Archive for year: 2025
We are grateful to all our customers for another successful year. Happy Thanksgiving from Malinee Churanakoses and myself here at Flannery Sales Systems. Thank you to Tom Martin, John Zimmer, Amanda Trinder and Lisa Nicholas.
It was a pleasure to return to Brown University recently to guest lecture once again for the class Sales and Selling Leadership in the Entrepreneurial Environment, taught by Professor Howard Anderson. Last year, we focused on how Sales Process drives the tactical execution of a company’s commercial strategy. This year, the discussion evolved. We dug deeper into how entrepreneurs can scale their ideas through process, discipline, and customer engagement.
It was especially meaningful to have my daughter, Hannah, in the class, now a Senior studying Economics and playing on Brown’s volleyball team. Along with her was teammate and friend, Jessie Golden. Having them in the audience brought a special sense of pride and perspective.
Sales Process as a Foundation for Growth
Professor Anderson cites that startups only have two problems: sales and all else. That premise set the stage for an engaging conversation about how entrepreneurs can build a repeatable sales process that drives predictable results. We explored the idea that process creates objectivity and clarity. It allows founders to focus their creativity where it matters most: solving customer problems.
I asked the students to reflect on three simple but powerful questions when taking a product or service to market:
- Who are the Key Players (KP) you would focus on in B2B Sales?
- What business objectives are the KP measured by?
- What capabilities (services, ideas, etc.) do you bring that help them achieve the objectives?
These are the same principles we apply every day at Flannery Sales Systems (FSS) with clients ranging from high-growth startups to established enterprises. The fundamentals don’t change; only the context does.
Closing Reflections
Speaking at Brown again was deeply rewarding, as it pushed me into a different framework in preparation and delivery. The students’ interaction, questions, and ideas reinforced how critical it is for young leaders to understand that selling, done well, is about creating value and earning trust.
Sales Process Effectiveness Survey
Click on THIS LINK TO BEGIN.
This quick survey is designed to help you take an objective look at how effectively your Commercial Team uses your Sales Process (SP).
Rate each of the seven statements below on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 represents consistently applied and highly effective.
Once you’ve completed the assessment, we will:
a) Consolidate everyone’s results anonymously into a group ranking
b) Share practical ideas to improve performance based on your input
c) Provide sample tools you can use to strengthen outcomes immediately
Ready? Let’s begin.
A fun-filled, interesting four days are unfolding here in New England, as my wife Septembre Flannery and I join thousands of other families at Brown University for Family Weekend. We will also be watching our daughter Hannah Flannery play for the Brown University Women’s Volleyball team at home on Friday at 7PM vs Harvard and on Saturday at 5PM vs Dartmouth.
Also, this weekend, we will attend The Head of The Charles rowing regatta, one of the most prominent crew events in the world. Hannah’s boyfriend Davis Kelly will be rowing for Brown in the Elite Division on Sunday.
On Monday, I have been invited back to guest lecture at Brown University for Professor Howard Anderson in his Selling & Sales Leadership in the Entrepreneurial Environment class. What a pleasure it is to be there for my second year in a row. Speaking of Entrepreneurs, I will also meet with Dr. Danny Warshay, the Head of the Entrepreneurial Center at Brown to discuss how his best-selling book “See, Solve and Scale” can be applied to our customers’ environment.
Wow, it is a lot to cover, and I look forward to it all. Let me know if you are interested in any of these events and we will connect.
Understanding how your company’s capabilities match up with a prospect or customers’ challenges is a key component to establishing VALUE. Regardless of where the conversation begins, sellers must be flexible enough to navigate through this dialogue. Click the video to hear more on this Sales Tip
It’s Sales Tip Tuesday, and John is explaining why it’s crucial to utilize a tool like a Discovery Map to guide your conversations with Key Players. Many sellers go into buying situations without a flexible, thoughtful outline for a conversation, and those calls often wander away from understanding business objectives and into product features, benefits and then to price. If you’d like a copy of the Discovery Map, just e mail john@drive-revenue.com.
From Now to December 31, you’re in the year’s most critical selling window.
Are your skills ready to close stronger, efficiently and more profitably?
Our 45-minute Selling Skills Tune-Up Sessions zero in on the essentials:
- Proactive New Business Development
- Discovering & Analyzing Needs
- Positioning Capabilities with Value
- Accessing Key Players
- Managing the Buying Process
- Negotiating & Closing
Each session is practical, relevant and built to deliver results sooner.
📩 Contact John at john@drive-revenue.com or +1 858-518-7039 (WhatsApp) to reserve your spot.
John traveled to Portland, Maine where he may have eaten too many lobster rolls but that won’t stop him from helping you in improving your selling skills.