this month’s contributors: bernadette · pdf filecan a on, a sword fist full of oons...
TRANSCRIPT
THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS: BERNADETTE MCCLELLAND, JOANNE BLACK, TAMARA SCHENK, JASON JORDAN, DAVE KURLAN, STEVEN ROSEN, STU HEINECKE,BABETTE TEN HAKEN, TIM RIESTERER & JAY MITCHELL
FROM TOP SALES WORLD APRIL 2016
Deb Calvert interviews Art Turock, an "Elite PerformanceGame Changer"
Developing Elite SalesPerformers Followingthe Game Plan of SportsChampions
T P SALES MAGAZINE
ALSO INSIDE: Top Sales WorldCEO announces a change ofdirection
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 20162
My Top 7 WaysTo Begin YourConscious SellingJourneyBernadetteMcClelland
10The Real ReasonYour Sales RepsCan’t Close: HowAre TheyProspecting?Joanne Black
14
Content in theCustomer’sContext DrivesClientRelationshipsTamara Schenk
16Cracking theSalesManagementCode Part 2 of 4Jason Jordan
18
What it SoundsLike When YouDon’t HaveHappy EarsDave Kurlan
24Top SalesPerformers arenot all CreatedEquallySteven Rosen
26
How Pigeoand aCartoyour TMoreStu H
2
Can aon, a Sword Fist Full of
oons HelpTeam Sell
e?Heinecke
28
The ConnectedCustomer is yourNew HolisticBusiness NormBabette TenHaken
30
Taking YourInsights Beyondthe Data PointTim Riesterer
32Sun Tzu’sDifferentiatedMessaging TestJay Mitchell
36
ContentsApril 2016
Editors: Jonathan Farrington [email protected] Richardson [email protected]: Bill Jeckells [email protected] by: Top Sales World A JF INITIATIVE
Developing Elite SalesPerformers Following theGame Plan of SportsChampionsDeb Calvert interviews ArtTurock, an "Elite PerformanceGame Changer"PAGE 6
Featured Top Solution of the Month Vantage PointPAGE 38
Top Sales Article & Blog PostMarch 2015PAGE 43
TOP SALES MAGAZINE
Top Sales World is Sponsored by
Time to Change DirectionJonathan FarringtonPAGE 4
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 3
TSW began way back in 2006, after I hadnegotiated the sale of my first consultancy andwas required to sign a noncompete
agreement, which effectively took me off the roadfor 5 years. I knew I wanted to make the most ofonline opportunities and had an idea, which involvedcollaboration with likeminded sales experts, most ofwhom were based in the US. So, rather timidly, I sentout 10 emails to people whose work I really admiredand, to my amazement, they all came back with reallyencouraging notes of support, and the first site – TopSales Experts – was launched. Incidentally, most ofthat initial “gang of 10” are still contributing,including: Linda Richardson, Jill Konrath, JoanneBlack, Dave Kurlan, Kevin Eikenberry, etc.
12 months after we launched TSE, we createdTop Sales Management, then Top Sales Articles,followed by Top Sales Awards…Then, in 2009, we
decided to bring it all together under one roof andTSW was born.
It has been a remarkable journey, which hasprovided me with so many opportunities I haveenjoyed close friendships (which I am sure willendure), created valuable collaborations and had a lotof fun along the way. It has been an honor and apleasure to work with so many highly talented andsuccessful people.
It was not my intention to step down this year ithas all happened rather quickly… A chanceconversation with my favourite wine expert duringmy weekly foray down to the local town Jonathanand his wife Emma opened Best Cellars 26 years ago,and then in 1999 also developed an online service.They have (had) an excellent range of very fine winesand offered superb personal service, which is why Ibecame a loyal customer. Now, I am the proudowner! Napoleon once described the English as “anation of shopkeepers” and he may have been right.
I leave with this quote firmly in my mind: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your
shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction youchoose. You're on your own, and you know what youknow. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.“Dr. Seuss
I will still be staying close to TSW and I will offerthe Editorial Team my full support, of course. Plus Iwill continue with my consultancy and speakingcommitments and you will continue to find my workover at Jonathan Farrington.
Thank you for your amazing support. n
When I look back on my commercial life, I see so many of my experiencesfitting into 10 year cycles, so it is probably not a coincidence that I havedecided to take a change of direction now, with Top Sales World’s 10thanniversary almost upon us.
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Time to Change Direction
Read Jonathan’s interview in Devon Life here
‘A donkey promptedmy move to Devon’
‘I cooked for Lady Diana ...and she did the washing up’
April 2016 I devonlife.co.uk
‘I cried like a babyover Michelin star’
Our pick of the
‘must see and do’in the county right now
>Spring activities >Arts curators >Exmoor spots>Dartmoor secrets >Tips for trees >Cosy hideaways>Reasons to rent a holiday home >Woodland walks
>Fabulous homes for sale >Sports to enjoy
TavistockDiscover its hidden gem
Prawle PointSuperb southerly
spot for a walk
BarnstapleThe terrific town
on the TawMAKINGA LISTShopping made simple with ourextensive Gift Guide
JonathanFarringtonexplains why he ischanging direction
HAPPY ANNIVERSARYin Devon
£3.80
DC: You are both a worldclass track and fieldathlete, ranked in your age group as the world’s #8pentathlete in 2015, AND a gamechangingconsultant to sales organizations. What lessonscan you offer us about how developing topperforming athletes relates to developing salestalent?AT: My competitive edge is knowing how to practiceto learn new movements, like in javelin and discus,and to continually improve my proficiency in avariety of physical skills. My choice to be a multievent athlete eliminated lots of competitors who’dnever attempt to master five events.
Art Turock is an ElitePerformance Game-Changer, building eliteleadership capabilities whilereal work gets done. His
latest book is Competent is Not an Option:Build an Elite Leadership Team Following theTalent Development Game Plan of SportsChampions.
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Developing Elite Sales Performers Following the Game Plan of Sports Champions
The Deb Calvert Interview
Just like sports champions, world class salesorganizations devise unique solutions few of theircompetitors would dare to attempt.
There are five ingredients for world class talentdevelopment.
The first one involves establishing highperformance standards by delivering “sales callscustomers would pay for.”
Second, world class talent development requiresa threepart training design: prework, training andfollow up. Franklin Covey found that training eventsdeliver only 26% of learning outcomes, so follow upand prework are vital.
Third, elite performance coaching requiresmanagers to generate mindset disturbances thatexpand team member’s comfort zones so theypersist in pursuit of challenging goals.
The most vital ingredient is work processinnovation. World class teams orchestrate jobembedded development routines. They designmeetings or seize on spontaneous teachablemoments to improve their skill proficiency andknowledge base in the midst of getting work done.
Finally, worldclass talent development adaptsbest practices from other fields. Sports teams dotalent development far better than most businesses.For instance, my clients take the concept of sportsanalytics and invent “sales management analytics.”Several sales manager for Deschutes Breweryrequire sales reps to rate them on a percentage oftime spent 100% present/fully engaged in a daylong “work with” in the field. You can bet trackingthis analytic abruptly decreases multitasking, likepretending to listen while checking email.
Since I aspire to become a worldclass resource, Iinvented a role of “elite performance gamechanger”who offers five essential tools to help clientsincorporate these five ingredients for extraordinarytalent development. Consequently, my tools involvespeaking, training design, coaching for mindsetdisturbance, work process innovation, and eliteperformance consulting.
DC: You've also researched how athletes and theircoaches "stay relentlessly committed to improvingperformance." How does this translate forimproving sales performance?AT: Continuous improvement can’t depend on eachindividual having to generate willpower day afterday. Instead, sports champions operate withreverence for routines that make it effortless toorchestrate opportunities to keep getting better.That’s the big idea in my latest book, Competent isNot an Option: Build an Elite Leadership TeamFollowing the Talent Development Playbook of SportsChampions.
I would never have written my book had I notparticipated in a football camp for adults led by PeteCarroll, then Head Coach of the USC Trojan’sFootball program. Carroll calls his coachingphilosophy “Win Forever.” It’s organizing principle is:Do what you do the best it’s ever been done. SoCoach Carroll keeps refining routines for recruiting,preseason conditioning, the weekly practiceregimen, studying game film, and developingcoaches.
My work process innovation is called the PracticeWhile Real Work Gets Done Process or the 5Ps forshort. It’s organizing principle is: All there is at workis time to get better. For sales organizations, everyday in the field making sales calls is filled withpractice opportunities.
My clients deploy the 5Ps during “workwiths”where a sales manager provides coaching and OJTto a sales rep. The 5Ps are triggered by eventsthroughout the day.
P1 is Prepare. Each day begins with aconversation known as a Grounding for Greatness.All participants identify specific skills they willimprove plus ideal practice opportunities.
P2 is Practice. Meal breaks and car time areconsidered practice fields, ideal for role playing andstrategizing for the upcoming sales call.
P3 is Perform. Everyone practices selected skillsin live interactions with buyers. Colleagues takenotes to use in delivering feedback.
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P4 is Perfect. In debriefing the justcompletedsales call, the participants offer feedback and distillessons learned from successes and failure.
P5 is Publicize. Everyone asks, “Who else mightbenefit from these lessons learned?” and then sendsemails to their boss, team members, customers andtrade association colleagues.
DC: When it comes to elite performance, wouldyou say that anyone could get there? Or doesgetting there require some sort of inborn quality orpredisposition?AC: Talent is overrated. Other than being placed ina job that requires a particular ability, talent plays asecondary role. In fact, the upper limits ofperformance are determined by three factors: talent+ deliberate practice + mindset conducive todeliberate practice.
The behavioral science research spearheaded byDr. Anders Ericsson is very clear.Elite performers aredistinguished by the frequency and quality of hoursspent in deliberate practice. Deliberate practiceinvolves mastering tasks beyond your current levelof comfort and competence with a relentless intentto improve skill proficiency and expand a repertoireof skills.
Notice the challenges in that definition. You mustexpand your comfort zone. You must be willing toappear incompetent at times when you practice infront of your boss, team, or even buyers. Butdeliberate practice is the way to continually getbetter.
DC: So we should talk more, then, about mindset.You talk about taking accountability for yourmindset. What do you mean by that and why is thisa critical component in achieving peakperformance?AT: Mindset comes into play when people knowwhat they need to do (i.e., make cold calls, startdelegating) but don’t take effective action.
Our mindset determines how we experience asituation – either as a threat to constrain us or as an
opportunity to free us to take bold action. The wayour mindset filters a situation determines what wechoose, how we act and, ultimately, our results.Consequently, the mindset is the root cause of ourperformance slumps, plateaus, and breakthroughs.
When was the last time your boss invited you tobe accountable – NOT for your choices, youractions, or your results – but for your mindset?
DC: I'm thinking about the opposite of takingaccountability for your mindset. You and I havetalked about this before – the victim mentality thatcan grip a team. What's your advice for a seniorsales executive who observes this in theorganization?AT: I encourage senior executives to institute a“ThrowtheRedFlag Practice Drill.” In pro football,a coach who questions a referee’s call can throw ared flag to request an instant videotape review. Badcalls get overturned. In a similar process, my clientstoss red flags to call out victim language and initiateinstant rephrasing to take accountability.
This routine establishes a “ban on blaming.”Every one of my clients has made it a fun way tomodify ineffective behavior.
At first, I provide the sales team with a list of 25victim phrases, such as:
l I can’t…l It’s the nature of the business/my role to…l I’m not…
Then they practice two steps that can beaccomplished in a minute or less.
In one of my own sales calls, a VP of Sales for anengineering firm remarked: “Our people aren’t wiredright for sales.” I pulled a red flag out of my pocketand threw it on his desk. He laughed at first but thennoticed a serious problem. He confessed, “Oursenior managers use that phrase all the time.”
We then practiced taking accountability, and theVP offered this rephrase, “I’m choosing to blame ourengineers’ backgrounds to avoid facing the apparent
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The Deb Calvert Interview
challenge of developing engineers for sales roles.”
DC: Sellers need to create value for theircustomers. This requires more than productpitching and data sharing. Forrester's research saysonly 19% of buyers say meetings with sellers arevaluable. So the other 81% need help figuring outhow to create valuable customer experiences. Giveus an example of how you’ve helped a companycreate highvalue sales calls.AT: Especially in B2B sales, asking customers whatthey need often gets perceived as a waste of time.Buyers have gone through the typical protocol ofprobing for needs with various suppliers. They tire ofgiving the same pat answers.
In 2013, Procter & Gamble hired me to deliver aspeech at their Annual Supplier Meeting to conveythe message: “Asking us what we want andproviding us with your standard solution iscompetent performance. If you want to beconsidered an elite supplier, bring us valuableinsights we don’t realize.”
I worked with Blue Bunny during an eightyearperiod when they were the fastest growing brand inthe combined ice cream and novelty category. Iconsulted with crossfunctional teams frommarketing, sales and operations to study thestrategic positions and develop SWOT analyses ofsupermarket chains. They revamped Blue Bunnypresentations to deliver valuable strategic insightsand solutions customized to each retailer.
The second step required building skills to deliverthe revised presentation. Traditionally, severalregional sales managers came to companyheadquarters to conduct quarterly account reviews.Instead of doing customary updates, the regionalmanagers engaged in deliberate practice.
They role played the most challenging aspect ofthe upcoming sales call with a colleague whopretended to be the account’s primary buyer. Afterthe role play, each regional sales manager gotfeedback on strengths and areas to improve fromBlue Bunny’s top sales executives. The next day they
incorporated this feedback in redoing the same roleplay and received a second dose of feedback. Bothpractice rounds were videotaped so managers couldperiodically review their performance and thefeedback. The Blue Bunny team transformed a blandaccount update into several rounds of deliberatepractice.
DC: Last, but certainly not least... You don't dothings halfway. When you commit, there's a "nomatter what" that makes it a sure thing. You find away to make things happen. Tell us a little moreabout YOU, the athlete and business phenom, andhow you view commitment.AT: Knowhow is useless without a commitmentto apply it. So I developed the distinction betweenbeing interested in a result where you taking action“if circumstances permit” versus being committed toa result where you take action “no matter whatcircumstances.”
As an athlete, I keep asking, “What actionscorrelate with producing the results I’m committedto having?” I deliberately go to lengths mycompetition would probably consider unreasonable.I hire top coaches. I practice mental, not justphysical,skills. I study videotape of my movementseven at practice.
Launching my speaking career was a serious testof my commitment. My marketing strategy requiredmaking cold calls to trade associations’ meetingplanners who might hire me. For months, I wouldwake up at 6:00 a.m. on the west coast and makecold calls until I had qualified 20 potential speakingopportunities in a given week. How many of mycompetitors for speaking engagements wouldcommit to a steady diet of early morning cold callsfor months with no end in sight? Fortunately, thestrategy got me plenty of bookings. n
Find out more about Art here and you canorder his book here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 9
Whilst what I read around business ethicsgenerally was inspiring and intriguing, at ahigher level I felt something was missing.
It was the specific lack of discussion around the salesfunction. Especially around the capital part ofconscious capitalism and how the sales landscapehas turned completely upside down over the pastdecade completely disrupting the sales role.
I believe SELLING should be the key task or rolethat, if approached from a genuine consciouscapitalistic viewpoint, would impact the worldenormously from a profit perspective, a people
perspective and a purpose perspective.Firstly, when I mention ‘conscious selling’ to
people there are a couple of assumptions made as tothe meaning:
l That people are not unconscious and thereforeare with us in mind, body and spirit and as a directresult are alive and able to perform their role froman energetic perspective.
l That people have a consciousness that aligns witheither their levels of competence or incompetence
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My Top 7 Ways To Begin Your Conscious Selling Journey
A couple of years ago I read a book that shifted my thinking around whatconstitutes a successful business. 'Conscious Capitalism: Liberating theHeroic Spirit of Business' written by John Mackey and Raj Sisodia led me toembrace the term conscious in the business sense and led me to coiningconscious selling, and sharing why this concept is so important for businessgrowth moving forward.
Bernadette McClelland
and are aware and can adapt to the skills and mindset gap impacting their results.
Both clearly have their place. But there is anothermeaning to the world conscious in the context ofbusiness. A meaning with meaning, if you like.
l It is the desire and intention to sell on purpose. Toalign and adjust to what is important in the cut andthrust of this moneymaking role selling adifference!
And a huge part of that is understanding thatearning money is important. After all, if you want tomake an impact and a difference and you want tolight up the world, you need to be able to pay thelight bill.
‘Millennials, startups and large companies at thetop end of town are embracing this whole conceptaround purposeful and meaningful businessrelationships’, as stated by USA Today. Those thatare are blitzing those that aren’t by the ratio of 12:1 numbers that are increasing.
So let’s go back and apply this concept of ‘sellingon purpose’ to the role of the salesperson.
1. How many salespeople are conscious when itcomes to truly doing a deal? That have the energyand foresight to be present to the conversation using the clichéd one mouth for asking curiositydriven criteria questions, two ears to hear what isnot just being said but what is not being said as well,and who have what I have added as a third eyepoised for intuition, intention and insights?
2. How many salespeople are conscious of whattheir idea, product or service truly means to the enduser or their client? Who have the ability to adapttheir conversations on the fly realising businessconversations are not about what you sell, but theemotional difference you are selling.
3. How many salespeople are truly aware of the
responsibility they personally hold? Who haveunderstood the problem behind the problem andknow how their ‘deal’ might save a business fromgoing under, might help their client stay afloat, mighthave a ripple effect to the greater community.
4. How many salespeople understand that twodegrees of separation is not just a cliché but is atruth that we are all connected, that we are just onemouse click away from being seen for the value weprovide others, online and offline or not! Who areopen to adjusting their old beliefs in order to providethat value.
5. How many salespeople can comfortably losesight of the commission and detach from ‘doing adeal’ and instead offer what is truly right for theclient, the company and themselves? Who have theemotional intelligence to bring a whole of selfapproach to the market, aligning to common values.
6. How many salespeople take time out to improvetheir personal leadership skills, learn what their gapsare and can leave their ego at the door at a timewhere the brand that matters is really their own?Vulnerability, transparency, and engagement areattributes conscious salespeople have in spades andthat level of authenticity, relevance and intentionoozes out of them creating huge deposits in thetrust account of buyers.
7. Finally, how many salespeople are not afraid towalk away from an opportunity or scenario that isnot aligned to their personal values or those of theorganisation? Are not afraid to test their moneybeliefs for a fair negotiated win/win scenariobecause their need for respect is stronger than theirneed to discount, avoid asking the hard questionsand be liked? n
Find out more about Bernadette atBernadette McClelland Consulting here
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Unless you address the broken links in yourprospecting system, your sales reps willcontinue struggling to close deals. It’s like
back pain. You can stretch and put heat or ice on anaching back, but unless you treat the source of thepain—a pulled muscle or degenerating disc—yourback will continue to hurt. The same goes for yoursales strategy.
Closing in on the Real Problem
If your team has trouble closing, go back to thebeginning—prospecting—and examine your entiresales process for missing links and ineffective salestactics. Ask yourself:
l How are sales reps sourcing leads?l How they qualifying their leads?l Are they asking the right questions to identify
prospects’ problems and propose thoughtfulsolutions?
l Do they just demonstrate product features, or dothey actually talk ROI?
l What is the sales plan for following up?
Don’t even think about training your team on closingtechniques. Save your money. Instead, give them asales strategy that works.
The Only FailProof Prospecting System
Many sources say it takes seven to 12 touches forsales reps to reach prospects. Really? If you believethat misguided sales myth, I have a bridge to sell you.That's not how savvy sales managers should asktheir teams to spend time—dialing for dollars andpestering strangers with cold emails, hoping tofinally get a few prospects on the phone. If salesreps chase cold leads, they’re set up to fail.
There's only one kind of lead that should be inyour pipeline. Only one kind of lead with more thana 50percent conversion rate. Only one kind of lead
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The Real Reason Your Sales Reps Can’t Close: How Are They Prospecting?
“My salespeople can’t close.” This is the frustrated lament I hear regularlyfrom sales management. But failing to close is never the real problem. It’sjust the symptom. The problem is that sales reps neglect importantactivities during earlier stages of the sales process.
Joanne Black
that sales managers should care about, measure, andreinforce.
That's hot leads—the kind you source throughreferrals from trusted colleagues and clients.
My client, Mark, came to me totally frustratedabout the disproportionate amount of time his salesteam spent prospecting. He measures Days in Sales(DIS) as one of their Key Sales Indicators, and thenumbers were abysmal.
Mark decided a referral program would boostproductivity for his sales reps. Boy, was he right! Injust four months, they reduced the prospectingphase by 43 percent, which amounts to a 30daydrop in prospecting time. His reps now spend theirtime getting referral introductions from their currentclients to their ideal prospects. And those dealssimply close faster.
Why? When you prospect through referrals:
l You bypass the gatekeeper and score meetingswith decisionmakers every time.
l Your prospects are presold on your ability todeliver results.
l You've already earned trust and credibility withyour prospects.
l You convert prospects into clients at least 50percent of the time (usually more than 70percent).
l You score more new clients from fewer leads(because all those leads are qualified).
l You get the inside track on your prospects andace out your competition.
Rather than giving your team lists of names to coldcall, or letting them spend their days spammingpeople on LinkedIn, teach them how to pick up thedamn phone, engage with buyers, find out what theyreally need, deliver it, and then ask for referrals.
Still Having Trouble Closing?
If your team is getting in front of the rightprospects and still can’t seal the deal, they’re not
engaging in insightful discussions or askingcompelling questions.
When you analyze what really went wrong withmissed sales opportunities, you’ll typically discoverthat your sales reps didn’t properly prepare fortheir meetings. They didn’t plan agendas, do theirresearch, tailor their pitches, or even check thebuyers' LinkedIn profiles to identify sharedinterests, connections, and similarities.
This is not how salespeople wow buyers, buildrelationships, and convert prospects into clients.
One of my clients was on the way to a highprofile meeting. If his team wowed the client, theyhad an opportunity to close a milliondollar deal. Iasked my client how the sales reps prepared formeetings like this. His answer: "Oh, we talk about itin the car on the way to the meeting." Was theirsales manager clueless, or what?
Unless sales reps are properly prepared formeetings, the best they can offer are canned salespitches. That’s not what prospects and clients wantfrom salespeople. They want expertise, tailoredinsights, new ways of thinking, and unique ideas fortheir businesses.
This kind of meaningful dialogue and thoughtfulquestioning is what impresses prospects. Not onlyare buyers more likely to do business with salesreps who prove they know their stuff, but the scaleof projects increases, creating win/wins foreveryone. Your company gets bigger deals. Clientsget solutions that actually solve their problems andcreate measurable business results. And they arehappy to introduce your sales reps to theirnetworks.
Bravo! You’ve addressed the problem, not thesymptom. Your client looks good, your team hasreliable sales techniques, and deals are yours towin. n
Joanne Black is America’s leading authority onreferral selling. To learn more, visit here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 15
What water means for all of us, that’s whatcontent could mean for the 21stcentury’s buyers. An adventurous
hypothesis? Maybe. Let’s see what story our latestresearch will tell us.
How effective is clientfacing content? Theresults are multifaceted.In our CSO Insights 2015 Sales EnablementOptimization Study, we asked the participants to rankthe effectiveness of various enablement services,such as clientfacing content, in four categories:“exceeds expectations,” “meets expectations,”“needs improvement,” and, the lowest ranking,
“needs major redesign.” The content types that showed the biggest need
for major redesign (26.5%) and improvement(45.7%) were business value/ROI justification tools.The next content asset, thirdparty endorsements,follows with less need for major redesign (18.9%)but the same need for improvement (45.7%). Emailtemplates, customer case studies, and presentationsshowed a similar result, with more than 50% of both,need for improvement and major redesign.
Interestingly, the most effective clientfacingcontent type was the technical product presentation(“meets expectations” and “exceeds expectations”aggregated at 60.1%), followed by product collateral(51.9%) and proposal templates (50.9%). Referencesand customer presentations show a multifacetedresult. While they seem to be the content types withthe highest “exceeds expectations” result (10.2%and 9.9%), they also show considerable needs formajor redesign (16% and 15%).
The transformationfrom productsellingapproaches to more valueand resultoriented salesapproaches is still the mainchallenge in manyorganizations across allindustries. And that’s whatwe see in the data. Thesedata points have alsoincorporated whatsalespeople are used tousing rather than whatthey should be using. Thischallenge, here focused onclientfacing contenthabits, is not only a saleschallenge, it’s also anenablement, content
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Content in the Customer’s Context Drives Client Relationships
All life on Earth evolvedfrom water. Water is thekey prerequisite for life. Wehumans consist of eightypercent water.
Tamara Schenk
strategy, and content management issue.Let’s keep this multifaceted information in our
minds, and look at the business impact of effectiverated, or rather ineffectiverated, clientfacingcontent.
The effectiveness of clientfacing contentimpacts the relationship organizations can developwith their customers.
Overall, there is a significant correlation betweenthe effectiveness of clientfacing content and thelevel of relationships that can be achieved withclients. The more effective clientfacing content is,the more likely providers can develop a highlevelrelationship with their customers as you can seehere. Content ranked as “meets expectations” or“exceeds expectations” is more likely to lead to astrategic partnership (63%) or a strategic contributorrole (59%). In this “effective content” category, only29% ended up as a preferred supplier or as asupplier (13%). Instead, content that is ranked as“needs improvements” or “needs major redesign”makes it very hard to develop a highvaluerelationship with clients such as strategic contributor(22%) or strategic partner (9%). With ineffectivecontent, it’s more likely to end up as preferredsupplier (45%) or supplier (60%). Simply look at thetwo different stairstep patterns in the chart here.The difference is quite significant.
Now, what impacts effective content? How dowe get there? What hinders organizations fromcreating effective content?
The alignment of internal processes andframeworks to the customer’s journey is aprerequisite to creating effective content.
According to our data, organizations made lots ofprogress in aligning their internal processes to thecustomer’s journey: 54% reported to be mostlyaligned, 19% to be fully aligned, 22% to be minimallyaligned, and 5% not aligned at all. Overall, the highdegree of alignment is surprising. Looking deeper inthe data and in some of the interviews we made, itturns out that even if organizations have made someof the customer’s journey mapping exercises, it does
not necessarily mean that they use these results on aregular basis in their sales process implementationsand in their enablement frameworks.
This fact might be one of the reasons why even arelatively high degree of alignment does notnecessarily translate into effective enablementservices, designed with the customer’s journey atthe core. The time distance from mapping totranslating to seeing measurable results might alsobe a reason many organizations seem to be in themiddle of this transition.
Content matters. Content in the customer’scontext matters even more. A well executed“outsidein” strategy makes the difference.
As the data says, the quality of clientfacingcontent is a key element that significantly impactsthe level of relationship you can achieve with yourcustomers. The quality of your clientfacing contentis determined by your ability to tell your story fromTHEIR perspective (their customer’s journey, theircontext, their challenges, etc.), and not from theperspective of your products and services. Becausecustomers don’t buy products. What they buy is thevalue they can achieve with your products andservices. Now, what is the implication of thisanalysis?
Clientfacing content must become a toppriority on every sales leader’s strategic agenda.
Having clientfacing content on top of the salesleader’s agenda opens a window of opportunity forenablement leaders to establish a) an overallcustomercore strategy and b) a sales forceenablement framework with the customer’s journeyat the core.
Highly effective customerfacing content thatcovers the entire customer’s journey is a musthave ingredient to remain successful in an everchanging, buyerdriven world. n
Tamara Schenk is a Research Director withCSO Insights, A Division of MHI Global.
Find out more here
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TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 201618
Cracking the Sales Management Code Part 2 of 4
In our first article, we revealed that there are threelevels of sales force metrics, as judged by their‘manageability’:
l Business Results like Percent Revenue Growth,which are completely unmanageable
l Sales Objectives like Number of New CustomersAcquired, which can be influence but not directlymanaged
l Sales Activities like Percent of Account PlansCompleted, which are directly manageable
We now explore Sales Activities in more depth.
In this series of articles, weare introducing theresearch findings from thebest-selling book Crackingthe Sales Management Code,
by Jason Jordan and Michelle Vazzana.
Jason Jordan
believe the lack of clear definition hinders effectiveselling and management. While most companieswould say that they have some form of sales processin place, the nature of that process might range fromplanning sales calls, to managing a sales cycle, tocompleting major account plans. The term salesprocess is so overused, it has remarkably come tomean everything and nothing simultaneously.
Our research suggested that the sales function is,in fact, a collection of distinct selling processes thatwork to accomplish unique objectives.Understanding the differences between theprocesses is absolutely critical, because it allows forbetter management and enablement of each, whichin turn leads to superior sales performance. That leftus with two very important questions that had to beanswered:
1. What are the distinct sales processes?2. How do you know which processes you need in
your sales force?
What Are the Sales Processes?
After examining and categorizing all of the metricswe had labeled as Sales Activities, we were able toidentify five sales processes that encompassed all ofthe Sales Activities in our study.
First, we found a Call Management process. Thisprocess is intended to help salespeople improve thequality of a single customer interaction – whetherfacetoface or by phone. Sellers will typically planahead things such as their desired call outcomes,questions they might ask, or objections they mightexpect. Salespeople will then execute and documentthe customer interaction and its outcomes.
Sample Call Management metrics:l Number of Call Plans Completedl Percentage of Reps Following Processl Number Minutes Talk Time
If you string together a series of sales calls in pursuit
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 19
A Sales Process, You Say?
Recall that Sales Activities are the most tactical andmanageable things in a sales force. Literally, they arethe things that salespeople and their managers dobetween Monday morning and Friday afternoon –things like making sales calls, using CRM, andcoaching salespeople. As we stared at theseactivities (for a very long time), we noticed that theybegan to cluster into logical groupings that could beused to accomplish similar outcomes. We calledthese groupings sales processes.
Of course, the term ‘sales process’ is not new,and it means different things to different people. We
of a single sale, then you have what we commonlyrefer to as an ‘opportunity.’ An OpportunityManagement process helps salespeople plan andexecute a thoughtful approach to long, complex salecycles. Often confused with ‘pipeline management,’this process is not an analytic exercise to pinpointfailures in a collection of ongoing opportunities –this is an assessment and planning effort todeliberately win an individual sales pursuit.
Sample Opportunity Management metrics:l Number of Opportunity Plans Completedl Adherence to Opportunity Planning Processl Percentage of Qualified Opportunities
If you pursue multiple opportunities over time with asingle customer, then you are probably managingthat ongoing business relationship. An AccountManagement process will help you assess yourcompany’s position within that key customer andcoordinate internal and external resources to growthe longterm value of the account. These activitiescan also be labelled as account planning.
Sample Account Management metrics:l Percent Account Plans Completel Number of Interactions per Accountl Number of Joint Meetings with Accounts
If a salesperson is assigned a group of accounts orprospects, then they have a ‘territory.’ Note that aterritory does not necessarily need to begeographically defined – a salesperson could beassigned accounts that are chosen in many ways(industry, customer segment, etc.). Regardless, aTerritory Management process helps salespeopleand their managers decide how to allocate their timeacross a large group of customers.
Sample Territory Management metrics:l Number of Accounts per Repl Number of Sales Calls Made l Percent Prospects vs. Active Customers
Finally, there is what we called a Sales ForceEnablement process. This process has the largestscope of them all and is very diverse in nature. SalesEnablement activities include recruiting, selecting,training, motivating, coaching, rewarding, andproviding tools that enable the sales force’sperformance. This process is typically shared acrossseveral roles and departments, including sales, HR,and finance.
Sample Sales Force Enablement metrics:l Percentage of Time Spent Coachingl Number of Hours Training per FTEl Technology Spend per FTE
Which Sales Processes Do You Need?
Now that we have five clearly defined salesprocesses and their associated metrics, how do youknow which processes you should implement inyour sales force? We first suspected that companydemographics should inform which processes areimportant for a particular sales force. For instance, ifa company’s profits are highly concentrated in ahandful of accounts, then that company surely mustneed Account Management processes.
However, we soon concluded that salesprocesses should never be selected at a companywide level. The need for a specific sales process isdetermined by the nature of each distinctive sellingrole. That is, companies don’t need AccountManagement processes – only those salespeoplewho manage accounts need them.
Sales process selection is therefore not a decisionto be made by examining the enterprise – it is adecision best made by examining the role. Below weprovide ruleofthumb guidelines for when aparticular process is appropriate for a particularselling role.
Call Management process when:l The salesperson has a low to moderate volume of
highly varied and highrisk customer interactions
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 201620
Jason Jordan
Opportunity Management process when:l The salesperson is targeting customers with
complex buying processes (numerous buyingstages and/or multiple buyers with differentbuying needs)
Account Management process when:l The salesperson is pursuing multiple
opportunities over time with the same customerl There is an economic justification for the added
layer of effort
Territory Management process when:l The salesperson makes proactive customer
contact and cannot service all potentialcustomers fully
l The salesperson needs to prioritize the sellingeffort and allocate it across different types ofcustomers and prospects
Sales Force Enablement process when:l The company wants and has the authority to
affect decisions in the hiring, training, measuring,coaching, motivating, rewarding, and enabling ofthe sales force
Note that it is not the title of the role that indicateswhich processes are important. For example, justbecause a salesperson has the title ‘Territory Rep’does not mean that they require a TerritoryManagement process. Nor does a salespersonwhose business card reads ‘Account Executive’necessarily require an Account Managementprocess. You must examine the nature of theirselling activities to determine which processes areapplicable to the execution, measurement, andmanagement of that selling role.
Implications for Sales Leaders
It is absolutely vital that sales leadershipunderstands the five flavors of sales processes andtheir unique applications to distinct selling roles. We
have often seen sales processes implemented forthe wrong (or unknown) reasons with verypredictable outcomes.
First, the processes are ignored by the salesforce. This can result from processes that are overengineered or badly designed, but it is just as oftenbecause the processes being implemented are notrelevant for the selling roles upon which they arebeing inflicted. Process abandonment andmanagement frustration follow predictablythereafter.
Second, sales management can spend an insaneamount of time trying to both enforce the processesand explain to senior leadership why the promisedReturn on Investment has not materialized. Theinvestment required to design and deploy a salesprocess is not trivial, and deploying the wrong oneonly compounds the costs. (In fact, we could arguethat it is better to have no formal process than toimplement the wrong sales process.)
In the end, our research revealed two key insightson sales processes:
1. There are several discrete sales processes withdifferent uses and metrics
2. Sales leaders must be very deliberate about theprocesses they choose to deploy
If you ignore these two insights, you will not onlyconfuse and frustrate your sellers, you will confuseand frustrate yourself. But more devastatingly, yoursales force will underperform its potential.
In the next installment of this series, we revealthe four Sales Objectives we found in our researchand how the objectives can be achieved through thedeliberate management of Sales Activities. n
Register to download the first 2 chapters ofCracking the Sales Management Code here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 21
I’ve written about happy ears before – let’sdiscuss what you would do if you didn’t havehappy ears!It’s a bit more difficult to provide examples for
what salespeople will do when they don’t havehappy ears, but fortunately, we have an emailexample we can use.
Our salesperson had a good discussion with the
prospect and then a month passed. Concerned thatthere wasn’t any movement, our salesperson sentthis email:
Hi [prospect],
It’s been more than 3 weeks since we all spoke by phoneand I was wondering where you are and where we areon this potential project. Can you bring me up to date?
Two days later, our salesperson received this emailin response”
Hi [salesperson],
Thanks for the followup. We have worked internally todigest all of the information from the various firms andsteps involved in the longer term project. Eye opening!Based on this, we have decided to start very small and
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 201624
What it Sounds Like When You Don’t Have Happy Ears
When a prospect says whatyou were hoping to hear,we call that having happyears. Your happy earsprevent you from
thoroughly qualifying, pushing back andasking the right questions.
Dave Kurlan
do some additional research before pursuing the fullproject.
Thanks again for your responsiveness throughoutthe process. We will be in touch in the near future if wereach a point where we can leverage your services andexpertise.
[Prospect]
The salesperson sent the email thread to me, toldme about this nice opportunity and asked forsuggestions for follow up. I don’t have happy earsand I immediately pointed out that I didn’t thinkthere was any kind of an opportunity here and thatthe prospect was just sending a thanks but no thanksemail. To test out my theory, I suggested sending thefollowing email in response. Since this company is aclient, they actually do what I say!
You're welcome [prospect].
I have one question. You wrote, "If we reach a pointwhere we can leverage your service."
I'm not sure which part of your comment should beemphasized.
Is it the "if we reach the point" part as in we mightnot?
Or is it the "where we can leverage your services"part as in we aren’t the best fit or number one choice?
Or is it both?It's perfectly OK to tell me that you won't be
choosing us...Thanks in advance for clarifying!
Within about 15 minutes, our salesperson receivedthis response:
Hi [salesperson], We may not reach the point. Ourscope has been narrowed so that we can answer someadditional questions internally. We will absolutely keepyou on our short list of partners should we resume theoriginal scope of the project.
When you have healthy skepticism, you will alwayshear, read and recognize the vague words thatprospects use to throw you off track. Happy Ears areexpensive. If you throw them away, and learn topush back, you’ll always know where you stand, andwhether there is anything you can do about it. n
Dave Kurlan is the Founder & CEO ofObjective Management Group Inc. Visit here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 25
THE ORIGINAL SALES ASSESSMENT COMPANY
OMG continues to pioneer the Sales Assessment Industry by providing crucial insights to maximizesales performance in companies of all sizes and from all industries.
They are the original sales assessment company, the one everyone else tries to copy. OMG's assessments weredeveloped by Dave Kurlan and are used by more than 11,000 companies and on 750,000 salespeople. Why dothe top sales development experts in the world choose to use their assessments for their valued clients? OMGgoes wider and deeper than anyone else and all of their findings are sales specific, not adapted for sales.
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As we have seen with sports teams that arestacked with great players, they don’t alwayswin championships. Less talented teams who
have great chemistry and are committed to doingwhat ever it takes to win usually come out on top.
When I coach sales managers on how to get thebest out of their team, I realise that not all topperformers are created equally. To be successfulthere is a second factor that is just as important asperformance. It is not just about what we do toperform but how we do it.
Many companies call this “Values andBehaviours”. When it comes to evaluating the salesrep overall performance companies will look at salesperformance and values and behaviours equally.
So why am I sharing this with you? This week I had two coaching sessions with sales
managers from different companies. One salesmanager was new and the other had 20 years ofmanagement experience. What they had in commonwas that they both shared with me the challengesthey were having with a top performer on their team.The details of the challenges they face with these top
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 201626
performers are strikingly similar.This got me thinking that this is a much bigger
problem that many sales managers are dealing with. Iwant to share some of the details and provide apossible solution.
Sales Rep #1 Pat: Tenured rep/top performer
Undesirable Behaviours:l Repeatedly calls their manager every day (6 times
a day)l Leaves voice messages, sends texts and emails
their manager on the same issuel Expects the sales manager to solve all issuesl Complains about their team mates and the office
support peoplel Doesn’t pick up the phone to resolve issuesl Expects people to respond immediately to
requestsl Is the first to complain about their sales managers
Sales Rep #2 Randy: 20+ yearsexperience/top performer
Undesirable behaviours:l The only sales rep who continually complains
about their colleagues l Sends the sales manager emails complaining l Doesn’t go directly to the person to resolve issuesl Works in the interest of the customers at the
expense of the company
Top Sales Performers are not all Created EquallySales is a performancesport. The key to successfor a sales manager is tohave a team of topperformers. Well maybe.
Steven Rosen
l Doesn’t take responsibility for their actions. l Always blames othersl Complete lack of self awareness
As you can imagine these two reps consume most ofthe sales managers time and energy in comparison tothe rest of the team. I call these reps “EnergyDrainers”.
The underlining problem is that these two salesreps have not been well managed by previous salesmanagers or the organization (senior leadership) hasconsciously decided to overlook these negativebehaviours for years. The organization was willing toaccept these behaviours because the sales rep wasdelivering their numbers year in and year out.
There was a fear that if managed the sales repwould leave and the company would lose business. Infact, the company has helped to create this monster.They have been ENABLERS.
Both sales managers are intent on changing thesebehaviours as they are feeling consumed by theenergy required to deal with their sales rep.
The Solution
Both sales managers feel that sitting down andhaving a discussion with the rep on the impact oftheir actions and what they expect from the repwould help change the reps behaviours. Really?
These negative behaviours have been going onfor years. Do they seriously think a stern talking to ora warning letter would make a difference? Well itmay. But only for a short period of time and thenthese same behaviours will resurface.
My recommendation is that the sales managersneed to change the way they approach the rep tocreate any change in behaviour. Yes it is up to thesales manager to change how they manage the rep.
Step 1: STOP ENABLING bad behaviours
Anytime the sales rep exhibits any of the undesirablebehaviours, FIGHT the easy route to give into them.
Don’t enable the behaviour or it will continue to goon.
Step 2: Redirect
In order to extinguish the behaviour you needredirect it. Explain to them how you are going to dothings differently and any time they go down thepath of exhibiting the undesirable behaviour youmust follow through and do what you said you aregoing to do.
Let me give you a couple of examples of how thiswould work.
Pat calls his/her sales manager multiple times aday and if he/she doesn’t reach him Pat will thenimmediately text and/or email him.
l The sales manager allocates half an hour at thebeginning/end of the day to speak with Pat.
l Any communication outside the agreed time willnot be responded to or read.
l Do not and I repeat do not respond outside theallotted time when the phone rings or when a textcomes in.
l When speaking to the rep at the allotted time ands/he complains about others, ask them if theyhave spoken to that person.
l Do not and I repeat do not fix the problem.l Stay the course and within a couple weeks you
will extinguish the undesirable behaviour.
Try this approach and stick with it. It is up to you tochange your behaviour so as not to enable and allowthe reps behaviours to continue.
Feel free to share your challenges with your TopPerformer/Energy Draining reps.
Let me know what successes you have had. n
Steven Rosen, MBA, is the founder of STARResults. Find out more by visiting here.
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 27
Ishould explain that I’m not a sales trainer orexpert. But I am a business owner—and one ofThe Wall Street Journal cartoonists and an award
winning marketer. And that I have been using mycartoons my entire career to break through topeople I should never have been able to reach. Thecartoons work so well in that mission that I’ve beenable to connect with presidents, a prime minister,
celebrities and countless CEOs, Clevel executivesand top decision makers.
In my research for the book, I discovered ContactMarketing has been in use for a long time.Salespeople, business owners, entrepreneurs havebeen devising very clever—even audacious—methods for connecting with people of greatimportance who are nearly impossible to reach.
Guerrilla Selling author Orvel Ray Wilson tells thestory of a sales rep who used a homing pigeon to seta lunch date with one of the most famous CEOs inthe world. The waiter got his tip, but the rep walkedaway with a $250K sales contract. Edgy Conversationsauthor and turnaround specialist Dan Waldschmidtuses a sword to connect with CEOs of distressedcompanies with a nearly 100% penetration rate. AndI have seen my own cartoonbased campaignsgenerate response rates as high as 100%.
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 201628
How Can a Pigeon, a Sword and a Fist Full of Cartoons Help your Team Sell More?
In How to Get a Meeting withAnyone (Top Sales WorldBook of the Week, 2-29-2016), I just introduced theconcept of Contact
Marketing. But what is it and how can ithelp you crush your sales numbers?
Stu Heinecke
As I interviewed many of the world’s top salesthought leaders, asking what methods they haveemployed to break through to their most importantsales contacts, they shared not only theirtechniques, but an entire world of marketing thatsupports the sales function directly and producesresults long thought impossible. I found peopleemploying these amazing techniques, yet nobodyhad a name for what they were doing. I’ve called itContact Marketing in the book.
So what exactly is Contact Marketing? It’s afusion of marketing and selling, employing specificcampaigns to support connecting with specific VIPprospects. It is a sniper strategy meant to help youquickly make critical, personal connections with thehandful of people who can immediately transformthe scale of your career or company. But like anygood sniper strategy, it’s not meant to replace theartillery of your funnel, CRM and other aspects ofyour present marketing. It simply adds a powerfulnew weapon to your arsenal.
And what an arsenal this is. In the book, I detailedtwenty categories of Contact Marketing campaigns.I’ve since discovered four more and for all I know,there could be hundreds.
These include various uses of gifts (art, humor,film, half gifts, regifts and visual metaphors),information and insight, media presence, video,events, triggers and of course, social media, email,phones and mail. And then there are sometechniques that are so outrageous, I simply lumpedthem into the “OvertheTop” category.
Together, these have been producing responserates as high as 100%, with ROI figures in the tens,even hundreds of thousands of percent, all at a costper contact ranging from $0 to $10,000. Considerthe following examples…
Contact Letter in The Wall Street Journal
The owner of a tech startup who approached his adman, Rick Bennett, looking for a way to connect withOracle CEO Larry Ellison. He knew that if he was
able to explain his company, Ellison would want toacquire it. But he had no idea how to break through.Bennett’s solution was to produce a contact letter asa fullpage ad and run it in The Wall Street Journal.The ad placement alone cost $10,000, but it waswell worth it. Not only did Ellison spot the letter, butmany of his friends and colleagues did, too, causingthem to call all day long, asking if he’d seen it. Theend result was contact and an acquisition worthmillions.
NoWait App’s iPad Video Campaign
The NoWait app turns restaurant patrons’smartphones into “your table is ready” buzzer pucks.In their bid to get top restaurant chains to quicklyadopt their app, NoWait assembled a brilliantContact Campaign. They targeted the restaurateurCEOs with an iPad delivered in special packaging,sent with a set of simple instructions: 1) Turn on theiPad. 2) Tap the video icon. That launched apersonalized video showing the scene as theirspokesman entered the restaurant wearing a secretlapel cam. They recorded the scene as they madetheir way to the host podium and were told therewas an hour wait for a table. Then they talked to theother patrons waiting in the reception area, gettingplenty of footage of complaints about the wait. Thevideo then explained the NoWait value proposition,and finally, the NoWait CEO himself appeared oncamera, addressing the recipient CEO by name. “Ilove eating at your restaurants, but I hate waiting fora table. But I have a solution I want to look at.” Aftertargeting just thirty CEOs, the company now countsmany of them as clients.
I didn’t invent Contact Marketing. I’m just the guywho was lucky enough to write the book and give ita name. n
Stu Heinecke is the author of How to Get aMeeting with Anyone. Find out more here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 29
This new norm impacts how we identifyopportunities to do business with ourcustomers. This new norm impacts how our
own businesses are modeled as well as how ourclients’ businesses are modeled: holistically.
According to Louis Columbus, based on aDeloitte Global and Council on Competitivenessstudy, the future of business, especially ofmanufacturing, rests firmly in the hands of the IoTconnected customer. 4.9 billion IoTenabledconnected devices were predicted to be in use byyearend 2015, rising to 25 billion by 2025.Predictive data analytics now is considered to be thesingle most critical factor for advancing business
competitiveness in the US manufacturing sector.The IoT connected customer experiences a
holistic Buyers Journey. These customers are doingmore than going online to get static information orspeaking with their peers for referral about ourcompanies. These buyers are talking to theirmachines as well.
The connected customer seeks IT channelpartners who can help them select tools, systemsand platforms to implement algorithms and keys (APIkeys, literally) which translate data into meaningfulinsights to catalyze growth. This information isdynamic and nonlinear, being generated acrosscorporate silos, business units and geographicallocations. This information is assimilated intotransitional and translational business processmanagement systems.
Our current MSP (managed service provider)business models and channel partner relationships mustdynamically and predictively position our companies todeliver on these new Buyer expectations.
The IoT connected customer focuses on holisticexecution of strategy. A SAPsponsored ForresterConsulting Study offers a new roadmap for creationand execution of strategy. The focus: customer
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 201630
The Connected Customer is your New Holistic Business Norm
The Internet of Things (IoT)connected customer is thenew business normcatalyzing IT channeldynamics. This new norm
impacts how we think about the Buyer’sJourney: today, tomorrow and in thefuture.
Babette Ten Haken
experience, clear leadership, transformativebusiness models and capture of top and bottom linebusiness improvements. That execution, for now,primarily involves operational efficiency, as the titleof the report implies: The Internet of Things has thePotential to Connect and Transform Businesses. ButEarly Adopters Have Focused Mostly on EfficiencyPlays.
In short: “most companies see IoT as a means foroperational efficiency, and many have not yet tappedinto the potential for IoT solutions to transform theirbusiness models.”
Understandably, connected customers initiallyare more comfortable focusing on low risk areas oftheir business. These areas stabilize operations andinvolve description of historical trends, such as Fordis implementing in their connected vehicle platformmodel. However, these stabilized operations areinjected into a marketplace that is dynamic. That iswhere predictive analytics are required to catalyzebusiness growth and sustainability.
Are our current MSP business models, hiringpractices and channel partner relationships focused onseeking and delivering on bimodal opportunities on bothsides of the IT fence, factoring in the impact of supplygrid dynamics?
The future of the IoT connected customerjourney is holistic: nonlinear, collaborative anddynamically connected just like their supply chaingrids. A recent IndustryWeek article considers thatIoT connected customerfacing business units of thefuture will require faster response from both stable(historic, descriptive) as well as less stable(predictive) data sets. It will not be a matter ofeitheror.
The business model of the future for connectedcustomers will morph into corporate cultures thathire for crossfunctional collaboration. The dynamicsof these corporate cultures will allow forsimultaneous access to and interpretation of realtime data. All aspects of the manufacturing plant willbe connected to each other. All employees willunderstand the critical aspects of their job
functionality in driving revenue through theirorganization and their customers’ organizations aswell.
The new holistic norm for the IoT connectedcustomer is seamless and nonlinear. Today stilllooks bimodal at best.
This scenario offers opportunity to enlightenedMSPs who have staffed up to function as highvalueconsultative integrators focused on creating crossfunctional business process management outcomes.
The IoT connected customer calls for a shared,hybridized and holistic leadership model. Just ascorporate silos are being challenged by theconnected customer, so are business models.Today’s channel partner leadership may not havebeen hired for the dynamic, collaborative and nonlinear connected ecology of the Internet of Thingsmarketplace.
In the future, leadership teams and companyteams (ours and our customers) will be hired forhybridized skill sets and mindsets functioning in agileenvironments and collaborative corporate cultures.Channel partners will assist clients in creating andimplementing crossfunctional, integrated andconnected business and operational processes.Internal teams and external teams will be asconnected to their leadership strategy as thosesensors are to machines.
“What’s Next?” for the channel is holistic. The IoTconnected customer concept will quickly impact ourclients’ business models and how they executestrategy. The explosion of the IoT connectedcustomer has huge implications for our own MSPbusiness models in terms of how we: 1) hire andpartner for, 2) sell to, and 3) deliver against dynamicclient expectations.
Is your own business model up to that holisticchallenge? n
Babette N. Ten Haken is a strategist, analyst,author and blogger. Find out more here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 31
To make the change scenario you’re proposingmore compelling to your prospects, yourinsightsbased message needs to do more
than create risk—it needs to show how you canresolve the risks you’ve identified.
In my mind, this is the difference betweeninsights that excite and insights that incite. Theformer message gets consumed and forgottenabout, while the latter drives the buying intentyou’re looking for.
This distinction was the focus of a recentexperiment my company conducted with Dr. ZakaryTormala, a social psychologist and professor at the
Stanford Graduate School of Business. We designedthe study to measure the messaging effectiveness oftwo different types of insightsbased messages:
l Riskonly insights designed to make prospectsfeel their status quo is “unsafe” by introducing themto surprising new industry data, statistics or studies.
l Risk + resolution insights similarly designed tomake the status quo feel unsafe, but also introducingsolutions that resolve the prospect to a “new safe” inthe same message.
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 201632
Taking Your Insights Beyond the Data Point
Selling with insights is no longer an option—it’s a mandate for reps hopingto lay the groundwork for a memorable, differentiated story. But newresearch shows that if you’re only challenging your prospect’s status quowith surprising data points, you could be doing insights all wrong.
Tim Riesterer
Specifically, the aim of the experiment was todetermine whether insights that present risk withresolution have more persuasive impact thaninsights that only bring risk into the conversation—asocalled insightsbased approach I’ve seen manycompanies follow.
The study, an online experiment, included morethan 320 participants, evenly split by gender. Priorto the study, the participants—unbeknownst tothem—were randomly assigned to one of threedifferent messaging conditions.
l In the riskonly condition, participants received amessage offering new, potentially surprisinginformation about vitamin D deficiency (namely,how widespread it is and its associated risks).
l In the risk + resolution condition, participantsreceived the exact same information designed tocreate risk, but also received a followup messagedescribing several straightforward, practicalsolutions for combating vitamin D deficiency.
l The study also included a solution/resolutiononlycondition to act as a control. Participants in thispresentation received only a message about possibleremedies for vitamin D deficiency but without any ofthe surprising, upfront findings.
All participants were then led to a separate screenwhere participants were instructed to answer aseries of questions assessing the effect of themessage on their behavioral intentions andemotions.
To measure behavioral intentions, participantswere asked how likely they would be to change theirbehavior as a result of reading the information aboutvitamin D and how likely they would be to takeaction based on that information. Each question wasaccompanied by a scale ranging from one to nine,with higher numbers indicating more favorableresponses. We then averaged the numbers to createa composite index of behavioral intentions.
In terms of both behavioral intentions andemotional impact, there was a statistically significanteffect favoring the risk + resolution message. Thisinsight condition generated more positive behavioralintentions than the risk only or resolution onlyconditions, which did not differ from each otherstatistically. Specifically, the study revealed thatpresenting both risk and resolution in an insightenhanced the message’s behavioral impact by anaverage of nearly 9 percent, compared to the otherconditions.
The study also examined emotionaltypereactions to these messages, since the purposes ofinsight is to elicit an emotional response that createsthe urgency a prospect needs to feel to take action.In this measure, the experiment revealed that therisk + resolution condition generated a greateremotional response than the riskonly or solutiononly conditions, which, again, did not differ fromeach statistically.
All told, the insight message containing risk andresolution generated a 12 percent boost inemotional responses, relative to the otherconditions.
The big, important takeaway here is that, acrossseveral key dimensions, you can boost yourpersuasive power by delivering insights that containnovel risk information connected to possibleresolutions to those risks. A message structured inthis way doesn’t just challenge the status quo, itshows prospects what a new, safe alternative to thatstatus quo looks like, and how it resolves their mostpressing business problems.
While an interesting data point is a good start interms of creating risk and urgency, it may nottranslate into anything more than fleetingexcitement. To actually incite buyer action, you needto pair the risks you’ve identified with a changescenario that shows how you can resolve them. n
Tim Riesterer is chief strategy and marketingofficer, Corporate Visions. Find out more here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 33
Europe’s leadisales eventSales Innovation Expo2016 is back, bigger abetter than ever! Thisyear’s show is the placbe for professional salleaders worldwide. Soof the bestknown nahave been flown in toseminars, Europe’s leasuppliers will be thereoffer advice and brandnew this year, you wilhave access to the colocated B2B MarketinExpo.
To register for yofree ticket and tofind out moreinformation,please visit here
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Deb CalvertTranscending the Transaction: Are You Enabling or Disabling Customer Connections?
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Tamara SchenkHow To SetUp “CustomerCore”Enablement Strategies To DriveOutstanding Performance
The Future of Sales is CustomerDriven
Joanne BlackStop Cold Calling: Get the OneCall Referral Meeting
Jonathan FarringtonThe Top 5% Sales Achievers Their Secrets Revealed
Barb GiamancoSocial Selling to the CSuite
Dr Tony AlessandraHow to Read a Customer Like aBook
Colleen FrancisNonstop Sales Boom: Putting anEnd to BoomandBust Sales Cycles
Jason JordanSales Management and CRM: A Match Made in Heaven or Hell?
Bernadette McClellandConscious Selling And The Art ofCommercial Conversations
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Congratulations! Your buyer is no longer giving“status quo” any credence as an option, andyou have overcome a large hurdle in the
buying journey. But the final, principal questionremains:
Why should we choose you and yoursolution?
The battle before you as a seller is to distinguishyour solution from the other competitive
alternatives available, and the true fight is toovercome the “metoo” conundrum. What is the“metoo” conundrum?
Definition: 1: marked by similarity to or by adoptionof successful or persuasive policies or practices used orpromoted by someone else 2: similar or identical to anestablished product (as a drug) with no significantadvantage over it. (Source: MerriamWebsterDictionary)
According to a recent Gallup Poll, 91% of frontline workers are unable to articulate what theircompany stands for and what differentiates it fromthe competition. And research from The CMOCouncil found that less than 25% of sales andmarketing executives believe they are effectivelydelivering differentiated messages.
Ouch! If that is what sellers believe, imagine how“metoo” you sound to buyers since differentiation isgauged in the eyes of the beholder. In essence, youlack differentiated positioning and messaging toemploy against your competition.
For centuries, many have considered Sun Tzu’sThe Art of War an indisputable compilation ofstrategies and tactics for garnering success inmilitary combat. Many view the ancient Chinesegeneral as a strategic genius, and someone fromwhich we can draw corollaries to sales excellence.One of Sun Tzu’s more recognized quotes relates to“terrain” — that is the positioning of a military forcein relation to its (competitive) surroundings: “Terraincan be distant or near. It can be difficult or easy. It canbe open or narrow. It also determines your life ordeath.” Your competitive positioning – and therelated messaging framework you employ – can also“determine your life or death.”
Because of the many outside factors and thecompetitive nature of a sales cycle, you will nevercompletely be in control, meaning each cyclerequires careful analysis and thought. Winning salesprofessionals analyze their surroundings within a
Success in the early stagesof a sales cycle with yourprospect has led them toanswer “yes” to these corebuying journey questions:
Do we need to do anything at all? Do weneed to do anything now?
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 201636
Sun Tzu’s Differentiated Messaging Test
Jay Mitchell
sales cycle, then apply their distinctive capabilitieswithin that dynamic to create an unfair competitiveposition™ – that is an arena in their buyers’ mindsthat is uniquely carvedout for the solution the selleris providing. They do so by trivializing the strengthsof their opponents, then changing the game in themind of the prospect using differentiated, conciseand compelling messaging, while aligning with theirown advantages. This truly determines your victoryor defeat in a sales cycle, or as Sun Tzu calls it, “lifeor death.”
Equally important, once you establish yourpresence and maintain an advantageous position, itis very difficult for your competition to overcomethat unfair position and permeate the client forfuture opportunities.
A common mistake in establishing competitivedifferentiation is failing to recognize andcommunicate what is common and what is differentin your offerings. Weaker organizations too often“drink their own KoolAid” and employ solutionmessaging based on “metoo” traits that are easilycountered by the competition. Buyers seek distinctcontrast as they evaluate solution alternatives.Solutions that are too similar to one another actuallycreate confusion in buyers’ minds. It is the seller’sresponsibility to create this contrast, but when theyrely on solution messaging that is stale and untestedwith targeted buyers, they risk not only victory inthat sales cycle, but in the marketplace in general.
On the contrary, top sales teams constantlyevaluate their uniqueness. They do this by testingthe messaging with buyers and key buyinginfluences, including company insiders and thirdparties (e.g. analysts and the media). Where no cleardifferentiating elements exist, changes are made inthe solution directly, or, the solution is enhancedthrough bundling with other products/services toachieve desired differentiation.
There are four attributes of a differentiatedmessage we need to take into account in order tocreate an unfair competitive position™ and thecorresponding differentiated messaging framework
— Unique, Valuable, Provable and Memorable — andit takes ALL FOUR to be a true differentiator.
Take a few minutes with your team to perform asimple test on your messaging to assess whether it isdifferentiated by first brainstorming your solution’sdifferentiators. Then, grade your differentiatorsusing all four attributes. To do this, it is essential youstep outside of your role and put yourself in yourbuyers’ shoes.
l Unique: Is it truly different from the competitiveofferings the customer is evaluating?
l Valuable: Does the solution (or capability)provide value to the buyer?
l Provable: Can we clearly prove the value of theuniqueness through a client story and/ordemonstration?
l Memorable: Is the message concise and crispenough that the buyer can remember it andeffectively defend it to others in theirorganization without my direct participation?
Do not be disappointed if your initial list of a dozendifferentiators gets whittled down to one or twoafter you put them through the filter. It is OK as youonly need one differentiator to win and ensure youare not just another “metoo” to your buyer. Or asSun Tzu says: “You must engage only in winning battles.Position yourself where you cannot lose. Never wastean opportunity to defeat your enemy.”
Sun Tzu likely would have characterized it thisway: a worldclass sales team will position itselfuphill from its competitors with the sun and wind atits back, making it difficult for the enemy to attack,let alone win a battle! Don’t fall into the “me too”trap; instead take the time and energy to make sureyour messaging clearly sets you apart from all theothers in the field. n
Jay Mitchell is the President & Founderat Mereo LLC. Find out more here
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 37
l It allows Vantage Point to spend all of itsresearch and development effort on the singlemost important role in any sales force—salesmanagers. Sales management training is not an addon to its core products and services…it is the coreproduct and service.
l It forces Vantage Point to be independent of anyspecific sales methodology or technology. Mostsales training companies build upward from theirproprietary sales methodologies, and theirmanagement frameworks are most powerful whencoupled with their salesperson content. Not so forVantage Point. Its frameworks are equally aspowerful across any and all sales methodologies,technologies, and tools.
l It allows Vantage Point to develop best in classconsultants and facilitators who know the uniqueand intense challenges of working with salesmanagement. Sales leaders are more demanding andcritical of training programs than frontline sellers.Vantage Point is accustomed to serving this specificmanagement role, which dramatically increases thespeed and success of implementations.
l It has enabled Vantage Point to quickly developthe most current and innovative intellectual
property for sales management. With the groundbreaking research in its bestselling book, Crackingthe Sales Management Code, as well as ongoingresearch initiatives into pipeline management andforecasting, Vantage Point is continually uncoveringnew and unexpected insights into effective salesmanagement.
Vantage Point provides a distinctly focused valueproposition that cannot be found elsewhere, and itslist of Fortune 500 clients validates this belief.Representative clients include 3M, Tyco, Abbott,Aon, Royal Bank of Canada, Kaiser Permanente,Gates, Essilor, and other leading global companies.
Research into New Best Practices
One of Vantage Point’s greatest assets is thefocused and relevant intellectual property that itbrings to clients.
The foundational research in Cracking the SalesManagement Code explored how leading salesforces use sales analytics to measure and managetheir teams. The researchers discovered (notsurprisingly) that sales management is awash in datathat is both useful and useless, yet most managersdo not know the difference. Vantage Point teachessales managers to identify the important metrics and
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 201638
Vantage Point is a leading global training firm focused exclusively on sales management.Unlike other sales improvement companies that spread their attention across several roles,sales management is its single passion. This singular focus is a meaningful differentiatorthat provides value in several key ways:
Sales Management, Sales Management, Sales Management!
Featured Solution of the Month
discard the red herrings. As a result, clients’management teams are not overwhelmed byextensive management reports—they mine reportsfor only the important data, and use it to boost salesperformance.
Vantage Point continues to conduct ongoingresearch into the issues that affect salesmanagement. In 2013 and 2014, Vantage Pointcollaborated with the Sales ManagementAssociation to uncover new pipeline managementand sales forecasting best practices. Its researchersare also currently engaged in an extensive globalstudy into sales management best practices that willinform its next book, Demystifying Sales Coaching.
As a testament to the significance of itscontributions, Top Sales World named VantagePoint partner Jason Jordan a 2015 Top Sales &Marketing Thought Leader. But the ultimate impactof all Vantage Point does is summarized in feedbackfrom its clients…
Straight from Clients’ Mouthsl “It is the best, most successful training ever launched
to the salesforce.” VP of Sales Effectiveness, 3M
l “The training was one of the most illuminatingexperiences I have had. I wish it had happened forme 25 years ago! I feel equipped to be a betterleader.”
Divisional Manager, Crossville
l “Vantage Point Performance has a high level ofempirically proven expertise in sales management.They have a high quality content that yields betteracceptance by our managers and better results.”
Senior Director Learning, Tyco
l “I’m tired of sales training companies masqueradingtheir salesperson content as sales manager content.It's refreshing to finally find real sales managementtraining.”
Regional President, Aon
l “The concepts, materials, and methods that VantagePoint offers are so relevant and can be putimmediately into practice. This is the best training Ihave had in years.”
Sales Director, TIAACREF
View actual client feedback
Contact Vantage Pointwww.VantagePointPerformance.com
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 39
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ORATAOPER |APPSYTIVITDUC
2016 Top SalesAcademy
3 Pipeline Management Strategies Provento Grow Revenue Presented by Jason Jordan
Sales Meets Social Media: Implementing aSocial Selling Strategy Presented by Barb Giamanco
Sales Force Enablement: Key Trends Presented by Tamara Schenk
What sellers can learn from the book ‘Our Iceberg is Melting’ Presented by Christian Maurer
How to Sell “Value” Dave Kurlan
Financial Sales Execution Presented by Michael Nick
The Battle for Mindshare and Preference:How Today’s Top Performers Win in aCustomer-Driven WorldPresented by Dave Stein & Steve Andersen
Lead the Customer Experience forDifferentiation, Value Creation and SalesAccelerationPresented by Deb Calvert
Being a High Performing SalesOrganization Requires a Hard Reset onConventional Presented by Tiffani Bova
Effective Training and Coaching Skills ForSales Managers – How to elevate yoursales team from good to great Presented by Colleen Stanley
The 2016 Top Sales Academy program hasnow launched and will run through until May4th. As in previous years, we will beproviding exceptional pre-recordedpresentations delivered by some of theworld’s top sales experts, to help youbecome the best you can possibly be.
Please Register HERE
Here is the 2016 Faculty and program in detail …..
TOP SALES WORLDINSPIRING THE GLOBAL SALES COMMUNITY
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 201642
Top Sales Article & Blog Post
TOP SALES MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 43
During the balance of the year I will outline 40steps a sales leader can take to achieve
predictable revenue. They are not listed in anypriority as every sales organization is at differinglevels of maturity and needs. If you run a channelsorganization these ideas will be pertinent to yourteam as well as your dealers/resellers/partners.
Every player does not give 110% every day, it’s thecoach’s job to increase their intensity and the effortthey give”….. This quote came from Butch Jones,head coach at the University of TN.
This is part of what I call the emotional job ofsales leadership, it is one thing to analyze data andcreate sales programs and systems, and it’s another
to create the right culture. Last week my keynote ata sales conference was titled: Building a Culture ofHigh Performance, during the program I discussedthis side of leadership and the need for bothpersonal and professional actions one can take toraise the bar of excellence.
In a turnaround situation this emotional aspect ofsales leadership is critical, if you are building a newteam it is a necessity. What does the emotional SalesLeader need to do?
1. Stay focused on energyyours and your team’s2. Pay attention to their plans, their daily/weekly
execution and their intensity…
This Month’s Top Sales ArticleCreating Intensity by Ken Thoreson
Ijust love it when cool gets cooler and I'm nottalking about the winter weather in New England.
About a month ago, I wrote this article on Targetingand shared a generic model for scoringopportunities. George Bronten and Henrik Oquist,CEO and COO of Membrain, took note and alreadydeveloped the concept as a new feature for theirworldclass CRM application, Membrain. You haveto see how we integrated this new feature into theBaseline Selling version of Membrain.
In the image below, you can see that we added ascoreboard milestone at two stages of the salesprocess.
This allows us to purposefully rescore an
opportunity as we learn more about it. The nextimage has a little more of the scoring detail.
As you can see from our own instance ofMembrain, we score the size, title, urgency, timelineand amount of competition for a particularopportunity. This opportunity would have received amuch higher score if there it was a smaller company,there was greater urgency and the timeline were thismonth instead of this quarter. You might bequestioning why the score would be higher if thecompany was smaller...A bigger company has 10times the number of things that could delay orprevent a sale from closing and while all of thosethings could also ...
This Month’s Top Sales Blog PostSure Fire Way to Know Which Sales Opportunitiesare the Best Sales Opportunities by Dave Kurlan
Read More
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TOP SALES MAGAZINE MARCH 201644
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