A year ago, I had a full process-messaging-behavior engagement with a client that culminated with a full two-day workshop. They went on to have a terrific year. We are now rolling out an Account Growth process and met this week to introduce the idea in a quick team lunch meeting.   The team of account managers and sales executives is fully engaged – a credit to their management team.

Since I had them all in a room together, I asked during a pause: 

What from our engagement and workshop a year ago most helped you be successful in 2017?

 What stuck most?

Please note, that in that engagement we covered a lot. We implemented the potentially 11-step marketing-to-sales process, revealed and practiced over a dozen messaging tools, and codified ten best practice sales behaviors. We did this through lecture time, five labs and eight exercises (role-plays).

Even without their workshop materials in front of them and away from their desks, the team quickly came to a consensus around three concepts that stuck:

• Weak Language. Recognizing and avoiding their own “Weak Language” so prospects treat them as professional equals.
• Mineral Rights. Asking tailored “Mineral Rights” questions to get nuggets of value or #$%E! from prospects that sellers can use to build trust and their value story, among other things. See Susan Scott’s excellent book, Fierce Conversations.
• Recap Emails. Having a format to recap sales conversations throughout the sales process to create urgency and momentum as well as serve as a qualifying tool. Also covered in a previous post.

Later that same day, a colleague of mine Alan checked in with me and asked how things were going. I relayed the above. His reaction:

That is what it’s about. You should feel great when you hear that.

Absolutely.

SalesReformSchool: Food for Thought

Andrew Carnegie’s landmark book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is a classic and a must-read for everyone, but especially salespeople. Or, so I am told. Regrettably, it’s on my “to-read” list, but keeps getting pushed down. I guess, in the back of my mind I’ve always stereotyped it as cheesy. No more after reading this essay.   I get it. I’ll read it. Please hold me accountable for this promise.

SalesReformSchool: Extracurricular

I fancy myself a DIYer even when it comes to the SalesReformSchool family’s nest egg.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdMilnKGJdA]
So, with the actually-not-so-crazy gyrations in the financial markets so far in 2018, I found this image on Twitter helpful.  You can also find it here.

Good Selling!