Most people in the sales and relationship management profession believe in doing their homework about their customers and prospects. People who sell products tend to ask questions focused on the customer’s needs, while people who sell their company’s value (and solutions) ask questions about...
Many of us are now fully immersed in the practice of delivering virtual presentations. We have almost no choice. If we want to deliver an impactful presentation, this is the option we have right now. While many of the presentation skills that have served us well over the years continue to do so...
After several months, the shut-down continues and there is no end in sight. With few exceptions, most of us in sales and account management are limited in our ability to see customers face to face. Yet, many of us have pivoted, working effectively remotely to re-engage with customers.
...
We have been well trained. We know our products and solutions well, and we believe in them. We are enthusiastic subject matter experts who understand our competitors and our competitive advantage. Given this, it’s easy to see why some of us make the classic mistake. In some situations, it’s...
This new virtual way of working is having a big impact on how many of us feel about our jobs and careers. So many of the things that attract us to sales and account management positions – things like networking, meeting and getting to know new people, uncovering opportunities to help drive...
Recently we had an opportunity to deliver a five-part webinar series on ‘Selling Effectively in a Virtual Environment’. Two of the topic areas in the series have something in common – they are derailed when we are distracted.
The first topic area is ‘Understanding Your Customer’s...
For most of us in the sales/account management profession, things have changed so much over the past couple of months. All of our work is now being done virtually – team meetings, customer research, training… Even our happy hours are being conducted over the internet.
Delivering...
As sales professionals, many of the challenges we face evolve over time. One challenge that has been remarkably constant is the presence of gatekeepers. These are people who block our access to people and our sales strategy. Passive or aggressive, rude or pleasant, their desired outcome is the...
In many of our past Tips, we have talked about Business Fit and the concept of shifting our focus from the specifications of our solutions to the business outcomes we can help create for and with our customers.
To do this, we leverage our various sources of value, including our people...
In our last Tip we talked about developing a passion for the customer and being committed to helping them drive results. We also defined what we call the Business Fit – how two companies, working together, can drive critical business outcomes for the customer.
How do you figure out the...
