A Lesson from a Sales Split Test: We Benefit from More Structure than We Like The Accidental Sales Split Test I started a call recording and coaching program with a client who had two sales teams. After the initial training, one of the team leaders created a checklist for a discovery call and required her team to check the boxes as they made their calls. … Read more
Staying to the Left of the Sales Pendulum If you’re desperate to make something happen, and you try to control events and people, you push away the people you want to influence and you prevent the desired outcome. I’ve written about the Paradoxical Intent and anti-suggestions before, explaining if you try to “tie-down” a buyer, you will not gain agreement. You will create resistance. A … Read more
Re-Diagnose Need or Not? In my tip, Sales Up in a Down Economy?, I talked about how salespeople can win deals by demonstrating to the buyer that their new purchase will be put to good use. While you may not think managing the implementation is part of your job as a salesperson, it’s worth your while to stay involved. By helping Customer Success understand what … Read more
Sales Up in a Down Economy? The Bad News I never want to be a source of negative thinking, but there is reason to believe that a global recession of some magnitude is underway. Buyers in 2022 are already hesitant about expenditures and many well cut back. The Good News I have experienced ten recessions and they are an opportunity to keep the growth flywheel … Read more
The Winning Edge is Often Subjective Success depends, not just on checking off the technical aspects, but understanding the subjective and emotional criteria. In many competitive scenarios, all of the vendors can check all of the technical boxes. The winning edge is a deeper understanding of the subjective and emotional criteria. Seek to understand the functional requirements. But don’t stop where most salespeople stop. Understand … Read more
Which wins in an A/B test? Pitch Deck vs. Diagnostic Deck A buyer needs to understand your offering, so you should walk them through the Corporate Pitch deck in your first meeting, right? Here are seven observations from call recordings that compare these two approaches: Discovery calls that employ a Corporate Pitch Deck Discovery calls that use my Diagnostic Deck Since you may suspect that … Read more
2 Rules for Selling to a Committee More often than not, large deals mean that you have to sell to a committee, rather than an individual buyer. In these situations, many salespeople fall back to using the corporate deck to present to the group. This is a mistake. Though the corporate pitch deck is designed to cover all bases, it does not account for the … Read more
Develop Dissatisfaction to the Point of Action There are endless reasons why a potential buyer may be looking for a new software solution, but it usually involves some level of dissatisfaction with the current solution. Unfortunately, dissatisfaction alone is not enough to close a sale. Deals can stop because the financial decision maker feels there are other priorities, or because someone on the purchasing committee … Read more
No is Not a Loss Sales environments that suggest every opportunity is “won” or “lost” do not recognize that NO is a good outcome. A consultative seller creates value by helping the buyer understand what merits action, and what does not. It is equally beneficial to agree to disengage, as it saves time for both parties, and avoids zombie deals. It’s also important to recognize … Read more
Maximize the Perceived Fit of Your Solution The best way to maximize perceived fit of your solution, is to ensure it is NOT your solution, but the buyer’s baby. Don’t pitch. In fact, consider using anti-suggestions to help the buyer lay claim to the solution. Co-create the buyer’s Utopian Vision in the 3rd section of The Perfect Discovery Call. If the buying organization requires a … Read more