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    Business

    The Salesman.com Podcast

    The Salesman.com podcast feed gives you the worlds best sales content.

    Salesman Podcast –

    The Salesman Podcast is the worlds most downloaded B2B sales podcast and is an Apple Award winning show. It helps sales professionals learn how to find buyers and win business from them in a modern, effective, and ethical way. The show has featured NASA astronauts, F1 drivers, Olympic athletes, UFC fighters, world leading neuroscientists and the world’s top sales experts as guests.

    Selling Made Simple –

    Sometimes sales professionals just don’t have the time to listen to an hour of content. This is where Selling Made simple comes in with its 10-minute, practical episodes.

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    Copyright: © Salesman.org / The Salesman Podcast / Will Barron

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    Latest Episodes:
    Replay: Using GAP SELLING To Make Objections And Closing OBSOLETE | Salesman Podcast Sep 17, 2022
    Show notes

    Keenan is the CEO and President of a sales consulting firm, A Sales Guy Inc., and was named one of the top 30 social sellers in the world by Forbes. In this episode of The Salesman Podcast, Keenan is explaining what “GAP Selling” is and why relationships, objections, and closing in sales are dead. You'll learn: Sponsored by: Free SalesCode assessment Learn your strengths and weaknesses in an instant. Taken by over 10,000+ of your competitors. Don't get left behind. Take the free assessment Featured on this episode: Host - Will Barron Founder of Salesman.org Guest - Keenan Best-selling Author and Gap Selling Specialist Resources: BOOK: Gap Selling: Getting the Customer to Yes: How Problem-Centric Selling Increases Sales by Changing Everything You Know About Relationships, Overcoming Objections, Closing and Price ASalesGuy.com Keenan on LinkedIn @Keenan Post: Dealing With The Sales Objection: “I Need To Think About It…” Book: Not Taught: What It Takes to be Successful in the 21st Century that Nobody’s Teaching You Transcript Will Barron: Coming up on today's episode of The Salesman Podcast. Keenan: So the only place it matters is value, and the thing that helps drive value is credibility. The credibility you establish as someone who can genuinely help them get done what they need to get done, and bring tremendous value in solving problems. They buy from those people. At the core of that is trust because if you don't trust somebody, they can't be credible. Will Barron: Hello sales nation and Will Barron and host of The Salesman Podcast. The world's most listened to B2B sales show. If you haven't already, make sure to click subscribe. With that, let's meet today's guest. Keenan: Hey, what's up, peeps, my name's Keenan. I am the author of Gap Selling and CEO and founder of The Sales Guy. You can find me@asalesguy.com and/or on Amazon. Will Barron: On this episode of the show with the legend that is Keenan. We're diving into gap selling, how we can uncover what the gap is, the insights behind that, how we communicate it? How it makes closing essentially obsolete? How it makes winning new business, once you get all this down at the front of the sales process, a whole lot easier. Let's jump right in. The Sales Myths That Were True 10 or 20 years Ago That are No Longer True · [01:13] Will Barron: What myths are currently being banded around the sales training space, the sales industry, as a whole? Whether it's from trainers, whether it's from leadership, whoever it is, what myths have been banded around that perhaps were true 10, 20 years ago, but aren't necessarily true right now? Keenan: One is that you need to be liked. That's the big one, that you need to be liked to sell. Another one is that good closers are good salespeople. That's a crazy, ridiculous myth. Another one is that price matters and that people buy on price. That is not true. Keenan: So those are your three big ones that really … I mean, the other one is that your elevator pitch matters. The idea that you need an elevator pitch and that matters. Those are some of the bigger ones that people throw about and still try to teach. Will Barron: So why is it? Because all these are seemingly counter-intuitive. I know Objective Management Group have data on the fact that salespeople who don't feel … I might kind of screw this up from their terminology, but sales people that don't feel like they need to be liked by their customers, outperform salespeople who want to be liked by the customers, for example. Trust Versus Likability in B2B Sales · [02:28] Will Barron: So there's clear data on this, but it's still seemingly counter-intuitive of, we think that people will, and this is perpetrated, of people buy from those that they know, like, and trust. How much of that equation is perhaps then trust? As opposed to actually liking the individual? “If I have a four-quadrant matrix that spells the whole thing out. Like is on one axis and value is on another axis. The only axis where people buy every time is on value. So if they like you and there's value, then they're going to buy. I mean, I like you and there's value in what I'm buying, so I'm going to buy. But if you go to the, I like you, but there's no value, they don't buy.” – Keenan · [02:46] Keenan: It's all trust. I mean, at the end of the day, people don't even buy for trust. I have a four quadrant matrix that spells the whole thing out. Like is on one axis and value is on another axis. The only axis where people buy every time is on value. So if they like you and there's value, then they're going to buy. Keenan: I mean, I like you and there's value in what I'm buying, so I'm going to buy. But if you go to the, I like you, but there's no value, they don't buy. Because I'm not buying you unless you're the product, which is different. Then there's whole bunch of other things. But I'm not buying you, I'm buying a software, I'm buying services, I'm buying a babysitter. I don't freaking know. So I'm not buying. Keenan: Then the other, excuse me, the other column, which I don't like you, and there's no value. Well, you can only imagine that's just fuck off. I mean, that's just fucking go to hell. “The only place that matters is value and the thing that helps drive value is credibility. The credibility you establish as someone who can genuinely help them get done what they need to get done and bring tremendous value in solving problems. They buy from those people, and at the core of that is trust. Because if you don't trust somebody, they can't be credible.” – Keenan · [03:41] Keenan: Then other places they do buy is value, but they don't like you. There's value but they don't like you, they will buy. So the only place that matters is value and the thing that helps drive value is credibility. The credibility that you can garner, or that you can establish is the best word, the credibility you establish as someone who can genuinely help them get done what they need to get done and bring tremendous value in solving problems. They buy from those people. Keenan: At the core of that is trust. Because if you don't trust somebody, they can't be credible. Will Barron: How does then the being a closer come into this? Is it as simple as five, 10 years ago, you could push someone down the pathway of the sales process and get them to sign on the dotted line. Whereas now buyers perhaps have more power, and so that somewhat of a ability to either push or manipulate someone, is less useful because people just don't care as much. Keenan: So great question. So they really don't go hand in hand. The problem with closing, if you remember closing, the assumptive close. Well, okay. This is fantastic. So I'll get you the contract tomorrow. You're assuming the close and that they'll just go along with it. Keenan: Or if you say, “Hey, if I can get you this and this, then you'll close.” All of that is what I call product centric selling. All of that is based on the premise that you have told them about the product, you told them what they need. You may even listen to them a little bit, but you really have no idea on why they should buy. So you don't know if they're ready to close or not. Or if they should close or not. “What I argue is that the close is actually at the beginning of the sale. Your ability to actually uncover the intrinsic motivations of why they need to buy, the impact of why they need to buy, their current state or current situation, why they're in trouble, what problems they're struggling with? All of that. When you get all of that, and then you offer a solution, you know if they should buy. You've already addressed all of the things that go into it. So at the end, it's a simple, let's move forward.” – Keenan · [05:16] Keenan: What I argue is that the close is actually at the beginning of the sale. Your ability to actually uncover the intrinsic motivations of why they need to buy. The impact of why they need to buy. Their current state or current situation, and what's happening? Why they're in trouble? What problems they're struggling with? All of that. Keenan: When you get all of that, and then you offer a solution, you know if they should buy. You've already addressed all of the things that go into it. So at the end, it's a simple, I don't even know. I can't really call it a close. It's all right, let's move forward. Keenan: It's done. There is no close. There is no I got to get them to some point. It's already done. It's all done in the beginning, not the end. So if you're going to be a hard closer, you didn't do the upfront work. The Difference Between Asking Discovery Questions and the Sales Qualifying Process · [06:00] Will Barron: Oh. So what's the difference then, Keenan, between that and then traditional kind of textbook, just qualifying? Keenan: So textbook qualifying, in most cases, people are looking for a need. So they're saying go find a need or go find the pain. Well, there's two problems with those. First, a lot of times people confuse the two, which is a whole different set of stories. Keenan: But if you're looking for need, it assumes the customer knows what they want. That's a huge mistake, huge mistake. I talk about, tell a story in the book, how I thought I needed to charger one time. Then what I ended up needing was actually a case. I had no idea that I needed a case for my Palm Pilot when I thought I needed a charger. It's a great story in the book. Keenan: Had that salesperson not asked some questions to try to get to my core problem, I never would have got it solved because I went into buy the wrong thing. Well, that happens with customers all the time. So salesmen run out and try to sell them stuff based on what they think the customer needs, because they're looking for a need. Keenan: The second one is they go in for the quote/unquote, the pain. First, we don't even do it very well. When they do find the pain, that doesn't necessarily mean again, it's the right problem. It can be simply a symptom. So it makes it very difficult to influence a sale if you're trying to shoot for a need or a pain that isn't actually at the root cause and/or isn't what the customer actually needs. So it doesn't allow you to do a good job. Keenan: The discovery that Gap Selling talks about is about breaking it down into current state plus future state, and that equals the gap, the difference between the two. Then you have a total understanding of what's going on. Where they are today? Where they want to go tomorrow? What the space in the middle is? Keenan: Then when it comes time to offer a solution, it can be customised because your discovery actually created a custom environment, a unique environment that is only specific to that buyer. How to Identify if We’ve Uncovered the Symptom of a Problem or the Problem Itself · [07:56] Will Barron: So how then do we know? I don't know. It's even a weird question to ask because it seems so simple. But perhaps it's profound of how we uncover it because this sets up the rest of the sale and the conversation. How do we know the difference between we have uncovered a symptom of the problem? Versus we know the actual problem itself? How do we separate the two live in a conversation? Keenan: Yeah. So it happens as you dig deeper. So in Gap Selling, the way we talk about the discovery is first, you got to go after the current state. That's first and foremost. So the current state consists of the physical and literal today. I don't know, it depends on what you're selling and you got to be aware of what you're selling. Keenan: But if you're selling, I don't know, lead services or plumbing services. I don't care, plumbing services. Then you got to understand, okay, what type of house do they have? How many bathrooms do they have? How many showers? Is it copper piping or plastic tubing? Whatever. Keenan: You ask all these questions and it's non-judgemental, it just helps you understand the lay of the land. Then after that, you have to understand what are the problems that they're struggling with? So do they get clogged often? Does the water run slowly? Do you not have hot water? I'm just guessing stuff. Keenan: So now you've got to understand the problems they're having. Then you go to the impact of those problems. The impact is two people can't take showers at the same time. I'm constantly having to buy fricking Drano. Our hot water bill is through the roof. I don't know, what is the impact? Keenan: Then the next one is what is the root cause? Now as you start to dig into the root cause of the problems, what you start to build is a very, very custom assessment that is only specific to that customer. When you add all four of those things up, the actual problem starts to come together. Keenan: As opposed to, you're like, oh, okay. I thought that was the problem. Now I realise that's just a symptom. Because as you dig and you dig and you get all four of those layers, the problem becomes automatic. Is It Fair to Say That Customers Rarely Know What They Need Until a Seller Uncovers the Root of the Problem? · [10:00] Will Barron: Is there a process of getting the person that we're speaking to, to visualise this and take it in? Other than walking them through it? If that makes sense. Are we asking people to go well … It sounds cliche as I say it out loud. It sounds ridiculous as I say it out loud. Will Barron: Imagine this problem 10 years into the future, tell me the pain that you'd be in? Almost like a kind of psychologist or psychiatrist would do for us? Are we trying to get into their brains like that? Keenan: No, you don't have to. It's amazing. Well, so when you asked about traditional discovery. One of the things traditional discovery people do is they go, can you tell me what you need? They just ask this one question. Can you tell me what you need? Or can you tell me about some of the pain you're experiencing? Or they just ask these stupid, direct, direct, direct questions. Keenan: In Gap Selling, what we do is we encourage people to ask very broad open-ended questions. Literally like, tell me a little bit about your current? I mean, we're running on the stupid analogy, might as well continue with it. Tell me a little bit about your current plumbing and your current bathroom and kitchen environment? Then they'll just start talking and as they talk, you listen very intently. You should know what questions to ask. Keenan: So as I they, “Well, we have …” I don't know. “We have one bathroom.” Then the next question may be, oh really? How many people live in the house? You should automatically click one bathroom. Is it one person or 10 people? If it's 10 people, that's an interesting problem. If it's one person, not a problem, continue. Do you see what I'm saying? Keenan: Then they say, “We have a shower and a tub separate.” Okay. Interesting. You just let them go and you keep teasing little more out of them to start understanding the environment. Then when you understand the environment, then you should naturally be able to understand some of the problems that come with that. Keenan: So you start asking questions to tease out problems there. So say it's a woman and she's 32, and you said, “Do you have long hair or short hair?” Now why am I asking that question right now, Will? Why would I ask if you have long hair…

    Full show notes at the publisher

    How To Use Deal Management To Win More Business, In Less Time | Salesman Podcast Sep 15, 2022
    Show notes

    As a sales professional, you'll often find yourself working on more than one deal at once.

    You'll hold conversations with different people with different needs and viewpoints. You want to close each of these effectively to ensure you keep smashing your sales quotas.

    Staying on top of all this can leave you overwhelmed, confused, and sometimes lost.

    Luckily, effective deal management can help simplify and organize the various aspects of your sales deals and improve your performance, efficiency, and conversions.


    How Can Deal Management Help You Become a Better Sales Professional?

    Effective deal management can drastically improve your sales performance. Here are the three most significant benefits of deal management.

    Greater Preparedness

    Having a deal process provides you with all the necessary information and tools to help you make informed, versatile decisions.

    Suppose your manager is unavailable for a client call due to a bad connection. If your organization has a well-defined deal management system, you can:

    • Speak on behalf of your superior
    • Make the best decisions using the information available to you
    • Keep the deal moving forward

    You'll be better prepared to pivot and respond to situations and can create a more resilient and sustainable organization that recovers faster from setbacks.

    Better Consistency

    Your ultimate goal is to close as many deals as you can. But to achieve this, you have to eliminate any human error or personal preference-caused inefficiencies. Having a clearly defined deal management process makes this possible.

    With refined deal parameters in place, you can engage proactively with prospects as per the set standard. What's more, having a repeated process will also strengthen your selling skills, helping you deliver consistent and improved client experience throughout the sales cycle.

    Shorter Sales Cycle

    Time can be a sales rep's best friend or the worst enemy. Whether it's your friend or enemy depends on your management style.

    We've found that the longer the sales cycle, the less likely is the prospect to convert. Why? Many things can go wrong if the deal gets dragged. For instance, the prospect may lose interest or have another urgent matter to attend to; a pandemic might hit… anything can happen.

    With a carefully established deal flow management system, you can speed up your sales process while maintaining an excellent prospect-rep relationship and providing a solution-based engagement.

    What Are the 5 Stages of Deal Management?

    Deal management is an entire process designed to inform you what to expect when selling and ensure optimal deal management. It can be broken down into five stages to streamline your processes, letting you make the most of available sales opportunities.

    Stage 1: Process Planning

    You need to create an effective deal management that can be implemented company-wide. At the same time, your strategy must align with your organization's objectives, needs, and resources.

    That's why your deal management strategy should be flexible and streamlined to account for all kinds of client agreements effectively. Consider the following factors to develop an effective deal management strategy:

    • What kind of deals is your company working with?
    • Who is responsible for the different stages of the sales process?
    • What issues have taken place in the past that resulted in a failed deal?
    • What resources do you need to implement your strategy effectively?

    Answering these questions will help you set the ball rolling for the next stage.

    Stage 2: Process Implementation

    Once you've outlined your deal management process, it's time to implement it.

    We highly recommend using a deal management software tool like Monday.com or HubSpot Deal Tracking Software. You can import your data and onboard your suppliers into a centralized platform, allowing you to set up and execute all your deals with ease.

    Onboarding is a critical aspect of the implementation stage. Every person involved in the deal should know about your goals and how to use ideal management software. Otherwise, you'll find yourself resolving tons of errors and issues introduced into the deal management process.

    Ensure you and your team are aware of the new process and follow all procedures to the T to make deal management more reliable and efficient.

    Stage 3: Pre-Deal

    At this stage, you've established the foundation of your deal management process. Next, you'll implement it when creating new deals with your prospects.

    If you want the prospect to invest in your product or service, you should focus on the solution and not the product. It's why effective negotiation and overcoming client objections is such a big part of the pre-deal stage.

    Ensure you have access to all data that helps you understand the prospect's requirements and then tailor your sales pitch accordingly.

    Stage 4: Handover (Optional)

    If your organization has a system where the people negotiating the deal are different from people managing it, you have to hand the prospect over to them. On the other hand, if you're responsible for closing the deal yourself, you can skip this and move on to Stage 5.

    The thing is, handovers can be tricky. Prospects don't like it since they're back to square one, where they have to communicate with a brand-new person they haven't interacted with before and, more importantly, don't trust.

    Your job is to make the handover as smooth as possible, ensuring everyone involved in the deal management process knows what they need to do to see it to its conclusion. Be sure to walk the next person to the details of the deals and introduce them to the prospect to make the transition seamless.

    Stage 5: Closing the Deal

    This is the stage when you take the plunge and ask for the sale.

    Make the prospect feel comfortable about saying yes to the deal. A good strategy is to create a sense of urgency by setting a deadline for the prospect to respond.

    Be sure the prospect is aware of the terms of the deal. Once everyone has agreed on the terms and signed the contract, you've got yourself a brand-new customer. Congratulations!

    3 Effective Tips for Better Deal Management

    Below, we've compiled a list of tips that can help you improve your sales processes and add value to each client or customer experience.

    Collect All Relevant Data

    Measurable data allows you to initiate quality engagement with prospects, which will ultimately help you close more deals. Think of the whole process as mapping your roadmap before you start your journey: you'll have a better idea of where you're going, where you shouldn't go, and know where others have gone wrong before.

    Try to find out more about your prospect—what are their long-term goals, threats to those goals, and their specific pain points. You can then use this information to establish trust and pitch your products or services.

    Expert Note: “Once a deal has been approved to move through the sales process, the sales leader is responsible for every step along the way.” Tom Searcy Salesman Podcast

    Create Multithreaded Relationships

    Sales 101: Never put all your eggs in one basket.

    Buying decisions generally involve more than one person. So if your point of contact doesn't have the power to make buying decisions, there's a chance you may not close the deal.

    Create a multithreaded relationship, where you connect with more than one person at the company. This will ensure the deal doesn't rely on a single connection, improving your chances of securing a sale.

    Stay Patient During the Pricing and Procurement Process

    Despite everything going perfect, you can still lose the deal if you don't handle the pricing and procurement process effectively.

    You may feel like rushing the last few steps of the deal, but staying patient and strategic is incredibly important here. After presenting your prospect with pricing details, hit pause. Give the prospect time to respond and resist the temptation to throw out a discount to close the deal faster.

    Be confident in the way you managed the deal to this point and the value you presented. Trust me, the prospect will notice. If you have successfully established a genuine connection with the prospect, you won't face any difficulty addressing their concerns when they get back to you.

    Deal Management Tools

    B2B sales teams often need deal management tools to generate intelligent industry insights and visibility of potential commercial growth. Deal management software can often quickly improve the number of deals that can be worked on in real time and reduce operational constraints at the same time.

    If you're not happy with your current CRM or deal management software of choice, feel free to drop us an message and we can offer our unbiased opinion on some potential solutions for your business.

    Next Steps

    Are you thinking to relax after successfully converting the prospect? You don't want to make that mistake.

    Following up after the close is critical in effective deal management. Make sure your brand-new customer gets the product or service on time and is satisfied with everything. It'll help you build better relationships, resulting in repeated sales.

    The post How To Use Deal Management To Win More Business, In Less Time appeared first on Salesman.com.


    A Rough Quarter Ahead for Salespeople (How To Actually Set More Meetings) | Selling Made Simple Sep 12, 2022
    Show notes

    Do you feel that? You can practically smell it in the air. *Sniff* *sniff*—a recession is coming. Are YOU prepared?

    If you want to come out of this economic dip intact, you need to start preparing. Like NOW. And one of the best ways to do that is by setting MORE meetings and begin the work of overloading your pipeline.

    Today we’re covering that dreaded word on everyone’s mind, “recession.” Not whether it’s going to happen or what the fallout will be. But what you can do to protect yourself or heck, even come out ahead, by booking more meetings TODAY.


    Now, experts agree that there’s a recession looming not too far off on the horizon. How big it will be or how long it will last is anyone’s guess.

    But what we do know is how it will affect buyers as a whole.

    What a Recession Means

    First and foremost…

    1. Less Spending

    Your clients and potential buyers are spending less money. When money becomes tight (and it will), your buyers are going to be way less likely to shell out for a product they aren’t desperate for.

    And that means you need to get better at driving urgency, selling value, and showing buyers why you’re a solid investment.

    2. Scared For Their Job

    Number two, buyers are scared about the future of their job. Zooming in from a company level, your buyers are going to have their own fears. How secure is their job? Is their department first on the chopping block? And how will making a buying mistake affect their chances of sticking around?

    3. Prioritizing the Status Quo

    Buyers are also shifting their priorities. In a growth market, companies are looking for opportunities. Chances to get bigger, to get better. They want to expand.

    But in the face of a recession, a lot of businesses are looking for ways to secure the status quo. How will they simply keep afloat so they can wait out the storm?

    4. Scared of Change

    And number four, they’re scared of change. Change carries risk. And as a result, buyers are going to be waaaaay less likely to spend their already tight budget on big-shift products.

    Change is already scary enough. But in a recession, it’s a nightmare.

    Alright, so with all that in mind, the question becomes…

    How to Book More Meetings (3 Steps)

    What can you do to capitalize on these shifts to book more meetings?

    There are three things in particular you as a sales professional can do to keep your pipeline packed.

    1. Up Your Qualification Game

    Up your qualification game. When the market is booming, you may have the time and resources to focus on anyone who shows even an ounce of interest. But when times are tight, every second counts. And that means you need to spend your day working with only the best leads.

    Now you’re going to be running into three types of leads here.

    1. People with money to spend now.
    2. People who will have money once things lighten up and get better.
    3. And people who don’t have money now and aren’t sure how they’ll be later either.

    Your goal is to prioritize people with the money to spend now. Put 80% to 90% of your efforts into them. Because they’re the only ones who you’ll have even a chance with.

    The buyers who are waiting for the economy to shift should be priority number two. Don’t leave them out entirely. Because once things do turn around, the relationship you’ve built right now can lead to some seriously massive quarters in the future.

    And finally, the “can’t do now, not sure about later” leads. Light touches here. Keep them in your loop for now. But don’t spend too much time with them. Instead, just follow up after everything changes. And invest the bulk of your time in the first two lead types instead.

    The better you are at qualifying, the better you’ll fare right now.

    2. Adjusting Your Value Proposition

    Technique number two is adjusting your value proposition.

    In regular times, you’re probably used to hitting some core points when talking about your solution’s benefits.

    “It can increase revenue, help your company expand, grow your market” – that type of stuff. Go-tos, right? Well, things have changed. And in a recession, belts are tightening and growing takes a back seat to maintaining.

    So what does that mean for you?

    To maximize your booking rate, you need to shift your value proposition to how you can help get more from less. Instead of focusing on ROI and investing in growth, talk about how you can boost efficiency. How your product lets them cut costs, reduce time spend, and make the budget they have now go further.

    And as a cherry on the top, show your buyers how your solution doesn’t just streamline the business as a whole. It also means it’ll make their job more secure.

    3. Demonstrate the “Costs”

    Status quo reigns supreme during a recession, that much is clear. But your buyers shouldn’t just be focused on not growing. They should also be looking for ways to prevent problems.

    Not acting in and of itself is a problem, particularly during a recession. Companies will go under. And the ones that survive SHOULD actively be looking for ways to increase their competitiveness.

    So when you’re working on a new buyer, be sure to hit the costs of not changing especially hard. The more they see that inaction is costly, the more likely they’ll be to consider your solution.

    right now and continue making selling simple…”

    The post A Rough Quarter Ahead for Salespeople (How To Actually Set More Meetings) appeared first on Salesman.com.


    Replay: How To Steal Your Competitors Business And Eat Their Lunch | Salesman Podcast Sep 10, 2022
    Show notes

    Anthony Iannarino is an international speaker, author, and experienced sales leader. In this episode of The Salesman Podcast, Anthony shares how we can take business from our competitors and essentially “eat their lunch”. You'll learn: Sponsored by: Free SalesCode assessment Learn your strengths and weaknesses in an instant. Taken by over 10,000+ of your competitors. Don't get left behind. Take the free assessment Featured on this episode: Host - Will Barron Founder of Salesman.org Guest - Anthony Iannarino International Speaker and Experienced Sales Leader Resources: Book: Eat Their Lunch: Winning Customers Away from Your Competition TheSalesBlog.com @Iannarino Book: The Lost Art of Closing: Winning the Ten Commitments That Drive Sales Book: Consultative Selling: The Hanan Formula for High-Margin Sales at High Levels ZoomInfo.com Transcript Will Barron: Coming up on today's episode of the salesman podcast. Anthony Iannarino: This is the thing about human relationships. Fast is slow and slow is fast. So the faster you try to go, the slower you go and the easier you try to make things for yourself, the more difficult it is for you. And when you do the hard things, the easier it is for you to generate the results you want. It just works that way. I didn't design the universe. I had no say… I mean, God didn't consult with me to make this law. It was the law when I showed up here. That that tends to be the way things work. Will Barron: Hello, sales nation. I'm Will Barron host of the salesman podcast. The world's most istened to B2B sales show. If you haven't already make sure to click subscribe and let's meet today's guest. Anthony Iannarino: I'm Anthony Iannarino. I'm a speaker, I'm a writer, I'm a teacher. And you can find me thesalesblog.com. Should Salespeople Be Aiming To Be the Best Professionals They Possibly Can Be, or Do They Just Need To Be 1% Better Than the Next Best Competition? · [01:18] Will Barron: On this episode, Anthony, will dive in into how you can go into a competitor account, how you can take their lunch, how you can steal the business away from them, the step by step process to do this. And it's incredible that we haven't really covered this on the podcast before. This is probably the, not necessarily quickest, but the most efficient and best way to really crush your target, not just now, but over the years and decades to come. And so with all that said, I'm hyped up, you should be. This is a real important show for us. Let's dive right in. To set the story, to set the scene for the audience should be to be sales professionals, should they be aiming at all times to be the best professional they could possibly be, learn everything they could possibly learn and give as much value as they possibly can. Or do they in reality only really need to give and be that 1% better than the next best competition. Anthony Iannarino: I love that question because I see this thing go by on Facebook and it's like a regular post that just always comes by in my feet for some reason. It says, I don't want to be better than anyone else. I just want to be better than I was yesterday. And I love that platitude. But what I would want for you is to be better than you were yesterday and better than your toughest competitor today. Because if you live in the red ocean and your a competitor, then you have to be better. And the way that you frame that up is sort of a mutually exclusive sort of choice. “A lot of people are so focused on their competition that they forget that it's a contest to create value, and that there's absolutely nothing you can do about your competitors. So if you can't do anything about them, then what should you be working on? That leaves you. So you better start working on that because that's all you've got.” – Anthony Iannarino · [02:20] Anthony Iannarino: Like, do I need to be the best version of me or do I need to be better than them? Both. It's an and. You need to constantly work on this, but you do hint to something where a lot of people are so focused on their competition, that they forget that it's a contest to create value. And that there's absolutely nothing you can do about your competitors. So if you can't do anything about them, then what should you be working on? That leaves you. So you better start working on that because that's all you've got. How Much of the Marketplace is Already Taken Up By the Competition Versus New Buyers Who’ve Never Used Our Type of Product or Service Before? · [02:47] Will Barron: Good. I expected hope for that answer and that makes total sense for me. So hopefully it makes sense for the audience. And with that context and the kind of back in mind as we go through this conversation Anthony, how much… I don't know if there's a percentage, I don't know if there's statistics on it. So I don't want to kind of put you on the spot, but how much of a marketplace, if we are a B2B sales professional is taken up with the competition already having an account versus what we spend typically most of our time on which are trying to convince people that they want our product. Anthony Iannarino: It's an interesting question. And I think from vertical to vertical and industry to industry there's variances. And a new industry where things are interesting when you look at, especially all the tech stuff that goes on our world of sales, there's a lot of people trying to capture leads. And for some reason they think leads are better than targets because somebody raised their hand. And I had a conversation with a group of people I was speaking to and they said, the biggest challenge we have is turning marketing qualified leads into sales qualified leads. And I said, well, what does that mean? And they said, a sales qualified lead is somebody who shows up ready to buy. And I said, then why do they need you? I mean, you're redundant now. They're already ready to buy. “The thing that I've always struggled with as somebody who's run businesses of my own is people that come in and say, “we should call on people who don't buy our services and teach them the value of the services because they're not already buying.” And I would say, “well, why do you think they're not already buying? Because they don't care about what we sell. They don't believe they'll benefit from it.” So why not spend all of your time or at least a disproportionate amount of the time on the people that already see what you sell as essential, as strategic, as necessary as something that's going to help them move their business forward.” – Anthony Iannarino · [04:04] Anthony Iannarino: So I know that's what you want, but that's not how it tends to work. People have issues that they're trying to resolve and questions that they need answered and concerns that they need help with and all these other things. For most of us, I don't know what the percentage is, but the thing that I've always struggled with as somebody who's run businesses of my own is people that come in and say, we should call on people who don't buy our services and teach them the value of the services because they're not already buying. And I would say, well, why do you think they're not already buying? Because they don't care about what we sell. They don't believe they'll benefit from it. So why not spend all of your time or at least a disproportionate amount of the time on the people that already see what you buy as essential, as strategic, as necessary as something that's going to help them move their business forward. “For most of us, if you were to make a list of your dream clients and say, who are the companies and the people that my value proposition is going to resonate with so strongly that they're going to see me as a strategic resource, they already have somebody sitting in your seat. I mean, they weren't waiting for you to come along like, “we'd really like to do this but nobody's reached out to us.” Everybody's reaching out to them. So I think most of our dream clients, probably a hundred percent of them already belong to a competitor. So what should you do about that? I mean, you can look for an easier way and say, well, if I had really good leads, that would be great, or you can decide to target them and then come up with a strategy that allows you to penetrate that account and develop the contacts and the relationship so that you can displace your competitor.” – Anthony Iannarino · [04:38] Anthony Iannarino: And for most of us, if you were to make a list of your dream clients and say, who are the companies and the people that my value proposition is going to resonate with so strongly that they're going to see me as a strategic resource, they already have somebody sitting in your seat. I mean, they weren't waiting for you to come along like, we'd really like to do this but nobody's reached out to us. Everybody's reaching out to them. So I think most of us that are dream clients, probably a hundred percent of them already belong to a competitor. So what should you do about that? I mean, you can look for an easier way and say, well, if I had really good leads, that would be great, or you can decide to target them and then come up with a strategy that allows you to penetrate that account and develop the contacts and the relationship so that can displace your competitor. Is Displacing a Competitor all About Having the Right Mindset? · [05:30] Will Barron: So I want to dive into specifically displacing competitors and the strategy behind that in a second. But just to wrap up, I guess the intro here Anthony, is this a mindset issue? Is this that humans will… Most humans will typically go for the easiest route if there's two routes to an end goal. Do we have it wrong in our heads that we think that educating someone who doesn't know anything about our product service, perhaps even industry or value, we think that is an easier proposal versus educating someone who or reeducating someone who is already somewhat educated, who's already spending money, we see that as harder. And if that is the case that we've got those perceptions, is that necessarily true? “Convincing somebody that doesn't believe they’d get value from what you sell to value it, that's really difficult. Finding somebody who already values what you do and has a belief that they could have even better results, it takes more time for certain but it's easier for you to generate the outcome that you want. And there's a difference.” – Anthony Iannarino · [06:13] Anthony Iannarino: The way that you stated it is exactly right. We want to do what's easy. And what's easy is actually the most difficult thing to do. So convincing somebody that doesn't believe they value from what you sell to value it, that's really difficult. Finding somebody who already values what you do and has a belief that they could have even better results, it takes more time for certain but it's easier for you to generate the outcome that you want. “This is the thing about human relationships, fast is slow and slow is fast. So the faster you try to go, the slower you go. And the easier you try to make things for yourself, the more difficult it is for you. And when you do the hard things, the easier it is for you to generate the results you wanted. It just works that way. I didn't design the universe. I had no say… I mean, God didn't consult with me to make this law. It was the law when I showed up here. That tends to be the way things work.” – Anthony Iannarino · [06:32] Anthony Iannarino: And there's a difference. This is the thing about human relationships, fast is slow and slow is fast. So the fast you try to go, the slower you go and the easier you try to make things for yourself, the more difficult it is for you. And when you do the hard things, the easier it is for you to generate the results you wanted. It just works that way. I didn't design the universe. I had no say… I mean, God didn't consult with me to make this law. It was the law when I showed up here. That tends to be the way things work. Will Barron: Sure. I guess if the law was different, it would still reach an equilibrium, right? Of, if spamming called emails with no customization and no care or thought and it worked, which maybe it did at one point, it's not going to work at some point in the future. So this is always constantly ebbing and flowing, right? Will and Anthony Talk About the Increasing Amounts of Spamming That’s Present on LinkedIn · [07:14] Anthony Iannarino: You are apparently having the same LinkedIn experience that I'm having. Will Barron: Probably not to the extent as you are, because everyone knows I have zero budget to spend on absolutely anything, but I still get… Yes spammy emails and LinkedIn messages all the time. Anthony Iannarino: That's funny. I mean, I get the worst messages. I have sales trainers offer me sales training continually. And I'm like, did you even look at the profile at all? You had… No. The answer is no they didn't. Will Barron: I had someone reach out to me the other day. And maybe you've had this with your experience in kind of your podcast as well, Anthony. But I had someone who's obviously scraped my podcast for all the guests and then were reaching out to them to offer them a podcast booking service, to get them booked on another podcast. It was a called email. There was no customization other than a name and then my podcast. And someone had literally written in this… Or spam this email to me that said, Hey Will, I've seen that you… Or I loved your episode on the salesman podcast. Will Barron: Would you like to get a more podcast like the salesman? I was like, I had to email the guy. I was like, look, I don't need the service. I don't mind you spamming my audience because I will look for other podcasts such as yours to find great guests and I'll do my own research on the back of that and reach out to them. But this is not leading… This isn't going to leave a good taste in anyone's mouth. Because clearly it's… Clearly to me it's spam, but to other people they're going to see right through it as well. Anthony Iannarino: I didn't realise that I was supposed to be interviewing you on this podcast. So at some point we'll have to do it takeover and ask you a bunch of questions. The First Step of Trying to Take Over a Competitor’s Account · [08:58] Will Barron: Yeah. Well off the record, we should probably do that as well. I think that'd be a good way to kind of… The audience would probably enjoy that. We've done it once before in the past. And I think you'd be a good interview to do that on. But as a sidetrack we'll come back to that when we kind of stop recording perhaps, but how do we then implement this? How do we… Clearly there is a strategic process here, but is there a strategic process and what's the first step of it? How do we even just get our foot in the door with an account to maybe they're somewhat happy with the brand, the organisation that they're using at the moment. Anthony Iannarino: I always know how far people read into the book when they reach out to me and send me emails because the first about three chapters are so consuming for people and the results that they get change immediately as it comes to prospecting that I start getting notes that say I have 17 meetings next week and after reading the first three chapters. The first chapter is a very… It's an important chapter. And it's probably the…

    Full show notes at the publisher

    How To Destroy The Most Common Sales Objections | Salesman Podcast Sep 08, 2022
    Show notes

    Here’s an eye-opener for ya—92% of sales reps quit after hearing “no” four times. But it turns out 80% of prospects say “no” four times before saying “yes”!

    The lesson here? Sales objections happen. But success boils down to how you respond to them. That’s why in this video we’re covering how to respond to the 5 most common sales objections you’re bound to hear.


    Alright but before we jump into that, just a word on sales objections.

    Sales objections are not bad. Not by any means.

    Instead, what you’re getting from your buyer here is an open window. An open window into what makes them tick, what they’re concerned about, and most importantly, what’s holding them back from saying yes.

    So if you can turn that sticking point of an objection into a “Yes”, that question mark into an exclamation point, you’re going to have a more enthusiastic buyer on the other end of things.

    You just have to know how to address these objections properly. And that’s what we’re covering right now. So let’s dive in.

    The Two Pathways

    The two ways you can respond to an objection. No matter what the objection is, there are two pathways you can take when a buyer brings up an objection.

    A) The Circle Back Method

    The Circle Back Method. See, most objections come from a lack of understanding. And when the prospect learns more about your offering, like later on the call, then the original objection is no longer an issue.

    These aren’t “stupid” objections. They’ll just get answered over the natural course of the presentation. So in these situations, just respond with “Okay, we’ll come back to that in a minute.”

    Simple as that!

    Then there’s pathway number two…

    B) Solve the Issue

    Solve the issue. If it’s a real objection, solve the issue. And then, and this is important, follow up to make sure it’s solved.

    In some cases, these objections might come out as a knee-jerk response. For instance, if you have a buyer that says, “I don’t think we have the budget for this,” and you haven’t even hit pricing yet, push the issue rather than let it go.

    Ask them, “Do you know what the price is?” In many cases, you’ll find that a little bit of pushing reveals that they don’t actually understand the product like they think.

    In cases like this, some simple information can solve the problem in a second. If they don’t actually know what the pricing is, tell them. If they don’t think it’s right for their industry, point to their competitors that are using your product.

    Another simple solution.

    Now, where it gets complicated is when they have all the information they need and still have objections. And that’s when it’s time to bring out the big guns.

    So, let’s look at the 5 most common sales objections and how to respond to them.

    5 Most Common Sales Objections

    1) “This Is Too Expensive”

    First up, this is too expensive. According to a survey from Sales Insights Lab, budget is the number one reason a strong sales opportunity falls apart. And it makes sense! Business is money.

    And if you hear this sales objection, it’s because they don’t see ROI from working with you.

    But instead of closing up shop right then and there, ask…

    “If I could show you a strong ROI that you could expect from working with us, would it make sense to continue the conversation?”

    In 99% of cases, the answer is going to be yes. All you have to do then is point to past success stories with a great ROI. If the ROI makes sense to them, Bam! Sold. If not, they weren’t going to be happy with your product anyway. Best to move on.

    2) “Now Isn’t a Good Time”

    Now isn’t a good time.

    Here the buyer either doesn’t see the value that you offer OR they’re not qualified to do business with you.

    Now you could handle this like any other sales rep and just leave your contact info. But if you did that, you’d NEVER hear from them again.

    Instead, you need to close on the next conversation. And you can do that by following up with…

    “You seem like a great fit for what we do. When would it make sense to chat?”

    Now you’ve got a date you can call back on without running into any friction from the buyer.

    Alright third objection…

    3) “I Already Have Another Supplier”

    I already have another supplier. So selling to a brand new customer in your market is one thing. You’ve got to convince them of your value, push their pain point buttons, and get them to fight for the budget.

    But for buyers that already have a similar solution, you’ve got to focus on how your value proposition stacks up against who they’re already using.

    In some situations, these customers can be even easier to win over than brand new ones. You just need to find out how their current solution isn’t making the cut.

    Simple solution here. Ask…

    “Are you thrilled with how X are performing for you right now?” This will open up the door to where they’re falling flat and let you see if you’re in a position to help.

    4) “Just Email Me Some Information”

    Just email me some information. The ultimate blow-off. It typically happens at the very beginning of a call. And here, they don’t care about you… YET.

    Your job now is to make them care about you. And you can do that by sending them the right kind of info.

    That’s why you should follow up with…

    “Can I ask you a couple of quick questions to make sure that I’m sending you the correct information?”

    Two things going on here. First, you’re learning more about the buyer and their problem so the info you send is just what they’re looking for.

    But beyond that, you’re also qualifying the buyer. Are they even a fit for what you’re selling? If not, you can cut them loose and save yourself a whole lot of time.

    5) “I Need to Ask My Boss”

    I need to ask my boss. This is the one that’s your fault. You’re not speaking to the right person within the account. And that means you need to bring the real decision-maker into the conversation.

    And you can do that with one simple response…

    “Does it make sense to book a quick call with both your boss and yourself to run through this?”

    What’s great about this response is it doesn’t cut out your initial contact. And that means you won’t risk embarrassing them or putting them on the defensive.

    The post How To Destroy The Most Common Sales Objections appeared first on Salesman.com.


    The Book That Made Me Proud to Work in Sales | Selling Made Simple Sep 05, 2022
    Show notes

    Look, “selling” gets a bad rap these days. But after reading this monumental book, I realized that EVERYONE sells, especially in the modern workplace. To sell is to be human. And when you do it with the right approach, it’ll make you proud to be in sales, just like I am.


    Today we’re talking about the book that made me proud to work in sales, To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink. We’ll be covering two foundational concepts covered by his work.

    Selling: We All Do It

    We aaallll are sellers. From the retail professional over at GAP to Fortune 500 secretaries, mom-n-pop accountants, and traveling HR consultants. No matter who you are or what you do, odds are you’ve had to sell someone on an idea before.

    Pitched an idea in a meeting? That’s selling. Asked for a raise? That’s selling. Convinced your co-worker to speed up signing the checks so you could get them out in today’s mail? S.E.L.L.I.N.G.

    Pink took this idea and used it to form what he calls Contemporary Selling. This kind of selling is about moving others to exchange resources that include but do not revolve around money.

    Contemporary selling isn’t about PRODUCT. It’s about SERVICE.

    Okay, so what does this all mean for you, a sales professional?

    The New Paradigm: What That Means for Professional Sales

    It means there’s a new sales paradigm. Rather than “selling” in the traditional sense, your job is to render a service to your prospects and clients. And your job is to do it with the end goal of improving their lives.

    Now there are two specific steps you can take to sell better in this new paradigm.

    1. Making It Personal

    I’ve seen lots of reps try to keep their relationships all-business and ultra “professional.” To a fault even. While there’s a time and place for that, leaning too heavily into it creates distance rather than forging a connection with the customer.

    Instead, try coming from a place of passion. You LIKE what you’re selling. You believe in it. And you want others to get the same value from it that you do. When you approach your relationships this way, you come off as credible, not profit-driven. And that builds trust.

    Example

    Here’s an example of making it personal for you.

    Say you sell a certain type of large-scale project management software for Fortune 500 companies. And guess what? You hate what you sell. It’s inefficient. It’s overpriced. And frankly, it just doesn’t do a great job of solving your buyers’ real problems.

    Since you know making a sale won’t actually help the prospects you’re selling to, you have to find value in other aspects of the deal. You’re making money. You’re boosting your numbers. You’re shooting for a promotion and this will seal the deal. Ultimately the potential buyer becomes a means to an end. And that leads to devaluing them and their needs… not good for sales.

    But on the other hand, say you love what you’re selling. You know it works. You’ve seen how it makes your other clients’ lives easier. And you think your potential buyer will get a lot out of it too.

    When you approach a sale with that mindset, your genuineness shines through. You’re there to provide a service. And your buyers can tell. So they trust you, what you have to say, and the value of your product.

    2. Make It Purposeful

    It’s easy to get caught up and bogged down in the specifics of your solution. The nitty-gritty features, the in-the-weeds technical details, the straightforward use cases. And if you spend too much time here, you may not realize that what you’re selling is actually connected to a broader purpose.

    As it turns out, studies show the desire to serve is innate. It’s built right into us. And you’re most successful when you believe you’re serving not just you, not just the client. But also a larger person than both of you.

    When you connect your solution to that larger purpose, you’re more passionate. You’re more service-oriented. And more driven than ever.

    So to be more purposeful, focus on how your service can improve society as a whole and frame it that way to potential buyers.

    Example

    Say you sell accounting software specifically for mom-and-pop sized businesses.

    Your product is powerful enough to keep these businesses’ costs down by keeping things compliant. But it’s also easy enough to use that they won’t have to hire an accountant.

    Your product also works really well, your clients love it. That alone is a great driving force you can get behind.

    But take things a step further.

    You’re helping these businesses stay afloat. But you’re also contributing to a world where small but valuable businesses can compete with the big box stores. You’re making it easier for new ideas to thrive and not be immediately squashed by monopolies. And you’re also helping contribute to the values of the free market—competition, ingenuity, and the freedom for anyone to participate.

    And you thought you were just selling accounting software!

    When you make your work purposeful, you make it important. That shines through with your buyers.

    And when you do that, you too will be proud to work in sales.

    The post The Book That Made Me Proud to Work in Sales appeared first on Salesman.com.


    Replay: What To Do When A Prospect Sales "No!" | Salesman Podcast Sep 02, 2022
    Show notes
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFNyQUXDlL4&feature=youtu.be

    Tom Hopkins is a sales training legend. Since 1976, Tom Hopkins International has been dedicated to providing the finest sales training strategies and techniques to individuals and companies alike.

    On this episode of The Salesman Podcast Tom shares 4 ways you can deal with a potential customer saying “no” to your sales pitch.

    Resources:

    • TomHopkins.com
    • Book: When Buyers Say No: Essential Strategies for Keeping a Sale Moving Forward

    The post What To Do When A Prospect Sales “No!” appeared first on Salesman.com.


    Storytelling in Business - Drive More Engagement With Prospects | Salesman Podcast Sep 01, 2022
    Show notes

    The everyday sales pitch is boring. Running through features, hitting on target metrics, going through product slide after product slide after produ… Truth be told, the everyday sales pitch sucks. And your buyers think so too. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can deliver a powerful, effective message while driving engagement, stirring emotions, and generating real buying intent. And it’s all thanks to storytelling in business. In this guide, I’ll show you how to incorporate compelling stories during your sales pitch using a simple five-point framework. I’ll also cover why business storytelling drives serious selling success, pro tips for how to tell a good story, and three goals every sales story should have. Now, let’s dive into this potent sales technique Why Storytelling in Business Just Plain Works If there’s one thing that unites all humans, it’s that no one likes change. It can be scary. And adapting to it takes work. So, why should you go through the necessary changes to bring storytelling into your processes? As it turns out, there are four reasons in particular why a business story just plain works. A) Engaging on a Fundamental Level First and foremost, a compelling story is engaging. And not just “meh” engaging. But engaging on a fundamental, biological level. See, we’ve been hard-wired for thousands, even tens of thousands of years to pass on important information via storytelling. In fact, some of the earliest evidence of stories come from cave drawings in France that go back as far as 30,000 years. Studies have shown that how character-driven a story is can predict how much people are willing to donate to charitable causes. A message wrapped in a well-constructed story is more likely to be understood (and even recalled weeks later). And even our conception of ourselves, our own identity, is built on a storytelling foundation. Humans are storytellers and story-listeners. And when you incorporate that nature into your selling process, you’re tapping into that biological underpinning. B) Taps Into Emotions Logic is an important aspect of any sale. If you can’t make the numbers, the buyer isn’t going to bother giving you a try. Hey, it’s just business. But sales is about emotion too. Sometimes it’s even more important than logic. Emotion is the driving factor behind decision-making. It’s the excitement, the trust, the gravitational pull that causes buyers to say, “Yes! I want this.” And logic, while important, is more about justifying that purchase decision. When you’re telling your great story to prospects, you’re helping them feel the same ups and downs as your “characters” or past buyers. And as a result, you’re priming their emotions to make a purchase decision. “Fundamentally, we make decisions emotionally, and if all we're doing is spouting features and benefits, we're really engaging the logical part of the brain. The logical part of the brain does not make decisions. But analyses and captures information to weigh pros and cons, but decisions are made emotionally. And what stories do is they tap into the emotional center of the listener, and that's where the decisions are made.” – Interview with Adrian Davis, President & CEO of Whetstone Inc. C) Lets the Buyer Feel Like the Hero In the same vein as the last point, when your buyer feels the emotions of your narrative’s hero, they start feeling like the hero themselves. And that is key to driving real action. Unfortunately, a lot of sales reps don’t get this point until far later in their careers. They try to make themselves look like the hero—the rep who knows it all, who has all the expert knowledge, and who has helped countless others. But the truth is, the buyer does not care about you. On a human-to-human level, of course they do. But when they’re faced with serious change (switching vendors, putting their reputation on the line, etc.), they need to feel the jubilation that comes from being the reason for a massive business success. And it’s up to you to help them feel that way. “I think most of us want to come in as salespeople, and I sell all the time, so I'm no different, and we want to be the hero. Well, I’ve got bad news, we're not the hero, we need to make our customer the hero.” – Interview with Ken Rutsky, Consultant, Speaker, Mentor, & Author D) A Subtle Way to Boast Success Last but not least, a story is a way to hint (just hint) at your own success. Without straying too far from the real hero of the story—the buyer—telling a story about a past client lets you say, “Hey, I’ve helped plenty of people like you. See?” As we all know, social proof is the undisputed king of tools for building trust. But if you bombard prospects with testimonials and case studies right off the bat, they’re only going to head for the hills. They’re just not at that stage of the buyer’s journey yet. But when you tell a story that really connects with your prospects, you’re helping them understand the problem, explore the solution, and see that you are ultimately the gatekeeper to their success. This lets the prospect know that you have a deep understanding of your target audience. That you've seen relatable experiences and you answer their questions in an authentic way. Pretty cool, right? The Sales Rep’s Storytelling Framework Now that you understand why storytelling in business-to-business sales is so important, it’s time to dive into the how. Lets get into some storytelling skills for the business world. Now, there are plenty of different ways to approach great storytelling. But what I’ve found works the best is following a simple five-step process I like to call The Sales Rep’s Storytelling Framework. It looks a little something like this: Illustrate the Current Reality Dive Into the Unresolved Pain Encountering the Success Blockers Illuminate the Future Reality Build the Reality Bridge 1. Illustrate the Current Reality The very first step to telling an effective sales story is to start with a previous customer you helped overcome a problem—a problem that’s strikingly similar to what your current prospect is going through. Maybe it’s that their business’ growth has stalled in recent months. Or their team isn’t working nearly as efficiently as they should. Or it could be that they’ve hit a success roadblock that they just can’t seem to overcome. Whatever the problem is, it should be a problem that resonates with your prospect. And it should be a problem that they themselves are encountering in their current reality. Some points to drive home here are that: The current reality, well… it sucks. And frankly, it might always suck. Unless something’s done about the situation of course. It might not be the hero’s fault. Things change in business. And most things are out of people’s control. They’re a victim of circumstance. This stage is laying the groundwork for the amazing solution to come later. So the bleaker you make this part of the story, the better. How to Tell a Good Story Pro Tip: Do your research. The more intimately familiar you are with your prospect (problem they’re facing, pain points, goals, etc.), the more this introduction to the story is going to resonate with your prospect. And consequently, the more effective the story will be. “If you want to close deals, if you want to win business, make it about them. It's not about you. It doesn't matter how great your product is. What is it going to do for them? Do your research on them, give them as many good examples of how it's helped similar people, but make it 100% about them.” – Interview with Daniel Disney, Author, Speaker, & Founder/Owner of The Daily Sales 2. Dig Into the Unresolved Pain Once you’ve introduced the hero and the broad strokes of the problem, it’s time to really drive the pain home. In copywriting terms, this is what’s known as “agitating” the pain. And it’s an essential step to get your prospect to really connect with the story on an emotional level. Your goal here is to make your prospect really feel what the hero is going through. And you do that by adding more detail, fleshing out the thoughts and emotions of the hero, and upping the tension. Some questions you may want to cover are: What are the consequences of this pain? – Think along the lines of missed revenue goals, delayed product launch, costly inefficiencies, etc. Who do they look stupid in front of because of the pain or problem? – Their boss? Their colleagues? Their family members and friends? Who is judging them? – Saying they could do the job better? Thinking the hero should never have had the position in the first place? What is on the line? – A raise or bonus? A job? An entire department? How to Tell a Good Story Pro Tip: Come at the problem from all the angles here. Money is a motivating factor, sure. But it’s not the only thing people consider when making a choice. Don’t be afraid to dive into the social consequences too. “The number one fear that will stop most people from doing most things isn't failure, it's embarrassment.” – Interview with Michael Reddington, Certified Forensic Interviewer & President of InQuasive, Inc 3. Encountering the Success Blockers At this stage of the story, the unrelenting pain points should force the hero into action. But before they settle on a solution (your solution), they encounter two roadblocks to success: The Status Quo They’re Lost Blocker #1: The Status Quo As we all know, the status quo is the existing state of affairs—it’s where we’re at now. It’s where everything stays the same and nothing changes, for the worse or the better. And as a sales rep, you should know that the status quo is generally the enemy. It’s what keeps buyers from finding new (and more effective) solutions to their problems. And it’s what needs to be dealt with before they adopt your solution. In our story, the status quo is built including four elements: Selection Overwhelm – Selection overwhelm is when a buyer knows that they have a problem, but they don’t take action because they see so many potential solutions in the marketplace. This is where product differentiation comes in, a topic I’ve talked about plenty before. And at this stage in the story, it’s a great spot to reiterate just what makes your solution so superior to the competition. Confirmation Bias – Confirmation bias is one of the tougher aspects of the status quo to overcome. Essentially, this bias is our mind’s tendency to stick by our previous decision and defend it wholeheartedly. The reason we have this bias is because it protects our self-image. If we admit that the previous solution we chose isn’t up to snuff, it’s a blow to our ego. And rather than finding a new, better solution, we stand by our old one. It’s your job to prove that this is a mistake. Blowback Risk – The blowback risk is the very real risk that your potential buyer will look stupid if your proposed solution does not work out. Your reputation and brand in your industry will make a massive dent in this fear when you demonstrate your expertise and develop a network of satisfied customers. Initial Cost of Change – Finally, the initial cost of change is that first chunk of energy that the buyer needs to spend to start using your solution. Fighting for the budget, implementing your product, and any other number of time-consuming tasks may all need to be taken care of before the buyer starts seeing benefits. The easier you can make it for the buyer, then, the more likely they’ll be to sign on. “Buyers are looking to make a choice or an improvement in their environment. And a ‘do nothing deal’ happens when they decide to stick with their status quo.” – Interview with Tom Pisello, Chief Evangelist for Sales Enablement at Mediafly Blocker #2: They’re Lost That status quo is without a doubt the biggest barrier to buying. And when you deal with it effectively (or rather show how you dealt with it with past customers), there’s only one blocker left: the buyer is lost. They don’t have all the answers. At least not yet, anyway. And in the complicated world of B2B buying, knowing which solution is right for their problem (and how to implement it effectively) is confusing. That’s why they’re looking for help. They’re looking for a guide, a mentor of sorts, that can simplify the process for them and tell them exactly what they need to know to make the right decision. Sound familiar? Yep, that’s you! But don’t jump into the story just yet. Instead, we’re first going to move on to the next step to really build the excitement. 4. Illuminate the Future Reality Now that we’ve explained the current reality for the hero, dug deep into their pain points, and effectively described their success blockers, it’s time to paint a picture of their reality after implementing the solution. The goal of this step is to generate enthusiasm in the buyer and to put them in the shoes of the hero. How did the hero’s life improve after adopting the solution? Were they able to achieve or even outperform their professional goals? Did their stress levels drop? Did the higher-ups recognize all the hard work the hero went through to achieve these results? Now’s the time to show just what’s possible when your buyer breaks through their wall of status quo and finds the right guide to get them the results they’re after. How to Tell a Good Story Pro Tip: Get visceral with the future. Details are key here to driving real connection here. The more detailed and relevant you can make this for the buyer, the better they’ll be able to imagine themselves in the shoes of the hero. And that’s exactly what we’re after here. “The average human being struggles to envision the future. They can see the present, they can see the past, but they really struggle to see the future. And what a before and after picture allows someone to do is think of the present photo, and that after photo as the future. That's why I think that salespeople have an opportunity, and I would dare say maybe even a responsibility, to preview the future for their customers that their customers aren't going to be able to envision on their own.” – Interview with Joey Coleman, Author, Speaker, & Chief Experience Composer at Design Symphony 5. Build the Reality Bridge Finally, it’s time to tie everything together. It’s time to explain that you are the guide/mentor that took the hero from their current reality to their better future reality. It was you that let them bridge the gap across their success blockers. It was you that helped them see why your product stood out from the competition. Why adopting a new solution is a good investment. Why they don’t have to be concerned about blowback. And why implementing your solution doesn’t have to be stressful and time-consuming. It was you that helped them achieve those jaw-dropping performance results, reduce their stress, and show the C-suite why the buyer is the best person for the job. And yes, of course, you can do the same thing for the prospect too. You can make them the hero in their own story. All they have to do is say, “yes.” If you’ve done everything right up until this point, you’ll now be talking to an engaged, excited, and ready-to-start prospect who’s just dying to work with you. And it’s all because you told an excellent story. “How you know that you actually won the prospect over is when they lean forward and say, “Can you tell me more about how you worked with Fred? What exactly did you guys do?” – Interview with Adrian Davis, President & CEO of Whetstone Inc. How to Tell a Good Story: 3 Goals Now that you understand how to tell a good story during your sales pitch, let’s go over three guiding principles you should never forget. These are the ultimate goals you should be shooting for with your storytelling. When you hit the three goals below, you’re using storytelling in business to its maximum effect. Goal #1: Connect to the Buyer Above all else is connection. You want the buyer to…

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    Your B2B Buyer's Journey: A Comprehensive Guide For Sellers | Salesman Podcast Aug 30, 2022
    Show notes

    Times have changed for B2B salespeople. Not too long ago, buyers used to do light research on a solution before reaching out to a sales rep for more detailed information. These interactions helped educate buyers about the product. But they also gave salespeople all the power when it came to controlling the buyer's journey. These days, however, the buyer's journey is in the hands of the buyer. Pricing, product features, case studies—these sales assets (and many more) are typically all available online. And buyers now move through 70% of the buyer's journey on their own, not at the urging of a sales rep. So, how do you navigate this new B2B selling landscape? And how do you determine what your own buyer's journey is for your ideal customers? That's exactly what this guide examines. Inside, we'll be defining the buyer's journey, explaining how it's changed over the years (and what that means for you), and detailing what you need to consider when redefining your buyer's journey. What Is the Buyer's Journey? As a quick refresher, let's outline exactly what a buyer journey is. Also known as a customer journey or purchase cycle, a buyer's journey is essentially how your buyers go from being unaware of their problem to deciding to purchase your solution. As you know, buyers don't wake up one day and make purchase decisions on a whim (especially true in the B2B world). Instead, buyers need to first recognize they have a problem, learn more about it, and research the best solutions before deciding on a solution. The length of a buyer's journey tends to depend on the level of risk involved. For pricier solutions, the buyer's journey is longer. Buyers need to do more research to justify their purchase. And they'll need more convincing to jump onboard. For less expensive solutions, the opposite is true. With less at stake, buyers feel more comfortable making quick decisions. As a buyer progresses through different stages of the customer journey, they'll have different concerns that need addressing before moving to the next stage. And it's your job as a successful sales rep to meet those needs every step of the way. For example if your buyer is already at the consideration stage because they've consumed someone elses inbound marketing efforts then their buying process is nearly complete and it's going to be difficult to win business from them. Alternatively, if you're prospecting a slightly different buyer persona and they're still in the research and decision process then you've still got a chance to solve a pain point or two and influence their purchase process. Breaking Down the Buyer's Journey Stages So, what are the buyer's journey stages? First, let's take a closer look. No Awareness – This stage is when the buyer doesn't even know they have a problem. That can mean they're entirely unaware of it in the first place, or (more likely) they don't understand that a current inefficiency can actually be fixed. Awareness stage – This is when the buyer acknowledges the problem exists and seeks out more information about it. A buyer in this stage will respond to content types that examine their problem and shed light on why this problem exists in the first place. Exploring Solutions – Now that your buyer fully understands the problem they're dealing with, they're going to start researching solutions. What types of solutions are out there on the market? And which type will fix their problem? Comparing Vendors – This is when buyers get into the nitty-gritty. After determining the solution type, it's time to drill down into how the vendors stack up against one another. Which has the most valuable features? How do they compare on price? And what services will align best with their business? Purchase Decision – The final stage of the B2B buyer's journey is making a purchase decision. This stage is when buyers have settled on a solution but still need a bit of a push over the edge. They need reinforcement that they're doing the right thing. And they need reassurance that this solution is right for them. Then Vs. Now – What's Changed in the B2B Buyer's Journey? While the stages of the B2B buyer's journey haven't changed, the sales rep's role in that journey certainly has. And that's all thanks to an increasingly digitalized sales cycle. According to HubSpot, a whopping 77% of purchasers won't talk to a salesperson until they've done their own research. And that was in 2015. These days, the numbers are even higher. Decision-makers are relying on their research to learn more about their problems and possible solutions than ever before. They're leaning into marketing automation and search engine results pages to educate them rather than calls with sales reps. As a result, sales reps like you need to understand the difference between the old buyer journey and the new buyer journey and then tailor your sales process accordingly. The Old Buyer Journey In the old days, the sales rep would shoulder most of the burden to ushering potential buyers through the active research process and customer journey. As you can see from the traditional buyer's journey above, educational materials would only play a role in informing buyers about the problem and touching on the solutions. But after that, sales reps would hop in to: Build rapport Outline potential solutions Differentiate their product from competitors Close the sale From the third stage on, buyers would get most of their information and educational materials from the reps, not from their own research. This, of course, put a lot of control in the hands of the reps and this is why a hard sales pitch became common place. Reps could assess where the buyers were in their journey and feed them materials that they needed to move on to the next phase. These materials might include: Articles How-To Guides Relevant content White Papers Product Spec Sheets Case Studies Demo Videos Product Comparison Guides Free Samples The New Buyer Journey Where the traditional buyer's journey allowed for maximum control, the modern buyer's journey is much more hands-off for sales reps like you. Rather than coming to you for educational materials, buyers now expect to access much of that information independently. And that's even more true today in a post-COVID era. A 2020 McKinsey study, for example, found that 70-80% of B2B decision-makers prefer remote human interactions or digital self-service models vs. “traditional” in-person models. Just 20% of buyers said they hope to return to in-person sales. And that's even in industries where field sales have dominated, like pharmaceuticals and medical products. Buyers now expect to access the content they need to move through the first four stages of a customer journey by themselves. They want to learn about their problems, possible solutions, and various vendors on their own first. Then and only then are they willing to get on the phone with a salesperson. You'll also notice the modern buyer's journey is longer than the traditional journey. Whereas educating buyers and closing a complex sale could happen in the span of just a few days before, most buyers are now taking longer to get to that “yes” decision. What This Shift Means for You So, what does all this mean for you as a B2B salesperson? Well, there are a few key takeaways here. A) Prepare for a Longer Sales Cycle Turning a prospect into a confirmed buyer takes longer than ever. Demand Gen Report found about 58% of buyers report their decision-making process is becoming longer year over year. Part of that is due to more readily available competition. With so many products ripe for the picking in the digital world, B2B buyers have many options to choose from. Of course, some of those options won't be right for the job. But even still, simply weeding through all the not-right products out there takes time. On top of that, B2B deals are becoming increasingly complex. On average, it takes input from 6 to 10 decision-makers to settle on a solution, according to Gartner. That means there are bound to be more emails, product demos, sales calls, and nurturing cycles than most B2B salespeople were used to even a decade ago. Here's how you can adapt to a longer sales cycle: Avoid pushy sales tactics and adopt an educational attitude. Develop a solid sales cadence to keep prospects engaged over time. Work on building out educational and valuable content for every stage of the buyer journey. Keep detailed accounts of what content your buyers have engaged with so you understand when to step in. Focus on customer lifetime value where possible with your buyer personas. It's far easier to close one target audience more than once than it is to close fresh prospects over and over. B) Focus on Strategic Content In the world of B2B sales, the salesperson with the best content is king. These days, buyers are interacting with content more than ever before. And they're doing it on their own too. Research from FocusVision found that B2B buyers now consume at least 13 pieces of content before making a buying decision. That's why it's so important for you as a sales rep to make the shift to creating valuable, customer-focused content for every stage of the buyer's cycle. On the one hand, it reinforces you as a thought leader. Selling expert Victor Antonio said the same thing when Salesman.org interviewed him: “The majority of executives don't want to talk to a salesperson, they simply don't. They want to do the whole customer journey by themselves. And then, when I'm ready, I'll reach out to you. Well, how do I reach out? Well, this is the guy that's got content, he seems to know what he's talking about. I'm going to go call Will, see what's happening over there.” Great content, then, builds trust. And it funnels more buyers into your pipeline. Beyond that, great content also caters to your buyers' desire to move through the cycle at their own pace. You're meeting them where they want to be rather than forcing them into a journey they don't want to participate in. And that is how you appeal to buyers today. C) Adopt an “Education First, Salesmanship Second” Mindset The modern B2B buyer's journey is no longer linear. Instead, decision-makers will flow from Awareness to Exploring Solutions to Comparing Vendors and back to Awareness again, all in a single cycle. What's more, they may dip their toes in each stage at the same time. Rather than a straightforward path, then, Gartner suggests a B2B buyer journey may look closer to this: Throughout such a complicated journey, individual salesmanship is likely to be lost in the shuffle of information. What takes its place in importance is your ability to provide educational materials every step of the way. And the more focused you are on delivering value rather than simply talking your way into a sale, the better your numbers will be. D) Equip Yourself With Alignment Tools You've already seen how the modern buyer's cycle is heavily dependent on delivering quality, educational content. In the old world, you would know exactly what content your buyer is consuming because, well, you showed it to them in the first place. But with so much research and engagement happening before you even speak to a lead, you need to know exactly what your buyers have interacted with beforehand. That's where your CRM tool comes in. With the right CRM (customer relationship management) tool, you'll have a complete record of which content leads have already consumed and where they may be at on the buyer's journey. Mapping Your Buyer's Journey The purpose of changing up your buyer's journey is to create a sales cycle that more buyers respond to positively. And for most B2B businesses, that means shifting away from a product-focused approach and towards a buyer-focused model. Jeff Koser of Zebrafi put it best in a recent interview with Salesman.org: “[Buyers] don't care about your product, they care about themselves. And they have to. It's their job. That's why there's such a fundamental difference between the buying journey that a prospect wants to go down versus a sales cycle that most salespeople try to conduct. And by shifting to pain, business issues, and value, you're actually making more of the shift to the buyer's journey that they want to participate in.” To figure out how your own customers are moving through the buyer's journey, you need to take into account the following factors: Which step you're meeting them at Where they've been What pain points they're experiencing What their next step will be How you get them to that next step 1) Which Step Do You Meet Them? Where are you currently reaching out to buyers? Again, if it's in the earlier stages, you should consider shifting that to later in the sales cycle. Generally speaking, you will likely want to steer clear of direct interactions until late in the Comparing Vendors Stage/Purchase Stage. True, there was a time when you could swoop in during the solution exploration stage. But today, ushering buyers through this part of the customer journey is better left to educational content. It is worth noting, of course, that every industry is going to be different. And your unique buyers may respond better to earlier outreach. But the key here is to test alternative contact points and measure the varying effectiveness. Don't rely on old models to tell you when you should push for a call and when you should step back and let the buyer take the lead. 2) Where Have They Been? You'll also need to consider the context for how they're moving through your buyer's journey. Which stages have they been through already? Have they shown strong engagement with materials from those previous stages? A robust CRM will be helpful here as it'll let you see what content from which stages buyers have consumed so far. 3) What Pain Are They In? Next up is determining the pain points buyers are likely experiencing. In general, there will be specific pain points associated with particular stages in the buyer's journey. To give you an idea of where to start, buyers may experience the following pain points in these stages: No Awareness I know my business can be run more efficiently, but I don't know-how. Can we generate more revenue? Is it possible to attract more qualified talent? Awareness There is a gap in our processes that I need to understand better. We are missing out on earning potential; let's figure out why. There is a problem in our business, we need to give it a name and define it. Exploring Solutions We don't know which solution types will solve our problem. We don't know which solution types apply to our business model. We don't know which solution types are available in our industry. Comparing Vendors Which product offers the features we need to make this a successful solution? Which product offers additional features that increase their business value? Purchase Decision I'm concerned this isn't the right decision and needs reinforcement. 4) What Is Their Next Step? Next, you'll need to define where you want the buyer to go next. This can be as simple as naming the next stage of the buyer's journey. For instance, if you determine the optimal place to interact with buyers is in the Comparing Vendors Stage, the next step would be ushering them into the Purchase Decision Stage. 5) How Do You Get Them To The Next Stage? For most stages of the buyer's journey, the answer here will be valuable content. Content should be the backbone of your buyer journey. And c…

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    How To Create a Winning 30-60-90 Day Sales Plan (+ Sales Plan Template) Aug 29, 2022
    Show notes

    You’ve got a job interview for your dream sales job.

    You have the experience and a track record of success. The only thing between you and your offer letter is your (hopefully) future sales manager.

    Impress them with your exceptional selling skills and expertise, and you’ve got the job.

    But the question is: how?

    This Salesman.org sales plan template guide will show you how to put together a winning 30-60-90 day sales plan to impress your sales manager with your sales knowledge and expertise and nab your dream sales position.


    What Is a 30-60-90 Day Sales Plan?

    A 30-60-90 day sales plan outlines the measurable goals for your first three months on the job. Think of it as your personal value proposition that shows your superiors you’re a self-starter and helps you be laser-focused on achieving results.

    It expands on what success looks like in the first 30, 60, and 90 days, respectively. The idea here is to lay out your clear-cut plans for measuring a successful transition and keeping everyone focused in the right direction.

    Why Do You Need a 30, 60, 90 Day Plan?

    Your dream sales job is also somebody else’s dream job. This means you have to stand out in your interview and make sure the hiring manager can see what a great addition you can be to the organization.

    The only way to do this effectively is to create a sales plan that shows your vision of the future of the sales territory or customers you’ll be taking over. It should outline your interaction with your sales team, sales strategies, sales cycle, target audience and revenue goals.

    Each aspect of your 30-60-90 day sales plan should detail a specific focus, your priorities and goals, and a plan for measuring success. Getting this right will help you maximize your progression into a new role by identifying potential partners to sell two and establishing a general framework for success.

    Here’s are the biggest benefits of developing a 30-60-90 day plan:

    1. Creates a clear focus for your first 90 days on the job, boosting your productivity and maximizing results
    2. Ensures your goals are set properly in your 30-60-60 day plan, letting you integrate quickly and smoothly into the organization
    3. Proves you’re capable of self-management and achieving goals and are an employee worthy of development.

    If you bring in a well-thought-out plan into a job interview, you’ll have an advantage over other under-prepared candidates, significantly improving your chances of getting hired.

    Other Scenarios Where Having a 30-60-90 Day Sales Plan Makes Sense

    Putting together a 30-60-90 days sales plan takes time and effort, but the good news is you don’t have to do it often. When you write a sales plan it becomes a sales tool that can be used over and over.

    Besides the interview process, you can also use your sales plan for the following circumstances:

    Scenario 1: First Week on the Job

    You got a brand-new job—or maybe you’ve earned an internal promotion.

    Regardless of the circumstance, you should create a 30-60-90 days sales plan within the first week on the job. Doing this will demonstrate your commitment to your new role and give you a well-defined plan to ensure you’re off to a good start.

    Scenario 2: New Territory Management Assignments

    If your company follows the territory management approach, creating a 30 60 90 day plan for new sales territory is a no-brainer.

    Your plan should clearly define geographic boundaries for territories you’re responsible for and the metrics you’ll use to evaluate territory performance. It should include any new business goals, changes in the company mission or types of sales that you'll be making.

    Steps To Create a Winning 30-60-90 Day Sales Plan Template

    Next, let’s understand how you can draft an effective 30 60 90 day sales strategy plan.

    Step 1: Know Who You’re Creating the Plan For

    You should know who you’re making the plan for. This involves thinking from the perspectives of two stakeholders: your team and you.

    A) Align Your Plan With Your Organization’s Goals

    Understand your sales team’s priorities and goals and align your sales plan with them.

    For a job interview, try to connect with a salesperson already working with the company on LinkedIn. Strike a polite conversation and ask them what goals they’re being pushed towards corporately.

    If you’re new on the job or handling a new territory, speak to your sales manager and ask them about goals that matter most to the organization.

    Find out current revenue targets, sales and marketing initiatives and any strategies and tactics that are working for the sales team.

    B) Identify Your Own Priorities

    What are your current priorities and personal goals?

    Do you want to earn more money? Or do you want to focus on building now to set up your territory for even bigger successes? Maybe you want to position yourself as a legendary adviser for all things sales.

    You must identify your own priorities before you start building your 30 60 90 day plan. This will give you a clearer perspective on how to approach things and set yourself up for success.

    Do you want to install new sales tools, motivate your team or start pushing a new product or service? Creating your sales plan can reduce the time to implement a more effective sales action plan.

    Don’t worry; we’ll also share a super-easy template you can follow and ensure better outcomes.

    Step 2: Figure Out How to Measure Your Success

    Now that you know your sales goals, your next step is to measure progress against those goals.

    In the words of Peter Drucker, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” When you know how to measure success, you can improve your plan further by identifying and eliminating weak aspects.

    Here are a few tips to help you get started on the right track:

    • Gain in-depth knowledge of product features
    • Have the ability to demo the product at a high level
    • Have built key relationships built-in potential growth accounts
    • Developing a more targeted customer profile
    • Become known, liked, and trusted with all current partners
    • Improved sales performance or increased sales activities
    • Have a list of 100 potential partners to prospect over the next 12 months

    Step 3: Draft Your 30-60-90 Day Plan Breakdown

    At this point, you’ve already done most of the hard work.

    You can now focus on documenting the information you currently have to create a more formal 30-60-90 day sales plan that you can then share with your sales manager. For each section of your plan, ask yourself “what does success look like?“.

    Note: We’ve also added critical questions below to help you create a more impressive sales plan.

    Stage 1: 30 Days

    As mentioned, the first step is to ask yourself what success looks like after 30 days are complete.

    When applying for a job, success in the first 30 days is likely completing your onboarding and training process successfully. In addition, you can also add the following criteria if you want to be more specific:

    • Understanding corporate priorities, new roles and responsibilities
    • Intermediate knowledge of key products and services
    • Knowing the product's position in the market vs. the competition
    • Developing key connections within the organization with customer support, sales leadership, team members etc
    • Going through previous rep's sales CRM data and outlining a few key accounts to target

    The 30-day section of your sales plan should define your success goals and briefly explain how you plan on achieving them. It should also share how you‘ll know you’ve been successful in meeting these goals.

    Let’s explain this using an example.

    • Success goal: Having intermediate knowledge of key products and services offered by the organization.
    • To complete I will: Spend an hour every week with the product specialist for each product and have them quiz me on my knowledge.
    • I will have success if: In the 30-day review meeting with my sales manager, they can quiz me about our product range like a potential partner would and I can answer their questions confidently.

    This will allow you to show off your self-starting nature and help you understand your responsibilities better.

    Be sure to schedule a meeting with your sales manager to discuss successes and any issues you had during the 30 days before moving on to the 60-day and 90-day time periods. It’ll make the transition smoother.

    Stage 2: 60 Days

    With the first 30 days up, you have to amp up your sales efforts in the second month.

    You’ll be spending more time in the field or talking to potential partners at this stage. Keeping this in mind, you should understand your marketplace and products at a high level. Regardless of what you’re selling, after 60 days of being immersed in it, you should know everything related to the offering—big or small.

    Another good tactic is to role play with co-workers and shadow your senior sales professionals to understand their sales processes and approaches.

    Here are some pointers to include in the 60-day section of your sales plan. Notice how some of them are mandatory, while others are more flexible depending on your role, experience, and onboarding process.

    • Started developing at least five new leads — Mandatory
    • Have shadowed the top two performing sales reps in the company — Mandatory
    • High-level understanding of key products — Mandatory
    • Completed role-playing sessions with other sales professionals in the team
    • Have contributed to a sales meeting by adding value to the conversation
    • Completed all formal sales onboarding or training that needs to be done

    Of course, these objectives will vary depending on why you’re drafting the 30-60-90 day sales plan. For instance, if you’re an experienced sales professional who has been recently assigned a new sales territory, your success criteria will look something like this:

    • Knowing your target territory — Mandatory
    • Setting measurable and realistic setting goals — Mandatory
    • Developing a territory management plan — Mandatory
    • Recording daily development in CRM
    • Attending meetings with other sales professionals

    Information overload, we know. But getting this step right will help you achieve greater success. Plus, once you get the hang of things, everything will become easier.

    Stage 3: 90 days

    This is where you hit the ground running.

    Your 31-90 day plan sets out what you’re planning on doing for the rest of the time in the specific sales role. Here, you should have an optimized prospecting list and have your foot in the door with at least a couple of potential new key accounts.

    Only a few things can go wrong at this point, which might stop your 30-60-90 day sales plan from being fabulous. Don’t worry, though. We’ll cover 30-60-90 day sales plan mistakes later to make sure all your hard work pays off.

    At this point in your new sales role you should have a lead generation strategy, be on top of all the new sales enablement tools and content, understand your customer pain points and have a few new customers on the go.

    At the 90-day meeting with your sales manager, discuss any 3-4 points from the following success criteria:

    • Clear and optimized prospecting list in use — Mandatory
    • Daily schedule established for prospecting, following up and staying on top of everything else — Mandatory
    • Become a solid member of the team — Mandatory
    • Had at least one round of feedback on performance from the sales manager
    • Closed at least a couple of deals without too much babysitting from others
    • Foot in the door with a couple of exciting key accounts

    And that’s it! That’s how you create a solid 30-60-90 day sales plan.

    Mistakes To Avoid When Creating a 30-60-90 day sales plan

    The whole point of creating a 30-60-90 day sales plan is to give you a clear direction in your new sales role. But there are a few errors that may make it less effective…

    Mistake 1: Not Including Success Measurement

    We get it: you don’t want to make promises you can’t keep. But not including specific ways of measuring your success on your sales business plan is a huge red flag that may cause your sales manager to question your capabilities.

    You must be willing to put your money where your mouth is. So make sure you include measurable success criteria for each section of your 30-60-90 day sales plan.

    Mistake 2: Making an Ambiguous Plan

    Planning is about being specific and granular.

    If you’re going to be ambiguous, your plan isn’t going to inspire confidence in your new sales leadership role and may fall flat.

    Sales managers want to see numbers and progress towards a target rather than vague business strategy and generic sales plans.

    Mistake 3: Lack of Sales Manager Follow-ups

    Similar to how following up is necessary to win deals, holding meetings with your sales manager is important for improving your 30-60-90 day sales plan and self-improvement. Don’t forget to schedule meetings with your sales manager at the 30, 60, and 90-day points to review your progress and ask for advice on your sales process.

    30 60 90 Day Sales Plan Template

    As promised, right click and save as to download your 30 60 90 day sales plan template. This free template will take you through the process of creating a sales plan.

    The post How To Create a Winning 30-60-90 Day Sales Plan (+ Sales Plan Template) appeared first on Salesman.com.


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