Hi Dave,

I have read your book, “How Winners Sell” and have found it to be one of the best sales mentoring books available. I have also followed you blogs and tweets over the years.

The best business books are those that you read and then review over time by going to the yellow highlight sections. My copy of “Winners” has served as a reference source for about 7 years.

I am a 20 plus year software sales veteran who spends the last 2 weeks of every July at a house in Katama with my family.

As a result, I would love to meet you and perhaps get a cup of coffee or an early evening drink in Edgartown, Oak Bluffs (or just coffee in Vineyard Haven).

I will be on the island from July 18^th to August 1^st and would be pleased to meet you, should schedules permit.

BTW – loved the aerial shot of Tisbury Pond.  [He's referring to the photo in the header of this page.]  Bill & Susan [...] have been family friends for many years and I have seen some wonderful island views from Bill’s helicopter.

Regards,

Chris [...]

How could I pass up this opportunity?

I didn’t.  We had breakfast at the Planeview Restaurant at the Martha’s Vineyard airport this morning.  (Lots of locals do business there.)

At one point, Chris asked me this question:  In your experience, what three things do top performing salespeople have in common?  Here’s my list:

1. A realistic, objective view of themselves, their customers, and their sales opportunities.  Ability to seek and handle the truth and do the right things with that knowledge.
2. An orientation toward order and process.  That includes planning.  Having ten or twenty deals in your portfolio and knowing what the next steps are for each one.  Not saying, “I’ll figure out what to do after the next meeting.”
3. The ability (and willingness) to really understand the customer.   Being driven to research the company and the person with whom they are meeting to the point that they can grab and maintain credibility and differentiation, not to mention knowing enough to begin building a foundation for meaningful business collaboration.  (See Dave Brock’s post today about that subject.)

Are these my final answers?  No.  There are numbers of other common strengths, behaviors, skills, and traits among top performers, depending on the demands of the sales jobs they hold.  For example, what a strategic account manager needs to be successful is different from a territory rep.  But those three are a heck of a good place to start.

With that in mind, what are your top three?

Photo source:  © 2010 Dave Stein — Lambert’s Cove Beach, West Tisbury, MA.

I don’t know about you, but that phrase and the combative attitude it represents concerns me.  Do buyers lie?  Sure, some of them do.  Do sellers lie?  Same story.

The sales profession has enough to overcome without a sales training industry leader conveying this negative, fatalistic view of selling.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not attacking the Sandler organization or any of their franchisees.  ESR covers Sandler and we know they certainly have their share of satisfied, loyal customers in the markets they serve.

But many of us, including Howard Stevens and the University Sales Education Foundation, are working hard to elevate the profession of selling in the U.S. and other parts of the world.  With that in mind, it would certainly help this and future generations of sales professionals for us  to tone down the rhetoric and spend our creative energies helping salespeople better understand how to establish mutually beneficial, trusting relationships with their customers.  If someone doesn’t believe that can be accomplished, they should consider another profession.

ESR’s core buy-side service is our evaluation process for selecting sales training providers.  We are almost always called in by a senior sales executive from a client’s company.  Occasionally it’s the learning or sales ops organizations that contact us.  Every once in a while, we’re contacted by representatives from procurement or HR organizations, who believe ESR is a sales training company.  I’m not sure how they would think that unless they didn’t visit or read what’s on our website.

I had a good conversation with a savvy procurement guy from a big insurance company this week about what it takes to effectively evaluate sales training providers and the risks associated with making any of the most common mistakes.  I was encouraged by his intelligence, insight and openness to a different approach, but unfortunately his understanding of the challenges associated with sales trainer selection is rare among the procurement people we’ve dealt with.

If you’re a sales leader and are required to source a training provider through your corporation’s standard procurement process, the likelihood of you winding up with a company that will be a strategic partner and guide you through years of ever increasing sales effectiveness is minimal.  In literally every case in which we’ve been involved procurement didn’t have the knowledge or ability to get the job done with respect to sales training provider evaluation and selection.  Procurement does a good job in negotiating pricing, terms, and conditions, but of what use is a well-negotiated contract with a training provider whose capabilities don’t match the customer’s requirements?

What should you do?  At a minimum, manage the evaluation and selection process yourself.  If procurement needs to be involved, leverage their skills for final contract negotiations with your chosen provider.  Shortly ESR will publish an e-book on this subject with the key components of our 7-step approach.  Stay tuned.

Photo credit: Thailand Holiday Homes

Clients who are using Miller Heiman’s content have been saying they want to take their application of the Strategic Selling process to the next level.  The new tool provides content above and beyond what is typically offered in Miller Heiman’s programs.  Miller Heiman also payed special attention to how salespeople learn, and the fact that they typically access information when they have a challenge—for example, having a deal stuck in the funnel.

Miller Heiman decided on a push strategy, e-mailing modules in the learning series on a monthly basis.  Salespeople can also access the content on demand.  It’s presented visually, audibly, and in document format.

In addition to the content directed at sales reps, sales managers are provided coaching tools to assure that reps are availing themselves of the content and making the most use of it.  Miller Heiman suggests one-on-one or team meetings with reps.

The modules can be customized.  For example, a video or audio of a top sales rep discussing the topic of the month could be integrated into the Miller Heiman version making it more relevant to the audience.

Each module in the series consists of a video, an animated presentation, a “back of the napkin” exercise, and a white paper.  Most of the modules are five to eight minutes long.

Miller Heiman beta-tested Advanced Concepts with 7 clients, with 300 users in total.

Miller Heiman did the right thing in investing in this Advanced Concepts technology-enabled learning platform.  It provides many of the How-to’s delivered by Miller Heiman subject matter experts, whereas their programs often don’t get past the basic components—the What’s—of their approach.  That’s not a weakness.  It’s just the way curricula are developed for companies with limited time and budgets.

Competitively, this is an important step for Miller Heiman.  A fair number of sales training providers have strong virtual learning/reinforcement offerings.   Here are just a few: Richardson, The TAS Group, RevenueStorm, Mercuri International, Imparta, and The Brooks Group.  Some providers’ virtual offerings duplicate only what is provided in their ILT (Instructor-Led Training) programs.  Miller Heiman’s approach, taking the student further and deeper into the approach, strategy or concept, can be of real value, depending on how the customer implements the tool.

Here’s the bottom line:  What will really determine whether Advanced Concepts becomes a successful product for Miller Heiman is salesrep adoption.  If reps see that investing time their time learning from the modules will put money in their pockets, they’ll use it.  If they view it as yet another demand from management that takes time away from selling, they won’t.  Miller Heiman clients should strongly consider using the recommended implementation approach.

Disclosure: Miller Heiman is an ESR subscriber.

• ESR/Brief: Miller Heiman’s Sales Access Manager ($29.95)
• ESR/Report on Miller Heiman ($99.95), which is extracted from…
• ESR’s Sales Training Vendor Guide ($495.00).

Photo credit: Fotolia.com

John had some great questions for me about a number of topics around sales effectiveness:

1. Changes in the buyer/seller relationship, in buyer behavior, and the role of technology such as social/professional networking.
2. The relevance of sales training given the changing nature of the buyer/seller relationship.
3. Some the more creative ways some sales organizations sell.
4. The relationship between sales and marketing.
5. The greatest opportunities for a sales organization to differentiate itself in the eyes of a buyer.
6. And a few predictions on where sales effectiveness goes next.

I think it’s a really good interview.  What do you think?

Dave Stein: Proponents of employing a formal sales process in B2B selling say it’s the key to winning.  Opponents say it inhibits the creativity that salespeople need to get the job done.  What is Kadient’s perspective on the importance of sales process?

Kadient Team (KT): Kadient is a proponent of employing a formal sales process (the science) and believes that in doing so, there is still plenty of room to allow a salespeople to be creative (the art) in how they engage and deliver within a formal sales process.  Deploying a sales process will allow an organization to identify (and learn) what the successful, repeatable sales activities are and what the quota-achieving reps do to succeed in specific selling situations. This information is what will help drive improved sales results across the board.  If a company is not working to formalize its sales processes, they are simply being negligent as there is widespread proof from analysts that deploying a formal sales process drives significant improvements in overall sales performance compared with those who do not.  We embrace a concept that our Sales Playbooks are “guardrails” for the sales reps and not a set of “handcuffs.”  This allows the new sales rep in an organization to use and follow as much of the sales playbook that they need to become revenue producing as fast as possible.  And, for the experienced sales person, the Sales Playbook is designed to give them the key activities and content they need to move their opportunity forward faster and allow them to take on more opportunities in their pipeline.

DS: Explain to us what sales playbooks are.

KT: While sales playbook is not a new term, traditionally they are synonymous with a pitch book, champion kit or the 25 lb. binder provided to a sales person following a sales kick off or sales training. They contain all of the information used to educate sales for delivering a company’s products and solutions. Some have moved to delivering them electronically on a CD, DVD, Thumb-Drive, or through a smattering of links on a company’s intranet.

Kadient has taken the notion of the traditional sales playbook and made them interactive, dynamic and embedded them within the CRM system. Kadient’s Sales Playbooks align situation-specific sales and marketing strategies, content, tools, and coaching with the customer’s buying cycle / company’s sales process. They maximize sales productivity by delivering this information contextual to the selling situation that a salesperson is working, all within the system where they work their opportunities—their CRM.

DS: How do they help salespeople win business?

In today’s technology enabled world, information about a company, its products, value proposition and competition are readily available and buyers are more knowledgeable than ever before.  Kadient Sales Playbooks spotlight what a salesperson needs to do next to advance an opportunity and reinforces the sales process/sales training with proven sales strategy and tactics. Salespeople are able to drill down into specific activities they need to execute, and complete them, right from within their CRM and in doing so, they are provided with the right information they need to have the meaningful conversations required to advance and close opportunities. Specific competitive sharp sticks, the precise value statements for the products they are selling, and the exact proof points they need for a particular type of opportunity are served up to them—when they need them.

DS: Would you share with us a customer success?

KT: Polycom, the world leader in unified communications, has enabled their global sales force with Kadient Playbooks. In just 6 weeks, Polycom rolled out 12 vertical based playbooks whose use has resulted in significant productivity increases across their salesforce.  Experienced and newer salespeople have been using these playbooks to get to the information they need to work their opportunities much more efficiently than in the past and they have the confidence that the content they are being served up through playbooks is relevant, correct and current.

It’s not just about time savings, though, it’s about changing and improving the way salespeople sell.  Larry Ball, Senior Director of Global Sales Enablement, says, “We have a vast array of products reps are expected to sell. If reps aren’t comfortable with the products or solution positioning, they default back to what they know. Playbooks give them the confidence to have conversations about all our solutions and not just stick with what they know.”

Polycom is leveraging the playbooks analytics at all levels of their organization to  deliver to the bottom line and get a better handle of forecast, “The forecast metrics are key – specifically, knowing if a deal is over or understated,” says Larry. “This information is tremendously useful for every sales manager who doesn’t have the time to go on sales calls but does have to forecast. This way they can know if the numbers they are getting from their salespeople are real or not.”

Note: ESR published an ESR/Brief™ on Kadient entitled, Kadient—A Helping Hand in Sales Process.  It can be downloaded for $29.95 from ESR’s website.

Photo credit: Fotolia.com

Too many companies (especially SMEs—small to medium-size enterprises) have either no formal analyst relations function or one that is managed by someone who is not qualified for the job.  That shortsightedness leaves those companies unprepared for the ongoing and very competitive battles for positioning with analysts that take place within some industries.

It’s like having your book recommended by Oprah

How your company manages the analyst relations function can be the difference between no coverage, negative positioning (which is much, much worse), or having the powerful endorsement for your company and products from an influential and well-published industry analyst.  Sales people will tell you that a positive analyst report makes some aspects of selling so much easier.  For a technology company, getting placed in the upper right quadrant of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for your industry is like having your book on Oprah’s list.

A bit of background

I managed analyst relations for two companies I had worked for in the past.  During my years as a consultant I coached numbers of others on this critical marketing/sales function.  In 2005 I founded ESR with N. Adam Rin, Ph.D., former president of Gartner Research.  He brought with him Al Case, our Research Fellow and Principal Analyst.  Al ran several divisions at Garter as well.

From ESR’s perspective, some sales training providers do a terrific job managing their relationship with ESR.  Others have a lot of work to do.

How much do you know about AR (analyst relations)?

The AR professionals we know have the knowledge and experience to be able to answer these and other critical questions:

1. What are the ten deadly sins NOT to commit when working with an industry analyst firm?
2. What are the typical characteristics of an industry analyst that will enable you to more effectively work with him or her?
3. As a vendor, when should you be humble and when should you position yourself as an expert?
4. Does subscribing to an analyst’s research improve coverage of your products or company?
5. How are research briefs created and what impact can a vendor have on their content?
6. What are the three highest-level benefits you can enjoy from an effective analyst relations approach?
7. How can you best capitalize on industry analyst “rules of engagement?”
8. Precisely what homework must you do before you brief an analyst?
9. How do vision and ability to execute relate to how an analyst sees your company?
10. During a briefing, how do CEOs, VPs of sales, PR firms and VPs of marketing impact how an analyst sees your company?

Here’s a start

Consider the leading analyst firm that covers your industry to be the most important strategic account your company has. If you view the relationship in that way, you’re moving in the right direction.

Photo credit: Wikipedia.com

Rather than expecting you to connect with it, this book deliberately and provocatively connects with you.  It reaches out and grabs you.  And it does that at many levels.

First, there is completely unexpected and rather dramatic pas de deux between Alan, the prolific Island photographer, and a genuine hidden-gem, writer Susan Klein.  This is a two-part invention.  Balanced, each modality supporting the other, propelling my eyes from story to photo, again and again.  On literally each page I marveled at my Island and Susan and Alan’s honest portrayal.

Next, it’s a celebration.  Of the Island, of its people, of the traditions.  Of why we who live or visit here have to be here.

It’s a eulogy.  For what used to be that is no longer.  And never will be again.

It’s a  journal of Island traditions and events, in chronological order throughout the year, as described in sight and voice by two who deeply love it.

It’s a pointed perspective on the elements, communities, traditions, and issues that make this Island what it is.

It’s the Ag Fair, jellies and preserves, the Fourth, the Thrift Shop, winter, Inkwell Beach, lobsters, the Wampanoag, gritty reality, five huge construction projects, honesty boxes (see photo), and so much more.

Don’t just buy this book.  Experience it from beginning to end..  and marvel.

Photo: Courtesy of Alan Brigish

This blog is written for sales leaders, not sales people.  So let me say that, as good as this book is, it’s not a replacement for taking a strategic approach to selling within your organization.  That includes, of course, building (or rebuilding) your sales methodology, its constituent processes, tools, messaging, infrastructure, compensation and incentive approaches, measurement systems, learning curriculum, reinforcement mechanisms, and delivery systems, technology-enabled learning platforms, hiring methodologies, and all else that is required for sales effectiveness.

The best use of this book is in integrating into your team’s documented sales methodology the best of the many ideas, tactics, approaches, and tips that are relevant, as determined by a comprehensive and objective assessment of your selling environment.  Now that’s a winning combination.

With SNAP Selling on my desk, and several others close at hand that I regularly recommend, I thought I’d post this list.  It’s not in any particular order, and it is not all-inclusive.  There are other books that I really like that, for one reason or another, I didn’t include.

Here’s the list:

Let us know which book(s) contributed to your sales success by leaving a comment.

Kindle 2 photo source: Amazon.com

I flew my plane up to Norwood, MA airport a while back to meet Braham face-to-face over lunch.  Fifteen-hour differences in time zones can make scheduling phone calls a challenge.  Plus any chance to fly my plane…  We had an excellent discussion.  As a result, I thought an interview with Braham would make for interesting reading.  He and I see things very similarly when it comes to managing an indirect sales channel in a B2B environment.

Here’s the interview:

Dave Stein: Even though indirect sales accounts for nearly 70 – 80% of all products sold, why is it that it does NOT get the same attention as direct selling?

Braham Shnider: The percentage may be even higher than 80% with the advent of the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) and the push to lower selling costs. We know many of our clients have increased their adoption of indirect channels in the last 18 months. However, many sales and senior executives have been promoted from a direct sales background and I think the simple cliché applies “people do what they know best, not what they don’t know” – so they promote and develop a direct sales culture and believe that indirect channels is easier to manage and therefore often plays second fiddle to high-touch direct customer selling.

Dave: What do you see as the trend going forward, will direct sales continue to get a disproportionate share of attention and why?

Braham: There is no question in my mind that direct sales gets far more attention than it should. In fact we estimate that 80% of sales training budgets are spent on direct sales training yet up to 80% of the revenue is coming from indirect sales channels. This inverse relationship makes no sense and is just bad business. There a few thought leaders who have recognized this and are doing something about it. They are investing in securing (internally and externally) quality channel sales people, developing specific channel management competencies and ensuring that senior channel managers who manage large and strategic channel partners are compensated and recognized at the same level as a successful direct sales person.

Dave: What is the major difference between the role of someone who sells direct and someone who manages indirect sales channels?

Braham: Someone who successfully sells directly often does so because of their ability to “control” events, manage risk and provide differentiation as opportunities progress down a sales pipeline. It is their ability to wrap their hands around a qualified opportunity and not lose control that makes them successful.

Channel managers need to understand how their company’s sales methodology works and are often involved in their channel partner’s sales opportunities. They need to be able to qualify and forecast opportunities in their channel partner’s sales pipeline. But they do NOT control their channel partners or their sales opportunities as their channel partners will do things for their own reasons not because they have been told to do so by a channel manager who works for another company.

Successful Channel Management is about influencing channel partners on how they develop, manage and optimize sales opportunities while also influencing and leading change initiatives and investments that drive indirect channel revenue.

Dave: So are you saying that managing indirect sales is more difficult that selling direct?

Braham: Yes!!  Because successful channel managers need to do be able to bridge both worlds—not only do they need to know what a direct sales person does that makes them successful in building and managing sales pipeline but they also need to be able to apply that knowledge to virtually manage a sales team and deliver on a sales forecast with a team of people that does not work for them.

Dave: So what distinguishes a very successful indirect channel manager?

Braham: We have identified five specific channel management competencies that differentiate the best channel managers. These are:

1. The ability to execute on a channel partner lifecycle management strategy to identify, recruit, enable, manage, and transition channel partners in their territory;
2. Understand the business model and investment criteria of channel partners and be able to have a business conversation about investment initiatives;
3. Articulate the key issues and business priorities that affect partners’ stakeholders and have the influencing skills to manage partners to change and invest as required;
4. Manage the channel partner relationship, engagement, and achievement of joint objectives through the partner planning process;
5. Lead and manage partners to identify and resolve their own barriers to success and to become independently able to generate indirect sales revenue.

Dave: What can companies do to get a competitive advantage through the way they manage their channel teams?

Braham: Hire, fire, grade, compensate, and develop to win!  What I mean here is that there are a few thought leaders who are investing in their channel teams by deploying a channel partner lifecycle management process, recruiting better quality channel sales people, developing specific channel management competencies and ensuring that a senior channel manager who manages a large and strategic channel partner is compensated and recognized at the same level as successful direst sales person—they are peers.

Dave: Channel Enablers mainly works in high tech.  Do you think the same principles apply to other industries and their indirect sales channels?

Braham: It is our experience that the fundamentals of good channel management are the same across all industries, the only exception being industry specific nuances, business practices and naming conventions.

Dave: What are you going to be discussing in your upcoming webinars?

Braham: We have just completed our global and regional Channel Management Benchmark Study for Channel Sales Success. We will be discussing what have we learned as an industry, what skills and practices set the benchmark for channel sales success, and how well do vendors drive their adoption? In which high priority areas is current execution performance low and how should channel managers be measured, graded, compensated and developed.  The first webinar will be held June 21.  (Here is a link to the registration and information page.)

Photo credit: © Stephen Coburn – Fotolia.com