In today’s episode of the ‘Sales Samurai’ podcast, host Sam Capra, who helps marketing leaders in the retail space go beyond the sale/transaction, talks with guest Tyler Cole, a Sales & Business Development Leader. They discuss driving next steps, deal closure, and deal acceleration along with building trust that gets to the goal line.

Episode Highlights

01:38 – Tyler shares a little bit about his background.

03:06 – Sam enquires from Tyler about his sales background and origin story.

04:58 – Sam says sales wasn’t Tyler’s first call, he fell into it for lack of better terminology.

05:00 - Tyler had people skills and then he realized how does he got paid for those skills.

05:40 – What’s changed for the better and what's changed for the worse in sales from where Tyler started to where he is seeing now, asks Sam.

08:22 - What is the biggest missing component that you see in the process, enquires Sam.

10:40 – How do you think of the next steps? What's your thought process around the next steps? How do you approach those? Questions Sam.

12:49 – Tyler highlights, there's one of 14 combinations of how the sale process can play out.

14:34 – Sam asks, what does Tyler see as the main reasons next steps aren't established.

15:17 – Tyler shares, before every call he does a 20-minute prep with the BDR that sources the meeting, to understand exactly what they discovered and who did they talk to?

17:50 – We as efficient show that we understand our business and we've done our due diligence. It also allows us to be more concise with our time.

20:41 – Tyler shares, he can always move that 30-minute slot but he at least has the structure to not forget any of the details.

24:00 - If one has built the trust, resolved client needs, and given them all the resources, and then they won’t feel the need to go somewhere else, explains Tyler.

27:40 – Tyler points out, we have to go a little rogue and say, “if what other people on my team are doing doesn't work, then I'm going to do things my way.”

31:34 – Tyler mentions that sometimes it is like getting them out of their comfort zone and giving them to trust us.

32:26 – Sam says, his rule of thumb has always been under-promise, and over-deliver.

35:12 – We need to over-communicate, or find a way to get the deliverable there by that time.

37:00 – Tyler says, they need to go talk to 15 people and get to that level where they can find time for us, so, we better do all that stuff that makes it compelling to them to do that.

 

Three Key Points

We can understand what the customer truly needs, and then match our solution. We got to make sure that we're doing the right thing and it's a win for both parties. But understanding what their need is and then crafting the story to coincide with it and draw on those opportunities.

All the studies are saying deals are taking longer to close complex sales deals. For the average deal, the close rates have gone down; all the things that you don't want to go down are not going in the right direction.

We need to reach; we can add that additional personalized touch that even says like a handwritten note or a gift card or something that has value to them. If we don't have a gifting platform, there are ways to do that through our communication.

Tweetable Quotes

“I built out at the Westin in downtown Phoenix, an upsell environment that they didn't understand at the time and I'm like, I brought you guys $400,000 in revenue. I think I'm supposed to be selling things.” – Tyler

“I don't have much for the worse,