Is there a disconnect between what the sales manager thinks coaching is trying to achieve and what the sales executive is looking for?
Mark Savinson
Would the profound emotional response experienced by people from every corner of the globe be similarly evoked if Lennon’s masterpiece had been titled ‘What Would Be the Impact’ instead? This post is all about the impact of good messaging.
By redefining the ideal customer profile (ICP) to align with buyer-centric principles, you can expect to engage buyers earlier, have more meaningful conversations and convert more leads.
Being a genuinely business savvy sales professional requires more than just parroting industry jargon and superficial trends.
Embrace the nuances of sales beyond black-and-white approaches. High performers thrive by navigating the shades of grey.
Ask yourself: how much time do you, or your company, spend understanding your competitors, doing a feature-by-feature comparison, price comparison, SWOT analysis, etc? Having built all this valuable competitive insight, who do you then share it with? Do you “trash the competition” in front of the customer? Do you create one of those wonderful feature … Read more
Previously I focused on the psychology of change and the challenges faced by sales executives in translating awareness into intent. Now, let’s explore the crucial journey from intent to action. What drives us personally often hinges on a shift from a “nice-to-have” to a “must-have” scenario. Consider the familiar example of submitting a tax return. … Read more
When it comes to change, logic often takes a backseat to emotion. Consider climate change—scientists can present an abundance of logical and factual evidence, yet it’s only when we experience extreme weather personally that the reality hits home. The relationship between emotion and change exists in the business world too. Whilst we’re happy to utilize … Read more
We can all agree that, in sales, the buyer is the central figure, and successful engagement starts with effective discovery. For clarity, when I say ‘discovery’ I mean ‘the buyer discovers’. I’m not talking about sales qualification discovery, so forget BANT, MEDDIC or any other qualification model usually associated with a series of “discovery questions”. … Read more
Pipeline generation has got harder, partly because buying has got easier. People are less willing to have conversations with sales executives, perceiving them to have limited value to offer. This has been propelled by the digitalisation of outreach and the disintermediation of routes to market. Most organisations want to mimic the D2C (direct-to-consumer) model which … Read more
How does a buyer buy? We can all answer this question, because we all become buyers at some point, maybe even daily. Whether we’re buying something simple like a cup of coffee, or something more complex, like solar panels for our house, the buyer’s journey is identical, with the exception that one is just more … Read more
In the evolving landscape of sales, we often find ourselves questioning the apparent complexities of the process. Once deemed straightforward, selling now contends with an informed buyer base, changing perceptions of the salesperson’s role, and the challenge of finding potential customers. The shift is particularly pronounced in the direct-to-consumer (D2C) realm, where websites effortlessly connect … Read more
Looking for valuable insights on sales trends and business growth? Listen to CEO Mark Savinson share his expertise on a range of hot 2023 sales topics, including: If you’d like to hear how our team can help unlock revenue for your business, please contact us via the form below and a member of our team … Read more
It’s obvious that CEOs are busy people who don’t often have the bandwidth to be able to look above the parapet to ask fundamental questions. Here, we’ve collated a comprehensive list of questions to help aid structured self-reflection, alongside some answers which we believe could be red flags. If you recognise your own business strategy … Read more
Given that their sales team is in the capable hands of the leaders they selected, it can be tempting for CEOs to delegate strategic decisions to their CRO. Whilst it’s positive to avoid micromanaging, and more pertinently frees up space in the diary, the importance of the CEO’s contribution to strategic decision-making should not be … Read more
As predicted by all of the major research firms, buyers now expect more from salespeople, they want to speak to someone who adds value to the conversation, shares ideas and gives insights. As salespeople we have to recognize that we must earn the right to have that type of conversation; we cannot just turn up … Read more
If you have ever read anything about creating the ideal salesperson, you will have seen discussions on becoming a Trusted Advisor. They all make it clear that this is something to aspire to, something that can be achieved by you knowing things, through your business and commercial acumen and, of course, your relationship skills.. I … Read more
Sales is bound to be in your CRO’s DNA. They understand the situation that your sales team are in because they’ve likely been there themselves. They understand the stresses and struggles, and the pressure exerted on them from above to generate results. This means that maintaining an honest, authentic relationship with your CRO might sometimes … Read more
I am sure I am not alone in being inundated with people telling me I need to be more Customer Centric and that I need to have an “Outside – In” attitude to how I run my business. Which in principle I do not disagree with, it’s the pay-off I struggle with – “It will … Read more
Do all your people look and think the same? – Diversity could be the superhero coming to rescue you. It is fundamental that we measure perception versus reality in the matter of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and to make such a measurement we need to build an ideal model of DEI behaviors. However, here’s … Read more
