I’m often asked the fastest way to improve sales productivity. The answer is simple and should be obvious: “Stop Chasing Customers/Prospects You Can’t Help!” That statement is likely to elicit a resounding “Dugghhhh!” The reality, however, is that sales people waste too much time chasing customers they can’t help or worst, customers that don’t want/need […]
Giving Them the Answers
Let’s conduct a thought experiment. As one might do in experiments, imagine A/B testing. We’ll create an A group and a B group. The people in each group are identical in capabilities, backgrounds, experiences. Both groups are equally skilled and capable. Now we are going to give people a test. It’s around some complex issues. […]
Are You Selling Your Experience or Your Value?
Too often, we confuse our experience with creating value. While they are linked, they are distinctly different. Our experience focuses on us–perhaps reference customers that we have worked with in the past. “We’ve worked with Google, Microsoft, Siemens, General Motors…” These are supposed to demonstrate our customer base, implying we’ve done great things with them, […]
Are You Selling Your Experience or Your Value?
Too often, we confuse our experience with creating value. While they are linked, they are distinctly different. Our experience focuses on us–perhaps reference customers that we have worked with in the past. “We’ve worked with Google, Microsoft, Siemens, General Motors…” These are supposed to demonstrate our customer base, implying we’ve done great things with them, […]
Building Your Support System
This is one of those topics I never thought I would have to write about. It’s a subject I assumed was such common sense and common practice that there was no value I could add by writing about it. Turns out, I’m probably a little naive. Right now, I’m involved in at least halve a […]
How “Sales Speak” Limits Us
Every profession has its own language. It’s a shorthand that enables people in the profession to more effectively and efficiently communicate with each other and to get things done. For example, finance types talk about debits, credits, accruals, depreciation, assets, liabilities, and so forth. They have their own acronyms like A/R, A/P ROCA, EBITDA and […]
How “Sales Speak” Limits Us
Every profession has its own language. It’s a shorthand that enables people in the profession to more effectively and efficiently communicate with each other and to get things done. For example, finance types talk about debits, credits, accruals, depreciation, assets, liabilities, and so forth. They have their own acronyms like A/R, A/P ROCA, EBITDA and […]
How “Sales Speak” Limits Us
Every profession has its own language. It’s a shorthand that enables people in the profession to more effectively and efficiently communicate with each other and to get things done. For example, finance types talk about debits, credits, accruals, depreciation, assets, liabilities, and so forth. They have their own acronyms like A/R, A/P ROCA, EBITDA and […]
Learning from “Lazy” Salespeople
“Lazy” sales people are among my favorites—let me qualify that. “Lazy” sales people who always make their goals are among my favorites. “Lazy” sales people, or at least those who seem to accomplish a lot with minimum effort, have broken the code. They’ve understood exactly what they need to do to achieve their goals. They […]
What’s a Full Pipeline/Funnel?
I participated in a fascinating discussion about Disqualification. It was on LinkedIn, led by Steve Hall. Click on the link to look at the comments, it’s pretty interesting. But a part of the discussion was really intriguing and brought out how badly we understand pipelines and our numbers. As a result, we drive for the wrong things […]
