Last week I was talking with a VP of sales, who had just returned from a “big deal” sales pitch across the country. Expecting that his team was to present a multi-million dollar sales proposal to the senior executives of the prospect, he found instead a disjointed quasi-meeting. The meeting started 90 minutes late. The chief […]
From The Whale Hunters, we know it takes a strong team with a variety of skills to land a whale. You want women on your team. There are natural advantages Wonder Woman brings to the table that Superman and Underdog don’t have. And I’m not just talking about her magic Lasso of Truth.
Today I’d like to draw your attention to our latest case study. We’re very proud of the work done by Anita Grantham (one of our Phoenix Certified Partners), Rudy Kolich and the team at Jokake. They were able to implement The Whale Hunters Process™ and win the largest contract in their firms history.
You remember the old commercials – when you were asked to make a forced choice between two good options? In syncing up with your prospect, I say you need both – good rhythm and good timing. A successful sales person almost instinctively knows that a winning process includes getting into the customer’s sales cycle as early as possible and at a time when you can still prepare your team to deliver – especially, when hunting whales.
B2B buyers look for the least risky solution, not the best one. Gartner found that 74% of buying teams hit unhealthy conflict during the decision. This article names the four fears that turn up at the Buyers’ Table, explains what a Fear Buster actually is, and shows one step of a sales process with Fear Busters built in.
Many people don’t understand the distinctions between strategy, process and tactics.
A strategy is an overall plan to achieve specific, generally long-term, goals. It’s an approach, a broad, general roadmap, a way to go about doing business. A strategy defines how an organization intends to get from where it is now to where it wants to be in the future, perhaps three to five years out. Pursuing Whales to grow revenue is a strategy. Going global is a strategy. Penetrating a specific industry is a strategy. Increasing visibility to raise awareness about a product or service is a strategy. A strategy may include time frames but typically they are ‘end point’ dates.
At the start each consulting engagement, the first piece of our process covered with clients is called the Brand Promise Audit. The goal of the exercise is to determine what parts of your brand promise are truly unique. We often find that the majority of brand promises fall into average or above average categories.
What should happen when you first meet with a new prospect? Here are five tips to make that first meeting a good one.
Instead of randomly shooting messages out into the market and waiting for leads to come in, smart companies on a fast-growth path need a way to identify the specific prospective customers that ought to be their best candidates. What if you could make a list of the companies that are best for you to go after instead of simply following up on leads or cold calling?
[KelleyRobertson] Today’s blog post is brought to you by Kelley Robertson of Robertson Training Group in Canada. Thanks for contributing today Kelley!
Navigating and negotiating a standard sale can be challenging at the best of times. However, when you add a team dynamic to the equation, it can be downright frustrating not to mention difficult. Here are a few guidelines to consider when several people on your team are involved in a particular deal.
Use whatever metaphors or analogies you like, The Whale Hunters Process teaches discipline. It’s easy to say and not so easy to do. How often have you been distracted with a shiny-object-sales-opportunity? Teams or individuals in sales need discipline to be successful. The courage to say “no,” be strategic, and commit to excellence through practice. That dis-uh-plin is what divides hope from the real deal.
Don’t think for a second that you’ll keep this whale-client because you landed the big, initial sale. Your team needs to be accessible, reliable, and flexible. Business is about people, relationships. An authentic email. Thoughtful phone call. Focusing on them. All of these things will go a long way to building trust and growing your revenue potential.