tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57046592361501930772024-03-21T07:08:41.325-07:00Value Selling Training Best PracticesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-9430247042283842982017-03-11T06:34:00.001-08:002017-06-14T23:50:34.428-07:004 Value Selling Tips to do the Trick<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">Value selling is defined as a ‘sales technique that relies on building on the inherent value of a product or service rather than simply ‘pushing’ the product through a massive advertising and marketing campaign. </span><span style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt;">This method is more suitable for a bespoke approach that has been tailor-made to target a specific subset of potential customers. Following are some tips of the art and science of ‘value selling’</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11pt;">Don’t Push</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">When it comes to ‘</span><a href="http://lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/"><u><span class="15" style="color: #0563c1; font-family: "calibri";">value selling</span></u></a><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">’, the most important thing to remember is not to ‘push’ your product by talking about it right from the beginning. It would be far better to initiate a conversation and explain with clear and lucid examples exactly how your product can help your customer. </span><span style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt;">You can do this quite simply by asking the most relevant questions so as to be able to understand your customer’s questions and in this way, come up with the best possible solutions to the same.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11pt;">Hone and Fine Tune Your Own Skills </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">Sales skills are an absolutely </span><span style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">imperative</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;"> part of the value selling preposition. As a matter of fact, if you </span><span style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">don</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">’</span><span style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">t</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;"> know how to sell, the chances are you might not be able to clinch that potentially lucrative deal. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;">If you do have the raw talent to be a good salesman, it would be advisable to have those skills honed to a razor’s edge by </span><span style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 11pt;">professional</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;"> trainers who know their work. This is because such skills may well prove to be an integral part of your value selling armory.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11pt;">Concentrate on High Value Conversions</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">The age old adage</span><span style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 11.0000pt;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt;">‘quantity is always better than quality in the sales world’ </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">does not hold sway when it comes to the</span><span style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 11.0000pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">value selling process. This is because it denotes a paradigm shift in sales thinking. Every sales effort is important, but when it comes to high value potential clients, personal calls should be undertaken to acquire those coveted conversions. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">For this purpose, it may be necessary to provide as much information in a single conversation as is possible to your client. Moreover, it is </span><span style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">imperative</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;"> that it be an actual ‘conversation’, not a one way boring </span><span style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">recital</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;"> of facts. You have to be genuinely interested in the client’s problems so as to be able to advise him </span><span style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">with</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;"> the best possible solution, so much so that they would want to ask your opinion whenever they feel the need to switch to any other product or </span><span style="font-family: "simsun"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">company</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11pt;">Do Your Homework Beforehand</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">Before making a personal sales call, it is wise to know that person’s likes and dislikes, i.e. their peccadilloes and idiosyncrasies beforehand. This way, you would be able to give them what they might want most; namely, a highly personalized experience for their individual needs.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a href="http://lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" target="blank">http://lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a> </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-57661867008031531442016-10-28T11:35:00.000-07:002016-10-28T11:35:25.751-07:006 Steps to Ensure Your Sales Training Sticks…<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">When you are planning a value selling training program, don’t waste your time and money on an intervention that has no legs. Start at the beginning and construct a thoughtful and relevant program that can actually improve the consultative selling skills and behaviors of your team and provide true business results in terms of increased revenue, higher margins, shorter sales cycles, better win rates or a more strategic portfolio mix.</span><br />
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<li><b>Link your business sales training directly to the corporate and sales strategies</b><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Make sure your </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ for proven programs on solution Selling training" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" title="Secure Your Training Investment">value selling training program</a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"> connects to a critical part of the organization’s strategy and, as such, is fully supported at the highest levels. You need to know you have executive support to underline the importance of the program, focus on the business outcomes you plan to achieve, and supply whatever resources are needed to get the job done. If you have not identified specific sales metrics you want to improve and how much you want to improve them, then chances are that your sales training program is too isolated and tactical in nature.</span></li>
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<li><b>Ensure relevance</b><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">To ensure sales training relevance, make sure that the participants, their bosses and the leadership team as whole care about the desired results compared to other priorities on their plates. We call this </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://lsaglobal.com/insights/proprietary-methodology/lsa-training-rai-relevance-adoption-impact/ for more on how to be sure your training has the desired impact" href="http://lsaglobal.com/insights/proprietary-methodology/lsa-training-rai-relevance-adoption-impact/" title="Ensure Your Training Works and Sticks">3x3 Training Relevance</a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">. Without it, your training is set up to disappoint. Work with sales leaders and key stakeholders to understand the greatest sales challenges, the most important sales scenarios and what makes the difference between the highest and lowest performing sales reps. Make sure everyone feels ownership of the issues, design and desired results. That way they will participate not as prisoners but as advocates and learners. Treat any important learning solution as a change initiative, not a training event.</span></li>
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<li><b>Grab them at the start</b><br />
The more relevant the interaction, the better. Get sales training workshop participants involved from the very beginning. Use live examples. Include simulations. Provide relevant job aids and tools. Uncover barriers to success back on the job. Understand what would make the program a real game changer and make sure that you deliver.</li>
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<li><b>Customize, customize, customize</b><br />
Include as many relevant real-world examples, scenarios and role plays as you can. Otherwise participants will feel that the program will not transfer over to their specific job and situation. </li>
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<li><b>Expand their thinking</b><br />
Challenge participants to push beyond their comfort zone. Encourage the technical expert to present to the class in a persuasive way. Pair your “A” players with lower performers to help build skills on both sides…the “A’s” to learn how to collaborate and coach and the “B’s” to learn how to be more successful.</li>
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<li><b>Consider the session close as a new beginning</b><br />
The program should not end with the bell. For it to have lasting value, there should be a follow-up system of job aids and tools, regular coaching for desired behaviors, rewards for putting the new learning into practice and solid <span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/ for why training measurement matters" href="http://lsaglobal.com/training-measurement/" title="See that Your Training Has the Desired Impact">training measurement of skill adoption and performance change</a></span>.</li>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Don’t skip the “under construction” phase in your hurry to deliver your business sales training. The planning and instructional design will make the difference between a simple training event and actual transfer of new, meaningful skills to the workplace.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://lsaglobal.com/healthcheck-download/free-training-readiness-analysis/ for a free analysis of your sales team's training readiness" href="http://lsaglobal.com/healthcheck-download/free-training-readiness-analysis/" title="Make Sure Your Training is Successful Long-Term">Assess Your Upcoming Sales Training Now</a></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-85678250468096526532016-09-23T12:00:00.000-07:002016-09-23T12:00:33.636-07:00Value Selling Success Requires More than Effort<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkz9ZCimUrKz8YiyBzzLqSQINdGEwwQl9zWNCV-qX_voKirMO75O0sfUgYktcEAhBY_HT_keFeqVD-T3UkoMPDD4L1JMRpxOFRFL754fZ8O9gyXo_5AXvMdmFvYJK7j8CgB-Dl2jR5mU/s1600/effort-results.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A graph with Efforts as the y axis and Results as the x axis" border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkz9ZCimUrKz8YiyBzzLqSQINdGEwwQl9zWNCV-qX_voKirMO75O0sfUgYktcEAhBY_HT_keFeqVD-T3UkoMPDD4L1JMRpxOFRFL754fZ8O9gyXo_5AXvMdmFvYJK7j8CgB-Dl2jR5mU/s400/effort-results.jpg" title="Sales Success Requires Skills AND Effort" width="400" /></a></div><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">When you are looking for results from your sales force, know that it takes more than effort…it takes a blend of consistent work and the key consultative sales skills learned in value selling training.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Just because you are hiring more sales reps, you cannot be guaranteed of increased sales…at least not for a while. Your feet on the street may be higher but you need to allow for ramp-up time. There will be an uncomfortable lag between bringing your new sales hires aboard and the time when they are actually bringing in the revenue you hope for. Yet, if you want to keep them engaged and motivated, you have to reward them sufficiently. So be prepared. There will be a net drain until they meet their targets.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Here, according to </span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ for information on LSA's solution selling training" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" title="How to Value Sell Effectively" >value selling training experts</a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"> is what you must do to minimize the financial impact and bring in those positive results as soon as possible.</span><br />
<ol><li><b>Hire your sales force well.</b><br />
Don’t hire for the numbers; hire for the quality. Know what critical few sales and cultural competencies spell success in your business and make sure your new sales hires can prove their ability or have the right attitude to learn what they need to know to succeed.<br />
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<li><b>Prepare your sales force well.</b><br />
You will need to invest mightily in your incoming sales force. Give them the value selling training they need…both in what your company offers and in how your company adds value better, faster or cheaper than the competition. Train them in your proven sales methodology. For organizations with complex sales, teach them how to sell value. They should understand how to differentiate your offering and couch it in a way that truly solves the customer’s problem so that cost becomes less of a consideration. Help your new sales reps learn all they can about your industry, your company, your customers, your products, and your competition. They should have materials at hand (white papers, case studies, customer testimonials) that allow them to add and prove value every time they interact with customers.<br />
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<li><b>Provide opportunities for your sales force.</b><br />
Let your sales reps shadow your “A” solution sellers and then give them a <a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/sales-coaching-training-for-superior-performance/ for how to boost sales performance" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/sales-coaching-training-for-superior-performance/" title="Get Better at Value Selling" >sales performance coach</a> who can provide helpful feedback as they ease into selling one step at a time. Give them an opportunity to test their wings and they will learn by doing. Another aspect of “opportunity” is to give them some real business to work with. What is in your pipeline they can use as leads? You can’t just throw them into a new territory without a chance to win.</li>
</ol><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Establish realistic performance goals for each stage of sales onboarding. As your sales reps reach goals, they become more valuable to your sales team and to the company. Reward them accordingly. Soon enough, they will reap their own rewards as they bring in their own sales results.</span><br />
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</span> <div class="MsoNormal"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://lsaglobal.com/whitepaper-download/best-practices-whitepaper-download-the-4-most-important-attributes-to-look-for-when-your-sales-reps-miss-their-targets/ for a white paper on sales best practices" href="http://lsaglobal.com/whitepaper-download/best-practices-whitepaper-download-the-4-most-important-attributes-to-look-for-when-your-sales-reps-miss-their-targets/" title ="Get the Best at Value Selling">Download the 4 most important attributes to look for when your sales reps miss their targets</a><o:p></o:p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-27501735089460721962016-08-24T08:00:00.000-07:002016-08-24T08:00:08.155-07:00How to Salvage the Deal - or at Least the Relationship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">None of our value selling training participants wants to lose hard fought sales…especially when customers switch to the competition. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Rule #1 - Make sure your revenue does not fly away because you did not make your value visible to your clients and prospects.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Of course, the best way to avoid losing customers is to treat them right and add value in the first place. Stay in touch…not just to “check in” but to bring relevant value at each and every interaction. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Remember your </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ for proven solution selling training programs" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" title="Salvage the Deal or the Relationship">value selling training</a></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">? Your customer should welcome your calls because each time you talk they come away having learned something valuable. Perhaps you have uncovered a recent article that is relevant to their business or you have just met an expert in a field that interests them. To do this well, you need to talk with your clients and prospects fairly regularly so you stay current on their goals and pressing issues. After all, it is hard to add value if you do not know what is valuable to them.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Let’s say that, despite your work to keep your clients and prospects highly engaged, you get a call that negates the contract you were working on together. What can you do to salvage the deal or at least the relationship?</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><b>Try to learn what is going on.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><br />Find out all you can about why the deal went south. Only then can you hope to either fix what went wrong or retool your approach or solution so it’s a better fit.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><b>Request a delay.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><br />If you can, try to get some time to get back to the drawing board or meet with your primary internal supporter to see what, if anything, can be done to get back on track.</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><b>Get creative.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><br />OK, so you may have lost the larger deal, but is there any piece of the business that you can still provide? Or can you offer advice on how to manage the transition? If you can focus on what differentiates you from the competition, you may still be able to keep your finger in and, if things go awry, be ready to pick up the pieces again. You could say, for instance, “Even though you did not select us, I know that you were most impressed with the quality of our experts. How can we help make sure that you get the level of expertise that you desire?” Or, “Are there any areas where you would like some additional help?”</span></li>
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<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><b>Stay in touch.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><br />Haven’t we all switched solutions or products to make sure we were using the best? Give your customer a chance to come back. Make sure you maintain contact and make your value visible so it will be easy for them to return to you when the time is right.</span></li>
</ol>
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<a alt="this is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/toolkit-download/sales-toolkit/ for a toolkit that will help your sales reps" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/toolkit-download/sales-toolkit/" title="Tips on How to Salvage a Lost Deal">Download Sales Best Practices Toolkit for Leaders</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/whitepaper-download/4-steps-identify-target-best-clients-accelerate-growth/ for using your best clients to accelerate growth" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/whitepaper-download/4-steps-identify-target-best-clients-accelerate-growth/" title="Salvaging the Deal and the Relationship">Read 4 Steps to Identify and Target Your Best Clients to Accelerate Growth</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-20853693957572306072016-07-28T15:00:00.000-07:002016-07-28T15:00:34.897-07:00How to Clearly Define Value During the Sales Process<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTTmYSQKKL-f2zlXia1ZFBmlTQT530h0P7zr_xQPjvVFb_Zbvay-W-M6eJI5Fgxn5Kdr_4Emy3ks4oqOvTmP5I9_YE-fT-Z-o4sRW8S5rRT5kwInE-yqaico1yGpPtG3sKH42-_lWauA/s1600/value-word-cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The word "Value" is at the center of a group of relevant terms" border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTTmYSQKKL-f2zlXia1ZFBmlTQT530h0P7zr_xQPjvVFb_Zbvay-W-M6eJI5Fgxn5Kdr_4Emy3ks4oqOvTmP5I9_YE-fT-Z-o4sRW8S5rRT5kwInE-yqaico1yGpPtG3sKH42-_lWauA/s400/value-word-cloud.jpg" title="Define Value During The Sales Process" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">How do you define “value” in a selling situation? </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Is It All About Price?</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Some value selling experts maintain that price and value are just different words for the same thing. They claim that the “value” of a solution is always ultimately defined by price: either providing more services for the same price as a competitor or charging less for the same services as the competition. But we think that perspective is too narrow. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">We see value selling as quite different from selling with cost as the defining measure. Rather than focusing on cost, sell value by focusing on what makes your solution unique in the eyes of your buyer…what differentiates it from the available alternatives. This is what gives value selling its edge and what gives you success in a competitive marketplace with complex sales.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">A simple example would be selling your services as a residential architect. Once you have a thorough understanding of what your customer wants and needs, you go back to the drawing board to put together your plan. Topmost in your proposed design needs to be what matters most to your client. There are many factors to consider…size, house style, room plan, construction materials, placement on the property, landscaping, and so on. If budget is a real concern, you should provide options within a price range that fits. In the final analysis, however, your plan should reflect how completely you have understood the client’s dream house coupled with your expertise on what will suit them best for a budget that makes sense.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Validating Your Value</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">As a seller of value, always be ready to substantiate the financial and business impact of your proposed approach and solution. If clients do not trust or believe in your value proposition, they will be less likely to partner with you to help them to succeed. To do this you must start by answering some key questions:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">What specific problem is the client trying to solve? Why?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">What are the specific benefits of solving the problem?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">How will you know if success has been achieved?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">How did the problem or need come about?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">What has stopped it from being resolved before now?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">How does the problem manifest itself from a business perspective?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">How important is this compared with other strategic priorities?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Who/what else is affected? Who cares most about solving it?</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Differentiating Your Value</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">As a seller of value, be ready to point out how your solution is different and better than any other available alternatives. If buyers do not appreciate what makes you better, faster or cheaper, they will most likely look for the cheapest alternative. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Back to our example, can you list your unique qualifications as an architect that sets you apart from the rest? For example, do you focus exclusively on custom residences within a certain price range? Are you an expert in a certain style or design? Do you have special access to materials? Can you turn around plans faster? Do you work directly with the onsite contractor to ensure the plans make sense? Do you understand the local planning commission rules and regulations? You get the idea...articulate what makes you stand apart from the pack in the eyes of your target clients.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">As a seller of value, check that your differentiators still matter to the customer and agree upon the financial impact of those differentiators. Just think, for example, of how many costly fixes and re-designs can be avoided if there is a daily onsite check on building progress.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Whether you are the seller of simple or complex solutions, value selling can be your ticket to win. Your understanding of your customer’s unique needs coupled with your ability to provide a unique solution can be more compelling than any lower cost alternative.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ article about building a sales team of top performers" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" style="background-color: white; color: #ffc132; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;" title="4 Steps to Improved Sales Team Performance">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-71357534787234075682016-06-24T11:04:00.000-07:002016-06-24T11:04:05.861-07:003 Value Selling Do’s and Don’ts When You Get Pricing Pressure <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFykCwITSIiDuAF7okd3WUi9p5PPNJ8Rkr15vTp04RCQ8_vsEB03SJzPVCGfNclmXK_eXu-Ji-LVJS3idjdOWyS20tTd4WO4mHjJOoxOraBJwPb7EsPhaWJDId5M8XThmQp_rJ_Rd_8Y/s1600/price-pressure-in-a-vice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The word "prices" is being squeezed in a vice" border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFykCwITSIiDuAF7okd3WUi9p5PPNJ8Rkr15vTp04RCQ8_vsEB03SJzPVCGfNclmXK_eXu-Ji-LVJS3idjdOWyS20tTd4WO4mHjJOoxOraBJwPb7EsPhaWJDId5M8XThmQp_rJ_Rd_8Y/s400/price-pressure-in-a-vice.jpg" title="Value Selling Do's and Don'ts" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">There comes a time in almost every sale when the customer challenges or complains about price. It is often at this point that inexperienced salespeople crumble and surrender to price pressure. But your solutions and your sales people do not need to get squeezed this way. What you need to counter this pressure is a good dose of quality, customized and targeted value selling training.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">When you understand why the customer puts on the pressure and how to handle it, you won’t succumb to offering unnecessary discounts that will erode your brand and profit margin; nor will you be tempted to walk off in an insulted huff. Instead you will have the sales tools and skills to continue to work with the customer to mutually agree upon the true value of your solution. As a result, you will have an entirely different kind of sales discussion and sales outcome.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Here, in a nutshell, are what NOT to do when you encounter price pressure from your customer:</span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Don’t negotiate when a customer tells you they can get the same product at a lower price</b>. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">First of all, they may be bluffing. But even if not, you should acknowledge that there are many different prices and alternatives out there. If the client can find similar value at a lower price, they should take it. Your challenge will be to clearly articulate why the value you are offering is different (better, faster or cheaper) compared to the available alternatives. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Don’t allow yourself to get drawn into a piece-by-piece breakdown of your pricing structure. </b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">It won’t help. Your fees should be based upon the tangible value your solution is providing in the eyes of the client. Assuming that your initial pricing makes sense, your fees are your fees…period. If the client wants to spend less, then reduce the scope to meet their budget. Just make sure that you decrease expectations accordingly.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Don’t prematurely abandon the opportunity simply because the customer asked the “price” question.</b> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Haven’t you asked similar pricing questions when you were buying a house, car or other services? It is common. It is human nature for many. And it does not necessarily mean that your customer will be a difficult one or that you have lost the sale.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">What TO do when you encounter price pressure from your customer?</span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Identify the Value.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Clearly define with your client the value they are looking for compared to other business priorities and alternatives.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Link the Value.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Define specifically how your unique and differentiated solution best helps the customer to succeed better than the competition.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Articulate the Value.</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Clearly communicate how your value-added solution addresses what matters most to them and their key stakeholders.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Selling your value in a way that aligns with the customer’s buying process and business goals enables you and your sales team to demand premium pricing, differentiate yourself from the competition and have a better close rate. Customers will gladly pay more if they trust you can bring the value required to get them where they want to be.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ article about building a sales team of top performers" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" style="background-color: white; color: #ffc132; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" title="4 Steps to Improved Sales Team Performance">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-73811159076619237062016-05-24T09:47:00.000-07:002016-05-24T09:47:17.358-07:00Value Selling – 3 Levels of Sales Team Performance to Manage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfr8AYS94pzpLOC3Db5QW5EHPPZpU8Miamfn3nxZ3bhy9c2BcM-xSj_f00AG1WnbrlmjFe4aRIJKlcBfACeZVbElnzo0xy1FZXOt1iwCvg7CE1pnSHM8C3MLzeeCvqbecehQc7y8pU47o/s1600/4-juggling-balls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A businessman is juggling 4 colored balls" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfr8AYS94pzpLOC3Db5QW5EHPPZpU8Miamfn3nxZ3bhy9c2BcM-xSj_f00AG1WnbrlmjFe4aRIJKlcBfACeZVbElnzo0xy1FZXOt1iwCvg7CE1pnSHM8C3MLzeeCvqbecehQc7y8pU47o/s400/4-juggling-balls.jpg" title="Manage All 3 Levels of Your Sales Team" width="318" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Just about any sales team can be divided into three major performance levels based upon performance, cultural fit, and knowledge and skills. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Depending upon your sales strategy, sales performance is typically defined in terms of some combination of revenue, margin, win-rate, portfolio mix and customer satisfaction. Cultural fit is usually defined as people’s ability to fit into the accepted and desired ways your sales team thinks, behaves and works. Knowledge most often accounts for company, industry, market, customer and solution understanding while skills refer to the consistent ability to add customer value and sell solutions to help your clients to succeed. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">With that as context, the three major performance levels are:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>A Players – Your High Performers. (~ 20%)</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">These sought after sales team members have it all – high performance levels, a strong cultural fit and the knowledge and skills required to consistently and profitably deliver on your value proposition and brand promise. <br /></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>B Players – Your Average Performers. (~ 60%)</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">These sales team members are doing well in some areas and not meeting expectations in other areas. For example, they may be hitting their sales targets, but not be a great cultural fit or selling the wrong things to the wrong customers in a way that does not align with your brand promise. <br /></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>C Players – Your Low Performers. (~ 20%)</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">These sales team members are currently falling short in all areas. </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">If you want to raise the overall performance of your sales team, here are some proven ways you can juggle those three performance levels for the best possible results…</span><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Let’s deal first with your top 20% high performing sales reps. </b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">First, you must identify who they are. Then your challenge is understand exactly what is required to consistently engage and retain them. From a sales strategy perspective, that means making sure that they feel that the sales direction and plan is clear, believable and implementable enough to succeed. From a sales culture perspective it means creating an environment that sets them and their team up for success by making sure they feel rewarded, supported, recognized and included. From a talent perspective it means making sure that they and their team have the resources, tools, skills and knowledge to achieve their targets.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>The Middle 60%</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Then there are those who get results but whose sales skills could use a boost. Chances are their success is due to perseverance and a reliable network of order takers built up over the years. They may be hard workers but just think how much more effective they could be if they truly understood and practiced what they could learn in value selling training. Respect their results but help and incentivize them to try a new selling approach that will make their job easier and more productive for the long haul. Perhaps the simplest solution is for these middle performers. Identify what critical few sales skills matter most. Assess their skills gaps. Provide targeted and scenario-based value selling training that fits your exact sales strategy and culture. Give them support, ongoing coaching and reinforcement. Then measure their progress and adjust as necessary.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />Then there are those who appear to have the sales skills and knowledge but just are not getting the desired results. This is a more difficult situation to solve. You need to identify the root cause of their substandard performance. Do they not trust their ability? Do they lack the drive or motivation? Are they in the wrong role? Do they feel taken for granted? Is something happening on a personal level? Are they unaware of how they are performing? As their sales manager, it is your job to figure out what they need to perform at a higher level and create a meaningful plan to lift their performance. </span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />After making sure that you engage and retain your top 20% sales talent, your greatest leverage point may lie in lifting the performance of this middle 60% group. <br /></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>The Bottom 20%</b></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">For your sales team members falling short in all areas, it would benefit both them and the company as whole to place them on a meaningful performance development plan to help them improve or move on in 90 days. The plan should give them the support, ongoing coaching and reinforcement to have a chance to raise their game. Then keep close track of their progress. If they show little improvement or little effort over a reasonable period, it is time to let them go. If ever you are to build a high performing sales team, you cannot hang on to poor performers. </span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Evaluate your sales team and treat each performance level differently. This is how to build a high performance sales team.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ article about building a sales team of top performers" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" style="background-color: white; color: #ffc132; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" title="4 Steps to Improved Sales Team Performance">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-2841925850074318812016-04-30T14:41:00.000-07:002016-04-30T14:41:36.745-07:00Keep Your Value Visible<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUG0HxHAWU8HN7pmyOMPh_Eg1qWZ0jqLGRQMfnKh9PAT4HIp_yXB9GIhb5zjWAn8SF89_d46el77SKizd6fQGqiRsEz_mPcZqoJxC_4pu8C0kRl31MyyvNPx_GDiqT8qcuwh7VrBMkkHg/s1600/value-word-cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The word "Value" is at the center of many words that relate to it" border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUG0HxHAWU8HN7pmyOMPh_Eg1qWZ0jqLGRQMfnKh9PAT4HIp_yXB9GIhb5zjWAn8SF89_d46el77SKizd6fQGqiRsEz_mPcZqoJxC_4pu8C0kRl31MyyvNPx_GDiqT8qcuwh7VrBMkkHg/s400/value-word-cloud.jpg" title="Make Your Value Visible" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">What you hear throughout value selling training is that you need to keep your value visible. At LSA Global, we call it MVV – Make your Value Visible.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Value selling may be challenging to practice effectively, but it makes good, common business sense. It is not rocket science to understand how much more powerful it is than more traditional or transactional selling. Persuading your customer of the value your solution brings to them in terms of real business results is far more effective than a generic list of your service’s benefits. Ergo, if value selling is the way to go, keep your value in front of the customer each time you interact in order to enhance the relationship and their commitment to you. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">One of the early ways to provide value and ensure that you are truly in sync as business partners is to provide a summary of each meeting. This will be helpful to you both as you move forward with the agreement to work together and it keeps you in front of the sales process. This is just where you want to be…at the helm, steering toward the agreed-upon and mutually beneficial goal.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Here are some value selling tips on how to prepare a summary that works in your best interest and theirs:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Make sure that the summary is not just a copy of your action steps toward your goal of a deal.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Remember that the customer needs to feel that helping them and their business is your primary focus. So each milestone should be articulated in the customer’s language in a way that aligns with their business strategy and unique organizational culture. They want to see how each step brings them closer to the solution you have agreed upon. They, too, should have milestones to reach. To secure their acceptance of what you understood to be the plan, ask them for their input and, if there are no corrections or additions, for their sign-off.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Check regularly on progress and make changes as necessary.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The summary will provide an ongoing checklist of action items, deadlines and results. Not only does this keep both you and your customer on track, it also prevents misunderstandings. Another real benefit is that it keeps the ultimate goal in front of the customer so your solution does not get lost in the day-to-day implementation. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The value of your plan to solve their problem and your unique approach can be reiterated and tweaked as you move forward…a good way to reinforce your value and secure the deal.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ article about building a sales team of top performers" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" style="background-color: white; color: #ffc132; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" title="4 Steps to Improved Sales Team Performance">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-19199381519452088462016-03-17T13:00:00.000-07:002016-03-17T13:00:38.066-07:00Value Selling In Two Distinct Phases<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrPvMnCnb_-lU3a30IauuSRZXOzvCWSgVVwk0va8BtMVOFqnHwGFjEyGSpTfqbCB3hnn1CD4vN7ZX2jg5ZqhAZ-p2-MV7odKge2bNLHwrCsLyUDwI55L_SASXWwuhwllxayyzzV_QgBA/s1600/problem-solution-choices.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A man looks down a road that forks; one way goes to a solution and the other toward a problem" border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrPvMnCnb_-lU3a30IauuSRZXOzvCWSgVVwk0va8BtMVOFqnHwGFjEyGSpTfqbCB3hnn1CD4vN7ZX2jg5ZqhAZ-p2-MV7odKge2bNLHwrCsLyUDwI55L_SASXWwuhwllxayyzzV_QgBA/s400/problem-solution-choices.jpg" title="Sell Value in Two Stages" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Your value selling training taught you a lot about clearly distinguishing your offering from the competition in terms of compelling value rather than price and benefits. The approach is a sound one but too many sales folks do not begin at the beginning. They do not first define the value of the client’s problem or goal. Instead, they launch too quickly into selling the value of their solution.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">If your customer does not understand the downside of doing nothing, they are unlikely to make a decision to buy. That is why we recommend that you think of presenting value to your clients in two distinct phases.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>First you need to work with your customer to fully identify and define the problem. </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Before they can be persuaded to buy, they will have to understand the extent of their business problem and the consequences of not addressing it.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Try to attach some numbers to inaction. What would the costs to the business be if they let the problem continue? What, for instance, will be the result of continuing to promote ill-prepared and ineffective managers? Likely disaffected and disengaged employees and progressively higher turnover and decreased performance. Figure out just what this might cost the organization and how valuable it is compared to other initiatives.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> Next you can propose the value of your solution. </b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The customer has been primed to recognize that the problem needs fixing. It is your challenge to effectively illustrate how your solution can address their unique problem in a way that makes sense for their unique strategy and organizational culture. Now you can paint a clear and compelling picture of the ideal situation…managers who know how to motivate and lead their teams to higher performance, employees who are engaged and committed to the organization’s values and goals, lower turnover and greater productivity. What will it take? That is where you apply your creativity and knowledge of the customer’s specific needs and situation to craft and propose your specific solution and capabilities.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Help your customer along the path from recognizing to defining their business problem and what would happen if they maintain the status quo. Then coach them to understand how you can help and why your solution is better than the alternatives. That is true value selling from start to finish.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ article about building a sales team of top performers" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" style="background-color: white; color: #ffc132; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" title="4 Steps to Improved Sales Team Performance">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-38793186262968693252016-01-22T13:33:00.000-08:002016-01-22T13:33:03.202-08:00Four Essential Rules for Sales Management Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgV-_qK97kHUfdvwWzdl-zvjc4c9eeI0IxYD63TAsbc-lxGhn8cn0H-HwadfCzbZY4UqmDdc2CmTUpmeNTfZ4In4RVDVB_oABqxuLEGag5oS_126B_9hHMHaBfhGtFAI69Roxs8RlxAY/s1600/success-failure-man-succeeding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cartoon businessman follow the sign to success not the sign to failure" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjgV-_qK97kHUfdvwWzdl-zvjc4c9eeI0IxYD63TAsbc-lxGhn8cn0H-HwadfCzbZY4UqmDdc2CmTUpmeNTfZ4In4RVDVB_oABqxuLEGag5oS_126B_9hHMHaBfhGtFAI69Roxs8RlxAY/s400/success-failure-man-succeeding.jpg" title="How to succeed at value selling" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Sales managers usually earn the job because they have excelled at selling, closing deals and helping their customers to succeed. But the critical skills required to effectively lead and manage a sales team are quite different from those of an individual sales contributor. Make sure you have shifted your thinking from connecting only with customers to connecting and guiding your team so that they, too, learn how to sell well. Your success is now dependent upon the success of others.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Hang on to what you learned in value selling training because it will help you in your new position. However, rather than simply figuring out what your customers want and need, sort out what critical few value selling skills your reps need to succeed; and instead of guiding customers toward a solution, coach your reps toward more effective value-added selling, relationship building and problem solving. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Here are four sales management rules to follow:</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Clearly define performance standards and expose where people stand.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Don’t leave your performance expectations vague or unclear. Every team member should know exactly what is expected of them and they should understand that they will be held accountable for their performance. Recognize and reward exceptional performance; have consequences for substandard performance. Ignored, poor performers will infect high performers and team goals will suffer.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Encourage sales reps to solve problems on their own.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Too many sales managers take over before the “teachable moment.” Give your reps the space to try to figure out solutions to the problems they encounter so they learn what works and what doesn’t. And give them the opportunity to handle customer conversations. They may not handle the discussion as you would but they need the practice and feedback. Afterwards you can debrief together to think about what they could have done differently. Until you give reps the chance to reflect and learn, they won’t!</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Become an effective performance coach.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The better you develop your sales team, the more effective they will be at helping their clients to succeed and meeting their sales targets. Work alongside your sales reps; be a thoughtful observer of behavior; know how to give constructive performance feedback in a way that is specific and timely; follow up to see that the desired sales skills are actually applied; and hold your reps accountable for the sales behaviors you deem critical to success.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Keep your eye on the overall business direction and sales strategies.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">It is all too easy to get bogged down in the tactics of sales management, administration and forecasting. Don’t neglect to spend some focused time each week on reviewing and aligning with the big picture. You should have an overall sales plan for success that directly aligns with the overall business strategy. Discipline yourself to have a clear target market, a meaningful differentiation, a proven sales methodology, and a powerful sales culture to achieve your objectives. Continuously do what it takes to ensure that all the moves you make propel you in the right direction.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ article about building a sales team of top performers" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" style="background-color: white; color: #ffc132; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" title="4 Steps to Improved Sales Team Performance">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-51231395295425059972015-12-23T11:01:00.000-08:002015-12-23T11:01:09.127-08:00How to Use Value Selling to Overcome the Problem of Multiple Buyers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7oVSEx8-MgSiXnLmDTeYfGESGn4VJIy6aLHctpaCss8wEkN1-T5bwEwwIG-C4JWEiEBAd1cMqc2heUmLQdGL_vuHP_8hPnQPheps4Q9k-o4M6IbcsEBSs9WmtFMSC7Nl7b5XNMP9Ua4/s1600/challenge-pawn-against-chess-army.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="one white pawn is lined up against the whole black chess pieces" border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ7oVSEx8-MgSiXnLmDTeYfGESGn4VJIy6aLHctpaCss8wEkN1-T5bwEwwIG-C4JWEiEBAd1cMqc2heUmLQdGL_vuHP_8hPnQPheps4Q9k-o4M6IbcsEBSs9WmtFMSC7Nl7b5XNMP9Ua4/s400/challenge-pawn-against-chess-army.jpg" title="How to Use Value Selling to Overcome the Problem of Multiple Buyers" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Have you as a salesperson ever felt overwhelmed by the number of buyers you need to contend with before a buying decision is reached? You are not alone. It turns out that there are an increasing number of stakeholders involved when customers consider a major or complex purchase. In fact, it is estimated that the average number of stakeholders consulted on a business-to-business buying decision is now up to 5.4. And often their agendas, perspectives and goals are conflicting. You can certainly get the feeling that you are a powerless pawn facing an army of players who have multiple moves and priorities. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Let’s get you off that chessboard and re-write the rules. We will look to the lessons learned in value selling training to help guide your diverse stakeholders toward a decision that makes sense for them and their organization as a whole.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">First, what can happen if you don’t change the game? With buyers who have differing levels of interest, knowledge, and priorities around what you are proposing, they are apt to reach a point of no decision. They haven’t agreed on a business goal for the purchase so they show their confusion and uncertainty by avoiding a decision altogether or making a poor decision driven by either a single, rather irrelevant factor or by playing it too safe. Neither you nor the customer wins.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">So what influence can you wield to help bring these diverse buyers together so they can make a value-added decision that benefits you both?</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Commonality. </b><br />If you want to align their interests, you need to start with a common language. Use words that are understandable to all and work together to identify a common and mutually beneficial goal. If they are considering purchase of a new software system, for instance, make sure that each stakeholder knows what value there will be for their individual teams. You need to get beyond price considerations to paint the picture of improved business outcomes for all concerned.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Input. </b><br />Give all stakeholders a voice. Make sure that your discussions include everyone at the table. Each should understand how the others will be impacted by the decision and ensure that there will be support for the changes.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Biases. </b> <br />Acknowledge stakeholder biases and help to overcome them. For example, sales folks may balk at a new software system because there will be an initial loss of productivity as they struggle with the learning curve and lose customer face time. Counter this with the value of time they will save with the new system’s improvements around customer contact data and reporting capabilities.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Bringing customer factions together takes skill. Consider each stakeholder’s interest and come up with the value each will derive from implementing your solution.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ article about building a sales team of top performers" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" style="background-color: white; color: #ffc132; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" title="4 Steps to Improved Sales Team Performance">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-2062526124754054562015-11-30T08:30:00.000-08:002015-11-30T08:30:01.084-08:00Selling Value? How to Keep the Top Sales Performers on Your Team<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJh89naghXDU1klebRUqj5gcbLRnd1NEi5FiFQ7mpRC2Cpe7ka0ZOGgkI4dy4-T6CgPr9CJTRIDndyOYp86kQ4b2Hk5x8P1ynNZ5zkWoVpuJ8UL14ne1i-zUFag0xNadC0pgZp6hNJHU/s1600/value-word-cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The word "value" is at the center of a cloud of related concepts like "success" and "quality"" border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxJh89naghXDU1klebRUqj5gcbLRnd1NEi5FiFQ7mpRC2Cpe7ka0ZOGgkI4dy4-T6CgPr9CJTRIDndyOYp86kQ4b2Hk5x8P1ynNZ5zkWoVpuJ8UL14ne1i-zUFag0xNadC0pgZp6hNJHU/s400/value-word-cloud.jpg" title="Stop the turnover of your value selling salespeople" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">You have two problems. Your sales team turnover rate is high and your resources are depleted due to your recent investment in value selling training. It was an investment you thought might stem the tide of top salespeople leaving the team. But you are now forced to admit that even the best sales training is of little help if your good people are heading elsewhere. Your first task is to figure out why you are losing good sales reps and then you need to find ways to keep the good ones aboard. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The major flight risks are those top sales reps who deliver consistently above quota with satisfied clients. They are the ones the competition wants to hire away and these are the reps you need to retain. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Here are five ways you can maintain the “greener pasture” in your organization so your A-players are not tempted by what’s over the fence:</span><br />
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<ol>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Make sure your compensation package is at least as good as the competition. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Make it worth their while to reach ever higher in terms of whatever incentives suit them (i.e., flex hours, additional vacation days, more money, promotions or bonus trips). Design reward and recognition plans for each individual that encourage higher performance and describe a meaningful upside and career path.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Involve top performers in strategic planning so they feel they have a voice and a stake in the company’s future. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Let poor performers go. They only de-motivate the A-players and take up space.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Look at your own performance as sales manager. Is your sales territory plan as equitable as possible? Do you manage effectively and tune into what the team needs to succeed? Are you setting your team up for success?</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Retain your top sales folks and then re-visit the value selling training. Now your investment will pay off.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ article about building a sales team of top performers" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" style="background-color: white; color: #ffc132; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" title="4 Steps to Improved Sales Team Performance">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-9145738769074194352015-10-29T15:14:00.000-07:002015-10-29T15:14:00.061-07:00New Sales Hire Selection Criteria Debate – Experience Level<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54kcVGDHeT2L_6TibyMo-_2QTLSLpiwV0H8zrgja_vW4hgmAoaRSCCsb5v5l2uj7PgXBn4pB9T9S446Vgtfyhbzyl02L5eL4i2fOD-V1TGoQl4x8D6NVVtjWNSs2oJKuxWk4PyghjsK8/s1600/team-interview-hiring-join.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A businessman holding a sign that reads, "Join Our Team"" border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54kcVGDHeT2L_6TibyMo-_2QTLSLpiwV0H8zrgja_vW4hgmAoaRSCCsb5v5l2uj7PgXBn4pB9T9S446Vgtfyhbzyl02L5eL4i2fOD-V1TGoQl4x8D6NVVtjWNSs2oJKuxWk4PyghjsK8/s320/team-interview-hiring-join.jpg" title="New Sales Hire Selection Criteria Debate – Experience Level" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The next hire you make for your sales team will be a critical one. This new person needs to be productive, fit in the culture, and stay. You need the performance boost and you can’t afford to invest in another “B” or “C” player. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">This time you plan to involve the whole sales and marketing team in the hiring decision. But the debate on selection criteria continues…should the new hire be experienced or relatively inexperienced? For the sales team that has been indoctrinated in value selling training, the question is relevant. In which hire is there greater value? </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">We are told there’s a trade-off. Each sales team will have to decide what would suit them best. In general:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">An experienced salesperson should be more productive faster. But their hiring costs and expectations will be greater. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">An inexperienced sales rep will likely fit into the existing culture more easily but take longer to contribute. They will also need more training, coaching and support from their sales manager. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The advantage of experience is that they will be able to add value to clients more quickly, but they may be more difficult to manage and could resist the way you want your team to sell and position the company if it is different than their previously successful sales practices. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">A plus on the side of inexperience is that they are usually more malleable, hungrier and more eager to learn. Additionally, if they don’t stay with the company, the cost of losing them will be less.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">The bottom line? You pay for experience in dollars but experience typically pays for itself. For the non-experienced, you have to invest more onboarding, development and management time, but they often return that investment in greater loyalty and faster adaptation to the value selling methodologies and unique high performing sales culture that you are trying to create. Which is best for you?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ article about building a sales team of top performers" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" style="background-color: white; color: #ffc132; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" title="4 Steps to Improved Sales Team Performance">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-77745307873095408592015-09-29T10:31:00.002-07:002016-08-05T15:23:08.392-07:004 Steps to Improved Sales Team Performance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7aeWozbmoty1HP9MKZyiRMR5eR9AlSDxDPcEkOugwnN7wsWBkBWAEnIXiwES_wXxr05BFedXf40wLStaEeAHzzgTBEQTIqINBphv6_jjzusvucbMZeNqdR_sa0sKEEngFGFdn3bhKuJU/s1600/talent-red-circle-around-4-people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Red pencil circling 4 images of people to distinguish as value selling training prospects for improved performance" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7aeWozbmoty1HP9MKZyiRMR5eR9AlSDxDPcEkOugwnN7wsWBkBWAEnIXiwES_wXxr05BFedXf40wLStaEeAHzzgTBEQTIqINBphv6_jjzusvucbMZeNqdR_sa0sKEEngFGFdn3bhKuJU/s320/talent-red-circle-around-4-people.jpg" title="Improve Sales Team Performance Through Value Selling Training" width="320" /></a></div>
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For a sales team to consistently perform at its peak, you need a clear sales strategy, an aligned and high performing sales culture and a team of high performers to execute your plans.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Most often, high performing salespeople are focused, effective at building strong and value-added relationships, business savvy, motivated to excel, and able to consistently follow value selling training best practices through the entire buying cycle. To perform at your peak, you want the best of the best. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s how to go about building a select team of top talent salespeople.<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</b></div>
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</div>
<ol>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Know what sales skills matter most in your business.</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Evaluate the skills of your high performers to determine what it takes to win.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Then create a profile of the ideal salesperson. Those are the behaviors and competencies you want to build in your current team and use to select new salespeople. Be objective. Are there current reps who are underperforming and not willing or able to change? If so, they need to move on.</span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</b></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Know what sales scenarios matter most. </b></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Once you know the high performance sales skills required to win, identify the 5-10 sales scenarios and situations where those skills matter most in terms of revenue, margin, win-rate, deal size, etc. These are the areas to hire to train to, coach to and reward to.</span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</b></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Recognize the importance and effectiveness of an ongoing coaching plan.</b></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">After you make sure they have been taught how to give performance feedback in a constructive way, pair your experienced high performers with your lower performers. Send them out into the field together. Onsite course corrections from skilled coaches can effectively change behavior and promote a culture of continuous learning.</span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</b></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>Check in with your customers.</b></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Don’t neglect this most important source of information. Find out what your customers think of your sales reps. What would they change if they could? If your customers truly come first, shouldn’t you consider their perspective above all else?</span></li>
</ol>
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<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<a href="http://lsaglobal.com/whitepaper-download-sales-management-best-practices/" target="_blank">New Whitepaper - Making Sales Management Matter: Best Practices for a Competitive Advantage</a></div>
<div style="text-indent: -24px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Learn more at: </span><a alt="This is a hyperlink to http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/ article about building a sales team of top performers" href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" style="background-color: white; color: #ffc132; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" title="4 Steps to Improved Sales Team Performance">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-65907212171495466082015-08-30T18:32:00.001-07:002015-08-30T18:32:46.987-07:003 Key Ingredients for Selling Value<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlnzCctenmBcNo2svE0L1K3jGtqcfnqHflwf_Dphcs96rOSfxQy6B1Jet-cSH4C_6-5QsCORyCLc0_yHO_H1QhEaWM-zyAmusRUzhaYM05K42wykGI_AY-wr3BrzIY-JXLEvClwPVJeU/s1600/3-fingers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlnzCctenmBcNo2svE0L1K3jGtqcfnqHflwf_Dphcs96rOSfxQy6B1Jet-cSH4C_6-5QsCORyCLc0_yHO_H1QhEaWM-zyAmusRUzhaYM05K42wykGI_AY-wr3BrzIY-JXLEvClwPVJeU/s320/3-fingers.jpg" title="3 Ingredients for Sales Success" width="320" /></a></div>
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Whatever you are selling, whether it be a simple product,
yourself or a complex solution, three ingredients are needed for success:</div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Fit</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Proof</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Trust</span></li>
</ul>
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Overall, as you learn in value selling training, <b>trust</b> may be the most critical. For the
customer to believe you can deliver, they need to believe in you and that you
can fulfill your promise. Trust presumes a relationship. The bigger the ticket
item, the stronger the level of personal and business trust needs to be. But,
trust can be built more quickly if you have been referred by someone the
customer knows well, through believable third-party endorsements, by offering a
complimentary sample of your offering, or by constructing a pay-for-performance
agreement.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But customers won’t buy on trust alone…your solution must <b>fit</b> the need. What unique value do you
bring that your competition does not? Do you have more experience and lend more
insight to each interaction? How well have you understood and matched your solution
to their situation? Is your delivery schedule and pricing favorable? Are you
easy and pleasant to work with?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thirdly, what <b>proof</b>
do you have of satisfied clients and successful interventions? Make sure you
can present relevant case studies, client testimonials and references that
assure your client that you can do what you say you can do.</div>
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With trust, fit and proof on your side, you have the
necessary ingredients for a successful sale.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Learn more at: </span><a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" style="background-color: white; color: #ffc132; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-37204508113566316482015-07-31T09:10:00.003-07:002015-07-31T09:10:56.504-07:00How to Quickly Establish Credibility as the New Guy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAZVebS6AyZ-N9ekmZ4Kccbf_1qgE_ozVAgZ75jev20Ye0t-w9OSdCJkK8N6V4aPPbJcTUlhS09IzySnVQ-PMiZxw_ttnC8MvoM2O86CgsUx5WKbX_89gbKz_uGumzjKOJSdxjODrCVo/s1600/skills-new-guy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSAZVebS6AyZ-N9ekmZ4Kccbf_1qgE_ozVAgZ75jev20Ye0t-w9OSdCJkK8N6V4aPPbJcTUlhS09IzySnVQ-PMiZxw_ttnC8MvoM2O86CgsUx5WKbX_89gbKz_uGumzjKOJSdxjODrCVo/s320/skills-new-guy.jpg" title="New Guy Establishing Credibility" width="320" /></a></div>
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We’ve all been there…the new kid on the block who is eager
to make new friends. And what about as the new person on a sales team who needs
to win over new team members and customers? </div>
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As much as you believe in value
selling training and work toward differentiating your offering in terms of what
it can do for your clients, you need to prove your own value first. It is a
matter of establishing your credibility as an expert at what you do.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Do your
homework.</b> Find out all you can about your offers, the competition and your customers’
needs before you even first meet. Use all available resources…from public
information on the web to checking with others on your team for their experience
and tips on working with your new contacts.<br />
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<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--><b>Create a
list of relevant company success stories</b> so you can build the
organization’s credibility with new clients. Leverage these stories until you
have your own to relate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Your goal? To convince the
customer that you care, that you understand their world, and that you can help
them accomplish their business goals better than other alternatives.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Learn more at: </span><a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/" style="background-color: white; color: #ffc132; font-family: arial; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-40027517133138639192015-06-30T13:10:00.000-07:002015-06-30T13:10:00.365-07:00Use Value to Break Out of the Pain of Price Pressure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9bx8mo4-vJYo7ygzNSW1fFhYmkN12bqZaBvc5gAyn5iUBYIpsDKhpmgcHOq5bfAAnDYgKy2xBJbDc0bt1Ckue29r1ER6ltuBtVk-7_LAxQp_3SfnEK49pL_FsKgo01I-eRdl0VkKwAU/s1600/price-pressure-in-a-vice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG9bx8mo4-vJYo7ygzNSW1fFhYmkN12bqZaBvc5gAyn5iUBYIpsDKhpmgcHOq5bfAAnDYgKy2xBJbDc0bt1Ckue29r1ER6ltuBtVk-7_LAxQp_3SfnEK49pL_FsKgo01I-eRdl0VkKwAU/s320/price-pressure-in-a-vice.jpg" title="Value Selling Training to Avoid Squeezing on Price" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">If you are feeling squeezed by your customers’ demands for better pricing, you may be missing all that you can learn from value selling training. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Most often pricing pressure is a warning signal that you need to better show your customers how your solution will benefit them in terms of improved outcomes. Learn how to demonstrate that investing with you will bring them steady, lasting and meaningful returns. Provide the kind of value that goes far beyond price.</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Here are some ways to build value in your customers’ eyes:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Think about what you are proposing they buy.</b> Will what you sell allow your customer to increase revenue, improve profitability, reduce costs, satisfy customers or improve productivity? Make sure you clearly link your solution to their business priorities and articulate it in a way that matters most to them.</span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Provide something of value each time you interact with your customer.</b> Perhaps you can share insights about their industry or competition, or connect them with a subject matter expert who can help with an important initiative, or provide valuable benchmarks or trends.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Suggest opportunities for additional knowledge</b>…a program or book or article that will increase their knowledge of the industry.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Be creative in the ways you expand your customers’ thinking from the prices you charge to the value you bring – the whole customer experience should bring measurable valuable.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-33009972175587227092015-05-31T13:47:00.000-07:002015-05-31T13:47:02.465-07:00Successful Selling - It’s All About Value<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_byVv6HLXyPzBWQMymop3Prptq5PCXRRbXGJeiLpWlJBExGe1Rpt778ifLjDds1HUH416xS19w6UoHm_QHAEF3u8hRKg-3B-IRTujWoa87J43CyMd8UppHZkkvNI9DH-eSFt7e05PBY/s1600/Successful+Selling+-+It%25E2%2580%2599s+All+About+Value.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Successful Selling - It’s All About Value" border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_byVv6HLXyPzBWQMymop3Prptq5PCXRRbXGJeiLpWlJBExGe1Rpt778ifLjDds1HUH416xS19w6UoHm_QHAEF3u8hRKg-3B-IRTujWoa87J43CyMd8UppHZkkvNI9DH-eSFt7e05PBY/s400/Successful+Selling+-+It%25E2%2580%2599s+All+About+Value.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
When you are working with a customer, it’s all about them understanding and believing in the value your offering will provide them, their team and their business. <br />
<br />
That’s what value selling training teaches…how to communicate in a compelling and action-oriented way what your offering can do for your clients in a way that works for them. You learn how to help customers understand and visualize a new, improved reality or truth that can be the result of your consultative collaboration.<br />
<br />
Here are three steps to communicate your value in a persuasive way:<br />
</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Find out what they envision as their ideal world.</b> Even before you complete the process of discovery and certainly before you begin to craft your proposed solution, coax them toward understanding specifically what success would look like, feel like and sound like.<br />
<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Articulate, in real terms, the “new truth.”</b> Quantify the specific business results they can expect from working with you and implementing your solution successfully. If you are pledged to improve the effectiveness of their sales process, by how much will that increase their revenue? If you are pledged to improve the effectiveness of their managers, by how much will that increase their employee engagement and retention? If they choose you over their previous provider because of a lack of follow-through, what can you guarantee in terms of how quickly you respond and how often you meet? Be specific.<br />
<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Present your pitch in graphic terms.</b> Make it visual…whether you use graphs or tell a story that is encapsulated in a photo. You want your customers to grasp just what it will look like and feel when they decide to work with you.<br />
</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">
Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a>
</span>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-74012606546977771252015-04-30T12:48:00.001-07:002017-07-09T15:50:42.239-07:00The Value of Combining Prospecting and Qualifying Into One Step<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxpfyRkyVLqcS9MxoMSVeW-iau7kgpGobRXkUhlRD-8iqPcZbF5P-Y85vTk0gTSm-q4fz2FyRzf7m7ucIYdA200LPN3f8Ob5fscBpRuvIoreyV1EfUL8zwFFLU2Hl1rmkruDOnnhDuHs/s1600/The+Value+of+Combining+Prospecting+and+Qualifying+Into+One+Step.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Value of Combining Prospecting and Qualifying Into One Step" border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxpfyRkyVLqcS9MxoMSVeW-iau7kgpGobRXkUhlRD-8iqPcZbF5P-Y85vTk0gTSm-q4fz2FyRzf7m7ucIYdA200LPN3f8Ob5fscBpRuvIoreyV1EfUL8zwFFLU2Hl1rmkruDOnnhDuHs/s1600/The+Value+of+Combining+Prospecting+and+Qualifying+Into+One+Step.jpg" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><br /></span><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">This value selling article has been moved to: <a href="http://lsaglobal.com/blog/combine-prospecting-qualifying-improve-sales-time-management/">http://lsaglobal.com/blog/combine-prospecting-qualifying-improve-sales-time-management/</a></span><br />
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "arial";">Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a>
</span>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-69606994794880382392015-03-31T19:38:00.000-07:002015-04-02T11:39:21.738-07:00Targeted Messages Reduce the Need to “Sell”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWY0OM62UXeHcyktzF4eWM3dpLv_qVxLAuxtdkUIa60vpIEbH5Is39Bg50gPVmL1Pjs1gF-UGNWL7_rh__2P0TF9U2vFZJVmqm-_LESLkM5tSh-Pue2OyLbQhrRNZar9iNUGCVMt-jtlA/s1600/Targeted+Messages+Reduce+the+Need+to+%E2%80%9CSell%E2%80%9D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Targeted Messages Reduce the Need to “Sell”" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWY0OM62UXeHcyktzF4eWM3dpLv_qVxLAuxtdkUIa60vpIEbH5Is39Bg50gPVmL1Pjs1gF-UGNWL7_rh__2P0TF9U2vFZJVmqm-_LESLkM5tSh-Pue2OyLbQhrRNZar9iNUGCVMt-jtlA/s1600/Targeted+Messages+Reduce+the+Need+to+%E2%80%9CSell%E2%80%9D.jpg" height="332" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Don’t bombard your clients with “noise” about your products and services. It will only confuse and annoy them. <br />
<br />
Instead, spend your time identifying what your client wants and needs. Then follow effective value selling training guidelines. Your client doesn’t want to know what your offerings can do in general; they want to know specifically what it can do to help them to succeed.<br />
</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Learn about your client’s marketplace</b>. Get a good grounding in what problems your clients face every day. Know what threatens their immediate and long-term future. Validate that you have accurately understood their situation.<br />
<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Get a clear picture of how your offering can solve your customers’ most pressing problems</b>. If there’s not a good fit in terms of value, priority or approach, move on to a customer who truly needs you.<br />
<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Clearly set yourself apart from the competition</b>. Assess the competition and be sure your offering is well differentiated so your customers buy for value rather than for price.<br />
<br />
</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Craft a compelling strategy and message</b> that shows your clients how your solutions will support their success and improve a critical business metric. <br />
</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">
Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a>
</span>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-39859176309844019112015-02-28T13:13:00.000-08:002015-03-01T13:15:08.569-08:003 Key Questions to Go Slow to Win Smart Sales<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUio6OXa43jzh0-I0KqQYRBRxJ5PI1kCPzrl7JHFrWLemBVtwOqdShMrnok1GmbrxCukBthvTyGeLbsGr1_SMnynB-EYQ-DlPLU56X45zlXV0MnoMhG3oLf7VcJK7CiQqDUiJHFscJjms/s1600/3+Key+Questions+to+Go+Slow+to+Win+Smart+Sales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="3 Key Questions to Go Slow to Win Smart Sales" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUio6OXa43jzh0-I0KqQYRBRxJ5PI1kCPzrl7JHFrWLemBVtwOqdShMrnok1GmbrxCukBthvTyGeLbsGr1_SMnynB-EYQ-DlPLU56X45zlXV0MnoMhG3oLf7VcJK7CiQqDUiJHFscJjms/s1600/3+Key+Questions+to+Go+Slow+to+Win+Smart+Sales.jpg" height="400" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
Sometimes in your confidence and excitement about winning the race, you go too fast. Sometimes, the tortoise will tell you, it is better to go slow in order to go smart. <br />
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Value selling training professionals caution eager salespeople to be sure that they can truly help the client they are wooing. It is not just about winning…it is about winning smart. Better to win a target client for the long than the short term. <br />
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Before you push toward closing the deal, you should ask yourself three questions to be convinced that you and your solution are a good fit with the client and their problem:<br />
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<ol start="1">
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Are you and the client in full agreement?</b> You may like each other and want to find a way to work together, but what if you have different ideas about the fundamental solution or approach? Make sure that you are on the same philosophical page before moving forward.<br />
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</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Are they really open to your help and counsel </b>or have they already made up their mind about the direction and implementation of the solution? Narrow thinking can ruin an important project. Make sure that goals and roles make sense form the beginning.<br />
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</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Do they really know what it will take to succeed?</b> Clients may have a great idea but they may not have thoroughly scoped out how they will reach their goal in terms of resources required, timing, stakeholders and investments. Make sure they have the stamina and desire necessary to succeed.<br />
</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">
Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a>
</span>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-26639075725680008402015-01-30T14:46:00.000-08:002015-02-02T14:48:22.025-08:00Think Client Value to Not Leave Yourself Fatally Exposed<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisezUtne9ipmNVp5Nxdry1A4zl60xGmjOQTCfAF0Ren02WKpkpq0Q_A9WYhX2ffUR6IerndHmQjB-ztQGPhVnxdcDkUOkhGBYe1AtwMj74aBBMznucz8Z6NbBkSZK_q8RSWCE8RPGUJFk/s1600/Think+Client+Value+to+Not+Leave+Yourself+Fatally+Exposed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Think Client Value to Not Leave Yourself Fatally Exposed" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisezUtne9ipmNVp5Nxdry1A4zl60xGmjOQTCfAF0Ren02WKpkpq0Q_A9WYhX2ffUR6IerndHmQjB-ztQGPhVnxdcDkUOkhGBYe1AtwMj74aBBMznucz8Z6NbBkSZK_q8RSWCE8RPGUJFk/s1600/Think+Client+Value+to+Not+Leave+Yourself+Fatally+Exposed.jpg" height="400" title="" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">We’ve all been there…suddenly faced with the fact that the client in whom we invested so much time and energy has moved on and we are left high and dry in the account without any backup or safety net. There are two ways to prevent or at least make the best of that situation:<br />
</span><br />
<ol start="1">
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Do not rely on just one relationship.</b><br />
Accept that there will be turnover and that you may lose your main contact. Plan for this by cultivating other relationships within the company. Connect to a senior leader above, a key stakeholder alongside and critical influencers below your day-to-day client. Make your value visible by ensuring you (and your client) get credit for the valuable work you do and the impactful solutions you bring. And when your executive leaves, ask for a warm introduction to their replacement.<br />
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</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Continually provide value.</b><br />
Remember your value selling training. Be sure that you bring something of value in each and every interaction and that your voice is heard and appreciated beyond your immediate client. Show how you are helping their most important strategic initiatives in terms of measurable business results. Articulate the impact you have on the problems that matter most.<br />
</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">
Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a>
</span>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-38093530887541539362014-12-29T15:11:00.001-08:002014-12-29T15:11:37.867-08:00How to Predict Sales Success - Hint: Don’t Just Track Revenue<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IWieVjhF1KFGbyVi1wiJN1t0Bk8so44cCgmgVSXiUL0UDnKdFQdxD47gSajXEqMhVT0PH2GqJJ5nubEK6sDP1GgUOwI3GbJXDmibySCvszkwozCRgNcH3xoF-LYUK9TwfBbXHc04AXM/s1600/How+to+Predict+Sales+Success.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IWieVjhF1KFGbyVi1wiJN1t0Bk8so44cCgmgVSXiUL0UDnKdFQdxD47gSajXEqMhVT0PH2GqJJ5nubEK6sDP1GgUOwI3GbJXDmibySCvszkwozCRgNcH3xoF-LYUK9TwfBbXHc04AXM/s1600/How+to+Predict+Sales+Success.jpg" height="233" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
<br />
Wouldn’t it be great if you could measure the likelihood of sales before they happen? <br />
<br />
Don’t just work through the selling process blindfolded, hoping to find your way. There are leading measures you can apply that will predict sales success and then give you enough time to change your approach if you are not moving in the right direction. Follow the advice of value selling training professionals to apply key sales metrics before, not after, the deal is done.<br />
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Instead of measuring lagging results after the fact, measure leading indicators of sales success as they relate to key activities undertaken by sales team members. Determine which specific behaviors are most likely to build strong client relationships and end in bona fide deals. <br />
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For example, perhaps you have learned that the salespeople who reach out to customers with key insights on a weekly basis are more successful overall than those who check in only occasionally. Or you may find that the salespeople who regularly spend one-quarter of their day researching and prospecting are better at maintaining a productive pipeline. If so, measure those two leading sales indicators of success. They will tell you how a salesperson is doing during the sales process, predict outcomes and allow for behavioral coaching if needed in time to improve the chances of success. <br />
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The bottom line - identify the key sales activities that lead to success for your specific sales strategy, target market and value proposition. Then measure, support and reinforce them at every turn.<br />
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Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a><br />
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</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-58091636662049841132014-11-30T13:43:00.000-08:002014-12-03T13:45:34.708-08:003 Steps to Start Your New Sales Manager Off on the Path to Success<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwx4ZXtM8qpUKH0VyGakTdj0Qg6AJGf-pjYeH_A9pQGdwIutLt1UaRBwF_9GdU5OhhVjgEVknffFV7_HHm4vrmRHcGIvIkzRBZOf-_f7Qr8bVwmybveUMSVLna9rso5sHgoltCxhY3Iw/s1600/3+Steps+to+Start+Your+New+Sales+Manager+Off+on+the+Path+to+Success.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwx4ZXtM8qpUKH0VyGakTdj0Qg6AJGf-pjYeH_A9pQGdwIutLt1UaRBwF_9GdU5OhhVjgEVknffFV7_HHm4vrmRHcGIvIkzRBZOf-_f7Qr8bVwmybveUMSVLna9rso5sHgoltCxhY3Iw/s1600/3+Steps+to+Start+Your+New+Sales+Manager+Off+on+the+Path+to+Success.jpg" height="331" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
When your success as a leader depends on the success of the next sales manager you hire, you had better find a way to set meaningful performance guidelines and measure execution early and often. <br />
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If you have hired poorly, you need to know before too much time is lost and, if you have made a hiring mistake, you need evidence to support your decision to let the new sales manager go in a way that makes sense for your unique organizational culture.<br />
</span><br />
<ol start="1">
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Identify What Constitutes Success and Failure</b><br />
From the beginning, you and your new sales manager must agree on what both success and failure looks like. What targets do you expect them to hit and at what level of performance will there be a problem.<br />
</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="2">
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Make a list of what activities you expect of your new hire.</b> <br />
You are not looking for mere busy-ness; the activities should produce results and serve as early indicators of success. An example would be your expectation that the new manager meet with each team member one-on-one every week. Or you may feel that your sales manager should review the top five deals on a weekly basis. Read up on value selling training to find best practice guidelines that apply to your business.<br />
</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="3">
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Then hold your new hire accountable.</b><br />
Is your manager fulfilling the performance contract you designed for success? If not, because you incorporated behavioral accountabilities into the onboarding process, you have clear reasons to let your non-performer go and begin the search again without delay.<br />
</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">
Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a></span>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704659236150193077.post-25351028303334716482014-10-31T12:47:00.000-07:002014-11-04T12:49:32.956-08:00The Approach that Works Best in B2B Sales<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbP83r9k6fMfnKbVC6v8MZtIVknik6PyYI01U4-55_ET6hz5MQYehB3OFLg6e8MvPtRqS0j344wigCKvn6Uv2J1XFKJYW9hvb6u7Q8eWP0ReRpqQxU20rV-jDrjSZi-gPcoNkdi2GaoCk/s1600/The+Approach+that+Works+Best+in+B2B+Sales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbP83r9k6fMfnKbVC6v8MZtIVknik6PyYI01U4-55_ET6hz5MQYehB3OFLg6e8MvPtRqS0j344wigCKvn6Uv2J1XFKJYW9hvb6u7Q8eWP0ReRpqQxU20rV-jDrjSZi-gPcoNkdi2GaoCk/s1600/The+Approach+that+Works+Best+in+B2B+Sales.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br />
If you are selling in B2B, you no doubt focus on such efforts as customer acquisition, customer retention, account development, sales process efficiency, and so on. All well and good. But you know what? Your competition is focused on the same things. How can you differentiate yourself and persuade your customers that your solution is best? <br />
<br />
Value selling training tells us that much of B2B selling success is in the approach. It is no longer the nice guys that finish first. Instead it is the rep who uses constructive tension during the sales process and provides value to clients in the following three ways:<br />
</span><br />
<ol start="1">
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Provide knowledge and insight</b>.<br />
Challenge your customers’ thinking or teach them something new. This is what customers value the most. Help them with ways to compete more successfully, save money, or increase revenue.<br />
</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="2">
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Address the needs of individual stakeholders across the account.</b><br />
It is not enough to sell value to just one buyer, the most successful B2B reps tailor their message to each key participant in the buying decision and thus gain widespread support across the client organization.<br />
</span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="3">
<li><span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><b>Maintain control throughout the process.</b><br />
Customers often balk at making the final decision. They hem and haw and look for discounts. You need to reiterate the value your solution brings. Offer an alternative (different payment schedule or extended guarantee perhaps) but do not succumb to last-minute demands. <br />
</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">
Step up to the plate—challenge your customers, tailor your solution and stay in charge of the negotiation.</span><div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: arial;">Learn more at: <a href="http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/">http://www.lsaglobal.com/solution-selling-training/</a>
</span>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0