Sales Training Connection

APRIL 4, 2014

Although you’ve surely talked with senior management before taking the sales manager position, now you have an opportunity to address a different set of questions. The best time to make changes is right up front when you take over the position. Talk with senior management. Solicit from the sales team what is working and what isn’t.

Sales Management 119

Sales Management Pivotal Coaching Sales Coaching 119

Sales Training Connection

DECEMBER 9, 2013

In most cases, references turn into a meeting that is positive or a sale that is highly successful. If you have worked successfully with a client and they take a position at another company, this is an ideal source for identifying new leads. The added advantage is often the person will assume a more senior position.

Sales Qualified Lead 112

Sales Qualified Lead Leads Marketing Qualified Lead B2B 112

Sales Training Connection

APRIL 17, 2013

In most case, references turn into an interaction that is positive or a project that is highly successful. If you have worked successfully with a customer and they take a position at another company, this is an ideal source for identifying new leads. The “frosting on the cake” is they often have taken a higher position.

Leads 112

Leads Marketing Qualified Lead Training Account 112

Sales Training Connection

APRIL 16, 2014

It is hard to over emphasize the point that time spent beforehand planning on how to position the training and afterwards on how to reinforce it, is time well spent. Sales training yields much better outcomes when sales people want to be there – when they come to the sales training program with a positive attitude.

Training 98

Training Hiring Face-to-face Compensation 98

Sales Training Connection

JANUARY 15, 2014

When selling, how many reasons should you use to produce the most positive impression of a product or service? But back to our study, we agree with the authors that at some point the value of adding more reasons (whether features or benefits ) turns from positive to neutral to negative (skepticism). Is there a magic number?

B2B 117

B2B Construction B2C Study 117

Sales Training Connection

FEBRUARY 15, 2013

It is hard to over emphasize the point that time spent beforehand planning how to position the training and afterwards how to reinforce it, is time well spent. Sales training yields much better outcomes when sales people want to be there – when they come to the sales training program with a positive attitude.

Training 105

Training Hiring Face-to-face Compensation 105

Sales Training Connection

JULY 14, 2014

Position the mentoring program. As a part of this initiate positioning, sales managers should reinforce the message that mentoring is worthwhile. If a sales manager has had other sales people on their team who have had a positive mentoring experience … sharing those experiences provides a powerful message. Set expectations.

Hiring 102

Hiring Training Exercises Positioning 102

Sales Training Connection

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Regardless, 4 best practices around sales mentoring that are worth highlighting: Position the mentoring program. As a part of this initiate positioning, sales managers should reinforce the message that mentoring is worthwhile. In other cases the mentoring effort is less formal. Set expectations.

Hiring 123

Hiring Training Exercises Positioning 123

Sales Training Connection

JUNE 29, 2012

Pre-call planning, rehearsing critical portions of sales calls, actively listening to the customer and positioning the conversation to the customer’s interests all help get the job done. Pre-Call Planning. Spend a week in the field with sales reps and you’ll observe too many sales calls where the sales rep is just talking too much.

Face-to-face 127

Face-to-face Collateral Objections Training 127

Sales Training Connection

APRIL 27, 2015

What most people end up doing is seeking out evidence that confirms their positive opinions about themselves and ignore contrary evidence. When this happens, many salespeople hold onto a positive self-assessment even after their sales manager has shared contradictory feedback. The positive part is usually a non-problem.

Sales Coaching 50

Sales Coaching Coaching Call-back Objections 50

Sales Training Connection

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

Pre-call planning, rehearsing critical portions of sales calls, actively listening to the customer and positioning the conversation to the customer’s interests all help get the job done. A Classic – ’63 Corvette. ©2013 Sales Momentum, LLC.

Collateral 101

Collateral Training Objections Positioning 101

Sales Training Connection

DECEMBER 12, 2012

How do you position the value proposition to the various key players involved in the decision process and how should that positioning different at different stages of the buying process and for different competitor profiles? In addition what are the decision criteria these customers will use to decide between you and your competitors.

Sales Qualified Lead 108

Sales Qualified Lead Banking Ideal Customer Profile Lead Rank 108

Sales Training Connection

FEBRUARY 1, 2012

It is much easier to focus on the very visible negatives than on the positives that we may be less skilled in detecting. Naturally, the recipient only “tastes” the corrective cheese, and forgets all the positive stuff. After all, the closing alone is positive feedback! Yet, positive feedback often stops there.

Positioning 91

Positioning Sales Coaching Coaching Lead Rank 91

Sales Training Connection

MARCH 4, 2013

Let’s take a quick look at this communication consideration from three perspectives: Positional Authority. What the sales manager says cannot only be taken more seriously it can also be interpreted as conveying an official position of top management. Management Messaging.

Sales Management 108

Sales Management Sales Coaching Training Influencer 108

Sales Training Connection

OCTOBER 15, 2012

Because they are confident about the possibility of winning, they see practicing as a route to a positive outcome. Sales managers need to help sales reps leverage the positives outcome from early wins. Winners are more likely to voluntarily discuss mistakes and accept negative feedback. They are encumbered with help.”

Sports 109

Sports Face-to-face Energy ACT 109

Sales Training Connection

JANUARY 25, 2012

In fact, most people seek out evidence that confirms their positive opinions about themselves and often ignore contrary evidence. The result is many people hold onto a positive self-assessment even after their coach has provided them feedback that contradicts that assessment. The positive piece is usually a non-problem.

Sales Coaching 76

Sales Coaching Coaching Face-to-face Construction 76

Sales Training Connection

DECEMBER 14, 2012

Most nonpartisan economists predict we will emerge from the gloom and doom to experience more positive growth. If the economic forecasters are right, and we think they are, then it is a good time to revisit how we can leverage this positive development from a sales perspective.

Loyalty 109

Loyalty Customer Promotion Construction 109

Sales Training Connection

MARCH 15, 2016

Keep it positive. A positive story narrative moves a customer along a path towards change. Storytelling allows you to translate your sales message from a feature pitch to a positive customer experience with business outcomes. It is worth noting that great stories are not usually created on the spot.

Hiring 50

Hiring Travel Call-back Positioning 50

Sales Training Connection

DECEMBER 20, 2016

A recent survey of nearly 400 B2B respondents titled “ The Sales Enablement Practitioner Survey ” found that companies who use sales enablement position themselves to dramatically improve their conversion rates. But how do you improve the relevancy – and by extension, the effectiveness – of your sales training?

Sales Enablement 50

Sales Enablement Analytics Survey SalesForce 50

Sales Training Connection

MARCH 1, 2017

Although you’ve surely talked with senior management before taking the sales manager position, now you have an opportunity to address a different set of questions. After about three months into
your new sales manager position, consider an informal 360 assessment. Talk with senior management.

Sales Management 50

Sales Management Pivotal Territories Coaching 50

Sales Training Connection

AUGUST 16, 2013

Keep it positive. It allows medical device sales reps to translate their sales message from solely a clinical product pitch to a positive patient experience with health outcomes. If you want someone to care about making sustained behavior change, you have to individualize the story. We’re wired to need and want a narrative.

Health Care 110

Health Care Pharmaceuticals Training Relationals 110

Sales Training Connection

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

In regions desperate for jobs, good sales positions go unfilled for lack of qualified applicants. For at least five consecutive years Manpower, the recruiting and workforce development firm, has ranked Sales as one of the hardest positions to fill. Moreover, their tenure with the company averaged 40% longer.

Hiring 112

Hiring Territories Education Competition 112

Sales Training Connection

MARCH 19, 2012

Often, they are not in a position to say yes, but they can say no. The later you learn about an opportunity, the greater the chance a competitor has established a position with the customer you would have to overcome. Determine if competitors are better positioned for success on the opportunity. Customers have choices.

Lead Qualification 115

Lead Qualification Lead Rank Lead Scoring Leads 115

Sales Training Connection

NOVEMBER 9, 2011

Understand the customer’s position. It is critical to have a “best approximation” answer to three fundamental positioning considerations: Priority. What is the customer’s position on each of the issues and what is the degree of consensus among the key players on that position? Establish your position on each issue.

Negotiation 68

Negotiation Account Positioning Training 68

Sales Training Connection

OCTOBER 3, 2012

If this structure is followed in coaching, it allows the sales manager to know the rep’s opinion of their performance, know if the rep has any major misperception, and know how to frame and position their feedback. Assuming you’re in agreement. So trying a little harder to get it right is probably worth the effort.

Sales Coaching 108

Sales Coaching Coaching Guarantee Maximizer 108

Sales Training Connection

OCTOBER 1, 2014

Sure a sales rep must be able to position a solution in a compelling manner and discuss the value-adds the company can provide. But, in the buyer’s eyes, “doing what you say you will do” is one of the fundamentals for establishing a business relationship that separates top sales reps from the others.

Survey 101

Survey Buyer B2B Training 101

Sales Training Connection

AUGUST 6, 2012

Keep it positive. It allows medical device sales reps to translate their sales message from solely a clinical product pitch to a positive patient experience with health outcomes. If you want someone to care about making sustained behavior change, you have to individualize the story. We’re wired to need and want a narrative.

Health Care 111

Health Care Training Relationals Positioning 111

Sales Training Connection

OCTOBER 24, 2014

Niraj Dawar in strategy+business provides some questions for managing your position in the Consideration Set. With all that information at hand you can make a good assessment of your competitive position as viewed by the customer. Customers generally seriously only consider a handful of products before deciding which one to buy.

Competition 98

Competition Strategy Training Sales 98

Sales Training Connection

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Whether it’s calling on different business functions or people in different roles or positioning that new product versus the one you know so well – taking risks is critical to achieving true sales success. Taking risks – It’s easy to stay in your comfort zone … we all know that. If you stay close, and withstand the surge, you can win.

Energy 115

Energy Comparison Competition Training 115

Sales Training Connection

APRIL 20, 2015

Having the skills and attributes for leadership is just as important for sales managers as it is any other business management position. Rather, begin in the beginning when you are in a sales rep position – leading sales teams, working with customer buying groups, leveraging training opportunities and seeking out mentors.

Sales Management 50

Sales Management Sales Leadership Study Pivotal 50

Sales Training Connection

JUNE 3, 2013

Last, value is positional and situational. And, individuals holding the same positions in different organizations can have different views on value. As a result who is involved in the decision has changed, purchasing specifications are different and pricing pressures are at an all-time high.

Health Care 108

Health Care Marketing Insurance Insurance 108

Sales Training Connection

AUGUST 20, 2014

On the sales side of the table the customers expects salespeople to know about their industry and challenges and be in a position to bring fresh ideas and new insights to the engagement. Specialization of the sales function has increased.

Hiring 110

Hiring Competition Training System 110

Sales Training Connection

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014

Are the players deciding where to position the next serve on the court? If we go back to sports for a moment, it is easy for all of us to see the fallacy of taking that position. We did and others must have too since the NY Times printed a front-page article about just that question. Are they using the time to motivate each other?

Call-back 86

Call-back Sports Training Account 86

Sales Training Connection

JULY 25, 2012

Whether a question of a lack of trust, belief in their own approach or the search for positive experiences, new sales managers often have trouble letting go of their sales rep role. Fall behind on administrative responsibilities. Some have cracked the code.

Sales Management 109

Sales Management Coaching Sales Coaching Training 109

Sales Training Connection

AUGUST 17, 2012

There are a number of reasons why a rep might have been successful in the previous position, for example they had a great territory. Giving folks a great start has numerous short and long-term positive consequences. It works best when a company has only a few reps. When that is not the case, the approach is suspect.

Hiring 105

Hiring Training Territories Report 105

Sales Training Connection

APRIL 25, 2012

Often in addition to the primary impact of your solution, there are, as well, secondary and tertiary positive outcomes. They might include: Protecting a company’s competitive position. The quantitative analysis is viewed as a selling ploy and therefore discounted accordingly. Remember the Ripple Effect. Increasing market share.

Competition 118

Competition Discount Benefit Analysis 118

Sales Training Connection

DECEMBER 7, 2011

Being in a sales leadership position is demanding in any organization – at any time. Although the interview was about IBM and about leadership across functions, we thought the ideas particularly relevant for any sales leadership positions from Sales Manager to VP of Sales in today’s environment. Developing Sales Leaders.

Margin 94

Margin Ideal Customer Profile Sales Leadership Training 94