Podcasts

One of the largest challenges for organizations I hear consistently focuses on the predictability of revenue generation by the sales teams. Critical business decisions around investments across the organization and if revenue targets will be achieved combine to create a great deal of pressure on how effective a sales team is at delivering reliable forecast accuracy.

One of the upsides in sales is that success is simple to quantify. It is always, no matter what other executives or board members or peers tell you, about the numbers. Every day numbers are evaluated, totals discussed and strategies for shortfalls analyzed.

For revenue executives concerned about hitting ever increasing targets, generating more qualified leads, increasing the return on their sales teams or creating world-class sales organizations, one of the most effective approaches is to focus on their B2B sales experience – but what does this really mean?

Sales leaders and revenue executives face numerous challenges – yet none seem as pressing as understanding how to increase the volume of qualified leads entering the sales funnel.

I was conducting a deal review with a client the other day. I was speaking with a bright, experienced sales rep who had been with the company for several years and knows her product offering very well.

Just listen and you’ll hear it. Towards the latter end of most calls the sales reps starts saying things like, “OK, I’ll send you this”. Or, “sure, I’m happy to set up that demo”. Or, maybe, “no problem setting up the next meeting and I’ll be sure to bring along our technical expert to talk with you”. It happens a lot.

Whether a deal is worth $50K or $5M the need to engage procurement early and often is something I’ve seen the most accomplished sales executives avoid or stumble over. The question I am left asking many is simply, ‘Why did you wait so long to start talking to procurement?’ The response is too often silence; however, it does not need to be. One of the critical factors today is figuring out how to engage procurement to win your deal.

There has never been a time when successfully closing complex, B2B deals depends more on a sales person’s credibility.

Reading the sales headlines lately is enough to make any sales professional anxious. Robots taking their jobs, buyers not needing them, millennials not wanting them. I am not surprised some of the professionals I talk to wonder when their career will end.

Sales professionals have known for years that creating the right level of anxiety in a sales process can deliver the desired results. A new study proves there may be an even more effective method for moving your buyer; one hard-wired into the brain. It turns out the cliche ‘curiosity killed the cat’ may not be too far from the truth.

Early in the first quarter is the time to focus on building our pipelines to achieve, or even overachieve, our sales goals in 2017. This requires us to market to generate opportunities, nurture current leads, attract new buyers, capture web visitors and drip content to potential buyers, presumably, until they are ready to buy!

Having spent the last decade working for agencies I can say, from experience, it is a tough business – especially when the goal is to scale creative agencies. Digital agencies, marketing agencies, PR firms, management consulting or any other flavor you can think of, there comes a time when leadership focuses on remaining relevant and revenue growth.

Sales training, just as every other initiative in a company, must compete with shifting priorities and an often fluid business climate. When training is delayed there is an impact to the bottom line, to shareholders and to employees – but how many companies spend the time to quantify that impact? What is the actual cost of delaying sales training? While funding sales and marketing training may be a game of managing priorities – there is one priority that never goes out of fashion – REVENUE GROWTH.

GUEST: Evan Knox, CMO at Caffeine Marketing