The first meeting with a customer is typically hard-won, so you want to get it right. It will lay the foundation of not only your relationship with the individual you speak to, but the balance of your deal. Antonella O’Day shares tips to set you up for a successful first meeting. She covers: The goal of the first meeting and how to prepare. Sending an agenda in advance. Opening up a cagey customer. “Managing the clock” during the meeting. Taking command of the next steps. Here are some additiona...
Jun 20, 2023•19 min
Many reps struggle with metrics. The challenge usually comes from not knowing the proper way to apply metrics to their sales conversations. In this quick episode, John Kaplan shares pointers on how to make effective use of metrics. He discusses: What metrics are and why they matter. How to speak about metrics in a way that is relevant to the higher-ups of an organization. The value in visualizing the buying organization as a house. Here are some additional resources: MEDDICC Certification on Asc...
Jun 13, 2023•8 min
When you’re trying to close your pipeline, you don’t want a competitor to derail your deal. How do you stay on top of your differentiation and what the competition is doing? How much should you focus on your competition? Antonella O’Day joins Rachel Clapp Miller for a conversation on competitors. She talks about: How to best understand your competitor The must-have information you need to know and the nice-to-know information How to avoid providing “air time” for your competitor in the sales con...
Jun 06, 2023•17 min
It is critical for reps to take command of the next step in sales conversations. Today, Brian Walsh walks us through best practices when it comes to transitioning to the next stage of a sales process. He talks about: How best to prepare for the next step. Positioning yourself before your prospect as a partner as you embark upon the next stage of your journey. The benefit of briefing your customer prior to meetings. Being able to adjust on the fly in case things do not go as intended. Here are so...
May 30, 2023•15 min
In a discovery session, there comes an inevitable point when the customer asks you to talk about yourself or your solution. When this happens, the last thing you want to do is say too much. Brian Walsh discusses the need to minimize your own input and connect everything you say to issues relevant to the customer. He covers: The basic principles to follow when it comes to talking about yourself in a deal. Determining and conveying the problems you solve and the outcomes you drive toward. Pointing...
May 23, 2023•21 min
Ever had a customer ask you to consider a pilot project? Perhaps they don’t want to sign up for the full investment or they want to prove success before they move forward. Should you sell it? How should you handle it? Brian Walsh gives you a few things to consider. He talks about: Why pilot projects pop up. When it is beneficial to take on a pilot project. Ways to increase the likelihood that a pilot project will lead to a permanent solution. Getting your customer to see the benefits of the metr...
May 16, 2023•18 min
Clients are often reluctant to open up to reps, but our special guest Rob Stenberg explains how you can use storytelling to break through that barrier. He discusses: Why storytelling is so effective. When in your sales process to incorporate stories. How to practice and prepare stories that resonate How to use stories to encourage your customer to “stay in discovery” Here are some additional resources: Storytelling in the Sales Process | Ascender Course https://bit.ly/3nfL4CN Discovery Process |...
May 09, 2023•25 min
You want to work for a company that equips its sellers for success. We often speak about Seller Deficit Disorder, with which reps fail to listen to—and understand the problems of—their customers, but in this episode, we discuss the lesser-known Sales Leader Deficit Disorder with our special guest, Force Management Senior Director of Facilitation Brian Walsh. He shares advice about: Picking a great company to work for. What steps to take if you find yourself working for a manager with Sales Leade...
May 02, 2023•21 min
Your customer’s decision criteria are great indicators of your chances of success in a deal. Thankfully, you have the power to mold the decision criteria to fit your own unique differentiators. Tim Caito joins us to explain how to influence the decision criteria in a manner that favors you. He discusses: Common mistakes reps make when trying to change the decision criteria. The difference between decision criteria and desired outcomes. The need to identify the customer’s biggest business pain wh...
Apr 25, 2023•24 min
Though you might have incorporated MEDDICC into your sales process, you, like many new adherents of the methodology, may find difficulty figuring out the E: Economic Buyer. A common challenge is determining who exactly the Economic Buyer is and whether or not there is more than one in a deal, particularly a complex one. Force Management Senior Facilitator Brian Walsh joins us to clarify a bit of the mystery that surrounds the Economic Buyer. He covers: Why there is typically only one Economic Bu...
Apr 18, 2023•36 min
A negative atmosphere can hinder a sales team’s prospects of success. It is incumbent on leaders to create an environment of openness in which everyone feels free to share their ideas, contributing to the team’s overall benefit. In this episode, Antonella discusses steps that leaders can take to foster a productive team culture through transparency. She covers: The importance of candidness within a sales team. Providing clear expectations for reps. Minimizing distractions so that sellers can exe...
Apr 11, 2023•11 min
You are likely to come across buying organizations with conflicting priorities. It can be a real challenge to get people in different parts of a company to agree on a path on which to move forward. John Kaplan explains how you can set about getting various departments of a company on the same page. He discusses: Keeping people focused on the “why.” The role that Champions play in achieving a “Collective Yes.” Building a “What We Heard” slide with your Champion to fight Seller Deficit Disorder. W...
Apr 04, 2023•9 min
Here’s a great episode for both reps and sales leaders. Salespeople are typically unenthused by the prospect of deal reviews, but they are a great opportunity for leaders to help their sellers identify strengths and weaknesses in their opportunities and get deals over the line. Antonella O’Day joins us to discuss what sales managers can do to help themselves and their reps maximize the benefit of deal review sessions. She provides guidance about: How managers can get reps to see the value in dea...
Mar 28, 2023•14 min
Changes are inevitable, and, in particular, changes in leadership occur quite frequently. John Kaplan explains how to adjust to a new sales leader. He discusses: Maintaining your focus when teams around you are being restructured. Adapting to a new sales style imposed by new leadership while still making it your own. Handling leadership changes in departments outside of your own that still affect you. The responsibility of sales leaders to help their teams understand a change. Here are some addi...
Mar 21, 2023•9 min
Salespeople must be multi-threaded with their opportunities. Make an effort to connect to as many relevant stakeholders in the buying company as possible. John Kaplan explains steps you can take to reach key individuals in other departments of your prospect’s organization. He gives advice about: Connecting technical capabilities to business outcomes. Landing meetings with key stakeholders of other departments. Using the Three Ps—Purpose, Process and Payoff—to maximize conversations with high-ran...
Mar 14, 2023•9 min
Many sellers are feeling strain from the current state of the economy. Many reps are struggling to figure out the proper action steps to take in the midst of the challenges of the current environment. John Kaplan discusses ways to prevail through today’s economic headwinds. He talks about: The need to focus on what you can control. Staying committed to the fundamentals. Finding resilience during tough times. Here are some additional resources: Essential Questions to Help You Be a Better Salesper...
Mar 07, 2023•9 min
In a tight economy, buyers will try all means necessary to minimize superfluous spending. That means you’re going to get the discount question.. Force Management Facilitator Antonella O’Day joins us to talk through some best practices for dealing with price objections from your buyer. She covers: The ideal initial response to hearing a price objection. Getting to understand the reason(s) behind the objection. How to respond if the objection persists after having painted a detailed picture of the...
Feb 28, 2023•11 min
“Do It Internally” might be the most frequent competitor you come across. In this economy, you’re probably competing against it more than you are used to with more and more customers l considering a solution in their own company rather than making another purchase. In this episode, John Kaplan discusses how you can fight this increasing tendency. He explains how to: Prepare for discovery sessions to ensure you get all the information necessary to differentiate against “Do It Internally.” Prepare...
Feb 21, 2023•11 min
Be sure to check out Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your sales career. Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/ Sadly, several reps are falling victim to the increasing number of layoffs and cutbacks occurring in tech companies. If you happen to be one of them, John Kapl...
Feb 14, 2023•12 min
In today’s special episode, we feature the work of project44, a company that provides real-time supply chain visibility for its customers. They track one billion unique shipments every year for more than 1,200 of the world’s leading brands. With the company having recently completed a Force Management initiative, John Kaplan sits down with two of project44’s leaders—President of Worldwide Field Operations Tim Bertrand and Chief Sales Officer Craig Lewis—to talk through their successes in taking ...
Feb 07, 2023•1 hr 6 min
As a seller, storytelling can be a great asset. More than anything, a well-told story is one of the best ways to get your buyer more emotionally attached to solving a problem. Today, John Kaplan explains the many ways that storytelling, if done properly, can help you. Topics of discussion include: How to hone your storytelling ability. Making a story relevant to the customer—getting them to stand in the story. The benefits of helping the buyer to share their own story. Using stories effectively ...
Jan 31, 2023•21 min
We produce a lot of content on Ascender, our new subscription platform! Twice a month, we hold live events on Ascender. One of those events is Deal Desk, in which sellers like you can ask questions pertaining to deals you’re trying to close and any challenges you face with regards to sales execution. Our recent Deal Desk was hosted by Patrick McLoughlin, aka Paddy Mac, Force Management’s Senior Director of Consulting & Facilitation. In today’s episode, Paddy Mac recaps questions asked in the...
Jan 24, 2023•19 min
In today’s difficult sales environment, reeps must ensure that they are aligned with what is most important to their buyers. Force Management Facilitator Marty Mercer walks through ways you may be able to align to a new challenge that your buyers are experiencing, including: Managing disengagement among your customer’s employees. Preparing for sales conversations of a nature different from what you are used to. Here are some additional resources: Subscribe to Ascender: https://my.ascender.co/Asc...
Jan 17, 2023•19 min
We know you’re dealing with increased buyer scrutiny in your deals. With tighter budgets, your buyers don’t want to purchase a mistake. There’s more people looking at where the company is investing its money and that means as a salesperson you need to be audible-ready to position the value of your solution. In this podcast, Tim Caito shares some advice on how to work early to prepare for common sales scenarios that come through when you’re facing this challenge, including: How to use the four es...
Jan 10, 2023•27 min
Force Management has launched our new product: Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your sales career. Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/ One common scenario that all sellers are likely to face, especially when joining a new company, is inheriting others’ accounts. In so...
Jan 03, 2023•16 min
Force Management has launched our new product: Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your sales career. Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/ Competition comes in varied forms in a sales process and you need to be prepared. When your competition comes knocking, you need to h...
Dec 27, 2022•17 min•Ep. 200
Force Management has launched our new product: Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your sales career. Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender / Outcomes are a critical component to the sales conversation. In a tight economy, people aren’t always looking to solve problems—they...
Dec 20, 2022•22 min•Ep. 199
We’ve fielded numerous questions from reps seeking a new sales role. Some are dissatisfied with their current role, and some feel primed for a new chapter, an opportunity to advance in their career. Whatever the reason, though, there stands one common obstacle: the interview. John Kaplan shares tips for approaching your next sales job interview. He discusses: What sales leaders look for when hiring reps. What you can do right now to prepare for a sales job interview. Interviewing the interviewer...
Dec 13, 2022•17 min•Ep. 198
Join us for our Ascender LIVE Deal Desk Force Management's Patrick McLoughlin will join us to take on your sales execution questions. Walk us through specific scenarios on deals you're this close to closing, dig into your MEDDICC steps on a deal, or get feedback on an approach you're using. Whatever it is you're looking to work on, we can use this session to help. Here's the link to register: https://www.ascender.co/deals Submit questions anonymously by emailing Community@Ascender.co ....
Dec 07, 2022•1 min
Force Management has launched our new product: Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your sales career. Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender / When selling technical solutions, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with trying to articulate the features and functions of a solution.Ho...
Dec 06, 2022•12 min•Ep. 196
