Partners in Excellence

MARCH 10, 2023

“Is there a more cost effective way to reach customers than through a direct sales organization? Early in my career, I suspect I displayed much of the ignorance and, possibly, arrogance we see today. It concerned a group of early stage CEOs looking for “new approaches to selling.” What has worked? What has failed?

Manufacturing 62

Manufacturing Retail Growth Sell 62

Partners in Excellence

JUNE 24, 2019

We all know to acquire a new customer, we need to incite them to change, to get them to think differently about their business. The customer has already decided to change, they’ve scoped their problem, determined their needs, and are on a path to solve the problem. They are our customers. But now we’ve landed them.

Customers 76

Customers Cross-sell Niche Sell 76

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 26, 2021

We tend to take for granted that our customers know how to buy. Too often, our customers get derailed in their buying journey, they want to buy, they need to buy, but they don’t know how to navigate the process and the hurdles put up by their own organizations. Customers need our help! What questions should they be asking?

Customers 91

Customers Contract Legal Negotiate 91

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 25, 2022

A question came up, “Dave you talk about how we differentiate ourselves through creating value with the customer, helping them make sense of what they are trying to achieve, helping them have great confidence in their decision. I was doing a Q&A after a keynote at a SKO. But a large part of our business is RFP’s.

Construction 72

Construction Government Pitch Up-sell 72

Partners in Excellence

OCTOBER 5, 2022

While that sounds arrogant, it illustrates the key point we miss about RFPs and managing them. ” “The way lots of our customers buy is through RFPs, so we hunt for RFPs, responding to them. We are minimizing our ability to create value with the customer, differentiating ourselves, and positioning our offerings.

Construction 52

Construction Process Sell Price 52

Sales Pop!

MARCH 5, 2022

In my last article in this series, we took up the example of a firefighter and the fact that a firefighter is almost always a positive example of their profession. In the same way, a firefighter has a positive reputation in society. A salesperson, on the other hand, usually does not. One bad sale and the word will spread very quickly.

Represent 91

Represent Drivers/motivators Entertainment Government 91

Sales Pop!

MARCH 13, 2022

But there is a much more broad reason that sales must once again find its true meaning: sales is vital for creating a middle class, which serves to stabilize the economy. But there is a much more broad reason that sales must once again find its true meaning: sales is vital for creating a middle class, which serves to stabilize the economy.

Pipeline 93

Pipeline Networking Sales Cross-sell 93

Partners in Excellence

OCTOBER 15, 2021

So onsite gyms, nurseries, cleaners, restaurants, meditation rooms become enticements not to create balance, but to reduce the disruption of work. So onsite gyms, nurseries, cleaners, restaurants, meditation rooms become enticements not to create balance, but to reduce the disruption of work.

Assembly Line 73

Assembly Line Manufacturing Government Up-sell 73

Partners in Excellence

MAY 19, 2019

Basically, James describes a conversation with a sales person who feels it’s OK to manipulate and pressure a customer because that sales person knows how happy the customer will be with the solution. Most of you would, hopefully, find this premise not only arrogant, but preposterous. ” It’s a must read.

Drivers/motivators 81

Drivers/motivators Clients Growth Sell 81

Hubspot

MAY 24, 2021

So to help you out, we've compiled a list of tips and tricks to get the most out of your direct communication with prospects and customers. If you don't, your core value proposition will come off as generic, making the dialogue around it impersonal and underwhelming. That's why your value proposition has to be relevant and personal.

Conversion 94

Conversion Product Process Drivers/motivators 94

Partners in Excellence

JANUARY 25, 2021

It’s in the discovery process that we actually figure out what it takes to win–earn the customer’s business. Instead, arrogantly, we leave it to the customer to figure out whether what we do helps them with what they want to do. ” In reality, it is more about the customer’s discovery.

Process 74

Process Pitch Customers Presentation 74

Partners in Excellence

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

We can hide our heads in the sand, we can deal with it when it happens, we can look for trouble, we can create trouble. We can hide our heads in the sand, we can deal with it when it happens, we can look for trouble, we can create trouble. Perhaps related to complacency is arrogance.

Strategize 86

Strategize Customers Process Sales 86

SaaStr

MARCH 8, 2020

Being #1 in a category often takes 80%-90% of the value and benefits. Being #1 in a category often takes 80%-90% of the value and benefits. 1s can get arrogant, worst case. 2 Can Take the Higher Ground and Be More Customer-Focused. It seemed to turn all startups into just numbers on a graph. Post-traction, with a brand.

CRM 103

CRM Gaming Price Presentation 103

SalesLoft

MARCH 19, 2019

We communicated with passion, rather than arrogance. It is a place where we focused on the customer journey and not just the transaction. Being a great listener and solving customer problems rather than simply pushing a product sounds basic, but it is so important. Build exceptional sales teams. Leadership.

Sales 91

Sales Commission Territory Trust 91

Hubspot

OCTOBER 30, 2017

With a customized headline, you’ll instantly distinguish yourself, give prospects and recruiters a reason to view your profile, and start building the case for your product. Customize it to your audience. Include your value prop. 2) Add Your Value Prop. But letting LinkedIn choose your headline for you is a mistake.

Retail 100

Retail Healthcare Represent Prospecting 100

Partners in Excellence

AUGUST 7, 2013

I get disturbed by much of the hyperbole around Insight Selling and Teaching Our Customers. We are supposed to know more than our customers. I think in many cases that’s true and an important part of value creation. We should know more than our customers on certain types of problems—the one’s we solve.

Customers 93

Customers Manufacturing Trust B2B 93

Partners in Excellence

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018

Inevitably our focus is on buying and selling, but we are still not aligned with the customer and their journey. Yet the customer is on a different journey. Too often, our focus is not on the customer journey–just the part of the journey we are interested in–the buying part. I can already picture half the readers.

Manufacturing 82

Manufacturing Up-sell Sell Customers 82

Partners in Excellence

JUNE 5, 2019

For links to the other posts in the series, go to: Sensemaking, The Big Issue Facing Both Our Customers And Us. Collectively, we see the experiences of 100’s and 1000’s of customers facing similar issues, challenges, and problems. This post is the eighth post in my series on Sensemaking.

Sell 67

Sell Customers Up-sell Clients 67

Partners in Excellence

MAY 10, 2017

Tied with our success, there is sometimes arrogance. Complacency can become an outcome of arrogance. Complacency can become an outcome of arrogance. We simply aren’t paying attention–we don’t see the signals, we don’t recognize the changes in our customers, markets, competition.

Start-ups 49

Start-ups Gaming Growth Customers 49

Sales Hacker

JANUARY 17, 2020

If you’re looking for how to improve a sales pitch, you probably see the same few tips repeated ad nauseum. Meanwhile, the most effective way to make your pitch better is something you’d probably never guess. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. Maybe the better question is how many times have you cringed at one today ? So, what’s a vibe?

Pitch 66

Pitch Objectives and Key Results Clients Technique 66

Partners in Excellence

NOVEMBER 7, 2013

We want to make we are prepared, we want to be sure we achieve our goals, we want to move the customer through their buying process, we want to make sure we create value in each call. We want to make sure our customer is prepared for the sales call. So it’s critical that our customers are prepared, as well as us!

Customers 92

Customers Sales Meeting Up-sell 92

SalesLoft

MAY 8, 2019

Confidence isn’t arrogance. It’s a belief in your offering and the value it can add to your buyer’s organization. When you find yourself doing that, do something to inspire growth – find a conference, have a drink with your mentor, or sit down with a customer to talk about what they’re seeing in the market. Persistence.

Teamwork 94

Teamwork Clients Sports Trust 94

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 3, 2012

Yesterday, I wrote about Value Creation. He said his customers really value his approach in value creation. I think the problem is that we have to “earn the right to Challenge or create Value.” Absent that, it’s arrogance or insensitivity–even though you may be right.

Construction 87

Construction Trust Pitch Presentation 87

Partners in Excellence

DECEMBER 27, 2012

I learned to believe, “It’s my God-given right to 100% share of customer and 100% share of territory!” But the principle, the belief, the attitude it created within me is where the real power of this statement lies. I may not have really understood or addressed what the customer was trying to achieve.

Territory 90

Territory Customers Account management Represent 90

Sales Hacker

APRIL 19, 2018

Being passive and failing to create any level of positive tension is professional malpractice. Make it happen by building positive relationships with the right people inside the customer organization. I work with many salespeople across multiple industries every month in my role of mentoring and data driven sales coaching.

Objectives and Key Results 84

Objectives and Key Results CRM Pipeline Up-sell 84

Partners in Excellence

MARCH 18, 2013

We spend a lot of time talking about customer experience design. There is some value to it, but there is also great danger (and arrogance) in it. We cannot possibly design the customer’s experience, we can only design how we engage the customer for those parts of their experience that involve us.

Customers 93

Customers Appointment Represent Engineering 93

Partners in Excellence

MARCH 16, 2016

Too often, we shrug our shoulders, “It’s the customers, they just can’t get themselves organized to buy.” Too often, we shrug our shoulders, “It’s the customers, they just can’t get themselves organized to buy.” What was the value of those deals? What percent were NDM?

Represent 48

Represent Up-sell Pipeline Start-ups 48

Partners in Excellence

APRIL 4, 2017

Even if that isn’t the case, what’s it mean for sales—for years our value as information concierges has diminished. But the real value and opportunity for sales is the “last mile,” that is helping the customer translate what they learn to their specific situation. What are the risks?

Education 48

Education Quota Sales Up-sell 48

Partners in Excellence

JUNE 18, 2012

The sales person has always had a role of “teaching” or “educating” customers. Customer have never found this to be really valuable. In the past, product pitches did play a role in educating our customers. ” The customer may have misunderstandings of the solutions.

Pitch 90

Pitch Education Up-sell Represent 90

Partners in Excellence

AUGUST 31, 2012

We know we have to challenge our customers to think differently, that we have to bring ideas and insight. We try to be provocative to catch our customers’ attentions. But absent an understanding of the customer, being challenging or provocative is just another pitch! But they had some ideas for the customer.

Pitch 88

Pitch Clients Represent Meeting 88

Heinz Marketing

MAY 10, 2021

I think a lot of people struggle with how to create differentiation. By Matt Heinz , President of Heinz Marketing. If you’re not already subscribed to Sales Pipeline Radio , or listening live every Thursday at 11:30 a.m We cover a wide range of topics, with a focus on sales development and inside sales priorities. Good to be here.

Pipeline 86

Pipeline Sales Up-sell Growth 86

Partners in Excellence

NOVEMBER 27, 2012

They are accountable for a customer and territory. They have to do everything themselves, they have to control everything going on in the customer or territory. Account/territory managers doing this are cheating themselves, their companies, and their customers. Sales specialists or overlay reps are critical in complex B2B sales.

Account management 90

Account management Territory Sales Growth 90

Hubspot

APRIL 30, 2015

But the truth of the matter is what Neil and his classmates spent a full year and a half creating the brand, product, strategy, and values that would eventually become Warby Parker -- the initial success of the launch was a direct reflection of that hard work. Invest Time in What’s Important. Listen Selectively.

Launch 72

Launch Retail Price Construction 72

Partners in Excellence

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Years ago, we sales professionals had the arrogance to focus only on the Sales Process. Everything was about the steps and activities we went through to move the customer through our pipelines and get them to order. In the past 5-7 years, our customers have given the sales profession a giant wake up call.

Process 88

Process Sell Up-sell CRM 88

Partners in Excellence

MAY 2, 2012

There’s a lot of data that says customers don’t want to see sales people until later in their buying cycle–presumably the final phases, as they have developed a short list of alternatives. Many think this is wonderful–certainly on the customer side they get to avoid all those terrible sales people.

Education 90

Education Customers B2B Trust 90

Partners in Excellence

AUGUST 22, 2016

” We can create and communicate value in terms that directly impact their success. Often customers struggle because they don’t have the right tools to make it easy to track performance…” Curious, I asked, “Why do you think we aren’t tracking enough things?

Manufacturing 48

Manufacturing High impact Drivers/motivators Up-sell 48

Partners in Excellence

FEBRUARY 22, 2016

We have to mask our true goal and be customer focused. So we’ve shifted our terminology to focus on the customer buying process. So we’ve shifted our terminology to focus on the customer buying process. The intensity of focus and discussion has even made it THE CUSTOMER BUYING PROCESS.

Process 49

Process Manufacturing Sell Technology 49