Mike Schultz's Blog, page 16

What is Key Account Management? [+ Checklist]

Your team just won a new logo! Congratulations!

This one has buzz. It’s modest to start, but there’s potential to sell into multiple buying centers, across geographies, and the new product your company is launching will help the customer simplify their processes, increase efficiencies, and reduce strain on their supply chain.

But that’s all in the hands of the key account team now.

The good news is that key accounts are 60% to 70% more likely to close compared to the 5% to 20% likelihood of selling to a new client.

How to Influence People in Sales

Sales is about change. It’s about getting people to go from where they are—their current state—to a new and better place—their future state—or what we call the New Reality.

In our decades of work with clients globally and our proprietary research, we’ve identified 11 ways sellers can influence buyers throughout the sales process to guide them to their New Reality.

4 Buyer Engagement Tips for Virtual Sellers

For many, the transition to virtual selling went something like this: one minute you were a basketball superstar with pretty good moves and a decent field goal percentage. Then you were thrust into a baseball game, handed a glove, and told to win. On a completely different field. Requiring a completely different skillset.

6 Data-Backed Ways to Crush Your Sales Goals in 2021

It's 2021 and now is the time to begin executing on your plan to blow the doors off your sales goals. But so much in sales has changed in the last year alone. 

Where should you begin? What’s going to make the biggest difference? What are others doing that's working today?

To answer these questions, we looked across our sales research studies and pulled out 6 key ways Top Performers stand out compared to The Rest.

Buyers Sound Off: 9 Ways to Influence Their Purchase Decisions

How do buyers make purchase decisions? Why do they choose one provider over another? Are there things you, as a seller, can do to influence their decisions?

As the world transitioned to virtual selling in 2020, we wanted to know how this was impacting buyers and sellers alike. We surveyed 528 buyers and sellers across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. We asked buyers what influences their decisions the most when buying virtually. Their responses provide some interesting insights as to how buyers make decisions.

Below, we’ve compiled the top 9 factors that influence buyers’ decisions and share how you can be more influential in your selling efforts.

[SlideShare] 21 Sales Tips for 2021

“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity.” – Seneca

If you want to generate the best opportunities and set yourself up for success in 2021, you need to prepare.

And there’s no better way to prepare than by using data-backed findings on what’s working (or not!) for the most successful sellers.

The RAIN Group Center for Sales Research has been leading proprietary research to discover the most effective strategies and tactics in sales for nearly two decades.

In this deck, we share ideas, tips, and resources to help you prepare so you can create your own luck this year.

4 Strategies to Increase Sales Productivity

A productive sales team is a successful sales team.

Companies all over the world are struggling with sales productivity and the added pressure to hit their annual goals only exacerbates the problem. If your sales team isn’t continually assessing their strengths and weaknesses as strategies shift, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice.

Your sales team should always be in a state of growth—keeping existing skills sharp, developing new selling tactics, and maintaining strong bonds with your customers.

20 Virtual Sales Relationship-Building Tips

Virtual meetings are now part of our everyday reality. Even in situations where you’re able to meet with some folks in person, you’re still likely to face a high number of virtual meetings on your calendar.

This isn’t going to change any time soon.

The way the world does business has shifted drastically in light of the pandemic. Even when it’s safe to do so, we’re likely to see many people continuing to work remotely because technology and processes have been put in place to make it a viable long-term option.

[New White Paper] The 11 Principles of Influence in Sales

A seller’s job is to drive change.

The best sellers lead sales conversations down the right path by asking strong questions, setting the agenda, sharing ideas, summarizing and communicating the impact of taking action, involving the buyer in creating a solution, and inspiring action.

Virtual Sellers: Here’s How to Connect with Buyers and Build Strong Relationships

As a classic advertising slogan once reminded customers, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. That’s true now more than ever.

When we could interact face-to-face at events or in meetings, it was easier to attract the attention of a potential buyer and begin making connections naturally. But as a virtual seller, you don’t have the luxury of allowing relationships to unfold organically.