Negotiating power is an invaluable currency in sales, one that gives you the leverage to move toward achieving a desirable outcome. As you approach the end of a sales process, the work you’ve done previously to establish yourself in a solid negotiating position determines the quality of the deal you’ll eventually land. Today, Tim Caito joins Rachel to discuss the importance of taking the right steps throughout the lifetime of the deal to set yourself up for a successful close. Here are some addi...
Feb 25, 2025•31 min
Enjoy this replay of a great episode with Brian Walsh. Responding to RFPs is often inevitable in many selling organizations. How do you respond in a way that gives you an edge? Brian Walsh joins us to share the importance of assessing your position and details how to determine an impactful response. He covers what to ask yourself as you qualify the opportunity, define your competitive position, and strategize around the right next steps. Here are some additional resources: Differentiate How You ...
Feb 18, 2025•37 min
On our online subscription platform Ascender, users can ask questions and discuss their perspectives on a wide variety of topics pertaining to sales. Among the regular contributors to Ascender’s Engage section is Force Management facilitator John Boney, who has made a number of recent posts about selling and leading from a foundation of empathy. In particular, he has written about the concept of carefrontation—an approach to giving feedback that balances directness and honesty with empathy and c...
Feb 11, 2025•17 min
There’s as much differentiation in how you sell as in what you sell, and standing out as a sales rep requires you to exhibit those special characteristics uncommon amongst your peers. Establishing differentiation is a tricky task, however, so today John Kaplan teaches how to simplify the process with ideas enactable by a mindset of open-mindedness, empathy for the customer and their needs, and conviction in the importance of what you have to offer. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC...
Feb 04, 2025•18 min
As with all aspects of selling, sufficient preparation is a prerequisite to successful negotiation. In today’s episode, Tim Caito shares the key points of negotiation prep for reps to focus on. He discusses: Starting your negotiation process early. Recognizing and dealing with customer anchors, and laying anchors of your own. Establishing your give–get strategy. Providing the customer with multiple options. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender! Negotiation Founda...
Jan 28, 2025•21 min
Whether you're the top rep looking for even greater heights or someone looking to improve, you need a plan for success. And, you need to put it in motion now.What is your plan to make your plan this year? Force Management’s Co-Founder John Kaplan has been on all sides of this journey as a rep, sales leader, and top-tier trainer. He joins our Ascender team for a practical conversation on how to improve your sales execution right now. We'll cover how you can gather and analyze, plan and strategize...
Jan 22, 2025•46 sec
With the extensive attention from leadership directed toward the planning of sales kickoffs, the need to focus on what’s to follow too often gets lost. Today, John Kaplan joins Rachel for a discussion on the incumbency of managers leading SKOs to dispense the knowledge, skills and cultural spirit to spark enthusiasm and a drive for success amongst employees in attendance. In the process, he also insists upon the need for sales reps to have a gameplan, as he puts it, “after the hoopla” of the SKO...
Jan 21, 2025•13 min
There often comes a point in deals when it’s best for all parties to go their separate ways. Today, Antonella O’Day joins Rachel to discuss the key indicators that you should walk away from a deal and how to do so tactfully. She talks about: Evaluating whether or not you can be successful in solving the customer’s problems. The number one reason why deals stall. The importance of tangible Customer Verifiable Outcomes to indicate the customer’s interest throughout the deal. Using the letters of M...
Jan 14, 2025•16 min
Are you set up for success this year? Antonella O’Day walks through some key areas of focus as you come up with your own plan to make your plan this year. She covers ways to: Analyze trends from the past year and the competitive landscape. Set personal targets for 2025 based on data and personal experiences from 2024. Identify ideal customers and new growth opportunities. Reflect on past mistakes and successes to inform future strategies. Upcoming Webinar: Join John Kaplan for a webinar on "The ...
Jan 07, 2025•11 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. Visit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is...
Dec 31, 2024•12 min
A short word of thanks from the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast. Visit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career. Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/ Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparison...
Dec 24, 2024•2 min
It’s crunch time as you work to get those last-minute deals in by the end of the year. In this short episode, John Kaplan gives you some words of advice as you finish strong. Visit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career. Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/ Subscribe here: https://my...
Dec 17, 2024•2 min
As we approach the end of the year, it is time to reflect on what’s gone well and what can be improved going forward. An important part of your year-end reflection is evaluating whether or not you’re at the right place to apply your skills. Today, John Kaplan gives you the tools to assess if you’re at the right company and breaks it down to three key considerations: what, how and why you sell. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender! Essential Questions to Help You ...
Dec 10, 2024•19 min
Join John Kaplan this Thursday for a conversation on equipping new hires to ramp faster. He'll be joined by the Shift Group's JR Butler. They'll cover key ways you can improve that onboarding process. It's a great conversation for anyone who manages a team. Register here: https://www.forcemanagement.com/know-your-people
Dec 09, 2024•1 min
Discovery can be a demanding process, and finding the right questions to ask requires intensive listening and thoughtful preparation. Fortunately, there are a few questions that are relevant to every deal and can help you get the ball rolling. These include: “Can you walk me through your current process?” “What’s working well in your current process?” “What struggles are you currently facing?” In today’s episode, John Kaplan goes into detail about the standard questions to ask in every discovery...
Dec 03, 2024•14 min
The ultimate goal of every rep is to close deals, and in today’s episode, John Kaplan outlines the necessary steps for sellers to maximize their odds of landing the big one. He discusses: Prioritizing pipeline generation. Voracious qualification, the most critical factor for closing deals. Aligning your value proposition with the priorities of the buying company. Implicating the customer’s pain. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender! Plan to Make Your Plan | Ascen...
Nov 26, 2024•16 min
In this episode, we cover one of our most popular topics among our listeners: metrics. And its popularity is well warranted, as it remains a major stumbling block for many reps. John Boney joins us to give pointers on leveraging metrics to strengthen deals while steering clear of the common pitfalls. He discusses: The different types of metrics and what matters to whom. Why reps tend to struggle with higher-level metrics. Asking the right questions to align with the customer’s metrics. Turning m...
Nov 19, 2024•20 min
Have you checked out Ascender yet? Our online platform to help reps with the daily grind of sales. Don't miss our upcoming events: Webinar: Selling to Experienced Buyers with Antonella O'Day - Register here: https://hubs.la/Q02XTCl_0 Visit the Ascender Platform: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Explore Check out Ascender's Community: https://community.ascender.co/
Nov 12, 2024•48 sec
As we approach the end of 2024, many companies are in the process of setting their priorities for the new year. In today’s episode, John Kaplan talks about aligning your solution with the corporate priorities of your customers as opposed to simply a department. He discusses: The need to talk to those with access to discretionary funds. Understanding the problems that you solve and the implications of those problems. Questions that will reveal the initiatives the Economic Buyer prioritizes. Obtai...
Nov 05, 2024•20 min
Maintaining contact with accounts provides many benefits for an organization, and salespeople play a huge role in setting the foundation for a long-term relationship between two companies. Today, Brian Walsh draws on his wealth of experience to explain what reps must do to keep their organization tethered to accounts. Topics of discussion include: Having a mindset of long-term growth and lifetime value. Laying the necessary pre-sale groundwork to remain tethered to an account post-sale. Position...
Oct 29, 2024•25 min
Staying in control of a deal is all about qualification. Today, John Kaplan gives advice on being proactive, not reactive, in ensuring that the deal progresses in your favor and with urgency. He talks about: Being prepared for and adjusting to unforeseen changes. Dealing with the entrance of a new competitor. Qualifying proactively with MEDDICC. The importance of meeting the buyer where they are. Here are some additional resources: Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender! Validating Champions | Ascend...
Oct 22, 2024•16 min
If you’re a seller, you already know that rejection is a way of life. Unfortunately, a negative mindset about rejection remains the barrier that prevents many salespeople from reaching their fullest potential. In this episode, John Kaplan explains how to handle rejection in a way that sets you up for success down the road. He discusses: Viewing rejection as a learning opportunity instead of a failure. Taking yourself out of it and becoming unoffendable. Leaving the door open for conversations do...
Oct 15, 2024•14 min
Sellers must understand the more detail-oriented technical pains as well as the wider-ranging business pains of a customer’s organization. Elite salespeople are able to balance both worlds. You should be able to speak with those involved with the operational aspects of a company, learn their pain through effective discovery, and then move up and tie those technical pains with business issues that will catch the attention of C-level executives. In this episode, John Kaplan explains in depth the d...
Oct 08, 2024•9 min
Your customer may raise an objection at any point during the sales process, and there is an infinite number of objections a customer may propose. In this episode, Antonella O’Day discusses the mindset salespeople need to handle objections, and she explains three tactics sellers can apply to successfully deal with them. These tactics are: Showing the customer that you hear their objection. Understanding the customer’s why. Reframing the customer’s objection. Here are some additional resources: Ge...
Oct 01, 2024•15 min
In today’s episode, Rachel and John discuss the ever-pertinent need for sellers to identify and attach to the customer’s biggest business problem. John shares the mindset and the steps necessary for reps to make the right connections and get the information they need to do so successfully. He talks about: Tying technical requirements to business outcomes. Navigating the political landscape of the customer organization with savvy. The need to get the customer to stand in their moment of pain. Dee...
Sep 24, 2024•17 min
Don’t miss these upcoming Force Management Webinars: Your SKO: Common Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make Planning a hashtag is a big undertaking. Even more difficult is executing an event that focuses on execution. Force Management’s Tim Caito joins Rachel Clapp Miller for a discussion on how to get beyond the “event” of the SKO and make it a driver of your revenue goals. Sign up here: https://hubs.li/Q02PdLJ10 Building Consensus with Metrics If you’re struggling with how to talk metrics with you...
Sep 12, 2024•2 min
There is an abundance of tools and processes available to reps today, but it is incumbent on each seller to incorporate them into a cohesive strategy. In this episode, John Kaplan explains how to successfully pull these tools into a swift selling motion. Topics under discussion include: Selling with an outside-in approach. The three buckets of information to fill during discovery. A golf takeaway and downswing analogy. Fitting the selling motion into a sales process. Here are some additional res...
Sep 10, 2024•15 min
On Ascender’s Engage page, we receive tons of questions from sales professionals throughout the country, many of whom face similar challenges. We have compiled a few of the most common questions to answer in today’s episode. They are: How do I handle a customer that is reluctant to proceed to the next steps? How can I open up customers who are close to the vest with positive business outcomes and metrics? How can I overcome a gatekeeper trying to prevent me from multithreading? Here are some add...
Sep 03, 2024•20 min
In today’s quick episode, John Kaplan gives encouragement to sellers who may find themselves down on their luck. He discusses the tried-and-true actions within every seller’s control that will set you back on track, including: Assessing and attaching to the customer’s business issues (the what). Taking into account whom you are connected with in the deal (the who). Qualifying the deal early on and throughout the sales process. Staying on top of the foundational skills. Here are some additional r...
Aug 27, 2024•11 min
Get back to the basic sales fundamentals that help ensure great sales conversations. John Kaplan provides five things you can practice before you jump into that next prospect call. Here are some additional resources: Purpose Process Payoff [Article] https://bit.ly/3spMjgA Improve Your Active Listening Skills [Podcast] https://apple.co/3md3HUO Maximize the Effectiveness of Proof Points [Podcast] https://apple.co/2XAxEE5 Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podca...
Aug 20, 2024•11 min
