Span the Chasm – Sales Team Training – Driving Sustainable Sales and Growth through Development and Consulting

Tag: sales success

  • 10 Commandments of Success

    10 Commandments of Success

    In an election year, the concept of a promise takes on odd meaning.

    What can we believe…. What can we not…..

    Sadly, these promises cannot be counted on, certainly not as a guarantee. Leaving us to wonder:

    When will the day come that we can believe a guarantee?

    Great news for you:  That day has come. Today. Right now.

    As a result of our work with dozens of companies, hundreds of sales leaders and thousands of sales reps; we have distilled these 10 Commandments of Success which, if followed, WILL increase your sales. I personally guarantee it.

    The 10 Commandments of Success:

    1. Simplify: 

    Many reps make the path to success overly complex. Today, I spent hours reviewing opportunities where reps over-engineered simple concepts and put an undue burden on their prospects for actions that the rep should be completing. Keep simplifying the task until it’s in its simplest, most elemental state. Put as little burden on your prospect as possible.

    ‘Make it as simple as possible but no simpler.’  Albert Einstein

    2. Commit:

    Too many reps ‘kinda’ want to do a deal but in reality, they aren’t willing to do whatever it takes to win. Instead, they partially commit to many opportunities, weakly pursuing them and winning very little. If it isn’t worth winning, don’t bother. If it is, be willing to do whatever it takes.

    Want to delve deeper? I recommend this book: The Ultimate Secret to Getting Absolutely Whatever You Want by Mike Hernacki.

    3. Plan: 

    How many times have you gone to a meeting where you are the star and yet you didn’t have a clear map for these 3 basic elements: 1) your goals for the meeting, 2) the prospects goals for the meeting and 3) your expected next steps? Without at least a basic plan, you are slowing down your path to success and wasting everyone’s time.

    ‘Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.’ Sun Tzu.

    4. Move: 

    Ok. Planning is great but Action is greater. When in doubt, friggin’ DO something. Make a call, do some research, edit a proposal. Many times even the wrong action is more powerful than doing nothing correctly.

    ‘Have a Bias for Action’ , learn more in Tom Peters’ book In Search of Excellence.

    5. Listen: 

    <shock> Your clients really don’t give a rip what you have to say until they KNOW you have listened to them from your core. No, not listened to ‘respond’. Truly listened to understand and echo back to them what you heard. Listening creates intimacy and trust. You MUST have these to do meaningful deals.

    ‘Seek to Understand before you seek to be Understood’.  Stephen Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

    6. Focus: 

    ‘Value’ is the only currency today. If you aren’t trading in that, you are in the commodities market. Value aligned to a prospect’s known (or unknown) Business Pain is the only way to do meaningful business.

    ‘Focus on what is Vital and ignore what is Trivial’ . Greg McKeown, Essentialism.

    7. Be Brave: 

    So many reps that I coach admit with embarrassment that they are afraid in their sales cycles. Awesome! Sometimes it IS a bit scary. BUT…. We must pursue anyway. It is OK to be afraid. What is not OK is to have that fear paralyze you. Please read Feel the Fear…. and do it Anyway by Dr. Susan Jeffers. It will liberate you.

    8. Be Honest, with YOURSELF: 

    Often times, we don’t like what we know or suspect. So we do the smart thing: IGNORE it. That solves nothing and only prevents us from being successful. Reps that embrace whatever the truth is and build a realistic plan to deal with it: WIN. Reps that don’t: LOSE. It’s THAT simple. Save yourself the heartache and Run to the Truth™

    9. Persevere: 

    Starting is easy. Buzzy, fun, exciting…. And then it gets hard. It doesn’t go well. Sh*t hits the fan. We get discouraged. Here is what I know: At some point, the big deals that I have been involved with were really ugly, beaten up or even dead but, because we chose to fight on and endure, we were able to cross the finish line victorious.

    ‘Have the Courage to Endure.’  Ruben Gonzalez, The Courage to Succeed.

    10. Be different: 

    We frequently feel we have to do something crazy when, in the end, our prospects simply want to count on what we say we’re going to do. I saved this one for last as it’s been the biggest success maker for me and our clients at Span the Chasm. Simply follow Larry Winget’s #1 Rule of Business (and relationships) from his book, The Idiot Factor:

    1. Do what you said you were going to do
    2. The way that you said you were going to do it
    3. When you said you were going to get it done.

    BOOM! (mic drop)

    You might have noticed a lot of books referenced in this post. Here is a bonus: Read.

    Find a partner and hold each other accountable to reading a book per month for a year. It’s an important factor in your own personal development.

    I have worked this concept with many reps to date and have never heard negative feedback. Your personal success matters to us at Span the Chasm.  Try these out, let us know what you think! I guarantee you’ll see results, if you stick to it and COMMIT.

    BONUS!

    You may have noticed I used a lot of quotes in this blog. Quotes are powerful teachers and provide daily inspiration for me. We gather wisdom and new insights through quotes. I’ve assembled my favorite 10 success quotes in a handy PDF.

    Click here to download and place it on your desk for daily inspiration!

  • Are You Managing the Sales Process Backwards?

    Are You Managing the Sales Process Backwards?

    While TRUE, it’s almost always WRONG.  

    “It’s the sales process. Period. Follow the process and you’ll have success!”

    Throughout time, every sales leader has uttered these words to every sales rep.

    Are these sales leaders starting at the wrong end? It’s natural to focus on the sales rep’s failure to execute and very easy to assume they aren’t adhering to the correct sales process.  

    Trust me, I am a process guy and I believe in the science of selling. I preach the 3 Rs, doing the Right things, the Right way, Repeatedly.

    However, focusing first on the process is usually wrong. Because you’re looking at a surface symptom instead of the root problem. There’s much deeper stuff happening here.

    Let’s dissect:

    A sales rep’s execution of the sales process is the 4th element to review, develop and nurture. Yes, you read that correctly – I said 4th!

    Let’s define them in reverse order:

    4th – Execution:
    This is adherence to a process. Are the reps executing the correct sales process and utilizing the available sales tools in order to bring a prospect to a decision?

    3rd – Competency:
    Have they developed the skills and proficiency needed to use the tools and process?

    2nd – Desire:
    Have you worked with the reps to align their personal goals with the organization’s professional mission so they are motivated to achieve success?

    1st – Belief:
    Do they BELIEVE in the core mission of the company and the real impact your company will have for its customers?

    Why is this order so important?

    Without BELIEF, their DESIRE to perform is diminished.

    The fuel to drive them leaks quickly out of the tank.

    Without DESIRE, they won’t develop the lasting COMPETENCIES needed to excel in their role.

    Without COMPETENCY, they won’t attempt or be able to successfully navigate the EXECUTION process that you have so carefully trained them to do.

    As you work with your reps, if you are only focused on their clinical execution, you may likely miss the deeper issues. Start at the beginning and work up from there. You’ll be much more effective and they will be grateful. You will quickly identify the REAL reasons their performance is lagging.

    We recently had this experience with one of our clients. Great rep. Super heart. But this rep wasn’t performing to potential. It showed in their numbers and execution. Instead of starting with the execution, we dove into their belief system.

    It was BROKEN!

    This rep didn’t believe in the process and was questioning the value of the company for their prospects. There was no emotional story to get behind. The WHY wasn’t there. We backed up and addressed these issues. We rebuilt their beliefs.

    Guess what….they are back on track and execution has improved. The CORRECT path was to address their beliefs. Once that was fixed, it was EASY to correct the execution.

    Don’t get me wrong: Execution matters. But it’s pointless to focus there if you don’t have the first 3 in place as a foundation.  

    Having a great roof on a poorly built house is a real problem. Not building up the Beliefs, Desire and Competency first is a waste of your precious time and efforts.

    Let’s do this differently. Let’s do this better. Let’s Focus On What Matters™ FIRST and then move upstream.

    Your reps deserve it and your company needs it. If you need help mapping out these 4 core components of a successful sales process, contact us and we’ll get you headed in the right direction.

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  • 3 Lessons in Sales Wisdom from a Buddhist Monk

    3 Lessons in Sales Wisdom from a Buddhist Monk

    ‘When you walk, you don’t feel the ground. You feel your foot.’

    A bit of wisdom transcends the ordinary day-to-day from Thich Nhat Hanh (TNH), the aging Buddhist monk.

    Before you think this is a ‘spiritual’ blog, be reassured that my reflections on the readings of TNH are in the realm of improving sales. There’s much wisdom to be extracted from the venerable teacher that can dramatically help YOU.

    TNH Sales Wisdom for you.

    1. A lack of ‘self’ tied to the moment: TNH owned his robe, a set of chopsticks and his bowl. For all else, he relied on kindness and generosity. By holding very little, he was able to accept and create much. He remains one of the most influential people despite his poverty and small stature.

    TNH Sale Lesson: It’s not our entrapments like expensive watches, fancy cars, high-end pens and custom suits that bring value to our prospects. It is us. The sum of our experience. The years of wisdom gained from laboring for others. Our value is INTRINSIC, not EXTRINSIC. (Personal confession: I own custom suits, expensive watches, fancy cars and high-end pens. I am preaching to myself and always evolving!)

    2. An open, present mind: Buddhist refers to the ‘mushin mind’. It’s a mind full of knowledge, experience and wisdom and yet, at the same time, presence. TNH writes much on the concept of being present and you simply can’t be ‘present’ within your environment if you’re focused on things outside your immediate moment. It takes a mushin mind (empty mind) to do that. You cannot be filled with your past. You cannot be filled with thoughts of the future. You cannot be filled with expectations of the moment. You simply need to ‘be’.

    TNH Sales Lesson: To really be able to ‘meet your prospect where they are’, YOU need to be there too. Imagine how your prospect feels when you are COMPLETELY present. Not frustrated with the phone call that just went sideways. Not fixated on the presentation tomorrow that you’re unprepared for. Not ‘managing’ your current meeting to a preset outcome. Instead, you are actually THERE. All of you. THERE.

    3. Life is fully integrated: This moment, which fully deserves our best us, is only a moment. It IS important AND it is A moment. One of many. One of 2.85 TRILLION moments that you’ll live. While each moment has merit, stressing about each one vs engaging with each one will create two very different results. Chaos and anxiety OR peace and growth.

    TNH Sales Lesson: This meeting. This deal. This ________. It matters. It really does. And it doesn’t. If it’s successful, be grateful. If it’s not, learn. In the end, it doesn’t define you. If understood, it can prepare you. Relax. You deserve it. Your prospect deserves it. Your peace and serenity need it.

    ‘Only now do I see what is here before me.’

    To see what is here before you, you must be ‘now’. Be that. Your prospects, clients, family, friends and your world all deserve a present you.

    Yes, the wisdom of a small monk matters. If understood and put into practice wisely, it will serve you well. I’d love to chat with you about it.

    #BeGreat!

    P.S. If this topic sparks something in you, I recommend you further explore the teachings of TNH. Check out this book ‘Inside the Now: Meditations on Time’

    (Image Credit – http://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/)

  • The Secret Deal Killer in Sales

    The Secret Deal Killer in Sales

    Save your tears for Sunday night and the Hallmark Channel. They’re no good here.

    I killed your deal. Deal with it. It’s true. Simple truth. And you never saw it coming.

    Who am I?

    I don’t show up on an organizational chart.

    I never hit payroll.

    I rarely pay attention to corporate dress codes.  

    I often come in and out like the breeze on a spring day.

    I walk the halls with complete freedom.

    You don’t know me, but you may have seen me. I wield tremendous power. So much so that a 3 minute conversation between your Economic Buyer and me killed your deal. Unceremoniously. Emotionless. Still dead. To quote Sean Connery, ‘As dead as Julius Caesar’.

    Who am I?

    I am the Trusted Advisor to your prospect’s Economic Buyer. Maybe a consultant. Maybe an advisory firm. Maybe a Board member. Maybe a friend.

    If I’m not on payroll, how can I have so much power? Simple:

    • I have a long history of trust and success with the Economic Buyer on your deal. (Did you ever meet with the EB?)
    • I give advice that is impartial, experienced-based because I’m not connected to the emotions of the deal.  
    • I’ll give objective advice even if it HURTS me and my position because I care about my client’s success above my own. (I happen to know that karma always pays me back richly).

    At Span the Chasm, we review lots of deals for our clients. Wins. Losses. Always learning. Recently, there has been a rush on deals lost with no real traceable reason. When we do more digging, guess what we find in these lost deals? Yep…

    Death by the Trusted Advisor.

    I’ve been in the role of Trusted Advisor. I take it very seriously.

    Once a client asked me to have breakfast with a candidate for a leadership position. The candidate thought they were meeting with me to get ‘a perspective they could learn from’, mostly ‘filling the calendar’ before the ‘real’ interviews began. The candidate didn’t take our conversation or my questions very seriously. Meanwhile, I got to really know what drove this person, how they viewed serving others and if they would be a good match for my client. I certainly learned a lot. A LOT. The formal interviews began at 9:00. By 9:30, they were shown the door. Thank you for your time. Done. Over. Dead.

    I got a very introspective note from the candidate later, and they acknowledged they didn’t understand what happened or the role I played.

    ALL our conversations related to executive connections, even casual ones, have the impact and power to change outcomes. Make sure YOUR conversations create a positive outcome. #LearningMoments

    How can you avoid this death? Bad news, it isn’t always avoidable. But there are a few steps you can take. The basics:

    • Make sure you meet with the EB. If you haven’t, many EBs look for a perspective that is NOT represented by the Champion/Mobilizer for your deal.
    • Ask them who they go to for advice and ask for permission to share with them.
    • Ask your Champion/Mobilizer who the EB looks to. If they don’t know…
    • Look for strategic relationships on websites.

    Money shot: The BEST way to beat this is to BE the Trusted Advisor.

    Yep. Another potential ‘person of influence’ in your sales process. They’re not always there but if you don’t ask, you will never know. You will be left with ‘thinking, believing and assuming’. None of these will help in your hour of reckoning.

    #BeGreat!

  • Does Your Sales Framework have ‘Weakest Link Syndrome’?

    Does Your Sales Framework have ‘Weakest Link Syndrome’?

    Selling isn’t supposed to be this hard. Driving sustainable sales growth should be easier. You have a great product. Marketing and Product are supportive. Yet the results are sporadic, often more random than predictable.

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