Once upon a time, selling felt simple. You prepared your meetings with a clear goal. You asked smart discovery questions. You dug into problems and dissatisfactions. Together with the prospect, you defined the need for a solution. Perfect, right?Selling was …
I have observed numerous Pipeline Reviews conducted by managers with their sales teams. Here is what I think Sales Managers could do better. Pipeline Health Prepare the following three kpi’s, ask your salesperson to do the same. Ideally, these are …
One month into the new year, it is time to prepare for serious growth in the next three months. Have a look at the opportunities you are currently working on. What is your forecast? Does it look grim or promising? What …
I sometimes get into a debate with my son when I am trying to coach him on schoolwork. Most of these discussions end with my son replying, “I know, Papa, but leave it to me. I just want to learn …
I am sure we all know that feeling when you are working on an opportunity that will make or break achieving your revenue target of the month. The pressure is high, and you want to close. How you approach this …
Using traditional selling skills, salespeople often asked their customers: If you had a magic wand, what would you change? We know now that Buyers are not keen to answer this question anymore. They expect salespeople to think with them about …
I am currently delivering a sales training in Shanghai. What a beautiful modern city that is. You notice progression and innovation wherever you look. Impressive skyscrapers surround the famous Huangpu River and the traditional old town. The streets are clean, …
In his book Jolt, Matt Dixon wrote that 40-60% of opportunities salespeople pursue go dark, meaning they are waiting endlessly for a buyer’s decision. It’s not that these buyers cannot decide on the details or price of your proposal or …
Pipeline coaching is changing. Do you know what is changing and how this will help your team?
There are no magic tricks or watertight scripts that help you with increasing your closing ratio. The change you have to make is more fundamental.
Stop hoping for opportunities, start creating your own success
To achieve growth you need to focus on the right opportunities. Use the Pipeline Shuffle to determine which non-successful opportunities are worthwhile to revisit.
The stronger your pipeline the more likely you achieve your sales targets. You need a pipeline that you believe in. A pipeline with integrity.
Have you come to a stage where you face the truth: your pipeline and pipeline management sucks? You keep adding new opportunities in your pipeline to meet some company pipeline KPIs or make your manager happy. On the other hand, …