Sales Process Excellence Podcast

Before you can lead others, you have to lead yourself effectively, says Six Sigma expert Bill Zeeb.

20+ years as a six sigma trainer and master blackbelt led Bill to analyze specific areas where leaders fall short. He uses a structured approach for incremental improvement that takes the emotion out of the process and sets down actionable – and measurable – steps.

It is unusual for Six Sigma methods to be used in leadership training. We talk about why and how that methodology creates new behaviors that drive business results.

It works 95% of the time.

Listen in to find out…

• Strategies for ensuring that failures point the way to your next step
• The single hardest change every leader must make to improve
• Why it can be difficult for leaders to get honest feedback – and the best source to get it from
• A daily ritual that takes minutes but leads to measurable improvement
• And more

Where do many organizations plateau – or even see a decline – in sales? Bob Apollo, of Inflexion Point, says scalability can’t happen when sales are based on individual efforts rather than a structured approach.

 But that doesn’t mean Bob is a huge fan of process in sales… at least the rigid way many organizations approach it. He favors more of a flexible approach, where salespeople can react to conditions on the ground.

He explains how that works in practical terms, as well as…

• The spaghetti bowl that is the customer’s decision journey
• Why individual strategies like training, comp, CRM, etc. don't work
• Creating value versus adding value
• Making the best use of intelligent analytics
• And more

In this edition we have a unique opportunity to hear from sales consultant Frank Swiatek about how he's helping the local branches of a national organization to transform their sales process.

Following a rigorous method, he's showing salespeople how data they collected reveals small improvements they can't see on their own.

We get to walk along with him in looking at factors that go into the sales interactions, and see some of the results that stand out. For example, the blog post includes an illustration with some live data from the client's sales funnel.

In the conversation, you'll hear a way to identify where and, perhaps, why people are dropping out of your sales conversations.

We also cover…

• When are listeners (prospects) most open to new information and willing to continue a phone conversation
• The ‘compound effect’ of improvements to stages of a process
• What one thing good and bad results have in common
• And more …

Listen now...

Sales and marketing management is struggling. A study from CSO Insights has the hard evidence. They found that for the last six years, the percentage of salespeople meeting their quota is declining steadily.

George Bronten, founder and CEO of Membrain, has an idea what’s causing the downward trend… and how to turn it around.

Management has to create a standardized “sales environment” that offers guidance and support. And, says George, if you think salespeople hate process and systems… think again.

We also explore…

• What makes a sales process complex – it’s not price or the size of deal
• The difference between efficiency and effectiveness (and which one is better)
• Where today’s CRM systems fall short
• The surgeon’s secret for more sales
• And more

Sales teams, manufacturing plants… whole companies. Every part of every business needs effective leadership to thrive. But what makes for a good leader?

Consultant and author Amir Ghannad explains how to become the type of leader that gets buy-in from employees… and inspires them to do their very best work.

It’s a process that often includes removing some mental blocks you might not know you have.

We also explore…

• The role of tools and systems in leadership
• Why – and how – to earn employees’ trust
• How to identify a system problem versus a people problem
• The difference between commitment and attachment
• And more

Operational excellence is Joseph Paris’s specialty. With his work at consultancy Xonitek he’s all about making companies more productive, efficient, and effective.

We talk about the techniques and strategies he uses to give his clients a boost, including in the sales and marketing departments.

Lean and Six Sigma can be part of that, says Joseph. But he cautions that those systems are just the first step. We talk about how to make sure they have a company-wide impact, as well as…

• Strategies to get buy-in for your vision of the future
• How to ensure your team measures success the same way
• Why it’s hard to follow a CEOs vision – and what to do about it
• Determining the true value of a salesperson
• And more

As a company grows, your approach to sales must change, says Dave Vranicar, founder of Redwell B2B. Even the type of sales leader you hire must change.

We explore the different sales systems and methodologies you must implement in order to spur continued growth as you go from startup to well-established market leader.

We talk about the role of data in all this, as well as…

• What many VCs overlook when looking for acquisitions
• The support team you need to crack multimillion-dollar sales
• 20+ mistakes companies make with regards to their sales team
• How marketing can change a product
• And more

As believers in process improvement, we know the importance of the Voice of the Customer and the value of reliable data.     In today’s conversation with Don Carli we discuss the difference between Voice of Market and Voice of Customer, and how they apply not just to products, but to engaging prospects before and during the sale.  Tune in to hear …  

• How businesses can listen to customers before they engage with them, and how they use marketing research data to improve the sales process.
• How voice of market research illuminates unmet needs, pain points, and purchase decision factors to provide better-qualified leads and more predictable sales outcomes.
• How voice of customer research can help you to focus on high potential prospects, overcome obstacles and objections, and win more decisions in favor of your brand.Learn about how you can apply these ideas right away to improve your sales performance. Plus, learn about exciting new capabilities that can make research faster and easier to conduct, and far more impactful. Listen now…

Many companies embrace the lean philosophy and seek business excellence. But best practices aren’t just something you can plug-and-play. And it’s not all about efficiency and cost-cutting for its own sake.

Consultant and lean manufacturing expert Bill Waddell says before you do anything to your process, you have to look at how critical aspects of your operations are handled, including some you might not expect.

We discuss what exactly to be looking for, as well as…

• What your best customers will give you – and it’s not just more money
• Why distributors should be worried
• The danger of marketing not matching value
• Identifying the balance point when a company is most profitable
• And more

Bill Blair, founder and CEO of Blair Business Solutions, helps his clients work through issues with leadership development, sales coaching, employee retention, and more.

Every business has its own issues, of course. But, says Bill, there is definitely a common thread he almost always sees… a misconception about what an effective sales culture looks like.

We shatter that myth and talk about the alternative: a unique assessment tool that identifies the best role for each employee, including your salespeople.

We also talk about…

• How to address the difference between personality and behavior
• Identifying the people who always do well in sales, even in recessions
• Why best practices can’t be exported
• Capitalizing on Emotional Intelligence
• And more