In the previous Tip of the Month (August 2021), we shared the idea of doing some specific homework when facing a competitive situation. One element of this homework is to consider our competitor’s strengths and weaknesses – in general, and in this unique situation. Areas of consideration include...
We all face it. Whether we are trying to unseat an incumbent, protect our turf, or expand our presence within our customers, we face tough competition. That competition can come from traditional rivals, emerging competitors, or even the customer itself in the form of internal operations. Due to...
Virtual burnout is a real thing. We hear presenter after presenter drone on and on about the topic of the day. Some presentations are better than others, but they all seem to meld together. Even interesting topics become mind numbing. Some of us react by “mailing it in” with our involvement, and...
Delivering presentations is an important tool for most people in sales and relationship management roles. Presentations allow us to convey information in a setting designed to drive concurrence and action.
Having spent much of our careers honing the skills necessary to deliver...
Building relationships is central to what we do in sales and relationship management. For many of us, it’s one of the things we do best and one of the things we enjoy most. We work at building relationships – meeting people, asking questions, listening, and finding ways we can help others be...
Selling from home. Most of us are doing it, and for many of us, it will become our permanent way of working. For some, selling from home is challenging as it seems more difficult to create strong connections with customers and prospects via the phone and web meetings. It doesn’t...
It’s inevitable. In some opportunities, no matter how strong the fit is between the customer’s needs and our solution, we don’t get the “yes” we were looking for. When this happens, sometimes we get a “no” outright, but more often than not, we get a delay.
The customer’s delay may be a...
Consider this situation: An RFP arrives or an opportunity is uncovered, and after a little consideration, we know that our odds of winning are low. Perhaps the Solution Fit is weak, or we lack coaches and/or knowledge, or the engagement rules are too stringent. In any case, we know we should...
At the heart of the IMPAX NxtGen™ Sales Process is the concept of Business Fit. We define Business Fit as “how two companies, working together, can support the customer in driving critical business outcomes”. These outcomes typically pertain to the customer’s critical business objectives, key...
At IMPAX, one of our favorite strategies comes via Stephen Covey and his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. All of the seven habits are great, but one that stands out for us is,
“Begin with the end in mind.”
One of the ways we ‘begin with the end in mind’...
