Focus.

Pick 4 or 5 deals at each stage of your funnel and progress them this week. Not just follow up but progress.

https://youtu.be/vfXVEjmZ8B0

Let's get out there.

People always want a silver bullet to selling more. Here's my number 1 piece of advice. Be empathetic.

https://youtu.be/4ypdMeSWKjE

Chatting to a colleaguethis morning, he was talking about a change programme he is working on and was showing me the various persona groups of stakeholders. One persona group he has identified is the “Beach Boys”. These are the ‘wouldn’t it be nice’ people…

As sales people we never want to be the Beach Boys. Beach Boy sales people say crazy stuff like….

Wouldn’t it be nice if:

I had a different territoryMy quota was lowerI had more marketing supportMy brand was better knownMy product had some extra featuresMy sales coach (that's me) wasn’t an arseMy competitors were less active

Don’t be a beach boy sales person. That sucks.

Be focussed, be deliberate. Own it and crush it.

Sell strong!

PS - if you need help with your businesses change, connect with Grant.

I have always said that a proposal should confirm what has already been agreed. The primary purpose of a proposal is to outline the benefits and terms of the impending relationship - to provide the client with their formal business case.

It is not a discussion document.

Get better at qualifying and you will sell more while sending less proposals. Need help? Use the contact us page to reach out.

The dangers of submitting sales proposals too early is a really good read, compliments of NZ Entrepreneur. Enjoy!

This is an except from a blog byIan Altman - it is just too good to not share.

What If It Actually Is About Price?

I’m covering this section just to be polite. I promise that it is almost never about price. But, if it is, here is what probably went wrong. You jumped to what you were selling instead of focusing on the issue they needed to solve. You failed to engage the customer in a discussion about their past experiences in similar projects. You did not share stories about issues other clients faced that you helped to solve. In short, you did not do anything to help you stand out from the competition. So, you reinforced the customer’s initial belief that you were just selling a commodity.

In many cases, the seller is the one who frames the discussion about price. You might ask your potential client how much they are paying their current provider. At that point, many sellers will say, “Maybe we can get you a better deal.” What if instead you asked “0-10, how happy are you with the current provider?” You can either provide a better outcome, or a better price. Without a better outcome, why would they switch to you other than price?

- it is quite simply brilliant.

Sell strong!

I always get asked about price. How do I handle the 'how much is it question'.

There are many ways, some of which I will cover in later blogs, but this post from Seth Godin is worth a read, and a re-read. He nails the thinking that should go behind what you are addressing. A 30 second read - 30 seconds well spent!

And you can always read more of Seth's stuff here.

Get out there!

We all know first impressions count. Experts, and our own experiences, tell us a key to landing the deal is having and demonstrating genuine empathy for your clients. Yet many sales people don’t complete one simple task that can demonstrate empathy.

It’s a no brainer to turn up for the first meeting well prepared. But you’ll need to do more than read their annual report and look good to make a lasting impression that sets you apart.

Executives often tell me they’re surprised by how many salespeople don’t take notes or send them a follow-up note.

If you don’t send follow-up notes, you should. And here’s a follow-up strategy that will dramatically increase the rate at which you convert initial meetings into active, mutually beneficial, client relationships.

Here’s six tips to a great follow-up note.

Set yourself up to succeed by scheduling time immediately after the meeting to review and summarise your notes into a record of the conversation. Turn your notes into an email to your prospective client. Your notes should demonstrates your grasp of their business and the challenges/opportunities they are facing. Bonus – these notes can also be cut and pasted into your CRM.Start your email with something like ‘I enjoyed meeting and talking with you’, or ‘it was great to connect’. Resist the urge to thank them for their time. You are an expert in your field and you are there to help. It’s a mutually beneficial engagement with both parties equal.Summarise their current situation. What are their objectives, and priorities? What things do they need to achieve, and why?State the problem(s). What are the challenges they have told you matter. Answer the following question, ‘what’s stopping them from achieving their objectives?’Show the business value of solving the problem, in their words. For example, ‘we discussed addressing the challenge will lead to better customer retention and increased renewals’. If you can include metrics, based on facts they give you, do so. For example, ‘you highlighted if we can solve this it would increase your renewals by X%, and lift revenue by XX%’.Outline a plan (not a full proposal) that includes the things the client will do, in addition to those you will do. The client needs to be invested in the solution and the plan is to their business outcome – the client’s objective – not the deal closing.If there has been a conversation about price, include an outline of potential costs , for example ‘in my experience organisations like yours would likely spend between X and Y on a plan like this’. Be clear and authoritative. Don’t low ball, and highlight that a full breakdown of costs will be provided as part of your detailed proposal once the solution has been clearly defined and agreed.

By including this simple activity in your sales process you will stay fresh in the client’s mind, building on the great first impression you created.

Do you send follow-up notes? If so, how do you structure yours? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments.

Get out there!

Follow-up notes are a massively underused and undervalued sales tool. A good follow-up note will set you apart from your competitors. Many CIO and CEO’s have told me that they are astounded by the number of sales people who don’t take notes, and don’t send follow-up notes.

A good follow-up demonstrate to the client that you have heard them, and that you are working on the things that are important to them. It also allows you to formalise the plan you have agreed to work on – remember to make sure the prospect/client has things to do as well!

The great news is you can then kill 2 birds with 1 stone - you simply save the follow-up email (or copy and paste the text) into your CRM activity notes, and schedule any future activities. Be diligent about your record keeping – it will help you perform at your peak.

Sell strong!

It was a genuine "ah-ha" moment for me.

"Dave," my colleague began, "the customer is the prize, not the competition."

That one sentence forever changed my approach to selling.

It was 2000 and the company I was working for was implementing Altify'sTAS (Targeted Account Selling) sales process. Account Managers and BDMs were creating opportunity plans with vigour, and everyone had deal review meetings to attend.

I was discussing my plan and approach with a peer when he made the above statement. It brought a moment of clarity as I realized I was preparing to win the deal by 'beating' the customer through force of logic, argument and persuasion. My UBV (unique business value) was so compelling, they'd be crazy not to buy from me. I was treating the customer as the one to beat, not the prize to be won.

How often do you hear sales people saying things like 'smart organisations get it', or 'it amazes me they are still in business when they make such silly buying decisions'? I imagine it is more often than you realise.

Whenever I hear comments like that, I cringe a little on the inside. In the modern world of selling it's the sales professional's job to help the customer achieve their goals. If sales professionals bring insights, ideas and measurable value, rather than arguments, features and discounts, they will be in a much better position to win the customer.

Take action now. Review your approach. Are your clients your prize or someone to beat? Make changes to ensure they are a prize, and you will sell quicker, bigger and more often.

If you want help to improve your, or your team's, sales productivity, drop me a line or give me a call. I'd love to help.

I am a big supporter of taking action. Especially when stuck. I have always found that making a decision and taking the corresponding actions will get you moving again.

But, this should not be activity for activities sake, and shouldn't descend into chaos. It is activity with a purpose.

I meet too many sales people who are doing lots, but progressing little. In fact, I am on the buying side of a sales process at the moment, and it is terrible to watch. The seller, with good intention, keeps sending me stuff, but their deal has stalled. In principle I did want (note the past tense) what they are offering, but they are yet to overcome unknown objections (unknown to me and them!). Undeterred by the stalled state of their 'deal' they keep doing more stuff for me. None of it is making a blind bit of difference.

Why is this? Easy - they are not listening to me. They took action early (which is good) but they have not adjusted direction once they created a bit of momentum. They are simply chucking mud at the wall and hoping some sticks. And, what's worse, they are no doubt telling their sales manager that the deal is progressing because they are still talking to me. Little do they know I have already all but moved on. They will be surprised when the deal ends with a loss to them.

So, if you have a stalled deal, yes, do take action. A great action is to ask a question of the client. A simple question like, 'I really appreciate the time and effort you have put into the our engagement thus far, thanks. What would you suggest we do to progress from here?'

Then listen. Ask another question, and listen again. Keep asking as long as you need to, then respond. Have a considered response, not just a 'paint by numbers sales wittering'. Does your response address the issues your client raised? If it is not in your power to do what the client asks, even simply acknowledging that what they have raised is important to them and while you may not be able to address things the way they want, you will try and provide feedback with options will build trust and momentum.

As a sales leader don't reward activity alone. I have worked for organisations where high activity is highly prized. While I agree that action is critical, make sure it is not just random ' doing stuff'.

One CEO I worked for would always challenge us with this question, "Are you doing things or achieving things?"

The former has it's place to the extent that it addresses the latter.

Don't just do things - achieve things.

Enjoy!