Andy Paul's Blog, page 42

#453. Future Sales Trends for 2017 and Beyond. With Josiane Feigon.

Josiane Feigon, sales futurist, Founder of TeleSmart Communications, Inc., and the author of Smart Sales Manager, and Smart Selling on the Phone and Online, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:20] Josiane has owned TeleSmart, a sales training company for global inside sales, since 1994, and has written an annual sales trends report, since 2005. She researches patterns she observes, and is often “scary right.”

[3:35] Josiane comments how digital inside sales “embraces the blur” of this unpredictable year.

[4:06] One trend is towards remote activity, since work space is at a premium. In sales, though, it is more effective to gather.

[5:51] Gen ‘Z,’ 19-22 years old, are starting to influence the workplace, with their unique values. Gen Z is rediscovering the value of relationship building through face-to-face activity.

[8:56] Josiane talks about the gig economy, side gigs, and the entrepreneurial escape hatch.

[10:25] SDR managers are trying to gamify the job, give bonuses, and include SDRs better, to keep up loyalty.

[13:02] Sales organizations are creating new positions to allow for advancement in the SDR area, and beyond.

[14:51] Josiane covers the introduction of emojis in corporate and customer communications — probably not in proposals!

[17:15] Josiane remarks on reports that link social media usage to depression. Monitoring usage is suggested.

[19:52] The customer’s emotional state is often unknown, and plays a major role in their behaviors. Can it be seen through sales automation software?

[22:54] C-suite turnover is happening more quickly than ever before. C-suite roles and titles have changed in two years. Pick up the phone and find out what is happening at your prospect.

[25:47] Josiane talks about fear, the loss of trust, and the focus on bringing it back and maintaining it.

The post #453. Future Sales Trends for 2017 and Beyond. With Josiane Feigon. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#452. All About Inside Sales and SDRs. With Sally Duby.

Sally Duby, West Coast General Manager of the Bridge Group, Inc., and inside sales and sales development expert, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:08] Sally sees hiring and retaining talent at the SDR level as the biggest challenge facing sales leaders today. A lot of younger people start without experience, but companies are not setting them up for success, so they leave.

[3:23] Hiring people as SDRs, with little business experience, and providing them little or no training or onboarding (except for about how great the product is), sets them up for failure.

[5:40] Inside reps and SDRs are staying about six months at any company, and then get recruited to the next hot company. If they’re not happy where they are, they are open to moving.

[7:21] Sally says it’s a shame VPs of Sales do not have a career path for SDRs. There should be levels within the SDR group, as well as opportunities beyond that function. It takes about a year of SDR experience for a hire to be productive.

[10:53] SDR is not a sales role, but 70% of the time it reports into Sales.

[11:30] SDR can function as entry level to sales, but the functions are less than the skills needed in sales. In order to be promoted to sales they need training and development.

[12:29] Sally says onboarding training could be about the buyer, not the product — what the buyer looks like, and the value the SDR can bring them. Sally says with knowledgeable discussions, the SDR could set more appointments.

[16:06] Sally discusses misdirected and inaccurate email campaigns, and how they waste everybody’s time.

[18:27] Sally discusses AI, and Chad Burmeister’s claim that an AI app can do 75-90% of the SDR role with greater consistency. So far, AI cannot engage the buyer on the phone with intelligent questions and conversations on the buyer’s needs.

[20:43] Sally looks at the role of SDRs in the near future. The sales team still needs to be fed, and sales reps are the better resource for customer engagement. She doesn’t see a lot of immediate change.

[22:59] Besides tech, Sally works with other types of companies. She finds them open to new ideas. She cites

Trish Bertuzzi’s Sales Development Playbook, and helping various sales teams to use the methods in the book.

[25:19] Outside the tech world, many companies are not utilizing data tools beyond basic CRM. Sally talks about tools that circumvent learning and curiosity by giving immediate solutions. A fool with a tool is still a fool.

The post #452. All About Inside Sales and SDRs. With Sally Duby. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

Accelerate! Expresso #05: Weekly Review Show – May 1 – 6

Accelerate! Expresso is a weekly round-up show that contains snippets from each interview from the previous week’s slate of guests on Accelerate!

These clips have been edited into a tight, short show that will give you just a taste of the insights you missed if you didn’t catch every episode of Accelerate!

In this episode, you’ll hear excerpts from my conversations with my guests during the week of May 1-6. That’s episodes 446-451.

Come listen as I was joined by the following experts: Doug Devitre, David Hoffeld, Justin Gray, Michael Bungay Stanier and Sharon Gillenwater. In addition, Bridget Gleason and I were joined on Front Line Friday by Anthony Iannarino.

Take a quick listen now. Then go back and listen to an entire episode with your favorite guest.

Thanks!

The post Accelerate! Expresso #05: Weekly Review Show – May 1 – 6 appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#451. How to Engage the C-Suite. With Sharon Gillenwater.

Sharon Gillenwater, Founder of Boardroom Insiders, and CXO engagement strategy expert, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[1:35] Boardroom Insiders provides in-depth executive profiles to large tech vendors, to engage the C-suite on a personal level. Sharon was a consultant, and was asked her how to sell to the C-level. After research, she started the company in 2008.

[5:08] Boardroom Insiders has around 12K executive profiles in their database, which is constantly updated, and available by subscription. They have tracked some of the executives, from company to company, for almost 10 years.

[6:05] LinkedIn and contact databases tell you who to contact. Boardroom Insiders tells you what they want to talk about. If you call an executive with no credibility of your own, you won’t get a second chance.

[7:31] Sharon discusses decision makers outside the C-suite. Sometimes they come to no decision, which is a bigger obstacle than the competition. Teams demand integration between unlike products. C-suites can influence the sale.

[12:16] Sharon says you work with stakeholders, decision makers and the C-Suite. It is not simply a matter of engaging the CEO. Work all the levels.

[14:05] Sharon includes business unit heads in the C-suite category, as they make many of the tech decisions. The perception of what C-suite is has expanded as new titles have proliferated. Sharon discusses new digital expectations.

[15:57] Sharon walks through the enterprise sales process, including automation tools, brand presence, content marketing, and the one-to-one value proposition CEOs expect. Most sales teams save the CEO focus for the largest accounts.

[19:07] The ABM/ABE model needs to be in place at an enterprise for the Boardroom Insiders database to be useful. The data gives the opportunity to personally engage at the highest level, within a very targeted group of accounts.

[21:41] ABE allows you to define plays and develop playbooks. But a generic invitation does not work with the C-suite audience. It takes a personally relevant call from their executive peer.

[27:24] The human touch in selling is making a ‘comeback.’ There are no automated silver bullets.

[29:38] Sharon explores why field marketing controls the data, and feeds it to sales. Sales may not have the budget. It’s often the way SaaS is organized.

[31:12] Sharon would like sales to have better access to the data.

 

The post #451. How to Engage the C-Suite. With Sharon Gillenwater. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#450 Are Sales Roles Too Specialized? With Bridget Gleason and Anthony Iannarino.

Bridget Gleason is VP of Sales for Logz.io and my regular partner on Front Line Fridays. This episode also features guest Anthony Iannarino, of SalesBlog.com and author of the best-selling book The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:12] Anthony has written an article about sales roles being broken down into too many pieces, as in an assembly line. He claims the division is disruptive to the client. Anthony explains his views about qualification.

[6:21] SaaS seems to assume that specialization is the right model. Bridget says that assumption should be challenged. Her Israeli company doesn’t rely on this American concept.

[8:25] Anthony compares and contrasts BDR, SDRs, AEs, and AMs, and Subject Matter Experts (SME). He lays out the case that none of this division appeals to, or adds value for, the client, and the client is not interested in it.

[11:26] The closing success in the SaaS industry is very low compared to traditional B2B sales. Anthony talks about how he targeted multiple stakeholders in 1979. “Bellbottoms are back.” Sales is a cyclical business driven by repeating trends.

[12:51] Bridget has not seen sales specialized to the degree Anthony describes. When she has employed SDRs, they have also closed some business. The way for people to grow is not to be confined into narrowly defined roles.

[17:17] SDRs serve their employer, rather than providing value to a client, and burn out in a year. Bridget says Logz.io truly is committed to the customer, and to the customer experience.

[19:56] You can’t qualify before discovery. You need to understand where the buyer is in their cycle, and how to help them. Not every future customer is ready to buy at this moment. “A lead is like a lottery ticket.” — Andy Paul.

[21:34] Anthony contrasts selling and the pipeline, and looking to a future sale. Help get them ready to buy, or your competitor will do that for them. Show them how to fix their root cause problem. Then they will be qualified.

[24:11] Bridget says BANT is a narrow way to qualify. A broader definition of qualifying involves understanding if the prospect has a pain or aspiration that you can partner with them to resolve, even down the line. Sales is problem-solving.

[27:10] Anthony has no regard for BANT, and current sales roles. Qualifying by BANT gives the prospect no value to listen, so you disqualify people who might have bought.

[28:24] Bridget would define BDRs and SDRs into roles that do more than BANT, because prospects will continue to shut them out. Anthony brings up AI taking over sales roles. Bridget has heard it before.

[33:03] Anthony calls out poor performers. The process itself cannot sell. Selling is a human role. The individual makes the difference. Anthony hails the new Account-Based Andy.

 

The post #450 Are Sales Roles Too Specialized? With Bridget Gleason and Anthony Iannarino. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#449. Coaching for Positive Behavior Change. With Michael Bungay Stanier.

Michael Bungay Stanier, Senior Partner at Box of Crayons — a consulting company that helps organizations do less good work, and more great work — and author of several books, including the bestselling Do More Great Work, and his latest, The Coaching Habit, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:49] Michael states the specific focus of Box of Crayons: to provide practical tools so that busy managers can coach in 10 minutes or less. Michael breaks coaching and being curious into seven questions, to teach habit change.

[5:12] Michael notes that 77% of people being coached report it has little or no impact, and 10% of those report it had a negative impact. Michael gives answers why.

[7:53] Michael shares a disastrous experience from his law studies days when a witness went ‘off-script,’ and applies it to sales representatives who don’t listen to learn.

[11:48] Michael talks about the ‘feedback sandwich’ formula of saying something nice, followed by something terrible, topped with something nice. Don’t use formulas. Have principles and core behaviors to apply when appropriate.

[14:05] Like NBA coach Steve Kerr, coaching at Box of Crayons is principled: provoke impact, be generous, pursue elegance, have fun, and nurture adult-to-adult relationships.

[15:48] Coaching behavior is staying curious longer, and ‘rushing’ to action and advice slower. Good coaching gives new insight, which leads to behavior change, which leads to impact. Michael cites John Whitmore on unlocking potential.

[18:00] Make training engaging, practical, useful, and use the wisdom in the room. On-the-job training works if people know how to learn. Ask: What was most useful and most valuable about this for you? (This question also helps after sales calls.)

[22:44] For survival, the brain tries to save energy, and goes with the most efficient method, which is usually a habit.

[24:06] Duhigg and Kahneman have both discussed habits that are so powerful, that adopting one, such as rising at 5:00 a.m., can change your behaviors completely. Being responsive is a keystone habit. People want to decide quickly.

[26:09] Tim Ferriss talks about the lead domino, that, when mastered, other dominoes fall in behind. To become better at your job, change your behavior.

[30:51] Sales is preparation, not improvisation. Have a slate of questions prepared. Ask more questions than you give answers, and before you give answers.

[33:27] Michael’s job when he is a keynote speaker is to engage the audience. The normal introduction is off-putting. Provide your own simple, but intriguing, and humorous introduction, that will raise audience status, and engage.

The post #449. Coaching for Positive Behavior Change. With Michael Bungay Stanier. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#448. Sales/Marketing Alignment and Account-based Strategies. With Justin Gray.

Justin Gray, Co-Founder and CEO of LeadMD, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:24] Justin describes his two companies in brief, LeadMD and Six Bricks.

[3:32] Justin wrote an article on trends to watch: Quality, Tribe, and Process. Justin discusses Quality. People are evaluating how much time they can put into building brands with awesome content. Justin considers quality of content.

[8:52] How many emails should you send? How do you personalize 100K messages? Are your stacks set up to give you quick access to the data you need for personalization?

[12:22] Justin says data is the key for email, but the needed data from accounting and email systems are difficult to curate.

[14:43] Justin uses Engagio to tap into systems and retrieve essential data.

[15:22] SMBs can pivot in an agile manner. Hubspot has articles about best practices for SMBs. SMBs can learn from the mistakes of the Enterprise. Gather web behaviors and cart behaviors, and capture data.

[17:17] Build unity through trust. Are you all on the same mission? Justin evaluates five levels of Tribes.

[22:06] ABM and ABE mean ABR, according to Trish Bertuzzi. Is anyone person driving the boat in a sale? Don’t stress attribution, but on engagement. Look at it from a team perspective. There are multiple touches in the process.

[25:03] Justin talks about Process, regarding the buying committee, and mapping it to one or two people on the seller side. There should be no surprise decision makers that show up at the end of the deal, if you have an effective ABE Process.

[26:43] Sales and Marketing alignment, means the entire organization, including Customer Success, agreeing on the ABE process, and how it unrolls. Everyone on the team has a role. How to measure them all still needs some definition.

[29:03] Justin has some ideas on person-to-person engagement in sales. Justin talks about playbooks and plays, and measuring and recording activities.

[32:07] Use the solution that fits the income from an account. Small accounts cannot support the ABM treatment. What can you afford to invest in this account that will make the biggest impact? Go and do that.

The post #448. Sales/Marketing Alignment and Account-based Strategies. With Justin Gray. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#447. Winning with the Science of Selling. With David Hoffeld.

David Hoffeld, sales trainer, Founder of Hoffeld Group.com, and author of the new bestselling book, The Science of Selling, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[1:34] David started in sales by answering a newspaper ad, “No experience necessary. Make $100K your first year!” That sounded perfect! After two months, he saw nobody there was making $100K, but he went to a different company, and did it!

[4:10] David’s book is based on over 1,000 studies that reveal how our brains make choices. David had researched this for 10 years, after reading in a social psychology academic journal  an article that inspired some effective sales behaviors.

[5:41] The Science of Selling is about how the human brain processes information to make decisions. Science shows how brains perceive, so we can align sales with buying decisions.

[8:28] Science discloses reality. If you don’t know the principles of the science of decision making, you can unknowingly work against the sale. Everyone can get better results through understanding the principles.

[13:19] Perceptions are sticky, and lead to confirmation bias. Know how perceptions are formed, and get on the prospect’s good side. Little things can make a profound impact. Smile. It makes you seem more competent, and you also feel good.

[16:00] The science shows that having a few minutes of small talk before a sales call or a negotiation significantly increases the likelihood of a positive outcome. David changed his approach once he learned this, and he improved his results.

[17:38] Besides buying from people they know, like, and trust, people like to buy from people that like them. One of the top ways to build rapport is to show other people you like them.

[19:04] A positive emotional state influences perception. Talk about topics that are packed with positive emotions. Look at the prospect’s Facebook or LinkedIn profile to see positive current events in their lives.

[20:41] Ask people how they are feeling, and listen. They will usually say, fine or good, and they will see you as a friend.

[24:58] Even on the phone, be very mindful of where you look. What you see directs what you think. The prospect on the line can tell when your attention lapses.

[26:50] Balance your extraversion and introversion. Ambiverts combine the best qualities of both to outperform extroverts by a factor of 2:1. Don’t look for extroverts when hiring for sales.

[30:19] What about manipulation? David explains. Influence is leadership. Maintain an intention of service and your integrity. Sell people honestly what they value and need.

The post #447. Winning with the Science of Selling. With David Hoffeld. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

#446. Perfect Your Screen-to- Screen Selling. With Doug Devitre.

Doug Devitre, Founder of Doug Devitre International, and author of Screen to Screen Selling, and wannabe sushi chef, joins me on this episode of #Accelerate!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

[2:48] Screen to screen selling involves the latest technologies to communicate your message or sell your product.

[3:44] Advances in technology have removed the fear of whether or not the connection will work. New avenues of creativity are opening. Video shows visual cues.

[4:48] More companies are mainstreaming video conferencing into their strategy. There are numerous screen sharing technologies today. Doug explains some advantages of Zoom.

[6:17] The best tool is the one the customer uses. Don’t make it unfamiliar to them. Doug says, if you can’t get your camera to work, you have a mindset problem!

[8:27] The major solutions are easy to operate. Engagement goes up when you can see somebody. Prepare 30 minutes before the meeting, with your links and content.

[9:37] Know the desired result of the call and have an agenda, then close down your instant messengers, so they don’t open in your sales presentation. Close windows except ones you will use. Don’t say, “Let me find that,” and waste time searching.

[12:09] Hide your phone and distractions. Be ready. Maintain eye contact. Save visuals until the customer says, “Tell me more.” That gives you permission to show what you have.

[14:52] Camera position is critical. You want to focus on the camera, so people see your eyes. Don’t have the camera in an awkward place. In a busy office, go to a conference room, or use a backdrop like Webaround. Use light, such as ChatLight.

[21:02] Doug demonstrates screen sharing. Doug and Andy roleplay a sales call, with drawing on the fly, using Doceri.

[26:02] Drawing on a sales call can reach multiple influencers at once in different locations.

[27:28] Doceri can overlay your slideshow to make annotations based on customer responses. Doug suggests marketing and sales can collaborate closely to prepare the presentation, and save prospect time. Doug discusses tech.

[34:27] Zoom can share your presentation as a PDF summary, including all the visuals diagrammed. Or use Gong.io for a recording and/or a transcription of the call.

The post #446. Perfect Your Screen-to- Screen Selling. With Doug Devitre. appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.

Accelerate! Expresso #04: Weekly Review Show – April 24 – 29

Accelerate! Expresso is a weekly round-up show that contains snippets from each interview from the previous week’s slate of guests on Accelerate!

These clips have been edited into a tight, short show that will give you just a taste of the insights you missed if you didn’t catch every episode of Accelerate!

In this episode, you’ll hear excerpts from my conversations with my guests during the week of April 24-29. That’s episodes 440-445 ( if you track Accelerate! that way).

Come listen as I was joined by the following experts: Libby Gill, Javaid Iqbal, Ray Makela, Lolly Daskal and Sonia Simone. In addition, Bridget Gleason and I were joined on Front Line Friday by Chris Orlob from Gong.io.

Take a quick listen. Then go back and listen to an entire episode with your favorite guest.

Thanks!

The post Accelerate! Expresso #04: Weekly Review Show – April 24 – 29 appeared first on Andy Paul | Strategies to Power Growth.