The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 17, 2019

Given all the noise about better ways to sell, one would expect better outcomes, but they are not. 44% Now have formal buying groups or buying committees in place to review potential purchases. No doubt operational integration has required more groups working together, still many units made their own choices and paths.

Outsourcing Services 212

Outsourcing Services Lead Rank Vendor Buyer 212

The Pipeline

JULY 16, 2019

Not a moto for successful selling and retention, but maybe it has some purpose. Many who sell in a “complex sales” environment continue to define their value in ways linked to features, not business impacts. Ask a group of sellers what they sell, and the majority will respond in something related to their deliverable.

Prospecting 284

Prospecting Trade Show Objections Buyer 284

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 12, 2019

Are they describing a group experience, “we looked at this…”, “I was asked to contact…”. Listen to how they speak one-on-one, versus how they interact in a group. The earlier I can influence the thinking, the more likely I have a shot at selling the product. Is he/she using language that is arm’s length from the event?

Decision Maker 266

Decision Maker Buyer Lead Rank Groups 266

The Pipeline

MAY 22, 2014

But who exactly is your company trying to sell to? In the no-so-distant past, the baby boomers have arguably been the most important group to market to, as they did (and still do) make up such a huge portion of the population. But there’s a new group on the scene – the Millennials. The Pipeline Guest Post – Megan Totka.

Exact 293

Exact Hotels Small Business Small Business 293

The Pipeline

APRIL 7, 2014

Several pundits have presented the argument that we are all sellers and we are always selling, no surprise, selling is part of life and the human experience, right from the guy selling fragments of the big bang, or the serpent selling Eve the apple. This brings with it a host of labels and subsets of sales selling.

Face-to-face 312

Face-to-face Cold Calling Social Selling Call-back 312

The Pipeline

JANUARY 9, 2014

I guess at one point someone alerted sellers to the fact that the word ‘Pitch’ was not conducive to consultative selling. So things evolved to USP – Or “Unique Selling Proposition”, exalting the uniqueness of one’s offering. But uniqueness on a product level is rare, continuous uniqueness even more infrequent. What’s in Your Pipeline?

Fashion 292

Fashion Proposal Objections Buyer 292

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 19, 2019

This is a serious challenge facing many in B2B selling today, one that will continue to grow. Another group that we’ll call prospects know a purchase decision will need to be made, say around buying new production equipment. And then there the last group, those who could care less we exist, the Suspects. By Tibor Shanto.

Travel 213

Travel B2B Call-back Sales Qualified Lead 213

The Pipeline

APRIL 3, 2017

First steps should be rather simple: How long is your average sales cycle; subtract that number from nine (the number of selling months assuming a Dec. Being selective and reducing the number of opportunities you pursue in the first instance, and decide to continue to sell to, will improve your results.

Top of Funnel 181

Top of Funnel Sales Qualified Lead Pipeline Quota 181

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 5, 2019

Companies who sell commodities, gravel let’s say, never have this discussion, because they know they are a commodity. They skip the BS and go straight to selling. They pass this jail, and go straight to selling, done. But there are those who, rather than changing their price, change how they sell. What do you see?

Wireless 240

Wireless SalesForce Fashion Call-back 240

The Pipeline

MARCH 11, 2013

There seems to be wide agreement that at any given time, only a small percentage of your target market is Actively Looking for what your are selling, estimates seem to be about 15%. Sure that is easier prey, but at the same time it is prey that is surrounded and stalked by every other sales person looking for an easy kill.

Marketing 282

Marketing Buyer Vendor Objections 282

The Pipeline

DECEMBER 3, 2012

At times all five are one person but you need to address the requirement of each of the five elements to keep competitors at bay, and to sell the deal at full value. But most often the beneficiaries are in other functional groups or departments. You can now tie your product to other projects and initiative in the company.

Decision Maker 257

Decision Maker Groups Benefit Sales 257

The Pipeline

OCTOBER 6, 2014

Whenever I ask a group of sales reps “How many people here ask for referrals?” Ask any group of sales people when they in fact ask for the referral, an overwhelming majority, like 90%, will say ask for referrals after the sales is completed and the product/service is delivered. Sales Execution Sales Process sell better Tibor Shanto'

Referrals 310

Referrals Forecasting Follow-up Groups 310

The Pipeline

APRIL 15, 2013

This not only eliminates the need to go around or over someone , but delivers a number of benefits and opportunities to sell and establish contacts and relationships. Over the years there has been a lot written about the need for sellers to be “multi-lingual” in order to properly communicate with all levels of the buying organization.

Sales Cycle 288

Sales Cycle Decision Maker Vendor Benefit 288

The Pipeline

APRIL 4, 2016

Buyers fall into different groups, and how you sell to each needs to reflect that, this does not mean you have to reinvent your sale for each buyer, groups or segments based on their attributes. Prospect Segment One: The first group, anywhere from 3% – 12% of a given market, let’s round off to 10%, are Actively looking.

Segment 120

Segment Prospecting Groups Energy 120

The Pipeline

FEBRUARY 19, 2016

Jill Konrath , author of SNAP Selling. Art Sobczak, author of the best-selling book Smart Calling. Mike Schultz, President of RAIN Group. Norman Behar, CEO & Managing Director Sales Readiness Group. Richard Harris, Founder The Harris Consulting Group. Grant Cardone , CEO of Cardone Training Technologies.

Top of Funnel 120

Top of Funnel Groups Funnel Analytics 120

The Pipeline

FEBRUARY 13, 2014

One group, focuses on the former (without ever trying to put it into practice). The smaller group, chooses to focus on those steps that lead them to success. The top 20%, the ones with the StartUp Mentality, do care about the new guy, but they don’t have time for get involved in the indoctrination ritual, they are busy selling.

Territories 292

Territories Follow-up Up-Sell Segment 292

The Pipeline

MAY 5, 2016

At the time they were building a social selling tool, and wanted me to test drive it and ultimately promote it. As you would know from previous posts, I find that at a high level you can split social selling proponents into two groups. It helps me send templated group emails using my XXX@XYZ.com email account via gmail.

Groups 120

Groups Social Selling Follow-up LinkedIn 120

The Pipeline

AUGUST 5, 2013

AT the same time, you can you use the same tactics to move from the 80% group delivering just 20% of the revenues, to the 20% club, the group that makes a difference. What is the take away for the new recruit – “hey this is the way they do things around here, if I’m gonna fit it, I best do the same”.

Hiring 275

Hiring Discount Sales Talent Groups 275

The Pipeline

JULY 31, 2014

A common example of this is when sales people accustomed to selling to users or front line managers, are instructed by their leadership to go ‘upstream’, and sell to senior decision makers, executives or the ‘C’ suite. So when we sell to these folks, we need to align our time frame and “language” accordingly.

Decision Maker 296

Decision Maker Enterprise Enterprise Objections 296

The Pipeline

APRIL 17, 2013

Each territory had two hunters, one for each product, two account development/management (AD) people, again one for each product, and an administrative person, all supported by a central customer care group, as to not overwork the front line folks. What’s in Your Pipeline?

Demand Generation Agencies 296

Demand Generation Agencies Top of Funnel Territories Demand Generation 296

The Pipeline

OCTOBER 15, 2019

I remember watching a group of investors who seemed comfortable discussing their view of prospecting success. This is as close to selling as Seine fishing is to fly fishing. The second option is out if you have a marketing group; it is not your focus or strength. Do that continuously, and things are good, just like the ponies.

Prospecting 212

Prospecting Influencer Buyer Education 212

The Pipeline

JUNE 8, 2012

It is about a game that sales people and managers can play while presenting or watching a peer present is a selling situation. The concept or the game came to me the other day when I was watching a rep present his solution to a group of decision makers. It is about measuring how many times a sales person will say “right?”

Decision Maker 291

Decision Maker Groups Buyer Pipeline 291

The Pipeline

JULY 27, 2017

Try this experiment, if you are a manager or team leader, next time you have team together in a room, or call, ask them to respond to the following question: “What do you sell?” Here are the types of answers I get when I do this with teams: “I sell…. As a seller, you need to translate the question “What do you sell?” Recruiting.

Transportation 225

Transportation Trade Show Exercises Call-back 225

The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

Dr. Rae founder and CEO of The Baum Group/Dr. This Reply was to intended to be posted under… “Stress impacts sales and one’s ability to sell, especially in a strange economy where everyone seems stressed out. Social Selling. The Baum Group. The Baum Group. Stress Tracker }. About Dr. Rae Baum.

Pipeline 298

Pipeline Twitter Groups Cold Calling 298

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 10, 2016

While those without a recognized need, will just object to the call, leave those looking for need or selling solutions rejected and dejected. Yet it is this same group of sellers and pundits who will tell you that cold calling doesn’t work, just witness the rejection level. Or how they may help you get to somewhere you want to get to?

Objections 296

Objections Prospecting Cold Calling Account Based Marketing 296

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

While it is still early days, there are some definite ways social media is impacting selling and buying; some of this is good and has helped sellers better understand and meet the needs of buyers, others, well really not worth fostering, and should be nipped in the bud now.

Face-to-face 280

Face-to-face Social Media Decision Maker Cold Calling 280

The Pipeline

APRIL 7, 2016

Monday we looked at the readiest segment of three groups you are likely to encounter in the course of prospecting, those who are Actively Looking. The next segment is slightly larger, but brings a different set of challenges, this group is the Passively Looking segment. This group may be 20% or more of any given segment.

Segment 120

Segment Prospecting Groups Quota 120

The Pipeline

JULY 26, 2012

My course is GAP Selling – Leveraging Process and Execution, is coming up next Thursday, August 2, at 4:00 pm Eastern. GAP Selling – Looks at hoe to deliver value. Private access to this group of experts is worth more than the price of the ticket itself. What’s in Your Pipeline?

Objections 262

Objections Course Referrals Maximizer 262

The Pipeline

JANUARY 15, 2015

While many struggle to define social selling, often resorting to contrasting it to “traditional” selling, most applications are not really new, just executed using new tools. Not so much between the seller and those people directly involved in the steps of the buy/sell, but more importantly the supporting cast.

Social Selling 120

Social Selling Face-to-face Social Media Lead Gen 120

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

The most recent would be assassins are Socialites, social selling advocates, who seem to spend as much time sniping at and proclaiming the death of cold calling as they do speaking about what they sell, social selling products, seminars, remedies and dreams. Step back you don’t wanna get any on your shoes). .

Cold Calling 292

Cold Calling Social Media Decision Maker Lead Rank 292

The Pipeline

APRIL 17, 2014

The idea of getting ahead of the buyer has an old school ring of pain and needs based selling. In some ways I thought we were past this, but this ad and a recent discussion in a LinkedIn group suggest that we are not. What’s in Your Pipeline? Tibor Shanto . Tibor Shanto'

Buyer 300

Buyer Objections Sales Leadership Sales Cycle 300

The Pipeline

JANUARY 13, 2014

cloak, before dawning top layer of social selling, are now shedding their load, and freely speaking about the virtues of cold calling. In a recent LinkedIn group discussion asking if cold calling is dead or not , the comments were absent of the usual posturing about how cold calling was bad or dead. Sales Process Tibor Shanto'

Cold Calling 312

Cold Calling Webinar Metrics Fashion Social Selling 312

The Pipeline

APRIL 14, 2014

Earlier this month in a post title To Call Or Not , I cited some stats about the level of effort required to engage and sell new buyers. As discussed here before, sales people fall into one of two groups, what I’ve referred to as the X Factor of sales, execution, or excuses. Sales Execution Sales Process Tibor Shanto'

Margin 312

Margin Trade Show Follow-up Lead Management 312

The Pipeline

AUGUST 20, 2019

In most instances, unless you are selling the simplest of commodities, it is likely that there are multiple people involved in each decision. people or groups at the party. Of course not, it is your attitude that needs to come off vacation. If you buy into the research out there, in so-called complex sales, there are up to 6.8

Pipeline 254

Pipeline Face-to-face Discount Buyer 254

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 10, 2014

Several sources attribute the following statement to Gartner Group: “In a typical firm with 100-500 employees, an average of 7 people are involved in most buying decisions. By Tibor Shanto - tibor.shanto@sellbetter.ca . Lesson: cold call multiple people in each account.” Role Based Bias Sales Execution Tibor Shanto'

Decision Maker 310

Decision Maker Margin Cold Calling Account 310

The Pipeline

SEPTEMBER 7, 2015

Based on which of the above groups you are in, you will need to attack September – December in different ways. To fully maximize opportunities, start early, segment your pipeline in to two general groups, those that are truly just in need of harvesting, and those that still need some work to complete. Tibor Shanto .

Harvest 120

Harvest Maximizer Pipeline Groups 120

The Pipeline

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

I say “independent” because one is susceptible to the echo chamber group think risk presented in an information overload, knowledge under-load world. Given today’s buying climate, chances are your buyer is talking to a range of potential providers, usually after having carried out some “independent” research. What’s in Your Pipeline?

Objections 300

Objections Vendor Buyer Meeting 300