John was recently working (and hiking) in Asheville, North Carolina for a sales training workshop. Asheville is known for the Blue Ridge mountains, a vibrant arts scene and historic architecture, including the dome-topped Basilica of Saint Lawrence. The vast 19th-century Biltmore estate displays artwork by masters like Renoir. And more importantly, it’s in the home state of John’s lovely wife, Septembre.
About Precor
Precor is a fitness equipment manufacturer and health solutions provider based in Woodinville, Washington. The company is one of several brands in the sporting goods portfolio of Amer Sports based in Helsinki, Finland.
How FSS Helped Precor
For two and half years, Flannery Sales Systems (FSS) provided Precor with content, instruction and coaching services to support a global rollout of the Precor Sales Process (PSP). The program was deployed to 14 countries to enable a consistent way for Precor sales teams to engage with customers in key markets. FSS provided Precor with a global training structure which has been vital in gaining field alignment and propelling sales results.
During year three, Precor brought the program in house, enabling a small team of their own employees to be responsible for the implementation of the PSP. FSS partnered with Precor to identify credible internal evangelists in order to ensure a successful migration. The PSP leaders were responsible for delivering customized training material for each of their regions. They came from different customer-facing departments such as Global Sales, Marketing and Sales Operations, and each provided a unique insight into customer requirements.
When FSS interviewed these leaders, they emphasized the importance of staying focused on the ultimate goal, which was to deliver an exceptional customer experience. They emphasized that old school sales tactics like product pushing had no place in their sales process. Precor sales teams had to focus on listening and fully understanding customers’ most important business needs.
“Shifting from a product first, product-only conversation to a focus on learning what the customer wants to achieve with their business has been huge” said Dan Albaum, Precor Global Marketing Director. “These deep insights are reflected in all of our marketing content and sales support tools, which are designed to nurture our customer relationships.”
One of the key differentiators of the PSP was the Meeting Summary (MS). It is is what really set Precor apart from its competition. First if all, It helped to raise the customer’s confidence in the sales rep. In addition, it allowed managers to coach their team members through each opportunity in order to reinforce skill development. As a result, better opportunities were developed, and the overall health of the revenue pipeline increased.
A Precor Channel Partner enthusiastically agreed, stating “I started to notice that I am using the MS in my long-range pipeline to ask better questions and follow through more completely. I have found that reviewing closed sales is always worth the extra time.”
Guy Williams, Precor Global Director of Networked Fitness Sales, said the following key factors of the PSP have been the primary reasons that Precor direct and channel partner sales teams have been able to meet and exceed customer expectations:
- Tight go-to-market alignment through stronger cross-functional engagement from all Precor customer-facing roles and across all executive levels
- Defined metrics and documentation that build accountability and more effective coaching
- Strong focus on process — a commitment to hard work in training workshops translates to sales success in the field
As Guy pointed out, “there is no substitute for live role playing.”
In addition to benefitting Precor direct sellers, the PSP also had many advantages for Channel Partners. A Precor Channel leader in North America pointed out, “the PSP provides the overall structure and related sales skills for gathering pertinent customer information and confirming that information with the prospect. This leads to an opportunity offer relevant and timely value with specific Precor solutions.”
A few years ago, I received a LinkedIn message that said “Hi John, if you are in Bhopal (India) next week, let’s meet for a drink.” It was a curious invitation, as I wasn’t anywhere near the Asian subcontinent. But then I figured it out….
John L. Flannery ran the business unit for General Electric (GE) in India from 2009.Someone mistook me for him when sending the request to meet. I had heard of John from a friend who worked for GE, but the surfacing of our shared name really became more prevalent when he was promoted to CEO of all of GE in August of 2017. Similar name, different lives.
While the core name is the same, there are differences in between the middle names/initials of the “E” and the “L”. L grew up in VA, went to Wharton, has 3 kids and enjoys the Boston Red Sox. E grew up in PA, went to San Diego State University, has 2 kids and loves the Super Bowl Champs Eagles.
On my way through the Charlotte airport recently, L was being interviewed on MSNBC, so I had the attached picture taken. There is no real resemblance between us, but I am sure we can trace some connection back to Ireland in the middle of the 19th century. For now, I have a call into L’s office to see if he wants to catch up for a drink- we shall see what happens.
Next week, we will be in Detroit to work with sellers and their Managers to improve results. Detroit has made a significant transformation over the past few years, and we look forward to being back in the Motor City after 15 years away. The home of the amazing Motown music sound, birthplace of the American automobile industry and numerous other cultural offerings, Detroit has a lot happening.
Our existing customers are rolling in the new year, and two organizations have just brought us on board to help them to drive revenue. We will be conducting a Sales Process Coaching Workshop on June 26 and welcome you to join us. Or, if you have free time, let’s meet for a coffee or a drink, or better yet for a live music session!
Please let John know to meet or join the Workshop for a view into how we help companies to drive revenue.
We met with the Commercial Leaders from a medical device customer here in Chicago to build out the Coaching of sales skills through their Sales Management team. This is the crux of the sales process implementation, and we had a strong session to take reinforcement back to their teams.
How do you Coach sales skills? E mail me for a list of tips to help your sellers improve on any one (or all) of the six skills we help Management to embed: john@drive-revenue.com
Chicago is such a cultural, diverse, innovative and fun city-we are thrilled to be back there next week. The culinary, artistic and architectural gems are non-stop, not to mention a full dose of all music types to include The Blues!
Our existing customers are rolling in the new year, and two organizations have just brought us on board to help them to drive revenue. We will be conducting a Sales Process Coaching Workshop for Managers on the Magnificent Mile next Tuesday, May 22, and welcome you to join us. Or, if you have free time before of after hours, lets meet for a coffee or a drink, or better yet for a live Blues session!
Please let us now if you’d like to meet with John or join the Workshop for a view into how we help companies to drive revenue. By the way, The Rolling Stones start another European tour tonight in Dublin-amazing.
“Don’t be dismayed by good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends”
Illusions: Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
Scott Evans changed my life.
In 1992, Scott invited me to go with him to play volleyball in the Pro Beach Volleyball Australia tour. At the time, Scott was the Creative Director for I DIG Volleyball, a company he worked for that benefitted from his innovative and fun designs for beach wear. He had been to Australia the year before, and in a way that very few people I know could do, met up with and connected with some wonderful people, individuals who we are still close friends with today. So, when we arrived on their gorgeous shores, we were welcomed with open arms, and “looked after” like no other place on earth. Warm, genuine, fun-loving Australians; we had a ball, creating lifelong memories of those adventures.
Scott was a connector and wove that same network here. From his roots in Sacramento, to his new-found home in San Diego, there was always someone who I would run into, in a variety of circles, who knew him. They smiled when you said his name and were drawn to his enigmatic personality. Whether it was through one of his many world class Pacific Beach parties, the contacts made in the beach volleyball community in two hemispheres, his entrepreneurial business spirit and drive, or the San Diego State University alumni, Scott was well loved. He received it because he gave it away and treated us all like the closest mates.
Every time I hear a Ramones song, I think of him. Any reference to Australia, and the legions of friends he has there reminds me. Pulling in and out of Pacific Beach-Scott. On return to Australia a few years ago, I went to an ATM for cash, and out popped a bunch of “orange drink vouchers”, the phrase he labeled to Aussie 20s. Laugh until you cry; I’ve done both in the past few days.
Last Friday, I had the distinct blessing to be with Scott for a few hours on his quick exit from this physical life. Chris Townson led the effort to help Scott in his transition. Chris, you are an amazing friend and helluva man. Your wife Linda is a great source of comfort and presence to us all. Rob Wilson rang from Australia to provide me the heads up on what was happening, and I am grateful to you for doing so. To Rod Kinross, Paul Badman, Kylie Atkinson and Margo Malowney, Scott knew you were with him in spirit, and I am certain is smiling at us all today. There are hundreds of others feeling this loss, and we will find a way through.
That amount of positivity and energy doesn’t just go away, it sticks with us. I believe Scott is still here among those that he touched, and I shared that sentiment with several of you on calls over the past 24 hours. We can all learn a lesson from his life, and as the quote says above from my favorite book, we will meet again.
Over the past few years, the majority of the work that we have done with customers is on defining (or refining) their sales process. This was necessitated by the dramatic changes exhibited in buying behavior during the economic downturn. And indeed, the most important aspect of our customer’s sales processes is that it mirrors how their customers buy from them. During conversations in both a formal and informal settings, we are asked “how many steps should there be in the sales process?” If we knew that exact answer for each of our customers, we would be retired and they would have Instagram-like success!
So instead of trying to pinpoint the exact number of steps in a sales process, here are the must have, Top Three Criteria that each team/seller must have in place to assure success. Please note that very few of our B to B customers have only 3 milestones (or stages), but when pushed to the wall, here are the 3 you can’t live (or sell) without:
1- Access to the Key Players (Decision Maker): there is nothing new to the notion that you must get access to all of the key players, but the budget scrutiny that many organizations have placed on all expenditures since 2008 has made this step even more difficult. A clear articulation on how all important titles would benefit from the usage of your product/service is a mandatory requirement for completing this stage.
2- Clear Understanding of Value: once you have the access as described in #1, can the individuals understand the value that your offering provides. Without this, you will be dancing in the dark when it comes time to go into the evaluation phase.
3- An Approved Implementation Plan: approved as you co-develop the opportunity with your customer/prospect, not after the deal is signed. This sole step can help you to determine your “pole position” deep into opportunity development, and the seriousness of the participant’s gauges how “sticky” your solution will be thereafter.
What are you or your organization waiting for to drive more revenue? Let us help you to define (or refine) these steps and start picking up incremental revenue now!
With just 3 weeks left in Q1 of 2018, many sales organizations are in full stride on the tactical execution of their commercial strategies. We help our customers in this capacity, and break the tactics down to one conversation at a time, enabling sellers to help their customers and prospects to identify value in the use of their products and services. Also, we provide first line Managers with the tools to help coach sellers in these critical conversations.
We continue our sales process workshops this week in Dallas. Please let us now if you’d like to meet with John or join the Workshop for a view into how we help companies to drive revenue in these capacities.
In this month’s OTRA, John was in Philadelphia during the Eagles Super Bowl victory parade as well as leading a sales process workshop for one of his new clients. As a native Pennsylvanian, it was a fantastic experience to be able to celebrate this event. He also checks in from Tucson, AZ.