I recently went through 101 Things I Learned in Business School, a new hardcover business bestseller by Michael W. Preis and Matthew Frederick. It’s an easy and interesting read, with 101 single-page notes ranging from definitions (A stock indicates ownership; a bond is an I.O.U.) to tips (A manager usually should have no more than… . . .
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In our sales messaging practice, we frequently find ourselves helping clients take technical solution capabilities and translate them into business-level conversations.
Essentially we work with salespeople and teams, turning techno-speak into a brief, benefit-oriented and engaging talk track for a less technically oriented executive prospect.
Techno-speak is an easy trap, and not one… . . .
People make up their minds about a lot of things within 60 seconds. Research across a variety of disciplines shows that professionals make quick judgments about interest and acceptability, even for important decisions such as hiring and big-ticket investments.
And yet…we have seen countless examples in our practice of sales presentations that fail to . . .
I might have chosen slightly different words, but…anyone involved in sales leadership has to appreciate this result and this passion!
Just last month, my DSG colleagues and I received an email from a client’s sales leader with the subject line “FW: Whiteboard Kicks A**” (he actually spelled out the final word, but I wanted . . .
Too many sales teams waste valuable time and opportunity on undisciplined, poorly planned sales meetings. That is the unfortunate conclusion we have formed over a 15-year period of coaching sales teams. Can we resolve to make 2010 the year we finally end bad sales meetings?
It isn’t that managers and salespeople don’t need to . . .
Sales managers’ interaction with their salespeople is critical to increasing pipeline visibility and improving the quality of pipeline data within SFA systems. Sales managers have the ability to provide an accurate lens for executives to look through and see what will likely happen in the future. Unfortunately, first line sales managers often deliver ablurry image . . .
Several years ago we were engaged by the senior sales executive of a high growth supply chain software company. His company was transitioning to a new portfolio of products and a sales strategy focused on executive buyers. Marketing had created messaging for this strategy, but the sales team was not converting the messaging into successful . . .
In order to win consistently, a company must establish and maintain leadership in some fundamental business competency; three of the most important are operational efficiency, innovation and customer connections. Which path offers your company the best opportunity to win? Consider the implications of each:
OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE: The company has superb execution, often marked by . . .
Clearly understanding your customer’s buying milestones is essential to pipeline visibility. Without clearly understanding where your salespeople are in the customer’s internal buying process, you can’t know if a particular opportunity is merely possible, probable, or a sure close. Assuming salespeople and their managers are managing the pipeline based on clearly defined customer buying milestones . . .
The question was straightforward and profound: “How should we leverage our partners so that they can be an off balance sheet sales force?”
That’s the question a client recently asked as they looked to drive sales on limited resources in a down economy.(Sound familiar?) The client had been regularly offering combined solutions with partners . . .