financial advisors, insurance producers, executive recruiters and a wide variety of consultants and high-value services providers. Here is what they learned:

• The most successful sales people sell without it ever being apparent that they are in fact, selling. There was nothing obvious or obnoxious about their presentation. No Trial Close or Ben Franklin Close. They sold, but they sold invisibly.
• Moreover the Fortune article concluded that the more you are marketing and selling high-value services the more important it is to be able to sell invisibly.

So what exactly does this mean? How did the top performers go about building trust and credibility? How did they overcome often deep-seated skepticism? How did they persuade others to their point of view?

The one thing in common was, they all told stories.

Lots of stories. Stories that demonstrated how others had successfully achieved results by using their services. Stories that preemptively addressed objections or concerns. Stories that made it easy for others to refer them to their friends and colleagues. Stories that built credibility and reduced skepticism.

So, what is your marketing story? If you have not yet developed one, or think that what you are using now could use some punch, perhaps I can help.

Visit Marketing With Stories website @ http://www.marketingwithstories.com for more information.

Oracle Swallows Siebel

The long awaited event has finally occured.

The Siebel acquisition probably makes more sense for Oracle than, for instance, Salesforce.com.

Why?  You have to understand Oracle's business model.

If you've ever been a technology solution provider and looking to partner with the likes of an Oracle, SAP, IBM, most of the Big 4, you are flat out told that if your solution is easy and inexpensive to implement they will not partner with you, no matter how much value could be delivered to their clients.  A fast, seamless implementation is not in their best interest ... they want service revenue dollars.  Oracle would never acquire a Salesforce.com, for instance, because their implementations have a reputation for being fairly quick, seamless and don't require a substantial services investment.  On the other hand Siebel has a reputation for long, expensive, never-ending, CFOs- getting-fired implementations ... hey, that sounds like Oracle too. 

I will say that the lone exception to this rule that I have experienced is Accenture (proud to say my old firm too).  Accenture used to have this same philosophy, and I'm sure to a certain degree this is still true ... hey, it's a business with stockholders.  However, knowing many of the top Partners over there that philosophy is changing ... changing for the better.  The philosophy that I see them adopting is that there are some cases where providing the best, most effective solution for the client is more important than the short-term revenue.  Boiling it down ... happy clients equal retained clients and the cost of acquiring new ones is high.

Financially this has to be a good deal for Siebel shareholders though. Oracle seems to be much better at making and managing money.  Siebel has about $2 billion in cash.  Based on past performance I'd rather have Oracle manage my money, with operating margins of 37%, than Siebel, whose operating margins are a paltry 7%.

Ebay Buys Skype - now the hard part for sellers

Article Contributed by Adam Shapiro of Customer-Centric Selling

In case you haven’t heard, EBay is buying Skype, a provider of voice over IP technology – basically, placing phone calls over the internet. The public statements from EBay have focused on the need to deepen conversations on a per-transaction basis which they say would help some long-cycle complex sales a great deal.

So, how do you deepen complex sales conversations? Let’s start with who those EBay sellers will be talking to. Geoffrey Moore, in Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado, describes the market of potential buyers for most products as made up of early adopters (20%) and the Mainstream Market (80%).

Early adopters are largely enthusiasts who either love to buy the latest, hottest thing because 1) they want to be seen as “cool” or because it makes them feel good or 2) they intuitively understand how to use products to meet their goals or overcome some issue or problem.

The Mainstream market, however, needs to understand methodically how to use an item, they want proof that it performs as promised, and they want to know that the benefits ($ or Intrinsic) they will see outweigh the costs. Why do most browsers - real life ones, not Explorer or Mozilla – look, but not bid or buy? They don’t buy often because sellers inundate them with features that the buyer can’t map to usage. The unifying theme for these buyers needs to be USAGE. Consistently successful sellers are those that can lead buyers to understand, “How can I use this item to improve my life – reach goals, overcome issues, solve problems?”

Since the large majority of the market is in the latter Mainstream group, it would be smart for EBay’s sellers to try to guide their inevitable (if you listen to EBay) Skype powered, internet-based, sales conversations along the lines of how the Mainstream Market buys. They will need to accomplish three things on these calls:

1. Build a Vision of Use in the buyer’s mind
2. Distill the value the buyer will derive from the item or the financial hardship that will occur if they fail to use the item, and
3. Show how the buyer can implement the SOLUTION, without significantly impacting the derived value of the item.

If the EBay sellers know their products, they should be able to build usage-based conversation models ahead of time and practice before getting on that internet phone. If they fail to, they may have a lot of bits going back and forth about what they are selling, but no BITES.

Outdated Sales Training

I have many, many friends in the sales training business, who I think perform a great service for their clients.  I'm not sure who amoung sales training organizations are teaching people to use the prospect's name often because people like hearing their name.  This tactic a) gives professional sales folks a bad rap, b) is based on incorrect and/or outdated studies, c) in general pisses consumers off.

Whoever is teaching this please STOP.

Last night I got a call from a company selling water purification systems (Rainbird I think) ... probably a fine product.  However, this guy went on and on and on and on, etc..  He must have said Mr. Jones 20 freakin' times during the conversation.  Say it one time at the introduction and NEVER again.  I get it that you know who I am.

Cold callers are infamous for this tactic and as a consumer I just can't bear any more.  So if you're a Sprint, MCI, Verizon, BellSouth, AT&T, the local newspaper (at least on their B2C side) ... anyone who cares about the reputation of your company or one of the schmucks that teaches this stuff ... STOP!!! Learn something new, please.

Sorry ... that's what only 1-hour of sleep will do. 

Relationships Are King

Most of my writings revolve around executive level relationships.  My experience has been that whoever owns the executive/decision-maker relationship will win in most cases, or at minimum, be given the inside track to win or lose the deal.  While product and service differentiation are important, all things equal, it is the relationship with the right person that is the biggest determinant of outcome. 

That said, "no" you cannot have a bad quality product and poor service ... nothing will overcome that.  If that's a situation someone finds themselve's in, it's time to make a move ... fast, as your reputation will quickly follow where you plant your feet.

The relationship I'm talking about here is not golf buddies or lunch partners.  In order to establish this type of relationship with a senior-level exec, you must add value to that person.  Maybe in the old days, golf and lunch used to work ... not anymore.

Deepen Your Prospect Knowledge

Exactly how well do you really know the very people you are trying to sell to?  If you can't put yourself in their shoes, you don't know them well enough.  It's called empathy.  It's hard for sales people to be empathic when they've never played the role of the person they are expected to interact with.  No ... we don't want to turn sales folks into CFO's, for instance, but if the CFO is the decision-maker, they must be able to have an intelligent conversation with them addressing their issues in a language that they understand.  Here's a link to a potential solution for B2B sales people:

Executive Link - Vertical-Specific, Role-Specific Intelligence

How To Get Motivated Buyers To Call You First (Part 2 of 2)

Becoming The Emotional Favorite

So, if being the emotional favorite means being the person the buyer want to see succeed, how do you create this relationship?

Start by asking questions about the buyer when you meet for the very first time and at the end of EVERY sales call.

Think about the last time you encountered a ‘stereotypical’ sales person, the one who immediately launches into a sales pitch. How did you react? After a minute or two, did your eyes glaze over? As the sales person drones on, you stop listening waiting for an opportunity to end the conversation. Ultimately, that sales person falls to the bottom of the list of people you call when you need something. Not where you want to be if you’re looking to become the Emotional Favorite.

Asking The Right Questions

Obviously, you’re not going to start with ‘Hi, I’m Craig. What’s your greatest challenge?’

Start with open-ended questions: Ask about how the latest government policy changes, or shifts in technology has impacted their business. Relate their business to your other industry contacts and share some of your own insights. Then you can ask about their greatest challenges and you will likely get the answers you are looking for.

Frame your questions outside your existing sales professional to prospect relationship because by default, your customer will answer in terms of your products or services. Start with “Let’s forget about what I do for ABC Company for a minute” and ask:

• What is the biggest issue you have that you just can’t get to? or,
• What is the one thing you are looking for but can’t seem to find? or,
• What issue have you tried to solve but can’t find a satisfactory solution to?

Now shut up and listen! When the buyer stops talking, wait 6 seconds and listen to what they tell you next. First they’ll tell you about the problem. If you don’t interrupt them, they will tell you how the problem impacts them and the rest of their organization.

Now you have the enough information to connect the buyer with a solution and if it’s not available through you perhaps you know a colleague who can solve the problem. If you don’t know a colleague who can solve the problem, connect the buyer with a trusted seller using a lead exchange that has a rating system for the vendors in the exchange.

What Are The Benefits Of Asking The Right Questions?

• You gain a better understanding of buyers and their organization.
• You will improve your customer relationships while buyers do not need what you sell.
• You will get more time with buyers
• You may learn of opportunities to sell
• You can become the person buyers want to see succeed, by connecting them with trusted vendors who can provide the solution they are looking for

Most customers don’t tell you of needs they think are unrelated to what you sell. When you ask the right questions, you learn of opportunities to add value to buyers, become the person they want to see succeed, and get called first when they want what you sell.

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Craig Elias is a 15-year sales veteran, noted speaker and author on sales and networking, and the Founder of InnerSell - an online sales tool used by sales professionals so that no matter what their customer needs they can get it through them. Learn more by contacting Craig by phone (866.744.7904), email (Craig.Elias@InnerSell.com), or visiting www.InnerSell.com.

Overwhelming Under Use of Great Sales Tools

There is certainly more marketing and sales tools out there than anyone can possibly get their individual arms around.  The trick?  Dialing in the optimal combination of tools to use that give the most bang for the buck (time and dollars).

It is impossible for the majority of senior-level marketing and sales executives to adequately explore many of these new tools.  They're just too dang busy.  Unfortunately, this scenario is reminiscient of the woodsman that is so busy sawing down trees with a handsaw that when someone comes to show him a chainsaw, he simply has no time.  How much easier and productive would the woodsman's life would be if only he could find a minute to recalibrate?

It's too bad too because there are some unbelievable tools (technologies and services) out there.  I'm sure that there are some that I have yet to discover myself.  But I have finally dialed in the combination that works best for me.  Below is a brief description of the some of tools that have lead to success for me (and "no, I'm not receiving comp for saying these nice things either"):

Marketing Tools:

• SurveyMonkey - This is a great tool for creating slick, professional surveys and compiling all the data in a cool, presentable format.
• VerticalResponse - A email campaign management tool.  I use this to create, distribute and measure the effectiveness of various marketing campaigns.  They also have a postcard mailing program that I have yet to try. This is an awesome tool.
• Typepad - this is a very easy to use weblog publishing tool.  I am non-technical and created my weblog here and maintain it daily.
• Profits In Progress - Vanessa Lowry and her team will actually hand-write notes for you and mail them.  If your handwriting is like mine, INVALUABLE.

Prospecting/Research Tools:

• Lead411 - This is a great tool to find out company event specific information ... what companies just had management changes, received financing (how much and what purpose), or made an acquisition.
• InnerSell - Used to generate and gather referrals from other people.  This is the ultimate in the principal of giving to get.  Their CEO, Craig Elias, has written some insightful, well-aligned articles ... go to their website.
• LinkedIn - I use this tool to see who I know that can provide me introductions and/or referrals to the people I want to target.  The basic service, that I use, is FREE.
• Jigsaw - I use Jigsaw to get person-specific contact information (V-card stuff).  If you contribute data the service is FREE.
• X-Sells, Inc. - the strongest outsourcer for lead generation I know of.  Tim Young has built that company into a very well-oiled lead machine.

Sales Management Tools:

• Various CRM tools -  For planning and managing activities, contacts, pipeline:  Salesforce.com, SageCRM/SalesLogix, SugarCRM, RightNow Technologies, Inside Sales, NetSuite, SalesNet.  Cost for these tools are anywhere from $45 to $125 per month per user.

Sales Execution Effectiveness Tools:

• Executive Link - The best way I know to prepare to a specific vertical and role is to interview others in the same position.  That's exactly what Executive-Link offers.  Executive-Link has 56 person-years worth of research (14 people x 4 years) where they interview execs in all different verticals and roles and tell me what's keeping that person up at night.  Cost runs $45 to $65 per month per user (depending on size of client).

Presentation Tools

• COItalk - COI is a much lower cost version of WebEx.  It doesn't have all the bells and whistles but I don't use those anyway.  It's $25 per month for an unlimited number of uses.

How To Get Motivated Buyers To Call You First (Part 1 of 2)

By Craig Elias, Chief Strategy Officer and Founder, InnerSell, Inc.

How many sales opportunities have you lost to competitors who seemed to have the inside track? It’s likely the buyer purchased from their emotional favorite.

Selling goes beyond communicating the value of your products and services. Selling is also about communicating the value of doing business with you. It is about connecting with buyers and becoming their ‘Emotional Favorite’.

Success in sales requires three things:

1. A viable product that addresses a need
2. Credibility
3. Timing – being in front of the right buyer at the right time

Some in sales claim in sales timing is everything; experienced sales professionals know timing is the ONLY thing.

There are a plethora of credible businesses with viable products. To be truly successful at selling you need timing - to be the first or second person motivated buyers talk to when they need something.

There are three simple ways to get timing:

1. Sheer numbers – if you contact enough buyers, you’ll eventually find opportunities
2. Referrals – someone tells you the buyer has a need for your product or service
3. Become a buyer’s ‘Emotional Favorite’ – a motivated buyer calls you first

Value Of Being First

Being one of the first suppliers in front of buyers at the time they need what you sell is key to getting the business. Once the buyer begins to shape a solution around a vendor’s product or service, they become emotionally tied to that solution. People tend to make decisions and move on to the next problem.

What Is The Emotional Favorite?

Think about the last time you purchased a product or service. When you picked up the phone, did you call the person who helped you in the past? The person who adds value to your business or your career every time you ask for their assistance? Chances are you did. The fact of the matter is most people do. They make emotional decisions and rationalize them afterwards.

It used to be that people bought from those they know, like, and trust. To be successful in sales today, you need to go one step further and connect with buyers to become the person the buyer knows, likes, trusts…and want to see succeed – Their ‘Emotional Favorite’.

The emotional favorite is the person a buyer calls first, regardless of what they need.

Becoming The Emotional Favorite

So, if being the emotional favorite means being the person the buyer want to see succeed, how do you create this relationship?

We'll answer this question in part 2 of this series

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Craig Elias is a 15-year sales veteran, noted speaker and author on sales and networking, and the Founder of InnerSell - an online sales tool used by sales professionals so that no matter what their customer needs they can get it through them. Learn more by contacting Craig by phone (866.744.7904), email (Craig.Elias@InnerSell.com), or visiting www.InnerSell.com.

A Vapor Trail from SAP - Chris Selland

Is Salesforce.com getting under the skin of SAP?  You betcha !!! Read this post from Chris Selland, one of the most insightful and imbedded sources in the CRM marketplace.

A Vapor Trail from SAP

Cisco, CEO, Chambers Calls For Verticalization

The concept of verticalization is rapidly spreading.  In this article, "Chambers Issues Verticalization Call To Partners", John Chambers, Cisco's noteworthy CEO, has made the call to all partners to go vertical.  In this article he acknowledges that the challenges to move in this direction will be great, but the ultimate payoffs can be even greater.  In this same article, Cisco's SVP of Worldwide Channels, Paul Mountford, says, "You can make more margin based on your differentiation".  He is referring to relationship differentiation only possible with going vertical.

Any time an organization changes from a technical, horizontal-focus to a vertical-focus AND their solutions are complex, enterprise-wide impacting, like Cisco's, the transition is even more difficult.  This is because complex, enterprise-wide impacting solutions require an executive level sales approach.  As I learned the hard way, early in my career, in this case the executives require that you have a certain level of expertise in their vertical.  You must, right off-the-bat, demonstrate that you understand their vertical and their role specific issues.  That's a far departure from selling at the lower levels where product knowledge is king.

I will be conducting another webcast on this subject this Thursday, 8/11, from 2-3pm Eastern Time.  If you are interested in attending just shoot me an email as an RSVP.  In turn you will receive an invitation with web info and dial-in info.

Boosting Marketing / Prospecting Effectiveness

For a minute, put yourself in the shoes of a CFO in a healthcare organization.  You receive two letters; one from John Doe of Selling Org, Inc. and another from Sally Mabry of BizSolutions-R-Us, Inc..  Both companies are well known and have offerings that are comparable and would meet the needs of the CFO.

John Doe’s Letter:

·        Is a standard letter John uses for all prospects regardless of vertical market or role

·        Explains a new product that his company has just introduced

·        Discusses features, functions and benefits of Selling Orgs offering

·        Highlights an example of how Selling Org has helped other clients and the benefits derived

Sally Mabry’s Letter:

·        Is written specifically to a CFO of a healthcare organization - Language/jargon

·        Addresses one or more specific issues that Sally has learned that healthcare CFO’s are currently experiencing

·        Directly links her company’s offering(s) to the specific issue that executive is facing

·        Highlights an example of how BizSolutions has helped other healthcare CFO’s and the benefits derived

Ask yourself … c’mon be honest!  If you were the healthcare CFO which person are you most likely to grant access to and invest your time in?  I know this is a setup, but most (almost all) sales forces opt for John Doe’s approach (“throw enough stuff against the wall & something is bound to stick” philosophy).  I will reiterate my favorite saying … “Executives buy, not because they understand, but because they feel understood.”

Neither Sally nor John has ever been in healthcare, much less a CFO in a healthcare organization.  Somehow Sally was able to communicate to that executive, “I get you!”  So how was Sally able to create such differentiation?  She had single source access to real-time intelligence that enabled her with enough domain-level expertise to be viewed by that executive as someone who could potentially add-value.  Look at this link to see the vertical-specific, role-specific intelligence Sally had that gave her such a huge relationship advantage:

Healthcare CFO Profile - Areas of Responsibility, Primary Issues, Reasons for the Issues, Potential Solutions to the Issues, Others In the Organization Impacted & How, and Key Performance Measures

Sally's company, BizSolutions-R-Us, can also tailor to include their specific offerings to match up with role specific issues their specific clients are facing.  Talk about a targeted, aligned approach to Marketing, Sales and even Product Dev/Mgmt ... all real-time, collaborative and available 24/7. 

The above app is called Executive Link and it will arm your organization with a previously unheard of level of intelligence.  Intelligence needed to improve win percentages, close business and develop key executive relationships that ensure client retention.

CRM and Sales Effectiveness

Hats off to Scott Ehmen, now with Salesforce.com (previously in this article with Intellinet).  After reading several of my posts and then this article where Scott Ehmen is interviewed by Inc. Magazine, you'll see why we align so well.

A Second Act for CRM: Customer relationship management software is back -- and worth another look. Really.

THE MAGIC IN CRM SUCCESS IS IN THE IMPLEMENTATION ... PERIOD ... PROCESS, PEOPLE AND PREPARATION

8/4 Webcast: "Boosting Executive Level Relationships Across Verticals"

Subscriber Invitation

I will be conducting a webcast on Thursday, 8/4, from 2:00-3:00pm EDT on "Boosting Executive Level Relationships Across Verticals".  The subscriber-base of this weblog are cordially invited to attend by RSVPing via email to the Executive Link Event Team.  Shortly after you RSVP you will receive an email confirmation with dial-in and web access information.

Looking forward to providing a high ROTI (return on time invested).

We can only accomodate a maximum of 15 participants at a time.  Seats will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.  If we run over the 15 max another event will be scheduled.  All who want to attend will be able to attend.

Verticalization Trends Mounting

It seems that, across-the-board, the trend towards verticalizing solutions is taking hold.  Verticalization of the sales, marketing and product development teams that develop and support these solutions is taking hold as well, especially on the sales front.

Read this below article:

• Verticalization of CMS Continues, this short article by Tom Byrnes, principal analyst for the Web Content Management and Enterprise Content Management channels on CMS Watch.

In this article Tom posits the questions "will it last?" and "the meaning of this trend?".  Verticalization works because it allows the selling organization's customer teams to better align and relate to the folks they are interacting with.  So to answer the question "will it last", I say yes, to the degree that we successfully execute the verticalization concept. 

The "meaning of this trend" is:

• the world we live and sell in has changed and in order to survive, and thrive, we must adapt to this change. 
• we all know the benefit of selling organizationally high and that she/he that owns the decision-making relationship will, more times than not, win (or at least be given the opportunity). 
• the decision-making suite is busier than ever, they have more responsibilities and expectations put on their heads and have fewer resources to make this happen than at any time in my business life (20 years)
• in order to penetrate the executive suite you/your organization must demonstrate credibility and a certain level of domain expertise ... you must show the executive that you get them, you understand what they are experiencing in their industry and, specifically, in their role
• bottom line ... they want to