Sales Is King

Dan returns from a short break with a high impact episode designed to give the power back to salespeople. With so much conversation around the power of the Buyer and the challenges facing Sales, it is easy to cede control of leverage in our sales process. Dan outlines a multi step approach for taking control and grabbing back the leverage from the buyers including: -highlight what the problem costs them today. what happens if this remains an issue? -turn the tables on risk -deliver info they did not previously know -sell value -differentiate -sales is an exchange-they benefit(mindset) -mine your current and happy customers -other income streams -principle of least interest -antenna always up -make sure this is a deal/client you want Grab your victrola and listen 🤴

Making excuses is the fastest way to derail your sales career. Making excuses is essentially giving yourself a pass for poor performance. Dan returns to the studio to detail the dangers of what he calls "excuse selling" which focuses on all of the reasons why you can't close more business; why you missed quota; your bad marketing department, etc. Dan delivers a passionate plea to drop your excuse selling and delivers a multi point plan to do just this: 1. get your head right 2. know there will be obstacles 3. create your plan to overcome obstacles 4. become self aware 5. own the losses as well as the wins 6. learn from both the wins and losses 7. take 100% responsibility Get you headphones on now and listen 🎧

Less than 2 out of 10 of us ever get invited back to a prospect for a second meeting. That means we are fumbling the first meeting. Our first chance is going to be our last chance if we don't get the first meeting right. Dan delivers a first meeting blueprint which will ensure that we dramatically improve our chances of a prospect moving through the buying process with us and ultimately doing business with us. The following key steps are required for success in the first meeting: - RESEARCH/HOMEWORK - YOUR SOCIAL PROFILE - SME - AGENDA - EARN RIGHT TO ASK QUESTIONS/CREDIBILITY - CONVERSATION OR MONOLOGUE - UNEXPECTED VALUE - INSIGHTS - UNCOVER A NEED - MINIMIZE RISK OF MOVING FORWARD - STATUS QUO BUSTER - BUYING PROCESS - RAPPORT The bottom line is that having success in a first prospect meeting requires a ton of upfront work and then executing against a well orchestrated game plan. Grab your 🎧 now!

It's not sexy, but patience is rising to the top of the key traits of the successful modern seller. Dan returns with another high impact studio episode which highlights the changing buyer requirements and increased complexity of the selling process which are pushing sellers to evolve and adjust their approach. There are no short cuts or quick fixes in the modern sellers toolbox and patience with the process, looking at the bigger picture and playing the long game are major keys to success in this Next Wave of Digital Commerce.

Really? We all remember Glengarry Glen Ross when Alec Baldwin rips his sales team for being weak, and how they should follow the ABC's of selling, specifically Always Be Closing. Fast forward to 2018. Should we be heeding this advice? Dan jumps headlong into the debate on what Sales needs to be focusing on to be most successful. What does closing actually mean in the modern buying process? Some believe we need to modify this phrase to Always Be Helping. I think Alec Baldwin and your sales manager would laugh you out of the room if you posed that back in the early 90's. Today it is certainly more appropriate but Dan creates his own definition of what we should always be doing in Sales today. Warning: Don't listen just before bed 🎧😉

Flash forward to December 31, 2018. You are at a New Year's Eve party with your spouse and closest friends. How will you feel about your 2018 sales performance? Think about it. In this bare knuckled episode, Dan delivers the blueprint for success during the remaining months of 2018. We all have time to add on to our current success so far this year and turn around our disappointments. Successful competitive runners typically call on a 'kick' to get them to dig deep and finish strong even when their bodies are tired. Similarly, in Sales, with 4 months to go, now is not the time to ease up. You are almost home, but much work needs to be done. Follow Dan's guidelines and make sure that New Year's Eve 2018 is a great night 👊 Get those headphones on! 🎧

A new Fast Company Article, http://ow.ly/aleN101e2iw contends that Sales is rapidly becoming a STEM(science, technology, engineering, mathematics) job. Dan takes us through the highlights of that article and then asks the question, which is more important, EQ or IQ? Or is it both? What do the brains of the top Sellers look like today. Dan walks us through his formula for what he calls "breakthrough selling", a place where the most sophisticated sellers live. Click play now for another comfort zone ruining episode. Don't miss it. 🎧

Commitment is foundational to your success in the Digital Era. Commitment means dedication over a long period of time. You must commit to making yourself better right now if you are to succeed in a changing environment. Dan rocks another episode and takes us through a blueprint for success, whether you are in sales, marketing, finance or any job right now. How are you changing the way you approach your job in 2018 and beyond? Are you creating change or waiting for change to show you the door at your current job? Are you committed to learning new skills or simply hoping that your current skills have enough juice to carry you the rest of the way. Are you digging in for the long haul or flipping on autopilot and letting the chips fall? Your mindset needs to change and if it doesn't, you may be putting yourself in harm's way. The biggest risk in business today is standing pat; clinging to the status quo. Don't believe that? Go rent a movie at your local Blockbuster tonight.

Sales Coaching when done correctly reaps tremendous benefits on organizations. Unfortunately, the majority of companies either do not provide sales coaching to their reps or deliver half assed attempts at coaching. In addition, there are some glaring gaps and disconnects here. 82% of Sales leaders say they 'coach' their reps, yet only 48.2% of reps say they are actually coached. Sales leaders score themselves 79/100 on coaching prowess, yet their reps give them a score of 49/100 Geez!! The benefits of coaching are many: 112% increase in deal size 32% reduction in cycle time 3x increase in wins 20% reduction in attrition 64% greater chance reps will meet quota So why the hell isn't this a bigger priority for organizations !! Dan dives into two new articles on sales coaching and rants his way through the implications delivering some much needed answers on how we solve this critical issue. Get your headphones on and turned up! 🎧

A new study from SiriusDecisions shows that quota performance for Sales Reps is still not improving and in danger of dropping yet again in 2018. There are 3 key takeaways from the report: 1. Over 70% of sales leaders say that their reps are not connecting their solution to the business issues of buyers 2. Sales Cycle Times are increasing with over 64% saying they are facing longer lead times to get deals done. 3. Only 27% of a sales team's time is spent on core selling activities. Dan dissects these issues and delivers some valuable insight into why he thinks these problems are occurring and what sales leaders and reps can do to improve in each of these areas. Listen Now 🎧