John speaks with Selling Powers’ Gerhard Gschwandtner about the one moment that made it all work for him when starting his sales training organization.
Archive for year: 2025
If you listen carefully today, you can hear salespeople out there in the field discounting to get opportunities closed here at the end of the month/quarter to make their revenue plans. What they need to know, that in the absence of establishing the value of your product or service, this tactic will backfire on them in many ways. And seasoned buyers know all about this goat rodeo, and will play the game all the way up to March 33rd to get what they want.
How do you stop this predictable cycle from happening?
During a phone conversation with a VP of Sales, he told me that his team was busy “cutting deals” to hit their annual revenue plan. This is not selling, and the words chosen made my skin crawl. If your team seems to rely on discounting to get orders, maybe you need to focus more attention on your sales process and developing your team to sell value. The value the customer will receive by using your product or service, not the discount they will get from price list. Building the discipline to ask the customers the right questions to qualify them as a high or low margin opportunity is a learned skill. It takes restraint for sales people who have been conditioned to close, close, close. We know that margins can be improved with well trained sales teams and we’ve seen that happen hundreds of times.
Maximizing your profit margin doesn’t happen by accident. It won’t happen by sending out a memo targeting desired margins for the coming reporting period either. It is a result of leadership identifying the development plans needed for the sales team, providing the training, giving feedback on performance and ongoing coaching to reinforce the process that has been identified to close deals without needing to resort to deep discounts.
Revenue is important and sales quotas are an important part of a business plan. Discounting adds risk as it increases the amount of products to manufacture or services that need to be delivered to achieve a given profit goal. Start today to protect your margins in future quarters. Having regular deal reviews will open your eyes to the reliability and quality of the opportunities in your pipeline. Want to buy some margin insurance? The time is now.
Flannery Sales Systems helps organizations develop and implement a repeatable sales process. Improving the effectiveness of your sales organization is the key outcome we provide to clients. We would welcome an opportunity to explore your needs and understand where your team could benefit from improved skills and sales processes. Flannery Sales Systems works with a broad cross section of industries and we are confident we can enhance your results.
Confidence is an important component for success in Sales. In fact, it is critical to success in any pursuit in our personal or professional lives.
In the video above, John talks to Gerhard Schwandtner, Founder and President of Selling Power about how he gained the confidence to start Flannery Sales Systems 20 years ago. A solid network of connections, 13 years of sales experience (at the time- it’s now 38) and an indefatigable work ethic are the combination that bloomed into that confidence. Another important piece for confidence is preparation.
In a conversation with Aaron Rodgers (Super Bowl-winning quarterback) several years ago, John discussed with Aaron his regimented approach to preparation. What are the components that you have or use to create confidence? And how do you pass that on to others?
John kicks off the 20th Anniversary Celebration in Miami Beach, Florida with messages of gratitude to our customers, friends and family for an amazing 20 years of business helping our customers to drive revenue.
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs easily on Sunday Feb 9. Two years ago, the Eagles lost to the Chiefs in an extremely close Super Bowl game. Last year, the Eagles fell off the radar after a fast start and finished poorly. And what a comeback this year, capstoned by the thumping we gave the Chiefs in a lopsided win.
The Eagles represent the hard work, determination and grit that is the embodiment of Philadelphia. They play the ultimate team sport in sync, relying on intensive training, communication, and a common goal. It’s the same in Sales.
There are certainly some rough edges in the city that founded modern democracy, but I am always proud to be from there and stick with my family and lifelong friends regularly.
We were thrilled that Shane Flannery represented our extended clan at the parade in Philadelphia. GO BIRDS!
After doing business in Rome, John traveled to The Azores for a rainy hike. Click on the video to learn more about the importance of selling skills rain or shine.
Last week in San Francisco, John attended The BioTech Conference and multiple other sessions in and around the JP Morgan Healthcare conference.
The California Life Sciences (CLS) association was a gracious and thorough host, inviting us into 3 marquis receptions to meet new prospects and interact with existing customers. Thank you Una Mary McCarthy Deering (pictured) for your superb coordination.
Several of the CLS Leadership team have been through our sales process programs at different points of their careers to include Mike Guerra, President (pictured), Kim Brocchini, Sam Assman, Joe Pelligrino and Sepeedeh Moin.
The energy and excitement around the funding of startups, acquisitions of other companies by larger corporations and overall effort put into medical and scientific breakthroughs was palpable. The work we do helps to balance the integration of new companies from acquisition with a focus on organic growth…. And to drive revenue! Lets GO
John traveled to San Francisco recently to attend some events around the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference. Click on the video to learn more about organic revenue growth.