The Pipeline

AUGUST 5, 2021

In sales the go to is often sports, and one can understand why. With my clients, we focus on Objectives, the definition is as follows: Buyers will see value in those services and/or products that remove barriers, obstacles, or help bridge gaps between where the buyer is now – and – their objectives! By Tibor Shanto.

Lead Rank 352

Lead Rank Lead Scoring Ideal Customer Profile Objections 352

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 31, 2024

Construction: A formal, staged, milestone-centric, buyer-focused sequence of events. In some respects, professional selling is akin to professional sports where everyone who plays must play by the rules. Purpose: A framework for consistent, predictable, repeatable results.

Sales Process 182

Sales Process Decision Maker Sports Construction 182

The Pipeline

MARCH 16, 2020

The skill or opportunity is in knowing the most critical objectives a set of buyers may have at a given time. That sports team shut down, impacts bars, rideshare, workers, and people who we sell to. This is why I said your process should continue to serve you well if you were always focused on your buyers’ and clients’ objectives.

Objections 310

Objections SME Lead Rank Lead Scoring 310

Highspot

MARCH 3, 2022

Sellers today can meet with buyers in several different ways: in-person, virtual, telephone conference calls, or any combination of the three. Before the pandemic, most sellers and buyers met in person, which gave them the opportunity to build rapport face to face. How Enablement Can Adapt. The Presentation is the Equalizer.

Research 52

Research Buyer Face-to-face Decision Maker 52

Partners in Excellence

MARCH 8, 2024

In high school I worked at a sporting goods retailer, managing bicycle parts and accessory buying. After several years working in retail, I ended up as the senior buyer at a retail chain. The amount was a hell of a lot more than I was making as a buyer. This was my first exposure to sales reps. I decided I would get a rep job.

Retail 73

Retail Hotels Journal Sales Qualified Lead 73

Zoominfo

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Or, more specifically, if it is harder to sell and engage with buyers in July and August vs the rest of the year. Sales is — and always will be — a contact sport. So where does the data exist to help us know – in an unbiased way – whether the slow summer sales excuse is legitimate or not?

Demand Generation 189

Demand Generation Demand Generation Targets Sports Trends 189

Partners in Excellence

NOVEMBER 12, 2020

Millions are spent each year on Michelin-star restaurants or suites at sporting events to close big deals, and now, organizations are realizing those dollars are better spent investing in data that translates into insights for top sales leaders. These conversations seldom happen in a Michelin rated restaurant or at a sporting event.

Sports 103

Sports Face-to-face Field Sales Data 103

The Pipeline

DECEMBER 18, 2018

There a lot of things we want to know about our buyer, role in the company, role in the decision, experience in the industry and their functional role. And no, I am not going to say that it is the sellers who are unprepared, that’s not the case, it is usually the buyers. Yes, the buyers. By Tibor Shanto. Home Team Disadvantage.

Buying Cycle 247

Buying Cycle Buyer Objections Face-to-face 247

A Sales Guy

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Not enough training in the industry/space Too much activity management Little respect for prospects and buyers time Not enough humility. I played sports, I’m super competitive, I can be overly aggressive, so I get it, but it’s time to change. Selling is not a contact sport. Sales makes the world go round.

Face-to-face 150

Face-to-face Sports Influencer Quota 150

Understanding the Sales Force

OCTOBER 2, 2017

Happy buying extends to vacations and even sporting goods. Why isn't it as friction-free as an abundance of happy buyers would suggest it should be? It never ends! The excitement from these purchases tends to last much longer than the moments themselves.

Sports 149

Sports Customer Buyer B2C 149

The Pipeline

APRIL 24, 2018

Last week in this blog I made the argument that sellers have to answer one question above all, the one all buyers other than owners and Board Chairmans or Persons to be somewhat PC, the question: “ If I go ahead with this, will I get fired? By Tibor Shanto. ” Which leads to “How do we do that?” ” Take Them Back.

How To 267

How To Sports Buyer Objections 267

The Pipeline

OCTOBER 1, 2019

The problem with these words is the mindset they put you in, and worse, the mindset they communicate to your buyers. Some, as you’ll see, demonstrates certain laziness in the effort and thought, something the buyer picks upon. As soon as you say ‘just’ you’re taking a diminutive and subservient posture, bad form is a sport of peers.

Objections 291

Objections Sports Up-Sell Buyer 291

Adaptive Business Services

APRIL 19, 2023

Changes in buyer behaviors. Changes in technology that affect both the buyer and the seller. Selling is a contact sport and that means being in front of the customer and building trust and relationships. Ok … buyers will do whatever it takes to avoid salespeople. Changes in how we sell. Everyone is looking for the “BBD”.

Education 71

Education Sports Buyer Resources 71

Pipeliner

JULY 22, 2021

To start this playbook conversation, let’s build our understanding through one of our favorite methods – the sports analogy. In a sport with very few settled situations, they present unique opportunities for strategy. What’s the one constant for all buyers and buying organizations in the post-COVID world? Think about it.

Sports 90

Sports Guidelines Course Buyer 90

Selling Essentials RapidLearning Center

DECEMBER 19, 2023

When you closed that big sale a month ago, your buyer was enthusiastic. But now that you’ve actually delivered, the buyer’s mood seems to have changed. Salespeople don’t cause buyer’s remorse. There are deep psychological reasons why buyers experience a letdown after making a purchase.

How To 52

How To Government Sports Video 52

The Pipeline

NOVEMBER 3, 2014

We face rejection throughout the sale, from the time we try to prospect and engage with a potential buyer, right to the end when they finally agree to deal with us. Each rejection is like a blow, whether we overcome them or not, they consume effort, energy and they take their toll, much like a blow in any athlete in any contact sport.

Face-to-face 288

Face-to-face Sports Objections Territories 288

Janek Performance Group

MARCH 8, 2024

While no means exclusive, these points can narrow the field from daunting to manageable: Training Company In sales, buyers often get what they pay for. Today, buyers are more educated about their choices. Therefore, sellers cannot wait for buyers. As deals are more complex, buyers are skeptical, and there’s greater competition.

Training 62

Training Face-to-face Education Negotiation 62

Pipeliner

FEBRUARY 26, 2023

Of course, meeting with buyers in person is still very important. And while sales reps may long for the good old days of “walking the halls”, research shows that buyers feel differently. Countless studies report the vast majority of buyers now prefer virtual interactions as opposed to face-to-face selling. Buyers are smart.

Account 52

Account Face-to-face Sports Scale 52

Sales Hacker

FEBRUARY 10, 2021

We all know competitiveness goes a long way in sales, and probing at an interest in sports, general competitions, and awards for academia, sports, or skill can be a way to assess this trait. Sales is a sport where your competitors are always working on their craft. Coachability.

Hiring 139

Hiring Sports Decision Maker Face-to-face 139

The Pipeline

MAY 29, 2013

As in sports, music or other crafts, focusing on the most basic aspects is as important as mastering the big things, your messaging, value props, etc. For prospecting calls, it is important to practice how you will respond to and manage objections potential buyers have.

Prospecting 296

Prospecting Cold Calling Handbook Sports 296

Alice Heiman

MAY 25, 2023

Chapters: [00:00] Sales is Solving Problems [08:06] Scaling Sales [14:16] 0 Sales Skills are Teachable [15:11] Hybrid Selling and Hiring Remote Sellers [19:38] Retaining Talent [22:54] Hunters, Account Managers and Customer Success [27:31] Measuring Customer Success and Corporate Courage [32:40] Selling is a Team Sport [34:56] Adapting to Self Service (..)

Scale 69

Scale Retention Hiring Customer 69

No More Cold Calling

JULY 7, 2017

My point is simply this: Baseball is a team sport, and great account based sales reps understand that sales is, as well. The job of account-based sales reps is to begin dialogues with buyers and to build relationships. They know what challenges those buyers are facing and how your team’s solution can help.

Account 179

Account Referrals Lead Rank Lead Scoring 179

The Pipeline

JUNE 10, 2013

When I talk to sales people about how they start sales meetings with new potential buyers (first time they meet), most (not all) tell me they “break the ice with some small talk”, then they “get in to it!” by Tibor Shanto – tibor.shanto@sellbetter.ca. Getting to the point may not the worst strategy. Tibor Shanto.

Sports 296

Sports Meeting Exercises Buyer 296

Mereo

DECEMBER 13, 2023

“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” — Coach John Wooden, UCLA Basketball These famous words work for sports, but how can they apply to revenue targets with Wall Street or your board of directors?

Revenue 74

Revenue Sports Ideal Customer Profile Coaching 74

Highspot

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Factors such as reduced budgets, expansive buying committees, stringent cost controls, and increasingly cautious buyers contribute to an environment where success requires a delicate balance. Navigating the intricacies of deal-making in today’s challenging economic landscape is an arduous task.

Sales Enablement 52

Sales Enablement Revenue Maximizer Face-to-face 52

The Pipeline

MAY 15, 2014

To use a sport analogy, your pipeline is your core, no matter what sport you are in hockey, tennis, or running, a strong core, a well exercised and maintained core adds to athletic performance and lifts one competitor to victory over a comparably talented athlete with a less conditioned core.

Pipeline 300

Pipeline Top of Funnel Funnel Sports 300

The Pipeline

MAY 8, 2013

The reality is that part of successful selling is conviction, not just in your ability to add value to the buyer, but and in how you sell. When you first reach out to a potential buyer they don’t know you from Adam, and the goal is to get them engaged. It is that emotional involvement that often allows you to deep with a buyer.

Top of Funnel 276

Top of Funnel Sports Funnel Buyer 276

A Sales Guy

JULY 30, 2019

Little respect for prospects and buyers time. What they don’t understand is that customers and buyers don’t give a s**t about your or your product. Sales is not a selling sport or a commission sport or a telling game. Buyers care about themselves. Too much reliance on selling tools. Not enough humility.

Sports 85

Sports Influencer Commission Buyer 85

Vengreso

JUNE 12, 2023

These barriers hurt the long-term success of sales teams because of one truth: the modern buyer has changed their decision-making process. The modern buyer has a longer journey that involves more decision-makers. Consequently, they still use traditional sales techniques to reach the modern buyer.

Ideal Customer Profile 122

Ideal Customer Profile Decision Maker Travel Social Media 122

Alice Heiman

JULY 15, 2021

In general, companies are moving slowly to change their sales process in order to serve the buyers the way they want to buy. A modern seller provides the right information to the buyer at the right time. Don’t hide information that your buyers need to make a decision – give it to them right upfront.

Strategy 91

Strategy Cold Calling Buyer Lead Rank 91

Seismic - Sales Effectiveness

JUNE 18, 2019

Fifty-seven percent of the information buyers need they gather on their own before they’re even in touch with a salesperson, meaning it’s more important than ever for salespeople to be sharp, prepared, and add new value. Leaders in the new generation of sales should be using analytics to drive their business…” – John.

B2B 40

B2B Buyer Analytics Oracle 40

Mereo

JANUARY 26, 2023

These exercises allow your teams to have in-depth practice of what to do — and what not to do — during buyer interactions. When your teams are not given the space to practice skills and sales tools, they can make larger blunders with buyers. That and you do not want your teams to be “practicing” in front of the buyer.

Exercises 36

Exercises Sports Face-to-face Lead Rank 36

Sales and Marketing Management

MARCH 23, 2020

That’s for sports. Illig has coauthored a book ("Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play – Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship") and has won awards from Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen for his sales and leadership work. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal. I find that many salespeople fall short on this one.

Real Estate 320

Real Estate Webinar Metrics Intent Face-to-face 320

The Pipeline

JUNE 25, 2015

How much of a premium would you pay to bet on a sporting event where the odds favoured your team over the other by 6000 to 100? What I am talking about specifically is prospecting, especially for buyers in the deep sea of Status Quo. Buyer: Thanks, but we’re all set. Buyer: Sure you do that, thanks! back to work).

Prospecting 120

Prospecting Call-back Sports Proposal 120

Igniting Sales Transformation

DECEMBER 1, 2019

Given the expense of these meetings, it is a huge miss to waste time on anything that does not directly impact a salesperson’s ability to sell more effectively to today’s modern buyer. Buyer expectations keep rising. Use your SKO as an opportunity to train salespeople to be what buyers want them to be! Planning beyond the event.

Meeting 130

Meeting Decision Maker Revelation ACT 130

Zoominfo

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Or, more specifically, if it is harder to sell and engage with buyers in July and August vs the rest of the year. Sales is — and always will be — a contact sport. So where does the data exist to help us know – in an unbiased way – whether the slow summer sales excuse is legitimate or not?

Demand Generation 100

Demand Generation Demand Generation Targets Sports Trends 100

Gong.io

MARCH 17, 2020

Then we analyze how seller and buyer actions impact deal success. . To start, we wanted to see how winning and losing deals compare in terms of numbers of buyers involved in the deal (i.e., We’ve all heard that buying is a team sport. You don’t only meet with buyers, you pursue them via email as well. influence).

Scale 79

Scale Sports Forecasting Influencer 79