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[CLASSICS] 095: The Difference Between Cooperating and Collaborating | Amy Appleyard
Sales Tuners
Takeaways Understand How Your Prospect Makes Money: You already know how your company makes money and you already know how you make money once your company makes money. During the sales process, if you really dig in and figure out how your prospects make money, then you can sync your offering with their real incentives. It truly doesn’t matter what you sell if you can figure out how your offering impacts their revenue engine. That’s the key. Put Yourself Out There: Your network is not just going to build itself. You have to commit time in a given week or month outside your organization....
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#CoachesCorner 1 | Ashleigh Early
Sales Tuners
In the last 5-7 years, there has seemingly been an explosion in the number of companies, both tech startups as well as more traditional businesses, that require salespeople. Unfortunately, in that same period of time there hasn’t been any magical creation of new sales talent. That misalignment has led companies to over-recruit, under-train, and honestly… just hope reps “figure it out." I’ve had some sales leaders tell me they’ll hire 10 reps knowing full well only 4 will work out. What in the world is going on? Most sales reps actually know what to do — that has been drilled into...
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127: Jessica McQueen | Building a Sincere Interest in Understanding
Sales Tuners
Takeaways Become a Subject Matter Expert: There have been many conversations on this show that have talked about the need to truly understand who your buyer is. Jess took that even a step farther by suggesting that she actually become a licensed health benefits consultant. Think about that. Are there certifications in your industry that could help you better relate to the knowledge your prospects have? Yes, you can learn these things at a high level likely through your companies sales enablement, but what would it take to be able to truly walk in your customers' shoes? Your Questions Prove...
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#READefined 1 | Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini
Sales Tuners
In our first ever episode of READefined, we’re taking a look at Robert Cialdini’s . Today, we are all becoming overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information at our disposal AND the choice that comes with that for even the most mundane topics. While it would be nice to think our prospects consider all the information available to them before they decide whether to say “yes” or “no,” you know from your own day-to-day experience that reality is quite different. The truth is, we need shortcuts. We need rules of thumb to help us filter through the noise. And guess what… there’s a...
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126: Greg Zapletnikov | Breaking the Code to Find Your Own Style
Sales Tuners
Takeaways Speak a Common Language: As Greg was learning to sell, he was taught baseball idioms like ‘batting 1.000,’ ‘drop the ball,’ ‘be in the ballpark,’ and of course, ‘touch base.’ But to many of you listening, these phrases no longer have anything to do with the game because they’ve been so ingrained into our normal lexicon. What words or phrases might you be using that make no sense to your prospect? Greg gave the example of the literal translation of ‘How are you?’, a throwaway phrase we use in America that would make an Eastern European tell you all about their...
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125: Jenn Etherton | Setting Up a Sales Career Development Path
Sales Tuners
Takeaways Observe the Actions of Others: You may not have the confidence or even opportunity to approach others to ask them about how or why they do what they do, but you can definitely observe their actions. Break down how they speak, how they hold themselves, how they treat customers, and what they do that’s different than you. And these don’t have to just be people in your office. With unfiltered broadband access, these observations can be people you admire online, TED speakers, or even public CEOs by way of their earnings calls and annual reports. Find Gaps in Your Own Skills: It’s...
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124: James Karanasios | The Habit of Success: You Are What You Repeatedly Do
Sales Tuners
Takeaways Ask the Next Question: By this point, we should all be used to hearing the word “no.” However, it’s what you do after hearing it that defines you as a salesperson. The word could be a stoplight and completely shut you down. Or, it could be a challenge to you to dig a little deeper and understand the context in which that specific prospecting is using it. What aren’t they interested in? How could the get budget if the found value? When does their current contract with a competitor end? Build Your Own Following: In today’s world, it seems as if there are influencers popping...
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[CLASSICS] 077: Mark Roberge | Why Most Customer Success Issues Originate in the Sales Process
Sales Tuners
Takeaways Successful Customers Trumps Revenue: The goal of sales should not be revenue at all costs. It’s our job to find people we can make successful through the value prop we’re pitching. Rather than focusing solely on the signed contract and commission check, make sure the customers you close are going to find value in what they bought 90 days later. Buyers Don’t Have to Talk to Salespeople: 20 to 30 years ago, every buyer had to talk to a salesperson. Today, buyers can watch demos, compare and research alternative products, and even get ballpark pricing online, all before reaching...
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[CLASSICS] 001: Jill Rowley | Know Thy Buyer in the Social Selling Generation
Sales Tuners
Takeaways Share: Even if what you share is unrelated to what you’re trying to sell, doing so allows you to show you care, which drives future opportunities. Focus on the Customer: Know the buyer from every angle at the company and personal level. Provide Value: Constantly consume and share content that will be relevant to your buyers. Full Notes Book Recommendation by Seth Godin Sponsor – What if every sales rep inherited the habits of your best rep? With Costello, they do.
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[CLASSICS] 046: Cody Lamens | Strive to be a Sales Professional, Not Just an Account Executive
Sales Tuners
Takeaways Take Advantage of Opportunity: There is a short window of time to take advantage of every opportunity. If you wait until an opportunity presents itself, it’s already too late. Seek out chances to learn, be more efficient, and give 100 percent from the get-go so you’re never in a position to wonder what might have been. Doors open on a daily basis, but oftentimes they are short and they are small. It’s crucial to take advantage of them when they’re there. Preparation and Repetition Always Win: You know what you need to do. You’ve spent time role playing real scenarios....
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Takeaways
- Disqualify Early: If you want to save both yourself and your prospect time, then it’s your job to disqualify them as early as possible. Now, if you have a weak pipeline or don’t like prospecting, I know you will hang on to every opportunity like it’s a bar of gold, but it’s likely costing you. Instead of trying to figure out every possible way your product could work for them, focus in on the two or three things that would make it not a fit, and be transparent about it. Doing this will allow you to spend more time working deals that can actually retire your quota and earn you a commission instead of promising your VP that the deal will come in.
- Pick Your Path: If you are a star in sales and find yourself regularly hitting or even exceeding quota, don’t think that the only next step for you is to become a manager or even VP of sales. The skills you need to train, manage, and get the best out of other reps is completely different than the skills you’ve worked hard on developing. Additionally, more often than not, you’ll also take a pay cut in order to get those new found responsibilities.
- You Don’t Have to Be the Best: In the 80’s, the car rental company Avis rolled out a brilliant ad campaign claiming to be #2 behind Hertz and claiming “we try harder.” How many times have you claimed your product or service to have the best this or the greatest that? Here’s the deal, it’s annoying as hell and is often met with an eye roll you can’t see. Plus, how do you know? Because your marketing department told you so? Instead of leading with arrogance, acknowledge that there are other solutions out there and your goal in the conversation is to determine the reals needs of the prospect and promise them you’ll try harder.
Full Notes
Book Recommendations
- The Transparency Sale by Todd Caponi
- The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Sponsor
- Costello - What if every sales rep inherited the habits of your best rep? With Costello, they do.