Same Side Selling Podcast

We’ve all heard the clever, catchy truisms tossed about in corporate environments that sound like sage advice:

"A penny saved is a penny earned."

"You get what you pay for."

"You can’t switch horses mid-stream."

They sound good on the surface. Some of these witty aphorisms may even hold a kernel of truth. But dig a little deeper, and you begin to discover that these widely-held and unchallenged beliefs can cost companies lots of time, money, and opportunity.

My guest on this week’s episode, best-selling author and negotiation expert Jack Quarles, calls these toxic statements ‘Expensive Sentences.’ Left unchecked and unexamined, these simple little proverbs or phrases have the power to drain valuable resources from companies, keeping them from reaching their full growth and potential.

Jack co-authored "Same Side Selling: A Radical Approach to Break Through Sales Barriers" with me. In his latest book, "Expensive Sentences: Debunking the Common Myths that Derail Decisions and Sabotage Success," he looks at the destructive nature of commonly held beliefs and statements that have the power to shut down conversations within organizations, and lead to bad decisions and missed opportunities.

“These ideas set in pretty deep in an organization,” Jack says. “They become company lore. They become things that people really believe, but they’re often not true.”

Listen to this episode and discover:

· How one simple statement cost a company millions of dollars in unnecessary expenses.

· What are some of the most commonly-used ‘expensive sentences’ to watch out for in a buying-selling environment?

· How not to a respond to an ‘expensive sentence’ situation (and what to do instead).

· Three ways to tell if you’re in an ‘expensive sentence’ environment.

· Three important questions to ask yourself and others that can turn an ‘expensive sentence’ situation around almost immediately (plus a bonus question from Ian).

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

Back when Jack was the Director of Procurement for a multi-national company, he discovered that a million dollar buying decision was being made on a faulty assumption that was never questioned or challenged.

“We’d spent probably millions of dollars more than we should have over of several years, and what was the reason? The reason was this distorted idea that had taken root,” he said.

In other words, an expensive sentence had reared its ugly head.

That discovery led Jack on a quest to find out why these assumptions were being made and, more importantly, what could be done to change them. He wanted to help buyers shift their perspectives to allow for more healthy, robust competition.

“The tricky thing about these ‘expensive sentences’ is that there’s almost always some kernel of truth in them,” Jacks says.

Sellers will know if they are in an ‘expensive sentence’ scenario if they have one (or all) of these three elements present:

· Stuck

· Scarcity

· Special

“Whenever you encounter a situation where you feel like you’re stuck, or you feel like the resources are scarce, or you feel like somebody’s special (where we’re dependent upon someone or they’re irreplaceable) those are warning signs,” Jack says.

For more in-depth explanations of Jack’s three-step formula – Engage, Examine, Enlighten – for turning an expensive sentence scenario from a negative to a positive, make sure to listen to this episode.

Jack and I also talk about the shift that’s happening in the procurement world toward better overall value (and away from cheapest prices), and the biggest fear a procurement agent faces (it’s not what you think!). Tune in for all of that and more on today’s Grow My Revenue with Jack Quarles.

For full show notes and other resources, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/jack-quarles-expensive-sentences/

On this episode, I'll be answering these questions plus weighing in on the impact of social media in ways you may not have considered. Listen in for those topics and more on this special solo edition of Grow My Revenue.

Listen to this episode and discover:

· Should you use a script in sales calls?

· What active listening really means, and how to apply it to your sales team.

· How do you learn the most about your potential client?

· When are questions powerful, and when are they not?

· And so much more…

Episode Overview

Have you ever received a phone call from someone selling something, and you could tell they were reading from a script? That is the number one reason I dislike the use of scripts. Although I'm a proponent of having a process, I discourage anyone from reading scripts verbatim.

Instead, I suggest a particular formula and sequence you can follow to uncover the real information when dealing with a potential client. In fact, you can use a script, but be sure you understand why you are asking each question in that script.

Here's what I suggest you do if you want to successfully utilize scripts:

Before you write out the script, lay out exactly what you are hoping to learn with each question. So, if you are asking the client how long their problem has been going on, it's because you want to know if this has been an ongoing issue, a long-term problem, or none of the above.

And if you ask what else they have tried, you are doing so because you want to know what alternatives they have pursued, and if this is important enough that they've invested in solutions in the past.

When you ask what happens if they don't solve this problem, you are finding out if the problem is important enough to the person to warrant their investment. Then you'll know if you are dealing with the right person, and/or if the problem is something they are willing to spend money to fix.

Now that you know your goal for these questions, you can outline the potential responses and the likely conclusions that you can draw based on their responses. Once you draw out those conclusions, you can then move on to the next step, which is creating a decision tree for these conversations. I explain exactly how to do so on today's show.

Also on today's show, I cover the topic of social media and two points worth considering when you are interacting with others in that space.

The first is: where has our civility gone? After the US presidential elections, I have been seeing a lot of people respond and make comments to their social media "friends" in caustic and nasty tones. They aren't having debates or discussions, but have resorted to name calling.

And it is not from just one political party; it's both sides. Rather than indiscriminate name calling and venting our frustrations at others who disagree with us, it's our duty to respect other opinions. And if we want to be understood, we must take the time to understand them.

The second point I discuss is to consider who your friends are online. It's easy for us to forget who we have invited as friends and who we have accepted on any of our social media platforms. A simple solution is to respond as if you were at a cocktail party with friends. Would you be rude and offensive there? If not, then don't be rude and offensive on social media.

You'll also hear how to avoid alienating potential clients with social media, and what active listening really means on this edition of Grow My Revenue.

For full show notes and other resources, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/ian-altman-sales-scripts-active-listening/

You know how important content marketing is to your success, but how do you actually use it as a tool to build trust? Joining us to answer that question and others is my great friend and two-time visitor to the show, Marcus Sheridan. Marcus is a best-selling author of several books, and is also the quintessential case study in successful content marketing.

I'm bringing him back because he is the de facto expert on this topic. Today we cover the five ways to build trust with content marketing, the biggest mistakes most companies make regarding content marketing, and his latest book, "They Ask You Answer." I know you're going to love this talk, and you're going to learn a ton on today's edition of Grow My Revenue!

Listen to this episode and discover:

· Who has to be involved in your content marketing if you are to be ultra-successful?

· Why doing content marketing right means starting at the bottom of the sales funnel, not the top.

· What you can learn from CarMax.

· How to become a purple cow in your field, and why that's a good thing.

· What is the concept of the anti-persona?

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

Before we get into the five ways to build trust with your clients through content marketing, Marcus and I uncover the biggest mistakes businesses make regarding content marketing. Although Marcus says there are lot of missteps he sees, we talk about three in particular.*

Marcus gives an example from when he used to run a pool company, a company he is still a silent partner in today. He saw a lot of pool companies put out fluff pieces like 5 Fun Games to Play in Your Swimming Pool. The reason pieces like this don't work is because you don't know if the reader actually wants to buy a pool! They could be throwing a kid party at another pool somewhere and may not even be in the market to buy a pool.

But if you focus on swimming pool buyer-based questions, like "How much does a fiberglass pool cost?" and write a piece on that, you will get readers who are in the market to spend money on a pool.

After discussing the biggest mistakes in content marketing, we discuss into the top five things that move the needle and build trust with content marketing. These are all covered in Marcus' book "They Ask You Answer," and we briefly cover them on this episode.*

Also on today's show, Marcus and I talk about how to frame negatives in such a way that you can address them while keeping everyone in your company okay with that, specifics about what his latest book They Talk You Answer has to say about removing "elephants" in the room, and a simple strategy and activity that can revolutionize your relationship with customers. Tune in for all of that and more on today's Grow My Revenue with Marcus Sheridan.

*For full show notes and other resources, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/marcus-sheridan/

When you hear the term "go-giver" what do you think of? Do you think of someone who gives and gets nothing in return? Or do you think of someone who gives value consistently and ultimately reaps financial rewards as a result?

Our guest for today's episode, Bob Burg, defines it as the latter. Bob is the co-author of the best-selling book, The Go-Giver, a book that has sold over half a million copies around the globe. Bob is also an international speaker and the man behind The Go-Giver Sales Academy, a two-day event that helps entrepreneurs and business owners accelerate their growth.

It's an absolute honor to have Bob on the show; listen in as we discuss the principle of The Go-Giver, its five laws, plus much more!

Listen to this episode and discover:

· What does it actually mean to "go-give"?

· What is the only reason people buy from you?

· Bob explains the difference between price and value.

· In a free market exchange, what are the two profits?

· What is a "phonus balonus" and how do you avoid being one?

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

On this episode of Grow My Revenue, Bob and I cover a lot of ground, including people's biggest misunderstandings about the concept of being a go-giver, what holds most people back in sales conversations, and the five laws in The Go-Giver.

Bob says the biggest misconception people have about being a go-giver is that it means you don't care about profits. That idea is patently untrue; being a go-giver simply means shifting your focus to one of giving to others first and providing consistent value to them.

By doing so, you will increase your profits and revenue, because at its core, selling is about focusing on what the other person wants, needs and desires. And when you do that in a genuine way, people want to buy from you, and they want to refer business to you. According to Bob, this is the single greatest skill you can have: a highly developed and authentic interest in the other person. When you have that, the rest – including profits – will follow.

To explain the principles of the go-giver on a deeper level, Bob shares a brief summary of each of the five laws covered in the book.

Also on today's edition of the show, Bob and I discuss the skills that hold most people back during sales conversations, what to do if you discover that you and your client aren't a good fit, and his Go-Giver Sales Academy. Tune in for all of that and more on this episode of Grow My Revenue with Bob Burg!

For full show notes and other resources, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/bob-burg/

What exactly is social selling, and how do you know if you're doing it right (or wrong)? Our guest today, Jill Rowley, is the de facto expert on the subject. Jill is an international speaker, digital transformation expert and startup advisor who began her career as one of the first sales people with Salesforce.

On this episode, Jill explains what social selling is, what the keys to social selling are, and a few things you should be doing to embrace the current digital age. We also discuss what not to do with social selling, and the misapplication of marketing automation today. You won't want to miss this episode with Jill Rowley!

Listen to this episode and discover:

· What is social selling?

· Why your network isn't a group of potential buyers, and what a network actually is.

· What was the original intent of marketing automation?

· Why more is not "more better," and what that means.

· How to become visible and valuable through content.

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

Jill became a student of marketing starting back in 2002, because her buyers were marketers. She learned what was driving modernization and transformation at the time, how it was becoming more about data, automation, technology and personalization through multiple channels and through social media. Through that lens she saw these buyer changes sooner than most sales people, and why those changes would become so important to sales as a whole.

Today she explains that social selling is about researching your buyers, and then becoming relevant to them and building really meaningful, deep relationships with them. These factors will ultimately drive revenue.

To succeed you need to know your buyer, be where they are, and be visible and valuable to them. Buyers are increasingly spending more time on social platforms, so social selling is about finding and creating your digital presence, showing the world that you are someone who has business acumen and has solved problems for your customers – problems that your potential clients are dealing with.

Jill explains you must develop your online network through LinkedIn, because if your network is your net worth and someone can't see that network on LinkedIn, then your network doesn't exist.

It's also about becoming visible and valuable through content that is interesting and relevant to your customer, not you! Chances are good that your buyers are putting massive content out there through podcasts, YouTube videos, tweets, and sharing content on LinkedIn. Since they are out there on the digital web, you need to learn to be, too.

When I asked Jill to share the biggest mistakes or misconceptions that she sees organizations have about social selling, she gave me three:

1. Companies are not addressing social selling at the organization level.

2. If a company is addressing social selling, they are doing so by buying LinkedIn Sales Navigator and calling it social selling.

3. Companies are saying more is "more better": do more mass emails, send more useless and impersonal invitations to connect on LinkedIn, share more impersonal content to the masses. It's a lot of irrelevant "more."

Since Jill is a primary reason we have marketing automation today, I asked her to give the original intent behind it. She says originally marketing automation's intent was to be able to convert an inquiry into a customer more efficiently and faster.

On this episode, Jill explains why those early days of marketing automation have now gone awry, and why it's more like a spam cannon today than a tool to turn an inquiry into a customer. She also gives a few things you should do right now to embrace today's digital age.

Listen in for all of that and more from the energetic social selling guru Jill Rowley on today's edition of Grow My Revenue!

For full show notes and other resources, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/jill-rowley/

What exactly is social selling, and how do you know if you're doing it right (or wrong)? Our guest today, Jill Rowley, is the de facto expert on the subject. Jill is an international speaker, digital transformation expert and startup advisor who began her career as one of the first sales people with Salesforce.

On this episode, Jill explains what social selling is, what the keys to social selling are, and a few things you should be doing to embrace the current digital age. We also discuss what not to do with social selling, and the misapplication of marketing automation today. You won't want to miss this episode with Jill Rowley!

Listen to this episode and discover:

· What is social selling?

· Why your network isn't a group of potential buyers, and what a network actually is.

· What was the original intent of marketing automation?

· Why more is not "more better," and what that means.

· How to become visible and valuable through content.

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

Jill became a student of marketing starting back in 2002, because her buyers were marketers. She learned what was driving modernization and transformation at the time, how it was becoming more about data, automation, technology and personalization through multiple channels and through social media. Through that lens she saw these buyer changes sooner than most sales people, and why those changes would become so important to sales as a whole.

Today she explains that social selling is about researching your buyers, and then becoming relevant to them and building really meaningful, deep relationships with them. These factors will ultimately drive revenue.

To succeed you need to know your buyer, be where they are, and be visible and valuable to them. Buyers are increasingly spending more time on social platforms, so social selling is about finding and creating your digital presence, showing the world that you are someone who has business acumen and has solved problems for your customers – problems that your potential clients are dealing with.

Jill explains you must develop your online network through LinkedIn, because if your network is your net worth and someone can't see that network on LinkedIn, then your network doesn't exist.

It's also about becoming visible and valuable through content that is interesting and relevant to your customer, not you! Chances are good that your buyers are putting massive content out there through podcasts, YouTube videos, tweets, and sharing content on LinkedIn. Since they are out there on the digital web, you need to learn to be, too.

When I asked Jill to share the biggest mistakes or misconceptions that she sees organizations have about social selling, she gave me three:

1. Companies are not addressing social selling at the organization level.

2. If a company is addressing social selling, they are doing so by buying LinkedIn Sales Navigator and calling it social selling.

3. Companies are saying more is "more better": do more mass emails, send more useless and impersonal invitations to connect on LinkedIn, share more impersonal content to the masses. It's a lot of irrelevant "more."

Since Jill is a primary reason we have marketing automation today, I asked her to give the original intent behind it. She says originally marketing automation's intent was to be able to convert an inquiry into a customer more efficiently and faster.

On this episode, Jill explains why those early days of marketing automation have now gone awry, and why it's more like a spam cannon today than a tool to turn an inquiry into a customer. She also gives a few things you should do right now to embrace today's digital age.

Listen in for all of that and more from the energetic social selling guru Jill Rowley on today's edition of Grow My Revenue!

For full show notes and other resources, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/jill-rowley/

Do you think you know what your customers want? Have you sent them surveys? Most business owners either assume that they know what their customers want, or don't know the right questions to ask to get the most impactful answers.

Today Ryan Levesque, creator of the Ask Method and national best-selling author of Ask, joins us to talk about why you shouldn't assume you know what your clients want, and how to formulate the questions to find out what they need so you can best serve them. He also explains why segmented opportunities will produce better results for your marketing efforts on this edition of Grow My Revenue.

Listen to this episode and discover:

· What is the key to unlocking the full potential of your business?

· What is the second biggest mistake people make when trying to find out what their customers want?

· Where should you start when sending out a survey?

· What does SMIQ stand for?

· What are micro-commitments and how do you use them effectively?

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

Ryan Levesque is a software entrepreneur and the creator of the Ask Method. His book Ask, which was written based on his method, was named the #1 marketing book of 2015 by Inc. magazine, and Entrepreneur magazine listed it as the #2 must-read for budding entrepreneurs. And those accolades are well-founded: he has used the Ask Method to help build multi-million dollar businesses in 23 different industries and generated over $100 million in sales in the process.

When he joined me on the show, I asked him to talk about the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to surveys, and his response was simple: people assume and assume they know. He says whenever he brings up the idea of surveying customers to get to know them better and find out what they want, what they need, and what they'll buy, his suggestion is met with resistance by the business owner.

Business owners inevitably tell him they know what their clients want. But the key to unlocking the potential in any business is to have a beginner's mind. Approach your business as though you know nothing about your customers. Pretend you are a scientist about to start an experiment, and go in with no bias or preconceived ideas. As you experiment, you let the data, the feedback, and your market tell you the truth.

Once you do that and you are open to getting the data and the feedback, you must know the right types of questions to ask. This is the second place where people fall down, they ask the wrong questions. They send out surveys to their customers asking them what they want and what they need help with.

Ryan says this doesn't work because people don't always know what they want. But people do know what they don't want; that is a question they can accurately answer. You can get those answers by using something Ryan calls the Single Most Important Question method (or SMIQ).

You use SMIQ by thinking about how to frame your questions. You can say something like: "When it comes to X, what is the biggest challenge, frustration, obstacle, or hurdle you run into?" In this example, "X" stands for the thing you intend to help people with. Ask your clients to be as detailed as possible in their responses.

On this episode, Ryan also explains the myth of the FAQ by sharing a story of his experience in the orchid care market. His company successfully entered the orchid care market using the Ask Method. He had no knowledge and no experience in that market, other than the fact that he and his wife bought a bunch of orchids and killed them!

So they went into the market and asked questions like: "When it comes to caring for your orchid, what is the single biggest challenge/frustration/question you are running into right now?"

Hear more about that lesson, and other gems from Ryan on this episode of Grow My Revenue!

For full show notes, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/ryan-levesque/

Do you think you know what your customers want? Have you sent them surveys? Most business owners either assume that they know what their customers want, or don't know the right questions to ask to get the most impactful answers.

Today Ryan Levesque, creator of the Ask Method and national best-selling author of Ask, joins us to talk about why you shouldn't assume you know what your clients want, and how to formulate the questions to find out what they need so you can best serve them. He also explains why segmented opportunities will produce better results for your marketing efforts on this edition of Grow My Revenue.

Listen to this episode and discover:

· What is the key to unlocking the full potential of your business?

· What is the second biggest mistake people make when trying to find out what their customers want?

· Where should you start when sending out a survey?

· What does SMIQ stand for?

· What are micro-commitments and how do you use them effectively?

· And so much more!

Episode Overview

Ryan Levesque is a software entrepreneur and the creator of the Ask Method. His book Ask, which was written based on his method, was named the #1 marketing book of 2015 by Inc. magazine, and Entrepreneur magazine listed it as the #2 must-read for budding entrepreneurs. And those accolades are well-founded: he has used the Ask Method to help build multi-million dollar businesses in 23 different industries and generated over $100 million in sales in the process.

When he joined me on the show, I asked him to talk about the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to surveys, and his response was simple: people assume and assume they know. He says whenever he brings up the idea of surveying customers to get to know them better and find out what they want, what they need, and what they'll buy, his suggestion is met with resistance by the business owner.

Business owners inevitably tell him they know what their clients want. But the key to unlocking the potential in any business is to have a beginner's mind. Approach your business as though you know nothing about your customers. Pretend you are a scientist about to start an experiment, and go in with no bias or preconceived ideas. As you experiment, you let the data, the feedback, and your market tell you the truth.

Once you do that and you are open to getting the data and the feedback, you must know the right types of questions to ask. This is the second place where people fall down, they ask the wrong questions. They send out surveys to their customers asking them what they want and what they need help with.

Ryan says this doesn't work because people don't always know what they want. But people do know what they don't want; that is a question they can accurately answer. You can get those answers by using something Ryan calls the Single Most Important Question method (or SMIQ).

You use SMIQ by thinking about how to frame your questions. You can say something like: "When it comes to X, what is the biggest challenge, frustration, obstacle, or hurdle you run into?" In this example, "X" stands for the thing you intend to help people with. Ask your clients to be as detailed as possible in their responses.

On this episode, Ryan also explains the myth of the FAQ by sharing a story of his experience in the orchid care market. His company successfully entered the orchid care market using the Ask Method. He had no knowledge and no experience in that market, other than the fact that he and his wife bought a bunch of orchids and killed them!

So they went into the market and asked questions like: "When it comes to caring for your orchid, what is the single biggest challenge/frustration/question you are running into right now?"

Hear more about that lesson, and other gems from Ryan on this episode of Grow My Revenue!

For full show notes, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/ryan-levesque/

Every year, I give a rundown of the business trends I see in the upcoming year, and today I am sharing the top 2017 business trends with you on this episode of Grow My Revenue.

Specifically, I'll be talking about the different roles in sales today and which role you should be focused on, how the sales process has changed for the buyer and how you can be a key component in that process, as well as crowdfunding to test your ideas, and why you must start segmenting your marketing lists.

Listen to this episode and discover:

· What are the three sales roles, and which should you be evolving into?

· What is the single best sales tool you can have?

· How to use crowdfunding to validate your ideas.

· Why and how monthly recurring revenue changes the value of your business.

· And so much more…

Episode Overview

Of the top trends I see coming in 2017, I chose a few to discuss here that are going to have the most impact on your bottom line. The first concept is the three roles in sales: the order taker, the salesperson, and the subject matter expert.

The order taker is exactly what it sounds like: someone in this role simply takes orders and fulfills their customers' requests. Today I explain that this role is being replaced because of the convenience and quickness of online ordering sites like Amazon. If it's easier and it's faster to buy from Amazon, the client will go that route versus going to the order taker.

Next up is the salesperson: this is someone who believes their job is to sell what their company offers to anyone who will buy it.

And finally, there is the subject matter expert. In this role is the person who has enough expertise that the customer would be willing to pay to meet that person, if that's what it took to have a conversation with him or her.

As you might guess, the customer will always want to deal with subject matter expert. That means you must offer this to them; if your competitors do and you don't, you will miss out.

As you begin to evolve your sales roles, you should understand that subject matter experts have high credibility and high integrity, but they will not have skills with follow-through and the sales process. This is where you must pivot: have your subject matter experts supported by sales process and systems experts who will guide them through the sales steps.

Going hand in hand with the subject matter expert trend is knowing and utilizing the buyers' new sales process. The sales cycle for the buyer is different than it is for the seller, and as the seller, you must know and understand this.

To compare, here's how it works on the sales side: first there is the inquiry/initial contact, then a meeting occurs. During the meeting, the sales side determines if there is a good fit. If there is a good fit, a proposal is given to the potential client. From there, a negotiation may occur before an agreement is made and the work is begun.

For your customer the sales process works differently; in between every step and interaction with your sales team, they are doing research on their own.

They may have a meeting with you in person, but they may have been searching and gathering information about you for weeks or months before they reached out to you and met with you. After you meet, they may do additional searches and have questions about what the risks are if they implement what you offer, or they may research what the risks of purchasing from you are, and what kind of customer service you provide.

I touch on several other business trends for 2017 today, including the use of crowdfunding and why it's better than focus groups when validating new business ideas, as well as why and how to segment your audience. I also cover why monthly recurring revenue is so much more beneficial to your bottom line, versus single-shot projects. Listen in for all of that and more on this episode of Grow My Revenue!

For full show notes, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/2017-business-trends/

Every year, I give a rundown of the business trends I see in the upcoming year, and today I am sharing the top 2017 business trends with you on this episode of Grow My Revenue.

Specifically, I'll be talking about the different roles in sales today and which role you should be focused on, how the sales process has changed for the buyer and how you can be a key component in that process, as well as crowdfunding to test your ideas, and why you must start segmenting your marketing lists.

Listen to this episode and discover:

· What are the three sales roles, and which should you be evolving into?

· What is the single best sales tool you can have?

· How to use crowdfunding to validate your ideas.

· Why and how monthly recurring revenue changes the value of your business.

· And so much more…

Episode Overview

Of the top trends I see coming in 2017, I chose a few to discuss here that are going to have the most impact on your bottom line. The first concept is the three roles in sales: the order taker, the salesperson, and the subject matter expert.

The order taker is exactly what it sounds like: someone in this role simply takes orders and fulfills their customers' requests. Today I explain that this role is being replaced because of the convenience and quickness of online ordering sites like Amazon. If it's easier and it's faster to buy from Amazon, the client will go that route versus going to the order taker.

Next up is the salesperson: this is someone who believes their job is to sell what their company offers to anyone who will buy it.

And finally, there is the subject matter expert. In this role is the person who has enough expertise that the customer would be willing to pay to meet that person, if that's what it took to have a conversation with him or her.

As you might guess, the customer will always want to deal with subject matter expert. That means you must offer this to them; if your competitors do and you don't, you will miss out.

As you begin to evolve your sales roles, you should understand that subject matter experts have high credibility and high integrity, but they will not have skills with follow-through and the sales process. This is where you must pivot: have your subject matter experts supported by sales process and systems experts who will guide them through the sales steps.

Going hand in hand with the subject matter expert trend is knowing and utilizing the buyers' new sales process. The sales cycle for the buyer is different than it is for the seller, and as the seller, you must know and understand this.

To compare, here's how it works on the sales side: first there is the inquiry/initial contact, then a meeting occurs. During the meeting, the sales side determines if there is a good fit. If there is a good fit, a proposal is given to the potential client. From there, a negotiation may occur before an agreement is made and the work is begun.

For your customer the sales process works differently; in between every step and interaction with your sales team, they are doing research on their own.

They may have a meeting with you in person, but they may have been searching and gathering information about you for weeks or months before they reached out to you and met with you. After you meet, they may do additional searches and have questions about what the risks are if they implement what you offer, or they may research what the risks of purchasing from you are, and what kind of customer service you provide.

I touch on several other business trends for 2017 today, including the use of crowdfunding and why it's better than focus groups when validating new business ideas, as well as why and how to segment your audience. I also cover why monthly recurring revenue is so much more beneficial to your bottom line, versus single-shot projects. Listen in for all of that and more on this episode of Grow My Revenue!

For full show notes, please visit: http://www.ianaltman.com/podcast/2017-business-trends/