Unlocking Sales Success: The Power of Storytelling in Modern Business
In today's competitive sales landscape, the ability to tell compelling stories has emerged as a pivotal skill for sales professionals. Business storytelling transcends traditional sales pitches by weaving narratives that resonate emotionally with clients, thereby fostering deeper connections and driving sales success.
How to Ask Better Questions in Sales
In the realm of sales, success hinges not merely on the products or services one offers but significantly on the strategy employed to engage and understand potential clients.
One pivotal aspect of this strategy is the Art of Questioning.
Strategic questioning can transform a mundane sales conversation into a powerful dialogue that uncovers needs, builds trust, and ultimately closes deals. This blog delves into the essence of effective questioning strategies, drawing insights from 30+ years of experience as a sales leader, and a plethora of real-world examples.
Unlocking Revenue Growth: Developing talent paves the fast track to success!
In every company, revenue growth strategies typically rely on increasing sales headcount, shortening ramp times, and boosting productivity per quota-bearing headcount. However, the success of these initiatives hinges on prioritising talent assessments and development planning to achieve sustainable revenue growth. Neglecting initiatives to enhance seller productivity can hinder organisations from realising their growth projections.
Turn Rejection into Connection: Expert Tips for Handling Cold Call Objections
Cold calling can feel like navigating a maze in the dark. You dial a number, introduce yourself, and—bam!—you hit a wall. The person on the other end isn’t interested or says they’re busy. It’s easy to get disheartened, but with a structured approach, you can turn these cold calls into warm conversations.
Unlocking the Power of Open-Ended Questions
Too many times we see sales people solely ask closed-ended questions. Questions that provide the prospect or customer an easy-way out by simply answering “yes” or ”no”.
Instead, one of the most powerful tools in a salesperson's arsenal is the open-ended question. When meeting with prospects or customers, using open-ended questions can make a significant difference in the outcome of the conversation and, ultimately, the success of the sale.
Why it's crucial to have documented sales & sales leader competencies & capabilities
There are many reasons why a business should have clearly defined and documented competencies & capabilities for sales individuals, sales leaders and customer facing individuals.
They are in fact crucial for global, geographically dispersed sales teams and can serve as a foundation for building a high-performing sales team, driving growth, and achieving business objectives.
Leading the Decision Journey
Navigating and leading the decision journey for customers in a multi-layered and complex deal can be challenging for any business. However, with the right approach, it can also be an opportunity to demonstrate value and build long-term relationships with customers.
Not winning enough NEW business?
Sales is the lifeblood of any business, and winning new deals is crucial to achieving growth and profitability. However, if you're facing the challenge of not winning enough new deals, it can be frustrating and demotivating.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to address this challenge and improve your sales results.
Get rid of the left-hand side of your bell-curve
As a seasoned sales leader with over 30 years of experience, I have learned that being a great sales leader is more than just about driving sales numbers. It's about leading a team of individuals to achieve their full potential and deliver exceptional results.
Get rid of the ‘left-hand side of your bell curve’, which can be up to 10% of your entire team
Non-performing individuals typically take up all your time (‘cause you think you should coach them...), suck all the oxygen and energy out of the team, and they can be(come) cancerous.
A Birds’ Eye View Makes Sense For Buyers
Photography has always been a hobby and when opportunity arises, I usually grab my trusty Nikon and head out looking for that elusive shot. However, my whole perspective and passion changed on my last birthday – enter drone photography!
All of a sudden, views that were previously hidden from me, become possible. Things that I could never have seen using my hand-held Nikon were revealed in the drone view screen.
5 Signs Your Business Needs a Sales Enablement Solution
In today’s competitive business environment and volatile market conditions, sales organisations are under mounting pressure to attain revenue goals and sustain growth. Yet their average quota attainment rate is only 54% (1), and I would surmise the percentage has slipped even further in the aftermath of COVID-19.
Sales is Not Working – Don’t Guess – Know Why!
It has almost become cliché, “The world has changed…” Yes, we all know that, but for the revenue generating part of your business this is even more acute.
If sales effectiveness measures the output per salesperson, ask 100 people why sales is ineffective and you get 100 different answers, even within one’s own organisation. If one was to search Google, the responses are as wide as they are varied:
Ineffective content marketing
Failure in incorporating sufficient social media marketing (or social media ads) into your sales strategy
Lack of sales activity
Not knowing target audience well enough
Wrong people
You didn’t catch their attention
Insufficient interest in your offer
Inadequate sales process
How To Drive Sales Engagement and Close More Business Quicker
Being an avid Amazon Kindle user, I love the fact that once I’ve finished yet another book, Amazon recommends books to me that are similar.
Consider using Netflix where it knows what TV shows and movies you like. Use Spotify and it understands what your musical tastes are. Use Amazon again, and if you have a young child at home, it tells you that you probably need diapers and formula!
And yet in our B2B world, we don't do that yet – despite buyers saying,
“Show Me That You Know Me!”
How Effective Are Your Sales Meetings?
Do your salespeople enjoy internal meetings such as the mandatory weekly Monday morning sales meetings, or do they resent attending? How much do your internal meetings actually contribute to increased sales?
90% of Sales Professionals Do Not Know How To Ask Good Questions…
Is your team part of the other ten percent – or do you need help with that?
Studies have shown that 90 percent of seasoned “sales professionals” do not know how to ask good questions or are afraid to ask them. That’s a staggering number: 9 out of 10….!
The War on Talent: Finding and Hiring A-Players in Sales
One of the key challenges most if not all of our customers have put to us, is:
“Can you help us find good sales people and sales managers, as we simply cannot find them?”
Regardless of whether this is for New Zealand, Australia, or, say, US-based roles, the hunt for talent is only getting harder.