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MXL SalesNoteTM



August 2013

In this Issue
Nice Salespeople Finish Last?
MXL Speaks at Alchemist Accelerator
Rule #39 - Use a Customer Decision Plan
Lou Holtz on Management
Nice Salespeople
Finish Last?

 

They say that nice guys finish last. Really? In sales, nice guys can finish first and win the deal. Of course, turkey salespeople can win deals sometimes too. But more often than not, customers buy from people they like and trust.

  

"Nice" can be defined by terms like pleasing, agreeable, delightful, amiably pleasant, and kind. Websters further defines it as characterized by, showing, or requiring great accuracy, precision, skill, tact, and care.

 

You see, Nice salespeople get it. They win over customers by their pleasant charm and their adept skill, as well as their apparent concern for the customer.

 

Field research (IDC) bears this out by showing that customers buy 53% of the time because of the "purchase experience." Specifically the salesperson and/or team gained trust and were valued by the customers because they offered valuable perspectives, educated and helped the customer navigate alternatives, were easy to buy from and gained trust and support throughout the organization.

 

You can summarize that and say that winning salespeople showed "skill, tact, and care." Bottom line: they were nice.

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New 2013 2nd Edition!

     

42 Rules to Increase Sales Effectiveness

by Michael Griego 

 

Foreword by Mark Leslie, Venture Capitalist and former Founder/CEO of Veritas Software

Amazon.com  

"This book rocks - I've got pages dog-eared and notes throughout!" - Enterprise VP of Sales  

 

 

"42 gems that any entrepreneur can use to their company." - Start-up CEO 

 

"An excellent, well-written guide that de-mystifies the process for repeatable sales success." - VP Business Development 

 

 

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Are Salespeople Becoming Obsolete? 
No, not really. They could become outmoded if one's not careful. But it won't be because they're not needed to proactively initiate and drive well-executed sales cycles.
 
In truth, it shouldn't even be in question. So why the doubt in some people's mind that salespeople are going the way of the typewriter?
  
There are 3 major trends driving the issue:
  1. Expensive Reps - Rising cost of sales will drive any company to review their sales model and determine if there is not a better, cost-effective way to drive revenue. Particularly if the sales team is not producing.
  2. Ineffective Reps - Some reps are lagging because they don't have the right sales skills or prowess. Sometimes it's because they have not kept current in market/customer knowledge and evolutionary best sales practices.
  3. Inside Success - Communication tools have developed to where selling can be conducted start-to-finish by a lower cost Inside Sales Rep. Leads can be either auto-generated or managed by even lower-cost Market/Lead Development Reps.
So What's Really Changing?
Not much, really. Outside of common structural team adjustments, there's always been evolutionary change in sales sophistication and application of skills, tools, and customer engagement practices. Compensation plans still need to be managed so that bases and variable commissions are tied to proven experience and real quota exceeding productivity.
  
Additionally, management needs to continue keeping reps sharp and current with the tidal wave of new tools and engagement strategies hitting the shores. Mind you this is not just Sales 2.0 in sales technology and sales enablement tools. It's about the real shift happening out there because the customer/buyer has changed up and requires a different approach and engagement strategy. The best tools capture reinforce this.  
  
Finally, the move to empowering Inside Sales Teams is real and on the grow. Tag-teaming them with effective Outside reps and/or driving their own target territories commensurate with the selling effort is the new frontier that can be sharply optimized. But Inside reps still need modern selling skills - even more now as these are often Millennials who are sharp but lighter in battleground sales experience.
 
Great Salespeople Never Go Out of Style
What is real truth is that great salespeople never go out of style. They may get caught in minor slumps as the world shifts a bit, but they rebound quickly and adjust their game plan. They ultimately stay current, abreast of changing winds that impact their field of operation.
  
Many a senior rep has gotten caught in changes and never rebounded. But the best ones, the highest-grade professionals, caught it, morphed and kept themselves from becoming outmoded. They'll never go stale or obsolete.
 
Are you staying modern, relevant, or obsolete?
                             More...  

MXL Speaks at The Alchemist Accelerator

                                     

On August 26 MXL Partners President and Founder, Michael Griego, will speak to the current class of entrepreneurs at The Alchemist Accelerator. This lecture/workshop will be on "Building Blocks for Getting Your First Customers."

 

The Alchemist Accelerator is an accelerator exclusively for startups whose revenue comes from enterprises, not consumers. The accelerator focuses on enterprise customer development, sales (direct and online), market validation, and a structured path to fundraising.

  

In addition to offering professional sales training and consulting services for established high-growth enterprise sales organizations, MXL offers a Revenue XLerator service for early-stage start-ups.

                                                                             More...

Rule #39 - Use a Customer Decision Plan

(2nd Edition)

    

There were five vendors competing for the business of a billion dollar organization. The solutions were similar but one vendor stuck out like a sore thumb and won the business. The sales rep was able to differentiate herself from the others in a subtle yet powerfully effective way - she developed and used a Customer Decision Plan.

 

As discussed in Rule 33, one of the most effective questions in qualifying an opportunity and finding out the key players and decision-making process is as follows: "What's the process for making a decision on this and who would be involved?" Another key qualifying question is in uncovering information about the budget: "What's the budget process and who would be involved?" Both of these questions utilize the magic word "Process." Again, every customer has a Process by which they do things. The amazing thing about this word is that when you use it in a powerful question as stated the customers melt and start telling you everything you'd want to know about their internal processes. It's like they're so happy to tell someone about that which they know so well and work within. Try it; again you'll be struck by the uncanny power of the "P" word.

 

In your early Stage Two discussions, while you're conducting discovery and qualification, take good notes on the decision-making and budgetary processes they describe. This becomes the content for your Customer Decision Plan....

 

More...

Lou Holtz on Sales Management           

 

"On this team we are all united in a common goal:  to keep my job."   

 
- Lou Holtz, retired College Football Coach