Partners in Excellence

JULY 31, 2020

I was doing a series of deal reviews–not unlike most of the deal reviews I do. We were talking about the people involved in the buying process. What struck me in each discussion was how few people were being engaged at the customer — and that the right people weren’t being engaged, even by the customer buying group.

Customer 138

Customer Cancellation Buyer Groups 138

Partners in Excellence

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

A critical part of each review is understanding who will be involved in the decision-making process and who we are calling on. While it’s Sales 101 to be calling on the decision-makers, too often sales people are calling on who they are calling on. Here’s how it can happen: We have our friends and sponsors in an account.

Decision Maker 90

Decision Maker Exercises Groups Influencer 90

Partners in Excellence

MAY 22, 2021

I grew up in sales always being told, “Call at the top!” ” We always want to reach the highest levels possible. Often, we mistakenly believe that if we can convince them, our job will be easier. Sometimes, we go to the top, knowing we will be referred to lower levels, but us this referral as an “implied sponsorship.”

Face-to-face 65

Face-to-face Sports Decision Maker Referrals 65

Partners in Excellence

JUNE 19, 2012

Whether it’s to understand their needs, provide insight, pitch a solution, our focus is on finding the decision maker and locking in on that individual. ” But as I review many sales situations, finding the decisionmaker (s) is a critical issue. We also need to understand who influences them.

Decision Maker 91

Decision Maker Exercises Influencer Face-to-face 91

MEDDIC

DECEMBER 30, 2022

That said, you’re never too old to find your purpose. There are many famous examples of people finding their purpose only later in life and achieving great success. Each decision affects our journey through life, especially our careers. By knowing your purpose and asking some hard questions: KNOW YOUR WHY. Do you know your “why”?

Infusion 98

Infusion Motivation Education Follow-up 98

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 22, 2018

” One can find data to support whatever position one wants to espouse (that’s the problem with consultants and research organizations). How many people are involved in the customer buying decision? If you are a fan of CEBs research, the answer is 6.8. Other research says there is always a single dominant decision-maker.

Decision Maker 60

Decision Maker Influencer Groups Analysis 60

SalesLoft

DECEMBER 9, 2015

From the Proponent of the Sale(your number one fan), to the Opponent of the Sale (your JJ Watt), to the Decisionmaker and other stakeholders, it’s the sales rep’s job to understand each position and build a relationship with each of these players. Find the decisionmakers. Call me in the new year after the holidays.

Decision Maker 52

Decision Maker Video Call-back Objections 52

Partners in Excellence

MARCH 27, 2017

Too often, our sales efforts are focused on finding, “Just The Facts.” interaction paths (for those of us who struggle dealing with parts of decisionmakers, for 7 there are 21 interaction paths between these. Search YouTube or some of the TV Classics channels for episodes. complex B2B buying is never about the facts.

Revelation 48

Revelation Groups Analysis Data 48

Partners in Excellence

OCTOBER 26, 2016

CEB data shows the number of decisionmakers involved in making complex B2B decisions has grown from 5.4 And those decisionmakers represent at least 3 functions in the organization. Clearly we live in worlds of increasing complexity. The issues our customers and our own organizations deal with are increasingly complex.

Networking 48

Networking Case Study Government Face-to-face 48

Partners in Excellence

NOVEMBER 16, 2021

We prospect to find potential opportunities, we qualify some with the idea the prospect is interested in buying our products. We prospect to find potential opportunities, we qualify some with the idea the prospect is interested in buying our products. We’ve long known (whether we use it or not) about the “sales process.”

Sales Process 122

Sales Process Customer Top of Funnel Sales Qualified Lead 122

Partners in Excellence

DECEMBER 1, 2021

We prospect to find potential opportunities, we qualify some with the idea the prospect is interested in buying our products. We prospect to find potential opportunities, we qualify some with the idea the prospect is interested in buying our products. We’ve long known (whether we use it or not) about the “sales process.”

Sales Process 118

Sales Process Customer Top of Funnel Sales Qualified Lead 118

Pointclear

JULY 24, 2017

We know how to navigate the prospect, to find the decisionmaker, to pinpoint the need, and to move the lead to sales-qualified status. A competitor in the teleprospecting business recently published a list of B2B companies based on how easy or hard they were to work from a lead-generation standpoint.

Sales Qualified Lead 124

Sales Qualified Lead PointClear Lead Qualification Lead Generation 124

Partners in Excellence

JULY 6, 2015

However in spite of how well we understand the motivations and drivers of the individuals–we still find 40%+ of forecast deals end in no decision made. I’ve written, often, about the importance of understanding why our customers are buying. We are understanding their own personal motivations and drivers for buying.

Face-to-face 48

Face-to-face Groups Forecasting Motivation 48

Partners in Excellence

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

One of the core issues in understanding and influencing our customers’ buying processes is to make sure we are working with the right people, doing the right things at the right time. Traditional wisdom says, “Work with the decision-maker!” ” Sometimes that manifested itself with further wisdom, “Call at the top.”

Influencer 48

Influencer Decision Maker Exercises Face-to-face 48

Pipeliner

MAY 7, 2020

Read this article that describes what manufacturers and those who buy manufactured goods/components/commodities are finding out. Every business in the world has been bombarded with changes. Most headlines emphasize the bad ones, and I don’t want to minimize them. However, there are some significant opportunities among the wreckage.

Opportunity 85

Opportunity Networking Hiring Retail 85

SalesLoft

OCTOBER 26, 2015

Decisionmakers’ inboxes are flooded on a daily basis and only those that stand out will get a reply. Decisionmakers are constantly on the go –in and out of meetings or on the road. In today’s competitive sales landscape, SDRs must be more strategic with the content of their emails. The Mass Blast Disaster Email.

Hiring 52

Hiring Construction Sales Prospecting 52

Partners in Excellence

AUGUST 18, 2014

We’ve all heard some variation of the same story: Two hunters are in the woods, they’re separated. All of a sudden one hunter runs by the other at top speed screaming his head off. He’s being chased by a bear. As he passes the other hunter he yells, “I caught him, you skin him!”. We sales people think “they” don’t care.

Marketing 92

Marketing SAP B2B Survey 92

HeavyHitter Sales

JULY 1, 2011

Top 7 Critical Sales Trends for 2012. Why Year End Deals Dont Close: THE CESSPOOL! IT Sales Strategy: Software, SaaS & Hardware Sales. Best New Sales Book of 2011. If Sigmund Freud Was Your Sales Manager. Are Top Salespeople Born or Made? Four Critical Sales Kickoff Meeting Success Factors. Understand Why You Lose Deals: The Martin Curve.

Study 163

Study Lead Rank Lead Scoring Penetration 163

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 10, 2019

As a personal example, increasingly, I find myself at the receiving end of people thinking I am incompetent. Naturally, statements like these provoke the question, “What is it about that person’s behavior that causes you to draw that conclusion?” ” or “They won’t do what I need them to do!”

Ideal Customer Profile 82

Ideal Customer Profile Customer Face-to-face Meeting 82

Partners in Excellence

MARCH 5, 2017

To win with commoditized products, we have to find some way to differentiate ourselves. Within those organizations, each decisionmaker is different. Everyone understands the challenges of selling commoditized products. They are perceived as undifferentiated. Too often, we differentiate through pricing. Commoditization sucks.

Customer 49

Customer Microsoft Call-back Google 49

SalesLoft

MAY 23, 2016

If you reach a gatekeeper, find the decisionmaker. Top of the funnel Sales Development Reps are the frontline sellers. They’re in the trenches, arming the gates of your sales organization and acting as the ambassadors and protectors of your customers, product, and company. The Sincere Seller’s Manifesto.

Top of Funnel 52

Top of Funnel Funnel Scale Gatekeeper 52

Partners in Excellence

JUNE 1, 2016

How do I make sure I’m dealing with the right decisionmaker? How do I …… What do I …… Too often, the question is focused on finding the one right answer. Likewise, I read dozens of articles from people purporting to have the answers. How do I get a meeting? What’s my/our value proposition?

Discount 48

Discount Promotion Relationals Pipeline 48

Partners in Excellence

SEPTEMBER 7, 2015

We find some that are very successful with internal projects. They find a way to align themselves and work efforts, driving great success in most of the projects the commit to. We’ve all read the data about increases in “No Decision Made.” —the average of 5.4 people involved in complex B2B decisions.

Customer 48

Customer Vendor Relationals Data 48

HeavyHitter Sales

OCTOBER 30, 2017

  I recently had the privilege to spend some time reviewing my latest B2B buyer persona sales research with Tiffani Bova, ‎ Global, Customer Growth and Innovation Evangelist  for Salesforce.    Here’s some key excerpts from her Huffington Post article below titled,  “The Truth About Why Salespeople Win and Lose Deals.”.

Research 60

Research Buyer Persona Decision Maker Study 60

Partners in Excellence

JULY 15, 2015

I’m a great fan of Jeff Shore. Recently, he wrote a post, The Buying Formula: Here’s How Your Customers Make Purchase Decisions. It’s brilliant in it’s simplicity and is a great starting point to look at the challenges of B2B Decision-making. Jeff, makes several critical points.

B2B 48

B2B Buyer Buying Cycle Groups 48

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 23, 2017

We don’t find the time to coach, instead we engage in quick conversations, we text, email. Our devices, apps, and tools; things that are supposed to be helping us be more productive cause us to be distracted, consequently disengaged. Think to any meeting you’ve participated in the past 2 days. It may provoke a call or a lead.

Analysis 48

Analysis Tools Social Selling Meeting 48

Partners in Excellence

DECEMBER 13, 2012

So finding the decision maker(s) is getting tougher. The executive would make a decisions, “Yes, let’s go forward—I’ll find the money to fund this.” Regardless how powerful the business case, customers aren’t finding the funding! But we are seeing something very different occurring, as well.

Decision Maker 90

Decision Maker Groups Customer Relationals 90

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 7, 2016

We can’t be naïve, this is still the dominant way we find, qualify, and pursue opportunities. I think there is a far larger market opportunity in finding, engaging, teaching, and provoking these buyers to change, to look for something new. ” It’s a great article by authors I deeply respect.

Buyer 48

Buyer Face-to-face Education Opportunity 48

Adaptive Business Services

FEBRUARY 8, 2016

Here’s a few that I’ll be participating in — make sure to let me know in advance if you’ll be attending or find me and introduce yourself in person. Upcoming Events: Spring 2016. The events season is upon us! This is usually a busy time of year with ProductCamps, conferences, and other events, and this year is no different.

Conference 48

Conference Relationals Twitter Research 48

Partners in Excellence

JULY 21, 2013

And that’s the situation we find ourselves in with many complex B2B decisions. I’m the proud “father” of Sammy and Harley—that’s them in the picture. It took my wife and I 30 minutes to get them to “pose.” But then something happens, they get together in a group and everything changes.

Customer 91

Customer Groups Decision Maker Influencer 91

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 20, 2012

I received a frustrated email from a colleague the other day. He described a sales situation—he’s selling a solution that creates a tremendous return for this customer. The return is about 4 times the investment – a business case that seems compelling on the surface. There are a couple of challenges in these types of deal.

Enterprise 85

Enterprise Enterprise Groups B2B 85

Partners in Excellence

JULY 18, 2023

They don’t know how to, or may find the concept of “selling” distasteful—after all they are striving for rep free buying processes because they don’t like being sold. While we work with the buying group, we tend to look for the “decisionmaker,” directly influencing them.

Customer 62

Customer Face-to-face Groups Competition 62

Customer Centric Selling

DECEMBER 3, 2019

You can find countless hundreds of those who dream is to eventually become shelter foods and bread. NANOVA attempts to supply info that makes it possible for good decisionmaking. You can start out using carrying small measures. These machines are being utilized across the universe today.

Engineering 40

Engineering How To Transportation Networking 40

Partners in Excellence

MAY 12, 2022

The days of “the decisionmaker,” influencers, and financial buyers, technical buyers, and so forth are gone — even though achieving consensus requires many of those players. We know that complex B2B decisions are driven by consensus. Likewise, we know the number of people involved in the buying process continues to increase.

B2C 71

B2C B2B Groups Buyer 71

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 5, 2022

There’s seldom “A Decisionmaker.” We know some things to be true about modern complex B2B buying. ” For a complex decision, it’s a group of individuals, with differing priorities and interests. There may be people that exercise more influence in the process, but it is rarely a single person.

Vendor 52

Vendor Groups B2C B2B 52

Partners in Excellence

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

One that jumped out to me was the advice to make sure you ask, “Are you the decisionmaker?” So asking if an individual is the decisionmaker isn’t very illuminating, we still have to determine who the other 4.4 Our experience should inform us that it’s very unlikely a single individual is the decisionmaker.

Decision Maker 48

Decision Maker B2B Relationals Research 48

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 19, 2017

In B2C, we are typically dealing with a single decisionmaker (or a very small number). Yes, we certainly can adapt some of the B2C practices in engaging each individual involved in the decisionmaking process. But, as illustrated in the Challenger Customer , things change–decisionmaking changes when those 6.8

B2C 57

B2C B2B Lead Rank Scale 57