Sales Training Connection

MARCH 24, 2014

Determine the call objective. The first step in pre-call planning is setting the objective for the call. The objective should be formulated in terms of the commitment desired from the customer that moves the sales cycle forward. Here are six topics that work well as the basis of a pre-call plan: Call objective.

Sales Cycle 109

Sales Cycle Objections Account Training 109

Sales Training Connection

JUNE 29, 2012

We’ve heard lots of reasons posited like: “this product is great – it will sell itself if I just talk about …” or “my customers tell me they want to know everything about our new …” or “ if I am talking I know the customer will forget about hat objection.” And of course, there’s the old catchall, “nature abhors a vacuum.”

Face-to-face 127

Face-to-face Collateral Objections Training 127

Sales Training Connection

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Determine the call objective. The first step in pre-call planning is setting the objective for the call. The objective should be formulated in terms of the commitment desired from the customer that moves the sales cycle forward. Here are six topics that work well as the basis of a pre-call plan: Call objective.

Sales Cycle 118

Sales Cycle Objections Account Exercises 118

Sales Training Connection

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

We’ve heard lots of reasons posited like: “this product is great – it will sell itself if I just talk about …” or “my customers tell me they want to know everything about our new …” or “ if I am talking I know the customer will forget about hat objection.” And of course, there’s the old catchall, “nature abhors a vacuum.”

Collateral 101

Collateral Training Objections Positioning 101

Sales Training Connection

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

If that view is not objectively accurate, then finding a way to correct the misperception is both important for the customer and for you. Is there some capability at which your company is particularly competent that customers rarely consider in making a decision that in objective terms they would be better off if they did?

Competition 120

Competition Scale Vendor Influencer 120

Sales Training Connection

DECEMBER 2, 2013

Let’s take an example where the objective is teaching classic call execution skills like: asking questions, opening and closing, active listening and objection handling. In practical terms this means most two-day sales skills programs can be reduced to one classroom day. Design Example.

Training 112

Training Exercises Travel Call-back 112

Sales Training Connection

APRIL 22, 2013

In major accounts there are two main objectives that must be achieved to qualify a lead. You must determine in an objective fashion the degree of fit between the customer’s needs and specifications and your capabilities. In major account selling what is worse then doing a good job chasing bad business? Not much.

Sales Qualified Lead 105

Sales Qualified Lead Fashion Account Training 105

Sales Training Connection

DECEMBER 16, 2013

Even though it’s been talked about during pre-call planning, just before the call the Call Manager should remind everyone participating what the call objective is and what role they will be playing. If it happens during the call – and it does – it is up to the Call Manager to get the call back on track in order to meet the call objectives.

Call-back 125

Call-back Analysis Training Objections 125

Sales Training Connection

AUGUST 8, 2014

Inquire why and you’ll hear comments like these: a great product will sell itself if I just talk about  or my customers tell me they want to know everything about our new  or  if I am talking I know the customer will forget about that objection.And of course, we’ve all heard thatnature abhors a vacuum..

Exact 114

Exact Objections Course Up-Sell 114

Sales Training Connection

JANUARY 21, 2015

Determine the call objective. The first step in pre-call planning is setting the objective for the call. The objective should be formulated in terms of the commitment desired from the customer that moves the sales cycle forward. Here are six topics that work well as the basis of a pre-call plan: Call objective.

Sales Cycle 50

Sales Cycle Objections Account Training 50

Sales Training Connection

JUNE 9, 2013

Have a strategic plan so you’re continuously moving towards your account objective. Do what you say you will do when you said you would do it. Anticipate the future – be proactive. Leverage your internal resources. Focus on the customer – not the competition. Keep up-to-date on what’s going on in your customer’s industry – know the trends.

Intent 116

Intent Trends Competition Training 116

Sales Training Connection

DECEMBER 5, 2014

You must objectively determine the degree of fit between the customer’s specifications and preferences, and your capabilities. If that view is not objectively accurate, then finding a way to correct the misperception is both important for the customer and for you. If done correctly this can be helpful to both you and the customer.

Lead Qualification 109

Lead Qualification Scale Lead Rank Lead Scoring 109

Sales Training Connection

AUGUST 10, 2011

You know what not to talk about so objections and awkward situations are less likely to occur. Handling Objections – In a complex sale you face some objections that are real and some which are avoidance tactics. The identification and resolution of these objections requires substantial clarification and problem solving.

Lead Qualification 67

Lead Qualification Sales Qualified Lead Face-to-face Construction 67

Sales Training Connection

APRIL 27, 2015

Lee, in the call yesterday the way you handle the objections didn’t go very well – that is something you need to work on.”. Lee, in the call yesterday I couldn’t track the way you handle the objections – that is something we need to work on. So, let’s compare two different approaches for handling feedback about a negative. Approach 1.

Sales Coaching 50

Sales Coaching Coaching Call-back Objections 50

Sales Training Connection

JULY 24, 2013

If avoiding discounting is a key objective, then the training should be designed to address selling value. Key point – If sales training is focused on a clear business objective there are a number of people and established rewards that will help make the training stick.

Training 105

Training Maximizer Face-to-face Discount 105

Sales Training Connection

DECEMBER 5, 2012

This should be the central objective of the sales training. Given that objective can be achieved in one day of well-designed training, the answer seems pretty straightforward. In too many cases the sales team has only a superficial knowledge base about the compensation system and a limited understanding of the company’s sales strategy.

Compensation 107

Compensation Strategy System Knowledge Base 107

Sales Training Connection

OCTOBER 30, 2013

You must objectively determine the degree of fit between the customer’s specifications and preferences, and your capabilities. If that view is not objectively accurate, then finding a way to correct the misperception is both important for the customer and for you. If done correctly this can be helpful to both you and the customer.

Lead Qualification 112

Lead Qualification Scale Lead Rank Lead Scoring 112

Sales Training Connection

NOVEMBER 14, 2011

For this blog, let’s focus on the large B2B sale and examine specific situation where the objective is to develop new business with an existing customer. The objective is to uncover the lead rather than getting it from someone else, but sometimes it may not happen that way. Industry partners.

Sales Qualified Lead 95

Sales Qualified Lead Leads Marketing Qualified Lead Government 95

Sales Training Connection

NOVEMBER 2, 2012

If avoiding discounting is a key objective, then the training should be designed to address selling value. Key point – If sales training is focused on a clear business objective there are a number of people and established rewards that will help make the training stick.

Training 103

Training Maximizer Face-to-face Discount 103

Sales Training Connection

OCTOBER 16, 2013

Therefore, the sales training cannot just be a modified version of what already is in place for training territory reps; the learning objectives are qualitatively different and the level of required proficiency is significantly greater – mastery would be the goal.

Health Care 108

Health Care Territories Selling Skills Ideal Customer Profile 108

Sales Training Connection

JUNE 15, 2012

This trap not only occurs frequently; it also has a number of negative consequences – one being it tends to generate objections. They jump in with a solution before they have a shared vision of the problem. Developing good questioning skills remains an important sales competency. But it is harder than it might first appear.

Face-to-face 136

Face-to-face Intent Training Objections 136

Sales Training Connection

JANUARY 4, 2017

You must determine in an objective fashion the degree of fit between the customer’s decision criteria and your capabilities. In the bad old days account strategy was fundamentally about how to pitch your product and how to counter those nasty objections encountered along the way. The fit is a two-way street.

Decision Maker 73

Decision Maker Competition Account Fashion 73

Sales Training Connection

APRIL 6, 2012

Plan the commitment you want doing pre-call planning and set it as your call objective. You don’t just “close for the order,” you close on every call. The following is a framework for planning and executing a Close: 1. Assess and adjust the commitments as the call unfolds.

Closing 110

Closing Sales Cycle Proposal B2B 110

Sales Training Connection

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

The first objective requires identifying, exploring, and addressing the interests and concerns of both parties. At the foundation of a successful negotiation strategy in an ongoing business relationship is to achieve a balance between these two, sometimes conflicting, objectives. ©2015 Sales Momentum, LLC.

Negotiation 50

Negotiation Face-to-face Decision Maker Buying Cycle 50

Sales Training Connection

AUGUST 27, 2014

Therefore, the sales training cannot just be a modified version of what already is in place for training territory reps; the learning objectives are qualitatively different and the level of required proficiency is significantly greater – mastery would be the goal.

Health Care 82

Health Care Pharmaceuticals Territories Selling Skills 82

Sales Training Connection

SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

But, they will also tell you that you can’t fix everything and that some of the things you can fix aren’t really going to help achieve your business objective. Any manager will share when moving into a new management position there are a ton of things you can “fix.”

Sales Management 88

Sales Management Sales Leadership ACT Training 88

Sales Training Connection

NOVEMBER 7, 2011

These comments aren’t classical objections – we’d classify them as “zingers” – or difficult situations sales reps might find themselves facing. But, by no means are they less critical – and like objections, they need to be handled deftly.

Health Care 90

Health Care Face-to-face Training Sales 90

Sales Training Connection

NOVEMBER 21, 2011

You must determine in an objective fashion the degree of fit between the customer’s specifications and preferences, and your capabilities. It is important to find out the customer’s view and if, in fact, that view is not objectively accurate, then finding a way to correct the misperception is both important for the customer and for you.

Lead Qualification 79

Lead Qualification Pipeline Lead Rank Lead Scoring 79

Sales Training Connection

AUGUST 12, 2013

Another way to address the coaching time issue is to get the person on the other side of the table to commit time to the performance improvement objective. Establish a culture of performance accountability. In this case that means the sales rep.

Sales Coaching 120

Sales Coaching Coaching Face-to-face Pivotal 120

Sales Training Connection

MAY 21, 2014

Another way to address the coaching time issue is to get the person on the other side of the table to commit time to the performance improvement objective. Establish a culture of performance accountability. In this case that means the sales rep.

Sales Coaching 104

Sales Coaching Coaching Face-to-face Pivotal 104

Sales Training Connection

AUGUST 11, 2014

. In sales, getting good at an advanced skill like negotiation requires being very good at asking questions and the ability to build and maintain customer relationships requires a number of the fundamentals including objection handling. Transformational shifts are occurring.

Sports 97

Sports Negotiation Competition Training 97

Sales Training Connection

JUNE 6, 2014

It will introduce new call points into the sales cycle – with different concerns, new objections and a different perspective on the balance between clinical and economic value. Every time customers go through a period of transformation change, a new set of winners and losers emerge on the vendors’ side of the table.

Pharmaceuticals 103

Pharmaceuticals Health Care Pivotal Sales Cycle 103

Sales Training Connection

OCTOBER 12, 2011

Can effective conversations set you apart and advance your objectives? They’re about putting what you ask and what you say together in a way that’s valuable for your prospects and for you. A few weeks ago I participated in a panel discussion sponsored by FOCUS. The panel of experts discussed those ideas and debated others.

Conversion 76

Conversion Competition Face-to-face Social Media 76

Sales Training Connection

JANUARY 25, 2012

Lee, in the call yesterday the way you handle the objections didn’t go very well – that is something you need to work on.”. Lee, in the call yesterday I couldn’t track the way you handle the objections – that is something we need to work on. So, let’s compare two different approaches for handling feedback about a negative.

Sales Coaching 76

Sales Coaching Coaching Face-to-face Construction 76

Sales Training Connection

DECEMBER 3, 2014

For example, regarding sales – no, you should not “always be closing” and “objections are not great buying signals” But, what about sales training? Unfortunately sales and sales training have over the years been plagued with stories about myths and magic that keep being reinvented.

Training 99

Training Survey Sales Coaching Report 99

Sales Training Connection

APRIL 4, 2014

Do your homework to gain an objective lay of the land. Let’s take a look using the scenario of an existing sales manager from inside the company taking over an existing sales team in another region. Drill down and learn about the territory and the sales team. Here, the CRM system can be a best friend.

Sales Management 119

Sales Management Pivotal Coaching Sales Coaching 119

Sales Training Connection

MARCH 13, 2015

Look at how your customers are fairing against goals, objectives and metrics. With knowledge about goals, objectives and metrics, and a sense of how the customer is performing, what would you do to reach these if you were in their place? New opportunities are a response to something.

Lead Generation 50

Lead Generation Lead Rank Lead Scoring Ideal Customer Profile 50