Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 25, 2024

In this post, I’m going to make the argument, that based on what I see in too many selling initiatives, is that we, as a community, have migrated from focusing on helping customers solve their problems to just beating the competition. While we claim to want to help the customer solve their problems, we aren’t.

Competition 125

Competition Customer Buying Cycle Vendor 125

Partners in Excellence

MARCH 6, 2024

Just as selling has evolved, buying has evolved–but differently. Too often, there is an alignment challenge between what buyers need and what sellers do. What don’t buyers need from sellers? They don’t need a lot of education about our products. But they don’t need this.

Buyer 137

Buyer Incentives Incentive Discount 137

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 2, 2024

” Covey writes about the importance of having a destination or a goal, Knowing what we are trying to achieve forces us to focus on the things critical to achieving the goal. But, as we work in organizations and work with our customers, sometimes this can be the source of a giant disconnect. As a result, we have a giant dilemma.

Customer 129

Customer Maximizer Closing Objections 129

Partners in Excellence

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

Ever since I started selling–you know back in the old days when phones were still attached to cords–I’ve been taught, “Buyers have a structured buying process.” ” I’d see all sorts of block diagrams, showing how the buying process always, coincidentally, aligned with the customer buying process.

Buyer 138

Buyer Face-to-face B2B Up-Sell 138

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 30, 2024

Let us show you how our product solves this problem… ” “You need more in your pipeline, let us show you how we solve that problem… ” Every prospecting message I see focuses on the sender, their products, and their companies. What would happen if we changed our outreach strategies to focus on problems?

Face-to-face 105

Face-to-face Buying Cycle Outbound B2B 105

Zoominfo

DECEMBER 28, 2020

You’re armed with your prospect’s buying signals, right? What are customer buying signals? By definition, buying signals are the actions potential customers take that indicate they’re close to making a purchase. Your marketing and sales teams need both. How to spot buying signals.

Lead Rank 309

Lead Rank Intent Data Closing Buyer Intent 309

Partners in Excellence

DECEMBER 4, 2023

We were talking, loosely, around the advantages of being customer focused and what that means. His research showed those being customer focused outperformed those being more product focused by more than 2-1. The customer/problem focused sellers always out perform the product focused sellers—enormously! So why change?

Customer 123

Customer Scale Buying Cycle Discount 123

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 1, 2024

“Value” is a critical concept in everything we do, but particularly when we are engaging customers, hoping to present a solution they will buy. Yet too often, we and our customers misunderstand the elements around “value,” as a result, we fail to leverage value to it’s greatest impact.

ROI 127

ROI Analysis Relationals Revenue 127

Partners in Excellence

DECEMBER 21, 2023

The conversation got me thinking about the issue: “Our customers desperately need help, but do we want to be helpful, do we know how to be helpful? Often, we involve more people–we need differing points of view, differing expertise to address these challenges. The core issue is our customers are struggling.

Customer 130

Customer Face-to-face Buying Cycle Loyalty 130

Partners in Excellence

MARCH 14, 2024

Slowdowns are impacting many sectors of the economy. We see a lot of uncertainty. Massive layoffs are still happening. Businesses, industries and markets are being restructured, profoundly. Overlay this with disruptions being caused by technologies like AI, global climate changes, and the global political challenges. Time to face reality.

Face-to-face 129

Face-to-face Lead Rank Lead Scoring Churn 129

Partners in Excellence

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

Fast forwarding to current times, based on how we engage our customers, we demonstrate a similar vanity. We think our customer care about us–they obsess about our companies, our products, and how great we are. Sellers obsessed in understanding what our prospects and customers think about us, our companies, and our solutions.

Engineering 126

Engineering Up-Sell Lead Rank Lead Scoring 126

Partners in Excellence

MAY 23, 2024

Individuals could buy and use the software. Rather than going to CompUSA to buy a box with a CD, individuals could access the software in the clouds. In addition to making software easy to access, these suppliers made it very easy to buy. Just like buying the Wall Street Journal or subscribing to a magazine.

Scale 68

Scale Face-to-face Software Software 68

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 31, 2024

Summarized, at any point in time, as we look at B2B companies (To help us understand it, let’s imagine the total market size is 1000 companies): At any point in time, 3-4% of companies in an industry are actively engaged in a buying effort. That’s roughly 40 companies actively engaged in buying.

Opportunity 129

Opportunity Sales Qualified Lead Lead Rank Analysis 129

Partners in Excellence

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Some focus on PLG types of approaches, where the product sells itself–at least until one wants to scale that to the enterprise level. Others see the preference of buyers for rep-free buying experiences and digital buying processes as evidence that selling is no longer necessary. How would they survive if buying died?

Retail 130

Retail Scale Margin Promotion 130

Allego

MARCH 12, 2024

In the ever-evolving landscape of B2B sales, the quest for a seamless and efficient buying experience remains a critical challenge. Determined to mend the fragmented B2B buying journey, Hannah Ajikawo , the visionary founder of Revenue Funnel , has strong ideas on how sales enablement can help solve the problem.

Top of Funnel 118

Top of Funnel Lead Rank Pivotal B2B 118

Partners in Excellence

OCTOBER 3, 2023

My friend, Hank Barnes, is rethinking the buying process with a fascinating concept he calls The Advantage Factor. ” It’s related to much of what I’ve written about Inciting Customers To Change. Too often, sellers catch customers who are very late in their buying cycle. What’s it take to do this?

Buying Cycle 134

Buying Cycle Up-Sell Opportunity Google 134

Sales Gravy

MARCH 24, 2024

On this episode of the Sales Gravy Podcast, Jeb Blount, the author of People Love You: The Real Secret to Delivering a Legendary Customer Experience, sits down with Talroo's Vice President of Success and Enablement Barry Klein to discuss why a focus on customer retention is crucial for revenue growth.

Retention 80

Retention Revenue Customer Loyalty 80

Partners in Excellence

DECEMBER 19, 2023

“We have these features and functions, no other alternative has those… ” Each of us would be presenting our unique list, thinking those would have an impact on our customers. Any of the alternatives customers consider will help them address their problem.

Face-to-face 133

Face-to-face Report ROI Research 133

Partners in Excellence

MAY 30, 2023

We may have “invented” a customer buying process that aligns with our desired process–Defining Problems, Identifying Alternatives, Identifying Needs, Assessing Alternatives, Choosing A Vendor. It hasn’t changed since I started selling, despite all the data showing us customers don’t buy that way.

Face-to-face 121

Face-to-face Proposal Hiring Quota 121

Partners in Excellence

JULY 31, 2023

Most of the time, as sellers, we focus on our self interests. As a result we spend a lot of time looking at our selling process and the things we want to do to our customers. We focus on the things that drive our success, perhaps not really understanding what the customer is trying to achieve and their success.

Customer 101

Customer Maximizer Conversion CRM 101

Partners in Excellence

JULY 28, 2023

But one of the most fundamental problems I see is these sales processes are internally focused, always looking at the things we Do To Our Customers. There are all sorts of activities, separated by stages, focusing on what we inflict on our customers. Discover their needs. Focus on identifying the key decision maker.

Sales Process 96

Sales Process Customer Decision Maker Negotiation 96

Partners in Excellence

MAY 22, 2024

” As usual, it’s the self centered focus too many have about selling. The degree to which AI replaces buyers will have a greater impact on sellers than AI taking sales related tasks, consequently reducing the need for sellers. Over 80% of them prefer rep free buying experience. We know buyers struggle with buying.

Buyer 68

Buyer Face-to-face Analytics B2B 68

Partners in Excellence

MAY 7, 2024

” “They help improve our customers’ productivity and efficiency… ” one of the sellers said. We’ve helped some customers improve productivity by over 20%,” a seller stated. “What’s that mean to the customer? Why do they need to get it done so quickly?”

Up-Sell 124

Up-Sell Competition Conversion Customer 124

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 16, 2024

We know what we have to do, and, for the most part, each of us is well intended–we really want to do the things that cause us, our customers, and our companies to be successful. We’ve got to be customer focused. We’ve got to retain and grow our customers. I contribute my fair share to the clutter.)

Top of Funnel 121

Top of Funnel Funnel Pipeline Exercises 121

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 may create our versions of their buying process.

Sales Process 140

Sales Process Customer Top of Funnel Sales Qualified Lead 140

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 29, 2024

Content would focus on product capabilities, features and functions. Knowledge of the customer, in fact clear definition of the target customers are minimal, the strategy is a product led (though not necessarily a PLG strategy.) For customers unaware of those challenges, sellers might insight the customer to consider a change.

Face-to-face 92

Face-to-face Sales Cycle Quota Loyalty 92

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 18, 2022

In this world, the ideal thing is the customer has educated themselves, is knowledgeable, may have a few final questions and issues (price is always the key one), and the customer makes a buying decision. We do everything we can to position our products favorably, but the reality is the customer has probably made up their mind.

Buyer 150

Buyer Face-to-face Groups Objections 150

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 17, 2024

We are trying to get our customers to change from the current products or services they are using, to our products and services. We want the customer to change how they are approaching a certain function in their business–so they can buy our solutions. What about tools to help us and our customers manage the process?

Lead Rank 127

Lead Rank Analysis Incentives Incentive 127

SalesFuel

APRIL 8, 2024

They need to demonstrate the personalized value they will offer for the price they’re asking. They need to demonstrate the personalized value they will offer for the price they’re asking. It’s common for sellers to have to negotiate pricing. Price objections have long been a challenge. And his advice is backed by research.

Negotiation 115

Negotiation Buyer B2B Hiring 115

Partners in Excellence

MAY 10, 2023

One morning I was meeting with him, he had just returned from a trip, calling on customers and meeting with people in the branch offices in Boston. It was from a very important customer and was toughly competed. In the conversation, he had asked them, “What did they buy the system for?”

Customer 103

Customer Proposal System Engineering 103

Partners in Excellence

MARCH 6, 2023

They focus on understanding, characterizing, and qualifying the problem. They refrain from pitching a solution until they understand the problem the customer is experiencing and their “needs” in solving the problem. It assumes the customer understands the problem. And this is where customers struggle the most.

Face-to-face 121

Face-to-face Buying Cycle Customer Positioning 121

Partners in Excellence

AUGUST 18, 2021

Probably one of the weakest areas of buying and selling I see is “qualifying.” But just because the customer can answer those questions doesn’t necessarily mean the deal is real from the customer’s point of view. Condition 1: The customer/opportunity is dead center in our Ideal Customer Profile.

Ideal Customer Profile 165

Ideal Customer Profile Outsourcing Services Customer Enterprise 165

Partners in Excellence

NOVEMBER 22, 2021

It’s always a structured approach to engaging the customer, working with them to make a buying decision. The process has always reminded me of critical things I should be considering, to maximize my impact in working with the customer. I’d try to get the customer to consider those issues.

Customer 138

Customer Top of Funnel Funnel Sales Process 138

Partners in Excellence

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

The commonality between the two of us is the obsession around helping customers solve complex problems and create great value. My obsession to provide Customer Value Written by Christian Maure r Dave, thank you very much for picking up the challenge. Christian has provided a fascinating perspective. I also never “carried a quota”.

Lead Rank 121

Lead Rank Lead Scoring Ideal Customer Profile Customer 121

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 24, 2023

When I read my feeds or listen to a lot of “experts,” the focus is always on hitting our quotas, maxing our commissions, achieving our goals. Listening to sales executives, the focus is, constantly, making your numbers. And the belief is that we can make our goals without being helpful to our customers.

Quota 117

Quota Ideal Customer Profile Face-to-face Commission 117

SMEI

APRIL 24, 2024

The Outdated “Born Salesperson” Mentality For years, the sales industry was dominated by high-pressure sales tactics, where the focus was on making a sale at any cost. Salespeople were often measured by their ability to talk their way into a sale, using charm and charisma to convince customers.

Closing 107

Closing Industry Influencer Sales 107

Partners in Excellence

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

There’s a major flaw in most of our (sellers/marketers) mindsets when we think about opportunities and the customer buying journey. The flaw is thinking about, “What do we need to do next to move this opportunity forwards?” ” The problem is this focuses on our own perspectives and needs.

Customer 130

Customer Vendor Opportunity Research 130