Mike Schultz's Blog, page 18

The 5 Cases Salespeople Must Make to Drive Change and Win Sales

At their core, top-performing salespeople are change agents. They recommend, advise, and assist buyers (what is typically known as consultative selling), and they aren't afraid to push when it's in the best interest of their buyers. Indeed, top sellers are Insight Sellers.

These people make five cases to ensure the value proposition for each buyer is as strong as it can be. They inspire buyers with new ideas and perspectives, and influence how buyers tackle their priority initiatives. They question the status quo and don't let buyers accept it, thus redefining reality.

Fill Your Pipeline in 4 Easy Steps

To succeed in sales, you need a steady stream of new opportunities entering the pipeline, whether it's with new clients or existing accounts.

That's not as easy as it used to be, given that people are now working, buying, and selling virtually, and many organic opportunities to create sales opportunities have disappeared.

4 Virtual Selling Imperatives: Take the Lead for Success in the New Normal

How sales happen has changed significantly in just the last several months, and these changes are here to stay.

Selling virtually has proven to be a challenge for even the most seasoned sellers. It requires sellers to be more strategic, more deliberate, and more proactive than ever before. It requires a refocused approach because the rules have changed.

Our client work around the world, and our research in the area of virtual selling, has revealed a set of four keys that are most critical for virtual sales success:

10 Ways to Keep Buyers Engaged During Virtual Sales Meetings

Imagine this: You're in a live sales meeting in a conference room with three decision-makers, and one of them, while you're talking, pulls out their phone and starts responding to text and email messages. They continue to check the news and start fiddling on social media. You even hear a light snicker.

[Complimentary Guide] 4 Steps to Fill Your Pipeline with Quality Opportunities

Prospecting is a challenge for even the most experienced sellers, and with the shift to working, buying, and selling virtually, organic opportunities to make new connections and create conversations have disappeared.

There aren't any in-person networking events, tradeshows, travel, or opportunities to grab dinner, a cup of coffee, or attend a sporting event together.

2 Questions Top Prospectors Ask (and You Should Too)

How many times have you received a prospecting email or phone call and said, "Sure, let's meet right away?"

If you're like most of us, it probably doesn't happen very often.

If you're on the other side and the one sending emails or making calls, what's your success rate?

Probably pretty dismal.

Congratulations! You're like most of the people we surveyed.

5 Sales Skills You Need to Master

To succeed in sales, you need to have the right skills. You have to be able to lead masterful sales conversations, manage opportunities, uncover needs, negotiate the best deals, fill the pipeline, develop relationships, and manage sellers. And today, you need to be successful in doing all of this with no face-to-face interaction. 

That's a lot to have to master.

With the laundry list of sales skills needed, which are most important?

[Partner Webinar] Shape Your Sales Approach for the New Normal

Salespeople everywhere are struggling as they navigate changed budgets, new targets, and selling virtually.  Some are even trying to force their in-person processes to work in a virtual world (spoiler: they don't).

What the Best Sales Negotiators Do Differently

Sales negotiation is a critical part of the sales process. It moves the deal to a close, and it's where both parties come to agree on the terms of the initiative, including the price. However, many sellers and organizations struggle with negotiating successfully.

Seventy-seven percent of sellers report that negotiating with buyers virtually is challenging, and only 27% of buyers say that sellers are very effective at negotiating with them (from our Virtual Selling Skills & Challenges report). That means that less than one in three sellers does well in their virtual negotiations.

[Infographic] Climb Your Way to Virtual Selling Success

When the team at the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research surveyed 528 sellers and buyers on their virtual buying and selling experiences earlier this year, we uncovered significant gaps between what influences buyer purchase decisions and seller effectiveness.

The sad truth? Only two or three in 10 sellers do well in the four areas that most influence purchase decisions.