Sales Is King

If you thought 2021 was a challenge, grab your seatbelt and crash helmet for the #B2B Selling in 2022. The Zoom Economy has hit the accelerator on the pace of change and buyer requirements. In this last episode of 2021, Dan outlines the key components for success in the coming year. Sneak preview: #Adaptability, #ValueSelling, #HybridMeetings #Differentiation, #Content, #PersonalBrand. Finish out strong in 2021 and propel yourself into a fast start in the new year with Sales Is King! 

Buyers are buying into Stories, Momentum and People more than anything else. In this episode, we analyze what these 3 ingredients of sales success can mean for you in a rapidly evolving and shifting business landscape.  Also, the power of "compound interest" and consistency in sales. Be there or Be Square. 

It is a Buyer's market in the B2B Selling world. The expectations of Buyers continue to evolve and place demands on Sellers today. A recent study details what Buyers are looking for coming out of the pandemic and at the top of the list is "Sales Experience". But what does that mean exactly and how do we in Sales leverage this to our advantage. Tune in to Win!

The growing level of competition out on the 'field' of Sales today requires making sure every box is checked and then some. Intangibles are those categories that can put one company over the top and send another one to a crushing defeat. Reps today need to win the intangibles game to succeed. One such intangible is Credibility. On this new episode, you will learn all of the components of credibility as it relates to your sales game and how to leverage these elements to win more business; build a stellar reputation and a growing list of connections that you have helped. These connections can be leveraged in the future as you create a 'book of business' throughout your career.

Elite Sellers do many things correctly to keep ringing the cash register. But it may boil down to the basics. Do they just want it more than the mediocre reps? How about you? Do you want success more than your competition? Do you want it more than the rest of the reps in your company, on your team? Fortune favors the BOLD. Are you bold? Do you ask for the order? Or are you worried about offending the buyer, your new friend? Hogwash! C'mon! Listen in for a bucket of cold water to wake you up to new methods of success!

New research from Challenger shows the reps took a step back last year in meeting the needs of Buyers and their process. Dan covers the key areas in which we slipped, the potential reasons why this occurred and what needs to be done to rectify this and improve as 2021 take shape. The 5 key areas: 1) Sellers Ability To Demonstrate Unique Insights (-53%) 2) Seller Helps Me Come To A Decision (-34%) 3) Sellers understands and addresses the diverse needs of stakeholders(-41%) 4) Sellers help champion build support across the organization(-49%) 5) Seller is easy to do business with(-30%)

With so many professionals on the hunt for new positions as a result of the pandemic, it's time to dissect the Job Interview and how to ace it. After working so hard to get on your target companies' radar, it's game time! Time to shine. But many struggle to connect. They play defense instead of taking charge of the meeting. The reality is that a job interview is nothing more than a Sales Call. In this episode, Dan walks through the critical steps required to ace the job interview by leveraging the skills of modern selling covered on the Sales Is King Podcast.

The cost of prospects delaying their purchases is taking a toll on B2B sellers. Getting buyers to make a commitment now versus later is one of the top challenges sellers face in 2021.  According to a recent Objective Management Group study, only 12% of sellers are proficient at making the case for urgency. Why is that? Because it is not easy and requires an expertise to make this happen consistently. It requires navigation techniques, a closing mindset and organization skills that we will cover in this episode, the first of 2021! 

On the 2020 Sales Is King Finale, Dan dives deep into the playbook for improving your CLOSE RATE in 2021. The mental aspects of closing are critical, but so are the tactical steps required for success. Lastly, Dan covers the Top reasons why sellers don't close deals and what you do about it.  To Your Success!

With 2020 ticking down, it is time to look forward to 2021 and year most people have been wishing for since March. Well, with that said, our sales game needs to shift into high gear to make 2021 your best ever. Dan covers 5 areas of focus: 1) Pre Call Research - we often talk about the power of doing the homework prior to a call. But are we doing the right research and enough of it? What major initiative is the company undertaking? Cloud? Digital Transformation? AI? How are they going to grow next year? What has COVID done to their business and what do they need to do to succeed in 2021? Has their customer base changed? Should it? How do their customers make money and how have they been impacted? What new methods of distribution can be leveraged? In short, the research needs to be conducted with these types of questions in mind. The financial reports, the recent interviews with the company CEO, the industry publications are all key. 2) Having a Point Of View- while we are all on new ground in the Zoom Economy, we need to formulate a POV on the state of affairs in our industry. What do you see happening in the short and long term? What are the trends and how are successful companies tackling these key issues? What do you recommend based on what you have seen? There has never been a better time to bring ideas and insights to the table. The status quo is weaker than it has been in a long time. And while your prospects like to hold onto comfort, they know now that change is the key to not only success but basic survival. 3) Selling Change - By posing the questions around the prospect's current state and leading them to discuss the consequences are staying the course, we open the door to change. We need to be able to then connect our offering to that large initiative(but only 33% of reps can effectively make this leap according to Objective Management Group). How does what we bring to the table help our prospect lead that paradigm shift? Not just how it works, but what it will do for the company strategically. The impact it will have long term. Why vs How. 4) Selling Urgency- There is no time to waste in the Zoom economy. Not only do we need to sell change, but we need to sell urgency, action, execution. The reps that can demonstrate conviction, and highlight the cost of standing still and the benefits of swift action are succeeding, but according to OMG, only 12% can do this effectively. Thinking Big means turning on these skills. 5)Finding the Money -How do you tap into the largest buckets of dollars that your prospect has set aside for immediate action vs. the nice to have, "we'll come back to you" solutions? There are only a handful of these initiatives at your prospect's organization. Tap into them, discuss your ideas to help. What initiatives are being funded aggressively and how does your solution fit? Companies are spending billions on change, on reinvention, on new business models, on paradigm shifts. Be there.