Do poor sales figures alone tell the whole story about who to fire?
The results are in, and it’s time to fire 15% of your sales team. But do the numbers tell the whole story?You know, for example, that a rep’s sales can also be negatively influenced by: a) a competitor in the rep’s territory who is a star salesperson; b) a string of bad luck that may turn around, and; c) some salespeople take a little longer to turn around.
You also know that buyers today buy differently, so instead of just letting go of the poor performers, wouldn’t it be better to go through your sales team to see who is capable of prospering in this new sales environment, and who isn’t? Read more »
» read more32% of salespeople won’t achieve quota in 2012, but will a new sales methodology really help?
32% of salespeople won’t achieve quota in 2012, according to a survey of 197-B2B technology companies in 2012 (source: The Bridge Group).
But will another sales process or sales methodology really help?
Most companies have tried 2-3 of them, but have they helped salespeople sell more? A sales methodology or process may provide better reports to management, and improve the sale team’s efficiency; but right now, do you really need to better forecast poor sales, or does your sales team really need to be more efficient at doing the wrong things? Read more »
» read moreProvocative stories kill the status quo, and inspire customers to buy.
Inspired to buy with stories that sell: Through the power of story, your salespeople will not only bypass the wall that protects customers from change, but also inspire them to buy.
The sales challenge: You may be surprised to hear that your biggest competitor isn’t another company, it’s the customer deciding to do nothing. Customers will not act, as long as the status quo is supported by: Read more »
» read moreA story about a CEO who helps a tactical VP of Sales scale the business.
I remember when the CEO invested in what I, the VP of Sales of a mid-sized company, felt was a foolish amount of money on a new Marketing Director. But what really bothered me, was what the new position represented, change.
Although my sales team was exceeding quota, the landscape changed. And I knew if I didn’t change, I’d get run over. Read more »
» read moreHow salespeople inspire customers to invest, not resist, with stories.
Although the value of your offering is overwhelming, customers resist. Why?
More important, how will you get past this irrational wall of resistance, and make the sale?
Not only will these questions be answered, but more important, you’ll receive a complimentary guide with simple and practical steps that you can start using today, so that you can inspire our customers to step out of the status quo, take action, and invest through you into a better tomorrow.
Overwhelmed Buyers Read more »
» read moreBusiness Storytelling makes Value Props Stick like Velcro
HBR: Storytelling That Moves People
“The HBR asks why is persuasion so difficult and what can you do to set people on fire? Read more »
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McKinsey Study: Solution Selling… is the pain worth the gain?
“Ditch the pitch and have business conversations” you tell your Salespeople. But only a few succeed. That’s not surprising since a study by McKinsey discovered that most Solution Selling implementations have not been successful.
“Solutions selling has been all the rage over the last 5 to 10 years, yet 75 percent of the companies that attempt to offer solutions fail to return the cost of their investment.” (Source: ‘Solution Selling: Is the pain worth the gain’ McKinsey Study). Read more »
» read moreSelling to Emotional Buyers, Not “Mr. Spock”
There’s a tendency for salespeople to concentrate on logic because they feel that emotions are too flaky to have any real importance on a buying decision. But economists have recently embraced the idea that irrational psychology, rather than cool calculation, plays a significant role in buying decisions.
Skeptical salespeople may be interested to hear that it’s now scientifically proven that emotions play a big role in decision making. Emotions generated through negatively framed decisions, for instance, can affect how we decide by as much as 44%. Read more »
» read moreBusiness storytelling provides a way to get past the Buyer’s resistance to change
Review the following two Storytelling examples and decide for yourself if you feel that Storytelling could help your Sales Team sell more? Read more »
» read more“Has Sales Training or Marketing helped your Salespeople Sell Value and Differentiate your offering?”
Why hasn’t Sales Training or Marketing helped your company tell a better story and then trained your Salespeople how to deliver it?
Because it’s too customized for the big Sales Training companies and it’s too tactical for Marketing. For example, up to 90% of marketing material created for sales support goes unused by the field” (source: American Marketing Association).
Isn’t it time for a new approach? Read more »
» read moreStories help overwhelmed Buyers to overthrow the status quo, and buy.
With 150 e-mails a day, 30 voice-mails and 60-80-hour work weeks thanks to corporate reorganizations, buyers are so busy today that in order to survive they have learned that they can’t do it all. Consequently, buyers now often stick with the status quo—even when it hurts the company.
Logic Doesn’t Help
Product Pitches, Value Propositions and Logical Arguments do not convince a buyer in denial to change. Read more »
» read moreVP of Sales Story: Board wants sales quick fix or else.
Spray & Pray
Here’s a story about Paul, a VP of Sales at Software Inc., who has unfortunately inherited a sale cycle that drags on forever. That’s when deals happen. But most of the time, his team loses to their biggest competitor, the customer sticking with the status quo.
The Board at the Software Inc. hopes that he’ll fix things fast, but if he doesn’t, he’s toast.
But Sales Training and Marketing wasn’t going to save him. Continue reading… Read more »
» read moreGeospatial Salesman falls to earth with a thud
Geospatial Salesman sells to Users
As the Geospatial Salesperson, Hank, put down the phone, he felt like he’d just been punched in the stomach. How could his life have changed so drastically? Continue reading… Read more »
» read moreNew Business: Mission Impossible?
Buyer- intense time pressure
When Buyers no longer answer their phone and your voice and e-mails get deleted, how will you win new business so that you achieve quota?
Well, if you accept that going back to basics and smiling and dialing won’t take you where you need to go, don’t despair.
But before I show you how to win new business, let’s first take a fieldtrip to a typical Buyer’s office Continue reading… Read more »
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