BLOGGING WITH KA

Wed, 02 Sep 2009

What would you do to insure certain success?

What would you do if you knew doing it would prevent failure?

No matter what your role in your company, persuasion is the only thing that you will get paid for. Some say that "everyone sells". Selling = persuasion does it not? The new car you tell your friend about as fast, fast, fast. The golf club that goes far, far, far. The sales discipline that helps you get more appointments, get more appointments, get more appointments.

What often gets lost in these "success stories" is the time and preparation that was necessary in the first place. Think about a time when you had to make an important presentation, prepare for an interview, go before the Board. You were most likely laser focused. You did your homework. You rehearsed your approach/dialogue. And it worked! And you told everyone who cared to listen of your "outcomes".

We often hear the cliche "... you don't get anywhere until you take the first step". While true you must take the first step, you must continue making strides.

How do you continue making strides? What have you done to earn the right to a dialogue with your senior colleague? With the C-level executive you have been trying to get in to see? With your boss or with your team? Continuing to make strides means doing things on your own to create your personal brand. You are who persuades others. You know it works for others right?

The CEO of a small company recently brought in a professional coach to help her with her presentation skills. The project manager of a major electronics manufacturer recently had his team attend a session around business acumen in order to advance his initiative.

What have you done recently to know that if you did it, you would not fail?

Free Download: Dimensions of Success (PDF)

Conducting Effective Sales Meetings

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PODCASTS

CLICK ON A LINK BELOW TO PLAY.
These podcasts focus on a day in the life of how real sales people use our system to overcome common challenges.

Going around your customer contact
Despite the warning, you feel it is the right thing to do to have this dialogue with an executive that you have been told explicitly to not call on.

Slowing down a customer's buying decision
How to use the Fast Path Assessment with your prospect or customer to slow down or rethink their decision to go with your competitor.

Attempting to intercept your competitor's sale
Initial dialogue with an executive after you have learned they are about to award a major piece of business to one of your competitors.

3rd party consultant keeping you at arms length
Dialogue introducing your intentions to go around a 3rd party consultant who is blocking or preventing you from doing your job on behalf of your customer or prospect.

WEBINARS

KA Overview

Curse of the Commons

Expect More... Get More...

Hard Way vs Easy Way - The Napkin

The only set of sales execution standards built and approved by buyers.

Are you employing the same sales methods today that you used 25 years ago?

Times have changed and so have your customers. Our platform is built specifically on customer preferences and recommendations.

Today’s fast-paced business climate doesn’t allow decision makers to sit through countless meetings with salespeople who may, or may not, be able to help them.

We’ll help you replace outdated and ineffective “interrogations” with thoughtful pre-call planning and selling techniques. We’re unlike conventional sales training programs that focus entirely on salespeople – and what they can “get” from their customers.

Your customers will really appreciate the time savings, proactive consultation and your understanding of their challenges and requirements. You can exceed your sales goals by centering on your customer and executing to their performance expectations.

 

Create and sustain a high performance sales culture.

Is your company’s sales culture what it should be?

You can develop a culture devoted to delighting customers and exceeding sales goals.

Providing the right training, tools and support is the best thing you can do to mold your sales force, let them know that you care about their personal success, and create a vibrant, high performing culture.

Our integrated approach ensures that your reps maximize their limited time, understand their customer’s requirements and receive ongoing feedback to ensure their behaviors are consistent with your company’s goals.

The result? A stable, high performing sales organization focused on serving customers and exceeding sales expectations.

 

Help your sales managers become effective coaches.

Have you given your sales managers the support they deserve?

Developing your sales management capability is the most important thing you can do to impact your culture.

That’s because sales managers have the ability to leverage smaller groups to create large-scale change and sustain long-term behavior.

Though the importance of good coaching is undisputed, the opportunity often goes unrealized by many sales organizations.

Our platform recognizes the key role of sales managers and equips them with the training, technology and ongoing support they require to become the leaders you need them to be.

 

Make sure your sales reps are productive, and not “just” busy.

Sure, your sales reps are busy, but are they productive?

Independent research has repeatedly shown that poor performing sales reps work just as hard as high performers.

However, the manner in which reps manage their time and activities is usually the difference between success and failure.

Our simple, yet proven methods help salespeople effectively execute against their sales objectives. Our proprietary suite of selling tools is designed to quickly separate good opportunities from bad and maximize the amount of meaningful time your team spends with customers.

By streamlining processes associated with account and pre-call planning, qualifying meetings and on-going customer interaction, your sales staff will be able to spend productive time with more customers.

And that’s good for business.

 

Transform your sales force from interrogators to collaborators.

Are your salespeople using “sell-to” or “sell-with” techniques?

Our methodology transforms standard “questioning” techniques to “collaborative dialogues”.

Knowledge-Advantage will enhance your team’s customer interactions and extend the value of your basic selling skills program.

That’s because most basic selling platforms focus inward on salesperson behavior and not on customer needs. While those basic selling skills are critical to sales development, they only mark the beginning of the training journey – not the end.

And here’s the big secret. Making customer needs the top priority is not at odds with company goals. In fact, when that alignment occurs, both suppliers and customers benefit. Replace your internally focused, static planning processes with jointly owned customer plans.