Whether selling is something you are comfortable with or not, a critical part of the interviewing process is understanding the competitive landscape. Here are some questions to consider: How many other candidates are you competing with? 10? 20? More? If you cannot get this information, assume you have many competitors…it will make you work smarter. […]
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Managing communication when pursuing a large/complex deal
Managing communication internally with your team and externally with the customer can be the difference between winning and losing a large/complex deal! Why does communication need to be managed? When you are pursuing a large, complex opportunity there are numerous people involved and a lot of information is flying around. Just look at the themes […]
Understanding your competition
Over the past week or so I have covered three important components of a sales pursuit strategy: 2/14/2020 Key contacts and their roles 2/18/2020 Mapping the customer’s decision process 2/21/2020 Customer decision criteria This article focuses on understanding your competitors and what they may be doing. Learning about your competitor’s approach to the opportunity is […]
Understanding your customer’s decision criteria
Over the past week I have covered two important components of a sales pursuit strategy: 2/14/2020 Key contacts and their roles 2/18/2020 Mapping the customer’s decision process This article focuses on identifying each key contact’s decision criteria. Gaining a solid understanding of this information will help you align your proposals, presentations and discussions to the […]
Mapping the customer’s decision process
In my 2/14/2020 post you have an outline of roles key customer contacts can play and how they may evaluate solutions they are considering. The next step is to clearly understand the steps in the customer’s decision process. Attention to detail is critical for this step. Upcoming posts will be focused on understanding decision criteria […]
Navigating the pursuit of a complex opportunity made easier
It would be great if most deals we pursue were straightforward where it was obvious how decisions would be made. However, if the sales cycle on solutions you sell are several months or more it is likely the sales process is not simple. In this and a few subsequent posts I will share an approach […]
Get off to a FAST START by learning from co-workers
One of the common traits in top athletes is that they are curious…always trying to learn, trying to improve. Whether you are a highly successful veteran sales representative or new to a sales role, there are always opportunities to learn. If you have started a new sales role you may have a longer learning curve […]
Grow your Business by Promoting your Wins
How are your wins (and value for your customers) being promoted in your customers’ organizations? Are they promoted at all? I have had periods of time where I have been focused on closing the next deal and forgot to promote the value of a project recently completed. What is an effective approach to ensure the […]
Discussion with UCONN Sales Management Class – Differentiation throughout the Sales Process
On Thursday January 30, I had the privilege of speaking with UCONN business students taking a course called Sales Management & Leadership with Assistant Professor Bill Ryan. This course is part of a Professional Sales Leadership curriculum offered by UCONN. This curriculum is a tremendous opportunity for students either looking to pursue a career in professional selling or to improve their understanding […]
Ramp up your pipeline quickly – brainstorm with a mentor
Have you recently started a new sales role or is your pipeline of opportunities not large enough? Finding new opportunities (and growing your pipeline) may be easier than you think. How do you identify them quickly and get an action plan in place? Contact someone who can act as a mentor Mentors can be someone […]