Sales Today

Is selling to senior executives different?

Steve talks through how and why plus what to do.

It is worth paying attention as research shows that salespeople are not very good at it (according to the execs and its their opinion that matters).

We discuss some of the common mistakes and how to avoid them.

Many of these are made when trying to operate 'at scale' but that doesn't mean that the work can't be made more effective.

The key is to target the right opportunities and invest time to develop the right message.

Meetings with execs also need handling carefully with a higher risk of these being cut short when they don't add value.

How would your approach fare it in the board room?

Connect with Steve on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stevehallsydney

Take the Scorecard: https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/

What if there was a better way to present information to customers?

Imagine sharing things that they needed to know as they make their way on increasingly difficult buying journeys?

Rory discusses how microsites can be used to do this to supply the right information at the right time.

In doing so salespeople can help the customer make sense of the things that are important to them.

Using interactive, collaborative and personalised microsites that can be quickly created are a major tool for modern sales professionals who adopt a 'sensemaking' approach.

A salesperson skilled in having the converations buyers need and equipped to offer the information they require to move to the next stage of their decision making will have a distinct competitive advantage.

Are traditional proposals dead?

Connect on LinkedIn

Link to Website

Take the Scorecard

Why are the skills associated with sales so important in everyday life?

In this special episode Javi and Fatima, two students on an internship, share their learning on how the skills sales professionals train to perfect are useful for everyone.

They talk about their own experiences where they have had to use some of the skills and how they feel more prepared to use them more deliberately as their careers develop.

Their thoughts are insightful both for other students and salespeople who can take much from the the 'continual development' attitude.

What are you doing today to expand your mind and boost your reality?

Take the Scorecard

Get the party started.

Rebecca shares how being from a family of clowns has equipped her for a role today in creating and building communities.

We discuss how humans are wired to gather in tribes and how communities today present a massive opportunity for sharing and problem solving.

Now this can be on a global scale so the power of community is stronger than ever.

Good groups will provide the opportunity for members to build trust and collaborate in ways that our ancestors may find strange but which still fulfil the purpose of surviving and thriving.

Are you makng the most of community membership?

Connect on LinkedIn

Take the Scorecard

Dr Howard Dover is a seriously busy guy.

A sales professional, sales coach, database analyst, systems analyst, marketing modeler and university professor all in one.

But as he explains there is work to be done.

We discuss the state of sales and why buying is such a horrible experience for many and where the sales innovation paradox comes from.

Is modern technology ruining us as salespeople and wiping out many opportunities before they even start?

But more importantly do companies care?

We wonder whether 'good enough' will do for many as despite poor customer centricity targets can be hit through brute force.

Despite a seemingly bleak outlook there is a glimmer of hope as he describes how some organisations buck the trend and become the places employees will never leave, plus a new generation of genuinely disruptive salespeople emerging.

Are you happy with 'good enough'?

Connect on LinkedIn

Take the Scorecard

But I have my own special way.

A classic objection poor salespeople make about using process.

Aviv explains that it is not something to be afraid of.

Indeed it should be embraced.

Much about sales process is overcomplicated but really it is pretty simple.

It's about getting results by aligning buyers and sellers.

When we start thinking about outcomes rather than techniques the magic starts to happen.

The beauty of a process is that it can capture all the good stuff that has worked before.

This is key when looking to improve chances of success and to scale.

We talk about taking a forensic approach to lookng at what really works and how the improvements can have a massive impact on all stakeholders.

Why would you be afraid of using a structured approach?

Learn more at https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake

Connect with Aviv at linkedin.com/in/aviv-bergman

What makes you 'swipe right' on sales outreach?

Nadia shares her approach that is proving successful for her.

It is based on taking time to understand the individual and crafting a message that demostrates this and that she is not a robot.

She explains that the human side is important as the message is the beginning for the relationship which is why it's worth injecting a little bit of personality.

This philosophy carries over into creating content that builds a personal brand consistent with messaging and how she wants to spend time at work.

It is easy to put on a corporate facade, a phenomena that may only increase as AI takes over some content creation.

How will you project you humanness?

Learn more at https://linktr.ee/fredcopestake

Connect with Nadia at https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiamodla

Matthew fell into sales and before long he was a top performer at Zoom.

It clicked when he realised that the harder he worked the more money he could earn.

He puts his success down to being able to undertake the same repetitive motions whilst working out how to do more and make it more refined.

Perhaps being a champion latte artist had something to do with this and certainly where he draws his inspiration from did and still does.

Our conversation switches from past to present and future with a particular focus on the impact AI can have.

He shares how he is already using elements of this as he launches a new and highly targeted business.

Will AI reduce the importance of people in the sales process?

Stuart wrote the book he would have liked to have had in his early years as a salesperson.

Having seen (and made) the mistakes that make the role more difficult he was driven to provide a 'go-to' resource for sales professionals.

The step by step framework is predicated on understanding the challenges a customer has and communicating this and a way to think about addressing it.

Personalising this approach is key and he shares a way to do this that employs a little bit of science and avoids being creepy.

We talk about the tired and lazy methods used by some salespeople in the misguided notion that they are being more efficient as well as how demonstrating greater 'humanness' will ultimately drive more results.

How can you get customers to appreciate your craft?

Take the scorecard: scorecard

Link to Stuart's book

Link to Stuart's LinkedIn

Louis is pretty straight up with his dislike for boring marketing.

Getting new customers is probably THE most important thing for any business.

But it's not always easy and can be incredibly frustrating.

Every business has wasted time, effort, and money on marketing strategies that get no results.

But some businesses, are doing things differently.

They are getting response rates as high as 50-60% with their dream clients calling them up, day in, day out and asking THEM for a meeting.

We talk about some of the creative outreach he has been involved with from coconuts to fake arm and horse's head.

He explains how and why these approaches work and why it is surprising that more organisations don't consider the true value of customers and ditch the dull sequences in favour of more successful methods.

But does he overstep the mark?

Link to Louis's LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/louis-sandford

Take the Scorecard: https://collaborativeselling.scoreapp.com/