Like golf, sales is a thinking game. You have to proactively think and strategize every step of the way. After all, wouldn’t you rather have a strategy for getting a par or bogie on a tough hole, versus playing your game aimlessly and ending up with a triple?
Drive Your Sales Team To Attaining Predictable Growth
Ugh, it’s that time of year again when you have to do your annual account plan. Will you be proactive or simply comply? The choice is yours. Congratulations – you booked the first customer meeting with that elusive executive. You had the meeting. What happens next? Not every sales person deserves a second meeting, but that’s not always a bad thing. Here’s why. Eyes roll every time the topic of account planning comes up. Managers make their sales people do it, taking valuable time away from clients. Here are four reasons why account planning may be bad for you – a big waste of your time. Having trouble selling into large accounts? You may be placing limitations on yourself and how you go about reaching the potential of these large accounts. Two scenarios with the same problem come to mind, all relating to your own self-limiting perspective. The other day I was in a deal review with a client and they were explaining their client’s need for the products and services they offer. They told me that their client has a large group of people who are manually doing the work that their product can automate. “But how do your products and services solve … Continue reading “Stop Selling and Solve the Business Problem” Early in my sales career, I was told that the way to become a top performer and close larger deals was to get everyone’s hands on the gun. This means bringing the right resources into the deal and using them to maximize the outcome. The more relevant and credible people involved, the better. Getting everyone’s … A while back, I read an excellent blog by David Brock “How Well Do You Know Your Customer?” He describes how his friend, Tim Ohai, put a crisp $100 bill on the table and challenged his sales reps to talk about their customer, their problems, opportunities and challenges for 20 minutes without ever mentioning their … Do you do one and done account planning? That is, do you complete an account plan at year-end or the beginning of the year, present it to senior management, and then never look at it again? I’ll bet many of you do, and, I’ll bet you believe it is a big waste of time but … Continue reading “Year End Account Planning – one and done?” In my last blog, I highlighted several tips for reps to effectively plan their accounts or territories over multiple years. One of the tips was to “be specific” when the rep is setting his or her goals. Discussing your client’s goals, strategies and initiatives or their business process workflows is no different—getting to specificity with … Continue reading “Getting to Specificity with your Clients Really Matters”
Why Sales is a Thinking Game You Need to Master
How to Escape the Pitfalls of the Annual Account Plan
Great – You Got that First Customer Meeting. Now What?
4 Big Reasons Why Account Planning Is a Complete Waste of Your Time
How to Reach Your Full Sales Potential on Large Accounts
Stop Selling and Solve the Business Problem
Someone Take Over Your Deal?
I Would Love to Lose the 100-dollar Bet
Year End Account Planning – one and done?
Getting to Specificity with your Clients Really Matters
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