Elite Dealers - Episode #6 - The Power of a Champion with James Bissell
Dec 18, 2023
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In this episode, James Bissell, a two-time VP of Sales with 15 years of sales experience, discusses the power of a champion in implementing the MEDDICC framework. He shares the impact of creating a common language across the whole Go-To-Market team and the success achieved through embedding learnings into systems. The podcast emphasizes the importance of enabling champions, failing fast, and having regular meetings and intimate engagement with accounts for sales team success.
Implementing the MEDDPICC framework gradually, focusing on specific areas and gaining feedback along the way leads to greater success in sales.
Having a champion advocating for the sales team during the sales process significantly increases the chances of closing deals successfully.
Deep dives
First Medick Initiative: Trying to Do Everything at Once
In the first Medick initiative, the team tried to implement the entire framework in one go during the sales process. The challenge was that they were answering everything in the discovery call, going deep on metrics and identifying the champion. However, they realized they were running too fast and trying to do too much. The team learned the importance of focusing on specific areas of the framework and implementing them gradually, gaining feedback and confidence along the way.
Second Medick Initiative: Doubling Down on the Champion
In the second Medick initiative, the team found that having a champion makes a significant difference in closing deals. They realized that every successful deal they closed had a champion advocating for them when they were not around. They decided to strip out other aspects of the framework and focus primarily on identifying and nurturing champions. By doing so, they saw greater confidence and success in the sales process.
Third Medick Initiative: Transforming the Sales Process with Medick
In the third Medick initiative at a new company, the team had a better experience due to the support of the Medick platform, training, and resources. They focused on implementing Medick across the entire customer lifecycle and involving the go-to-market team, not just sales. By building a common language and collaborating with marketing and customer success, they experienced greater consistency and repeatability in their sales process. They measured success through increased conversion rates, faster deal cycles, and more confident forecasting.
Impact of the Champion and the Importance of Systems
The presence of a champion played a crucial role in their sales success across all Medick initiatives. Having a motivated champion increased their odds of winning deals, especially in scenarios where the customers lacked decision-making authority or budget control. In the third initiative, leveraging systems like the Medick platform helped highlight strengths and weaknesses, guide sales discussions, and reinforce the learnings. By using Medick as a GPS, reps could prioritize the right areas in their sales calls, ensuring focus on the most impactful elements of the framework.
That was definitely two-time VP of Sales James Bissell’s experience when it came to MEDDIC deployment. In this episode of Elite Dealers, Pim chats with James about his differing experiences implementing MEDDPICC across organizations.
With 15 years of sales experience, James has had highs and he’s had lows. In his own words, he likes to fail fast, which means either quick growth or quick learnings. A clear standout from the beginning of his MEDDPICC experience was the power of the Champion, and what having someone in your corner can do.
James partnered with MEDDICC for his third and most successful deployment of MEDDPICC, and shares with Pim the impact of creating a common language across the whole Go-To-Market team.
ABOUT JAMES:
James has spent over ten years in B2B sales as a high-performing individual contributor and the last three years as a two-time Vice president of Sales.
In both leadership roles, James increased productivity, and his proudest achievement was increasing the annual recurring revenue at HR tech start-up StaffCircle by 1,000%.
Now, James is helping Founders and CEOs implement and operationalise his proven sales playbook.
ABOUT ELITE DEALERS:
Elite Dealers is a MEDDICC MEDIA production brought to you by our very own CRO, Pim Roelofsen, where he talks with leading sales professionals across the industry where they share their best deals and what made their deals so special.
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