Revolutionary Marketing and Sales Strategies

Sales Training Discussion

Recently in one of the groups I belong to, Sales Professionals of America, there arose a question about sales training.  I felt it beneficial to share that conversation here.  One of the group members wrote:

What I've found in my experience is typically the large corporations tend to have the best and biggest training programs.  The small and start-up companies usually don't because they can't afford to.

Otherwise, you can check out the advice on Scott Jones' links and ask other professionals here.

Oh, and of course, go out and buy Jeff Gitomer's book, "The Sales Bible" at www.amazon.com or direct at www.gitomer.com.

Here was how I answered this prompt:

What we have seen is that sales organizations, regardless of size, do a fine job of training the sales team on product knowledge ... which is a great and necessary part of their development. Some even do a fine job of teaching sales processes. However, very few do a good job at getting down to how to operationalize these approaches.

Most of the time, even in some of the sales organizations where you wouldn't think this would be the case, sales people are simply expected to bring "it" to the table and are left to sink or swim on their own.

One thing that is clear is that sales occur because of a relationship between individuals, not typically between organizations. The hole that we have found is that sales people, across-the-board, need to be better trained on prospect knowledge ... how to relate to the executives they "sell" to and help them find that elusive point where their offerings intersect with a specific decision maker's issue(s). Without this knowledge the term consultative selling is a farce.

Our company President, Bob Beck, covers this pretty well is his book called "Mutual Respect: The art and practice of the Quid Pro Quo selling approach".

Sales Effectiveness Technology Quad Responses

I have received tremendous backing from the likes of a few key contacts at Oracle, Accenture, and several CRM SI/Reseller organizations in re: to my post on the Sales Effectiveness Technology Quad.  Additionally, here are some comments from an network friend, Will Torre, at TERA Technologies, that he gave me permission to publish.  Amen Will .... you preach it!!!

Scott,

Thanks for sending this. Here is my two cents worth. I believe real effectiveness and value are measured in not only what you say in the presentation of information, but how it is presented. Most executives are inundated with products and tools especially in the technology space. There’s hardly a true differentiator anymore. Therefore, you must create your own personal value. If you examine your past successes, I’m willing to bet that your customers bought from you. Of course it’s good to have a brand name or a really noticeable product to get your foot in the door, but after that the sale is dependent on your subject knowledge and the relationship you build with your customer.

Executives are most interested in vendors who understand their unique environment, what is your strategic approach in solving their particular problem, and exactly how are you going to solve the identified problem. In other words, they’re looking for partners and solutions for a long and continuous relationship.

I know this sounds basic, but you would be surprised how often customers complain about vendors and suppliers not listening to the customers needs. I’m certainly not saying that you don’t. I’m just preaching in general.

In regards to your slide, I think it captures a good cross section of business analytics. Perhaps an intersection of the four circles may bring to light the power of the concept working together and feeding off of each other.

I feel if you can articulate this in your presentation, you’re on your way to more sales and profitability. Again, this is just my personal thoughts so please take it for what you paid for it.

I hope all is going well, and look forward to seeing you at a future BMA or other networking event.

All the best,

Will

THE Consultative Selling Edge (Part 4 of 4)

The key factor to bear in mind at all times is to understand how your offering(s) intersects with the executive's priorities. If you can show them a line item in their budget that will be eliminated you will have their ear. By demonstrating a quantifiable effect that your offering will have on the bottom line you stand a chance of being that first company which kick-starts a major enterprise project, leaving your competition to pick in vain at the project managers. Don't sell on their fear but be aware of it. Remember, their dislike of being beaten by the competition to the detriment of their market share and, crucially, their profits, is your opportunity. To reiterate, "decision makers buy because they feel understood, not because they understand!"

Executive Link Screen Shots

A client asked me to post a link to Executive Link screenshot samples:

Sample Screens

THE Consultative Selling Edge (Part 3 of 4)

Just close your eyes and put yourself in the executive’s shoes. The senior-level executive’s world has changed considerably over the last several years (compliance, accountability, Sarbanes-Oxley, right-sizing). Never before in history have they been more personally accountable, under more pressure, had fewer resources, been busier, have higher expectations thrust upon them, and have less budget to work with. Bottom line is they need more help than ever and have less time than ever. What a frustrating situation to be in. Any time they spend they truly must view as an investment, where “return on time invested” is the key metric. The executive has to be very finicky and quick to judge about whom they grant access to their most valuable asset, their time.

With this picture of their world firmly implanted in your mind, now it’s time to use my favorite sales tool … a mirror. When you look in the mirror, as if you were that executive, would you view yourself as someone who would generate an acceptable “return on time invested”? Why or why not? This is the true acid test. If you can answer these questions in detail you have a much greater probability of winning that executive’s time. If not, it is highly likely that you will be quickly thrown under the bus and viewed as a quota-carrying salesperson. Ready? Here’s the test (good luck):

• Can you intelligently discuss your client's latest industry trends, specific to their vertical and their role in that vertical?
• Can you talk in language unique to the client's vertical market and their role?
• Do you understand what the executive's role is within his/her company? Overall responsibilities? What are the top 10 issues this role is currently dealing with? What keeps them awake at night? What are their hot buttons?
• How is this person measured? What gets them promoted/fired/bonuses?
• What other roles in the client's organization are impacted by the above issues and how?
• Can you build value for your solution that solves a current issue that executive is dealing with? If not, are you helping them find a solution that will address their issues ... even if the solution is not your company's?
• How often do you start your selling efforts at the executive level?
• Do you have overwhelming credibility early in the sales cycle?

Accenture, Shaheen & Siebel

I just couldn't help but pointing out the coincidence of the latest news.  These stories came out the same day:

• Accenture Positioned in the Leader Quadrant in CRM Service Providers in Europe and North America
• Siebel dumps CEO Lawrie for Shaheen

Shaheen was CEO of Andersen Consulting & was the driving force in separating from Arthur Andersen ... just in the nick of time with the Enron scandal.  Then George Shaheen, arguably one of the brighted business minds around, took the bait for the dotcom dream of Webvan which has flopped.  It's refreshing to see that someone like a George Shaheen, could make a bonehead move like that, just like I did ... with the same results.  He was the CEO of the most powerful professional services company in the world.

Just coincidental timing that Shaheen was named CEO of THE major player in the CRM space and his old firm was announced as the leader in the CRM Service Provider space.  I smell a major alliance or M&A in the making ... maybe Accenture/Siebel due to allegiances/relationships or possible another competing consulting firm as an act of defiance.

THE Consultative Selling Edge (Part 2 of 4)

From Part 1 here are the areas that will give our organizations a true consultative selling edge.  We must be able to:

• Understand executive buying motives ... what is keeping an executive awake at night
• Understand the issues and language of the specific vertical market and role we are selling into
• Craft messaging and solutions that resonates with, and addresses, that executive's issues
• Corral support from other functional buying influences within the pursuit by having a better understanding of their roles and how they are impacted by these issues
• Align and enable 360 degree communication and feedback between Product Development, Marketing, Sales and Channel Partners (if applicable)

The Consultative Selling Edge (Part 1 of 4)

This is an article that I published for TechLINKs magazine.

Every networking event I've attended recently (TAG Marketing, TAG CRM, CRMA, BMA, TechLINKS, Atlanta Interactive Marketing Alliance, Atlanta IT Alliance, etc.) and every marketing/sales publication I read is pointing toward validation of that statement. Selling Power magazine recently published a panel discussion where, in summary, the panel members talked about CRM "hitting its stride" and then, "what's next.”

Clearly, product/service differentiation can take an organization a long way. The next evolution, however, is to create competitive differentiation in the relationships your organization has with your client's/prospect's senior-level executives. If your organization has a legitimate chance of winning the deal, then relationship differentiation with top-level executives trumps any other type of differentiation. To develop this relationship differentiation we must have targeted alignment between the Sales & Marketing organizations where they are all focused on solving vertical-specific, role-specific challenges your client's senior executives are currently facing. The challenge, however, is accomplishing this in an efficient manner. We must not turn our sales team into business/ financial analysts, but in order to create differentiation your entire organization, as a whole, must be able to:  .... (To be covered in the next part)

Sales Differentiation (part 3 of 3)

Trusted Advisor Acid Test

What does your sales team need to become a “Trusted Advisor”?  The ability to relate to the Senior Executive, almost on a personal level by:

• Knowing the latest industry trends and the issues the Executive is facing
• Understanding how these trends and issues impact that Executive
• Understanding their specific role … what are the factors that determine whether they get fired, get promoted, get their bonus, etc.
• Knowing what keeps them awake at night
• Knowing how these trends & issues impact others in the organization and building consensus
• Understanding potential solutions for these issues
• Speaking the Executive’s language and industry and role specific jargon
• Most importantly, how to craft the messaging around your product/service to align with that person’s needs

You, the reader, have been walked down this path of undisputed logic because of a gap we have found across-the-board in sales organizations  ... the ability to create relationship differentiation which will trump any other sort of differentiation in the vast majority of situations.  The answer we have created is called Executive Link.  If you'd like a short, 1-page overview of Executive Link simply shoot an email my way and I'll be happy to forward to you.

Sales Differentiation (part 2 of 3)

Differentiation Opportunities & Challenges

1. Selling to Executives within your client/prospect base will lead to:
   • Bigger deals
   • More profitable deals
   • Reduced sales/decision cycle
   • Greater sales productivity
2. So, herein lies the challenge:
   • Executives need more help than at any time in history … they have fewer resources
   • Executives are busier and more accountable than ever
   • They will only grant time to people they view as “Trusted Advisors”
   • If you are on par with your competitor’s sales organizations you have no differentiation & therefore are not viewed as a “Trusted Advisor”
   • Executives buy, not because they understand, but because they feel understood

In the next post we'll cover the specific questions that YOU MUST BE ABLE TO ANSWER to have any legitimate shot at becoming a "Trusted Advisor", thereby creating the relationship differentiation you need, thereby driving more effective executive level selling.  We will also cover where those answers can be obtained most efficiently (we don't want to turn you into business/financial analysts).