How to Get Sales Operations Right in 2015

 

sales_opsIndustry experts are talking about Sales Operations. Kellogg’s School of Management Professor Emeritus, Andris A. Zoltners, says “sales operations or ‘sales ops’ has become widely accepted as essential for effective sales management.” Seattle-based agency Heinz Marketing says “Sales operations may very well be THE most important and unsung hero for sales teams.”

Why has sales ops become so critical in the eyes of so many?

Much of it lies in the growing importance of technology enablement. Sales teams today rely on many types of technology solutions to provide data analytics, mobile capabilities and lead management. Sales ops professionals are charged with spearheading and supporting these types of initiatives.

But that’s not where their responsibilities stop. They are still burdened with traditional operational tasks like reporting, contract support, and administrative functions. Their job description has become so varied that Zoltners astutely poses the question, “Can one person really handle all this?”

The obvious answer is no. So what to do? Sales ops managers must hire and develop a team of people with both varied and specialized skill sets. The jobs they do as well as their ultimate career paths will be fundamentally different. Managers should also look to outsourced resources to fill in missing competencies.

Ultimately, the key to keeping this diversely talented group in sync is leadership. Scott Shimamoto, Principals at ZS Associates, says, “The best sales ops teams have a clearly articulated mission statement.” Sales operations leaders must create a clear road map for success.

What should be included in that road map? For a great overview, we recommend Selling Power Magazine’s recent article, “Understanding the Role of Sales Operations“.

 

 

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Creating and Connecting the Dots with Brian Tracy

 

20141215_133131-1_resized_1On my way to have lunch with Brian Tracy, I took a moment to consider the conversation that would unfold. On one hand, I was about to sit down with one of the best known speaker-author-entrepreneurs in the world when it comes to optimizing human and organizational performance and results. On the other hand, it was also just a chance to sit down with a neighbor and friend whom I have known for over seven years.

Perspective

In the slim chance that you don’t know who Brian is, hit this link to learn more: http://www.briantracy.com/about. In short, Brian has worked in 80 countries and delivered his programs to over 5,000,000 million people in a 45 year career. He has authored 65 books that have been translated into many languages.

It was refreshing to hear Brian say that when it comes to sales, customer and buyer behavior is the same 80% of the time anywhere that he has worked or traveled. What is different, is the 20% of the equation that is attributed to cultural adaptation, languages and localization as buyers reflect the nuances of the areas in which they live.

Creating and Connecting the Dots

In our conversation, Brian referenced the speech that Steve Jobs delivered at the Stanford Commencement in 2005, saying that the key to success in business or in life is connecting the dots. The dots are the true opportunities that you pursue in your life, sometimes those that are off the beaten path of what “success” looks like. But before you connect the dots, you must be continually creating dots.

In that capacity, Brian is currently focused on a strategic planning program for organizations and individuals that he calls Idealization. This program takes into consideration all of the critical components that organizations and individuals must balance to account for family, careers, health and finances.

He is also working with business leaders throughout the world on Business Model Innovation, and has developed a nine-step process on how to stay ahead in business. The speed at which new technology is being introduced, coupled with the rapid globalization of commerce, both contribute to the demise of business models more quickly than ever before. To stay ahead, business leaders must innovate and Brian is addressing this need with his services.

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On the Road Again – Ringing in the New Year

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John is back in the new year with his first “On the Road Again” video of 2015. Here he is, literally on the road in his hometown of San Diego, CA, talking to us about what we have to look forward to in this month’s Flannery Sales Systems newsletter. Features include an interview with Brian Tracy, one of the world’s leading experts on personal and organizational performance and results, as well as an article on the growing importance of Sales Operations as sellers increase their reliance on technology to interact with today’s more sophisticated buyers.

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Meet Up with John in Australia

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I will be in Sydney, Australia next week as part of a global rollout out of the sales process implementation plan for one of our customers. If you are in or around the city or near Bondi and Manly beaches, come meet for coffee or a meal. We can discuss your priorities for 2015, and share ideas on what we see as critical for a fast start to the new year.

Email me if interested at john@drive-revenue.com. Good on ya!

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Flannery Sales Systems in Barcelona

 

ET_header_567x140Happy 2015! This year, John Flannery has been invited to lead a workshop as part of European Language Industry Association’s (ELIA) Expert Training event in Barcelona, Spain.

We hope you consider joining John for this exciting learning opportunity. The event will focus on business-critical topics such as sales, creativity and conflict management.

John’s workshop is entitled “How to Win Business from New and Existing Customers”, and in it, he will work with attendees to help them differentiate themselves through the conversations they have during the sales process.

For more about the ELIA expert training, take a look at their event page. We hope to see you in Barcelona!

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Wrapping Up 2014 and Looking Ahead to 2015 in Australia and Spain

 

John and team traveled to the snowy East Coast last week to lead a workshop in Ithaca, NY. In this video, John previews our upcoming newsletter featuring a video from Gerhard Gschwandtner, founder and publisher of Selling Power magazine and long-time FSS partner and colleague. Flannery Sales Systems will be heading to Australia in January (Sydney and Melbourne) and Spain (Barcelona) in February. If you’d like to join us for a session, or meet John for a coffee if your city is listed on our calendar, reach out to john@drive-revenue.com.

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Everyone Knows Features & Benefits Selling No Longer Works…But Why?

 

featuresIf you’ve been following our blog or have attended one of our sales workshops, no doubt you’ve heard us talk about how a Features & Benefits approach to selling is no longer viable in today’s complex, relationship-based world. But have we taken a step back to explain why?

If not, here are some of our top reasons:

  • Features and benefits are used prematurely to create interest, rather than properly qualifying the prospect.
  • Features and benefits are used to differentiate a product from its competition, but everybody’s benefits (and often the features) sound the same (“we can save you time and money, and we’ll stand behind the purchase 100%”). When competitors look the same, buying decisions are made on price.
  • Features and benefits engage the prospect intellectually, and most buying decisions are made emotionally.   Research shows that most people don’t remember the features or benefits after a week or so, and if they felt any enthusiasm at all, it too had disappeared after a week.
  • Features and benefits are the seller’s bag of tricks (“we’ve got this, we’ve got that”), and may not be relevant to the prospect’s buying reasons. People buy for their reasons, not yours.
  • Once you’ve “dumped” your features and benefits, the only thing left to do is close and handle objections and, all too often, discount your price. From there, it’s all pressure, and you can’t go back and qualify further.

So as 2014 comes to a close, remember to work with your sales reps to avoid the temptation to dive into product features & benefits too quickly. Much more important is their ability to establish trust, ask intelligent questions, and thoroughly qualify each opportunity.

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Why Sales Process?

 

Watch Gerhard Gschwandtner, founder and publisher of Selling Power magazine and long-time partner and colleague of Flannery Sales Systems, discuss the importance of having a sales process to achieving company goals.

 

 

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Flannery Sales Systems in Barcelona

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John Flannery has been invited to lead a workshop as part of European Language Industry Association’s (ELIA) Expert Training event in Barcelona, Spain.

This learning opportunity includes a series of in-depth workshops designed for all professionals who believe in personal and business growth. The event will focus on business-critical topics such as sales, creativity and conflict management.

John’s workshop is entitled “How to Win Business from New and Existing Customers”, and in it, he will work with attendees to help them differentiate themselves through the conversations they have during the sales process.

For more about the ELIA expert training, take a look at their event page. We hope to see you in Barcelona!

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Introducing Precision Guided Selling: Selling at the Speed of Change

 

brian_dThe following is a guest post written by sales and marketing veteran Brian Dietmeyer. Mr. Dietermeyer has 20+ years of experience in the field and is a frequent public speaker and published author on Negotiations, Marketing Research, Business to Business Relationships and Adding Value. He has also authored two books: Strategic Negotiation and B2B Street Fighting.

5600blue, the first-ever vertically integrated data, technology and sales enablement platform, is rolling out a new technology that delivers the fastest transition available from a change in the marketplace to a change in the frontline sales conversations between salespeople and buyers. The firm calls the new approach Precision Guided Selling, to enable selling at the speed of change.

“Two years ago the Harvard Business Review announced the simultaneous death of Solution Selling with the birth of Insight Selling. Precision Guided Selling is poised to replace Insight Selling, itself a new technology,” states Brian Dietmeyer, President and CEO of 5600blue. “The idea of Insight Selling, while still relevant, has remained just an idea because the challenge of getting customized data to the field in real time has kept it there,” adds Dietmeyer.

Jim Dickie, Managing Partner of CSO Insights, a research firm that serves Chief Sales Officers internationally, believes 5600blue’s technology platform obsoletes the current sales training paradigm, “Their combination of process, technology, and knowledge creates a game changing platform for delivering insight data both in real time and in a way that is accessible to sales teams. Salespeople now have access to the actual knowledge they need to optimize the value they bring to the table.”

The Precision Guided Selling platform meets the test of speed. That is, we can now measure in just days the time required to go from a marketplace event or internal initiative to a change in the buy/sell conversation:

  • Your revenue management/pricing department has a new initiative to drive up margins. How long before the new prices are being quoted?
  • A major competitor just announced doubling their international coverage, 52% of your revenue comes from international markets. How long before your salespeople are talking about a changed value proposition vs that competitor?
  • Senior leadership says you’re investing in too many demos for the wrong customers and need to improve pursuit decisions. How long before improved qualification criteria are being used by sales teams?
  • A new regulation or geo-political event has just changed the needs of your customers. How long before salespeople can map your value drivers to these emerging needs?

The Precision Guided Selling platform Dickie talks about is a proprietary cloud-based system 5600blue delivers via a cloud based app. The two keys:

  1. It makes real time insight data easily available to salespeople across the entire sales cycle, from qualification, gaining access and leading the decision, to creating and capturing value and closing.
  2. It offers training, coaching and win/loss reviews to create complete buy/sell process alignment.
    Again, Dietmeyer, “This has to be the measure of sales training effectiveness, the speed from event or decision to when the sales conversation changes. Is it days, weeks or months? Tomorrow isn’t too soon in many competitive spaces. Next week is too late for most.”

For a complete demonstration of the Precision Guide Selling platform please contact Brian Dietmeyer at 312.925.9326 or bjd@e-thinkinc.com

About 5600blue

5600blue is the first-ever vertically integrated Insight Selling consultancy. Our DNA includes training, consulting and over 20 billion worth of win/loss reviews with companies like Microsoft, Sun, Honeywell, Symantec, FedEx, Coca-Cola and Dun & Bradstreet. We can deliver insight data that are available across the entire sales cycle via a cloud-based app; all tied together with training, coaching and deal win/loss reviews. www.5600blue.com

 

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