Sales Superstar Secret #1: Be in the right place at the right time.

Sales Superstar Secret #1: Be in the right place at the right time.

Sep 13th


Markets are dynamic systems that create the energy required to fuel change. When you harness this energy, you can use the forces of evolution to drive market adoption of your technology.

The ability to find the sources of market energy – emerging business strategies, increasing frustration with the limitations of legacy approaches, increasing desire for what your technology enables – is one of the things that distinguishes exceptional sales people. They know they can’t generate enough momentum on their own to sell an emerging technology, so they channel the energy caused by market change and use it to energize the sales process.

Top sales performers pay attention to the market. They are the first people to see the link between the new technology and emerging business strategies. So they are also the first to bring these new ideas and opportunities to their customers. First they sell the vision. Then they follow up on their early successes by subtly transforming their message in response to the evolving buying preferences of the maturing market. They know how to apply technology adoption theory to help them find the early adopters, build market acceptance of their technology and cash in the fabulous opportunities caused by the geometric growth rates that drive technology markets. They know how to be in the right place at the right time.

Wondering if a lack of market knowledge is getting in the way of your sales success? Find out tomorrow by answering a few simple questions…

Want to get a jump on things? Check out Sell Results: What Every Technology Salesperson Needs to Know

=================================================================================

Sales Superstar Secret #2: Use logic to build emotional commitment.

In theory technology purchases are governed by a rational decision making process that includes technical evaluations, risk analysis and professional negotiating. In reality, most technology investments are made because someone on the customer’s executive team believes that the new technology will give them with a competitive edge. The ability to create that belief is a core competency of the exceptional sales person.

Most technology sales people sell functionality – what the technology does. The exceptional high tech sales person sells value –the results the technology enables. Value links the technology solution to the customer’s business success. It shows them how they will achieve their strategic business goals faster, better and cheaper. It links the technology decision to more important decisions that have already been made. It is the leap of faith customers must take before they will buy.

Building value selling strategies is a logical process. It links the customer’s business strategies to the unique functionality of the technology solution in a way that compels the customer to buy. It creates a logic chain between what is happening in the market, the customer’s business strategies, their technology needs and operational issues, the technology’s features and benefits and the economic value of the solution. The logic of this thought process satisfies the customer’s rational needs; the value that is built by the process creates an emotional desire for the results the technology enables. You need both logic and emotion to close the sale.

Would a better understanding of how to sell value supercharge your sales success? Find out tomorrow by answering a few simple questions…

=============================================================================

Sales Superstar Secret #3: Sell business results to the executive.

Solutions transform technology products and services into business performance. Customers buy solutions because solutions deliver strategic results – increased sales, improved productivity, competitive advantage, increased customer satisfaction, etc. Solutions create value, products don’t.

Selling a technology-enabled business solution is a complex sale. Since the solution impacts many aspects of the customer’s business, everyone wants to be part of the decision making process. This means that many of the people you have to convince, including the economic decision maker, are most likely not technologists. And they have a lot to learn before they can make a good decision.

Responsibility for the success of a core business strategy is rarely confined in one department. Furthermore, it is never the responsibility of the CIO. Most technology salespeople let the IT department reduce them to the role of vendor. Great technology salespeople are masters of selling outside of the IT department to the people who count. They become the CXO’s coach. They change the rules of the game.

Solutions selling is basically a process for managing the customer’s learning process, with special attention paid to how the buying decision is made. It is your job to teach the right people what they need to know so they can confidently make a decision to buy your solution. This means figuring out who counts in the decision; what they need to learn about the solution, and the best way to manage their learning process.

In every account and for every solution, this solutions selling process is implemented slightly differently. No two accounts are ever exactly the same. Using a process helps you organize account and solutions-specific information into your sales strategy, so you do a better job at positioning your solution within the context of what is important to customer.

Would a better understanding of how to sell solutions supercharge your sales success? Find out tomorrow by answering a few simple questions…

==============================================================================

Sales Superstar Secret #4: Use competitive energy to build value.

A competitive sale is supercharged with energy. Many more people are investing resources, time and ideas into the decision-making process than in a non-competitive situation. It is hard for a sale to get stalled when several aggressive salespeople are doing whatever it takes to motivate the customer to make a choice.

The average sales person tries to avoid competition. The exceptional sales person seeks it out. They encourage their customers to consider all options carefully, so the customer will feel more comfortable making their decision. They know how to use the unique aspects of their solution to differentiate themselves and build the customer’s perception of the value.

Master salespeople are aggressive and subtle competitors. They use non-confrontational suggestions to lay competitive traps that entice the customer into asking competitors embarrassing questions. They create competitive issues, so they get a chance to showcase the superiority of their solution. They build personal credibility by inviting competitive comparison. They know how to play the competitive game.

Would a better understanding of how to compete strategically supercharge your sales success? Find out tomorrow by answering a few simple questions…

Want to get a jump on things? Check out Sell Results: What Every Technology Salesperson Needs to Know

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sales Superstar Secret #5: Find the executive who cares.

Prospecting is the process for finding and attracting the attention of the people who are most likely to buy your technology solution, NOW!

Prospecting is usually the most unproductive step of the sales cycle. Because most sales people don’t have the information they need about the market, buying process and business potential of the technology applications, they tend to prospect randomly. They generate lots of vague interest and expect to lose a lot of prospects over the course of the sales cycle.

Sales superstars do the opposite. They apply their knowledge about the market, the technology’s value proposition and solutions selling to find and approach high potential accounts in a way that builds strategic advantage. They apply technology adoption theory to find the customers who are ready to buy. Then they approach them with personalized value propositions that directly link their technology to the customer’s business success.

Furthermore exceptional sales people map their account development strategy before they approach the account. They find the business executive responsible for the success of the business strategy and approach him directly. After they win him over, they borrow his political power to penetrate the account. So often they are selling several levels higher in the organization than their competitors, who have approached the account through the IT department.

Would a better understanding of how to prospect for energy supercharge your sales success? Find out tomorrow by answering a few simple questions…

====================================================================================

Sales Superstar Secret #6: Focus on the best opportunities.

Exceptional sales people are excellent qualifiers. They ruthlessly evaluate the customer’s intention as quickly as possible. They take a hard look of how applicable their technology is to the customer’s situation. If they can’t build extraordinary value they walk, because they know they can find better opportunities elsewhere. They are only looking for win-win deals.

Effective qualification is the key to sales productivity. There are only so many deals you can sell profitably. The average sales person makes the mistake of trying to sell too many deals at once, so he doesn’t have the time or resources to focus on the best ones.

Exceptional sales people use the qualification process to find the highest potential deals. They look for opportunities where they have a unique competitive advantage, so they can easily outsell the competition. They test their ability to negotiate with the customer to verify their willingness to collaborate. They estimate the potential ROI of the investment to determine how much value they will be able to build. They goes beyond the traditional qualifiers of time, problem and budget to evaluate the intangibles that drive the customer’s sense of urgency and value.

Once this information is gathered and evaluated, the exceptional sales person will make a conscious decision whether or not to invest the time and energy required to develop the account. They focus their energy. Consequently they win much more often than the sales people who spread themselves too thin. Average salespeople tend to let opportunity drive their behavior. Exceptional salespeople drive the opportunity.

Would a better understanding of how to qualify potential supercharge your sales success? Find out tomorrow by answering a few simple questions…

===================================================================
Sales Superstar Secret #7: Discover value to sell solutions.

Once the exceptional sales person has committed his team to developing an opportunity, he dedicates his resources to selling the entire solution. This means a much more rigorous discovery process than the average sale. He will galvanize both his and the customer’s team into a collaborative search for the best solution. He engages the customer in the solutions building process to such an extent that by the end the customer will come to believe that it is the only viable option. They uncover issues and solve problems. They escalate issues to upper management. By doing so they increase their control over the buying process they need to negotiate a fair price, ensure a successful implementation, and close the deal.

Discovery is conducted through a series of conversations. During these conversations the exceptional salesperson asks compelling questions that build the customer’s perception of value. Each question has a purpose – to build the customer’s awareness, to solve problems, to raise pain, to set a competitive trap, etc. The exceptional sales person knows how to build questioning scripts that increase the customer’s sense of urgency and commitment. He knows the right questions to ask.

Would a better understanding of how to discover value and build solutions supercharge your sales success? Find out tomorrow by answering a few simple questions…

=========================================================================

Sales Superstar Secret #8: Take control of the account.

Are you losing more deals than you are winning?
The proposal organizes the competitive battle. It clearly positions your unique value proposition, which implies that competitive weakness of the competition. Your proposal defines how you want the customer to make their decision. A good proposal helps you win more deals.

Sales superstars use the proposal process to increase their control over the customer’s buying process. Average sales people write proposals too early in the sales process. The customer asks for a proposal and they deliver one. This gives the customer license to negotiate additional services for the same price, let competitors drive the evaluation and the power to say no.

Exceptional salespeople never deliver a proposal until they completely understand the customer’s needs and the scope of the solution. They understand how submitting a proposal changes the dynamics of the sale and use it to their advantage. They break the proposal process down into a series of events designed to win strategic, functional approvals and build sales momentum. During the proposal phase of the sales momentum, the sale intensifies – buyers focus on what could go wrong; competitors fight dirty, politics run rampart. The sales superstar knows how to take control of this emotionally charged environment and lead the customer through the closing process, so they win the deal.

Would a better understanding of how to write effective proposals supercharge your sales success? Read tomorrow’s blog and learn about how you can personally benefit from proposing value. Or better yet, click here for an overview of how use the proposal to take control of the account.

================================================================================

Sales Superstar Secret #9: Create momentum and negotiate success.

Exceptional salespeople are great closers. Most sales people aren’t effective negotiators because they are too willing to do whatever it takes to make the sale. They are so attuned to serving the customer that they let professional negotiators walk all over them. Sales superstars realize that negotiating is a game that they must win for their customer to succeed. So they play hard and fast. And they win.

Closing a deal is all about power. Sales superstars know how to use power – their own, their coach’s, their decision maker’s – to negotiate a win-win relationship. They don’t discount their price. They don’t let the customer cut corners in a way that will jeopardize the successful implementation of the solution. They know when to escalate issues to get them resolved. And they know when to walk away from an unprofitable deal.

Exceptional sales people take the initiative to plan and lead the negotiating process. Their intimate knowledge of the customer’s needs and how the technology works, enables them to scale the solution on the fly. They know what they can give up and what they can’t. And they have a back-up plan. The exceptional sales person’s deals are always successfully implemented. The customer is always satisfied, so they become loyal, repeat customers.

Would a better understanding of how to close fast supercharge your sales success? Find out tomorrow by answering a few simple questions…

===============================================================================