We’re taking a deep dive into the critical roles SDRs play and the value they can bring to your company. Special guest, Patrick McLoughlin, Senior Director of Consulting and Facilitation at Force Management, covers how sales organizations can benefit from generating alignment between their SDR/BDR organization and their sales organization. He’ll cover: - The biggest mistakes sales organizations make with SDR organizations - How to get more value from your SDR organizations by providing training ...
Sep 08, 2020•17 min
There’s no doubt that next year’s SKO will be different from years past. In this episode, we sat down to discuss how some of the sales leaders we work with are approaching their sales kickoffs. Many of them are shifting to sales initiatives. In this episode, we cover: - 3 key, sales execution areas of focus for sales leaders who are looking to improve their sales team’s ability to compete - How sales leaders are moving forward with virtual, sales training engagements and the outcomes they’re abl...
Sep 01, 2020•24 min
In this episode, we’re taking a step back to cover the most frequently asked questions we get from our customers, the sellers we train, and our listeners. From warming up cold calls and building pipeline to asking trap setting discovery questions, and getting to the economic buyer, John Kaplan covers it all. Here are a few key insights you’ll want to tune in to hear: - How sellers can nail their differentiation in discovery and win against tough competition - How to prepare for your sales calls ...
Aug 25, 2020•14 min
Proof points should tell a story of how your solutions effectively solved your customer’s problems and achieved measurable results. Elite sellers know the story behind their proof points so they can better tie them to their live opportunities in a way that’s relevant and meaningful to their prospects. Elite sales organizations have a process for gathering these proof points so their sellers can use them to drive high-value deals forward. In this podcast, John Kaplan walks us through: - How to de...
Aug 18, 2020•12 min
Many sales leaders want to add MEDDICC into their sales organizations to improve sales qualification, mitigating losses and the number of deals in the pipeline that just aren’t progressing effectively. Spoiler - just adding the tool to your sales process won’t drive results. You as a sales leader, and your sales teams have to put in the work to make it work. In this episode, Managing Director of Facilitation and Delivery, Brian Walsh talks through how to enable your sales teams to drive results ...
Aug 11, 2020•34 min
You know that champions can be a critical component of moving your deals forward. However, identifying them isn’t always easy. Do you really have a champion or just a coach? If you’re a manager, how are you helping your reps find, develop, and test their champions? In this episode, John Kaplan will cover: - Questions to help you identify a champion or coach - How to know if your champion is actively selling on your behalf and if they have a vested interest in your success - If you should move fo...
Aug 04, 2020•13 min
Many sales leaders are moving forward with their sales transformation initiatives, virtually. They’ve come to an understanding that they don’t have time to wait. We sat down with Force Management's Chief Operating Officer Dave Davies and Brian Walsh, Managing Director of Facilitation and Delivery, to discuss how sales organizations are moving forward right now in a remote environment. They cover: The benefits of moving forward with your initiative virtually The process that drives the most impac...
Jul 28, 2020•28 min
Moving opportunities forward and maintaining a healthy pipeline in this environment — are two critical areas sales organizations are struggling with right now. In this episode John Kaplan talks through the three things you need in every deal, minimizing no decisions, discounts and other risks to their pipelines. He’ll discuss: - How to determine your PBOS, Required Capabilities and Metrics - How to change a deal at risk into a high-value opportunity - What’s needed for salespeople to become more...
Jul 21, 2020•17 min
This topic is so important we named our podcast after it. In this episode, John Kaplan explains what it means to have an ‘audible-ready’ sales organization. He covers the five power plays of an audible-ready sales team and how sales leaders can equip their teams tools that enable them to keep the focus on their buyer. Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website. Here are some additional resources focused on being audible ready: - How ...
Jul 14, 2020•10 min
We’re using this episode to run through the most frequently asked questions we hear about sales negotiation. Listen as Tim Caito discusses best practices managers and sales reps can instill into their negotiation process to ensure their business and procurement buyers view their solutions as valuable. He’ll cover: How to navigate relationships with both buyer contacts and procurement professionals to improve the buying process and provide value for all stakeholders, including yourself. How sales...
Jul 07, 2020•35 min
Salespeople, even veteran sellers, can struggle with warming up cold sales conversations and turning LinkedIn connections into active opportunities. An avid listener recently asked that we cover how to get into opportunities and become immediately relevant to a prospect. In this episode, John Kaplan explains how salespeople can be uncommon in their call preparation and conversations, so they can successfully earn the right to move their prospects into active opportunities. Please note this episo...
Jun 30, 2020•19 min
Communication is a critical component to ensuring your teams stay focused. For sales leaders, it can be the one thing that separates the best from the rest. If your people understand where they’re going and how they’ll get there, you are one step closer to your revenue goals. In this episode, John Kaplan covers the concept of a leadership footprint to explains how leaders can: - Outline their organization’s new mission and explain how they’re planning to get there - Articulate exactly what they ...
Jun 23, 2020•15 min
Please note this episode was recorded prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Front-line sales managers typically have one of the toughest jobs in the entire sales organization. Equipping them effectively takes a concerted effort. In this podcast, John Kaplan runs through best practices for helping them be successful, including: - How to help them develop an operating rhythm - How to get beyond measuring success at the deal level - The type of environment you need to foster Check out this and other epis...
Jun 16, 2020•14 min
This episode is just for people who are new to a head of sales role or for those people who are looking to jump ship. John Kaplan outlines the key areas you need to assess for your success plan, including key questions to ask around: - The sales message - Sales execution and qualification - Sales planning processes and management operating rhythm - Sales talent Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website. Additional Resources: Blog: N...
Jun 09, 2020•11 min
Why do buyers use tricky tactics in negotiations? Because they work! In this podcast, Tim Caito shares how to best prepare yourself (and your teams) for those popular buyer tactics. He’ll cover: - The 4 main reasons buyer tactics work and when they originate during the process - The key 5 tips for managing the negotiation process and preparing for success (to the best of your ability!) - How to expand the conversation and avoid pain points that narrow the negotiation too early Check out this and...
Jun 02, 2020•15 min
Keeping sales teams focused is an area many sales leaders are trying to excel in right now. In this episode, John Kaplan walks through simple things you can do as a sales leader or manager to keep your teams motivated and disciplined. He’ll discuss: - How sales teams can use the ‘purpose, process, payoff’ call agenda to make sales conversations empathetic and relevant for buyers. - How leaders and managers can work with their reps to make sure they’re prepared for every valuable sales conversati...
May 27, 2020•12 min
This episode covers how to approach sales conversations right now to mitigate stalled deals and communicate with purpose and empathy. Many sales professionals and leaders within their organizations are wondering what’s working in sales conversations right, what isn’t, and who’s doing it well. In this episode, John Kaplan covers how you can focus your sales teams on having purposeful conversations right now, including: How salespeople can focus on the buyer and be effective in their conversations...
May 19, 2020•13 min
Please note this episode was recorded prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic. It takes a lot of “hands on deck” when trying to close a large opportunity. Often, it’s up to the salesperson to ensure that he/she has the resources needed to get the deal done. Whether it’s on one deal or to make your yearly goal, you need a plan in place to ensure everyone knows their role in moving the opportunity forward. In this episode, John Kaplan talks through how to ensure you get the resources you need to close the ...
May 12, 2020•12 min
Growing companies are often challenged with translating the founder’s vision and story into sales conversations that highlight the value and differentiation of the solution. In many of these companies, no one can sell as well as the founder. In this podcast, John Kaplan talks through key steps companies take to scale that message and get an entire sales organization equipped to sell as well as the founder, including: The key questions every person needs to answer the same in your company The tes...
May 05, 2020•14 min
You know how important Champions can be to your sales process. But, how do you test them? How do you ensure that your Champions are really able to articulate your value and differentiation? We define Champions as: people who actively sell on your behalf have a vested interest in getting the deal done have power and influence within the company In this podcast, John Kaplan breaks down key ways to test your Champions, including: Key things to watch out for that may signal trouble in your deal The ...
Apr 28, 2020•11 min
NOTE: This episode was recorded prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic. John’s advice is still applicable, but please understand we didn’t have the current context when recording. In this podcast, John Kaplan talks through key areas to assess in your own organization after a less-than-stellar quarter, including: How to make sure you have the right people to achieve your yearly goals How to build more accountability into the planning process as you move forward in the year The cadence with which you use ...
Apr 21, 2020•10 min
Elite leaders make the choice to work at their craft. In this episode, John Kaplan shares a few lessons he’s learned as a sales leader, the mantra he follows and the one new hire that became an example of what not to do as a sales leader. Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.
Apr 14, 2020•10 min
Our own John Kaplan tells his own story of a time when he had to decide what it meant to be uncommon. It’s the story that brought the often-heard phrase, “Who’s doing this?!” that many of you have heard in our Command of the Message® training. This episode is meant to bring you some motivation and inspiration as you focus on this month, this quarter and this year. Feel free to share with your teams and colleagues. Check out The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.
Apr 09, 2020•12 min
Every company needs to have alignment around the answers to the Essential Questions: What problems do you solve? How do you solve those problems? How do you solve them differently and/or better than the competition? And, where have you done it before? In this episode, John Kaplan talks through how you can use our concept of the Essential Questions to align with your buyer and address your customer’s evolving challenges. He’ll cover how your organization can provide the most value for customers b...
Apr 07, 2020•8 min
Deals are won or lost in discovery. A key part to successful discovery is the salesperson’s ability to articulate what they learned in discovery back to the customer. We call it playing back “What We Heard”. In this podcast, John Kaplan runs through best practices for using this information to your advantage, including: How it helps you overcome seller deficit disorder How to deal with sounding too repetitive How to use your customer to help you play back negative information Check out this and ...
Mar 31, 2020•20 min
We took a break from our typical podcast topics and talked about how salespeople and sales leaders can best use this time, even in the face of unprecedented circumstances. Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.
Mar 24, 2020•12 min
NOTE: This episode was recorded last month, prior to the Coronavirus shut down. Although the episode provides some good tips that apply to the situation many of us find ourselves in now, please listen with the understanding that Brian's comments were recorded without the current context. There’s not a sales leader out there that doesn’t want to make an immediate impact when they take on a new role. However, the best sales leaders are also thinking about what they can do to create ongoing and sus...
Mar 17, 2020•27 min
Even the most veteran sales reps can fall victim to lazy sales practices when they’re selling to someone they know. We think we can skip steps or cut corners in our sales process. These opportunities can fool us into thinking they’re a sure thing. In this episode, John Kaplan breaks down key triggers to watch out for and ways to hold yourself accountable. We cover: Key steps to take when a former buyer is in a new company and wants to purchase again Red flags to watch out for when you have a “fr...
Mar 10, 2020•10 min
We’ve all been frustrated by a pipeline full of slow-moving deals. The cause typically goes back to a few key areas where we as salespeople or sales coaches lacked focus. It goes back to basic sales fundamentals, but they’re things even veteran salespeople need to remember. In this podcast, John Kaplan breaks down three key areas to assess if you have a pipeline full of deals that just won’t close. You’ll learn: The three reasons your deals are taking too long to close An easy way to execute dis...
Mar 03, 2020•12 min
Force Management continues to be a leader in building company alignment and equipping sales teams as we bring listeners an all-new weekly podcast series. The Audible-Ready Podcast will feature B2B sales leaders and revenue-driving executives, who share their best insights on how a focus on sales effectiveness can help companies increase revenue, improve sales margins and gain market share. We’ll cover topics like: Sales Leadership, Sales Transformation, Sales Initiative Results, Sales performanc...
Mar 02, 2020•6 min
