Mike Kunkle

FEBRUARY 5, 2023

“As in other studies we’ve done, this year’s enablement study found that sales process and sales methodology adoption rates above 75% resulted in above-average gains for revenue plan attainment, quota attainment, and win rates, with a big boost at adoption rates greater than 90%.” increase in revenue plan attainment 17.1%

B2B 231

B2B Sales Decision-making Negotiation 231

5600 Blue

MARCH 8, 2018

Over ten years ago, after having spent more than 20 years a salesperson, VP sales and sales consultant, we secured our first contract to provide negotiation training for the procurement arm of a major US airline. By Procurement Magazine Let the panic set in….clearly they are making a decision.

Procurement 52

Procurement Decision-making Negotiation Supply Chain 52

Hubspot Sales

JUNE 18, 2018

In many cases, the discovery call -- the first call after connecting with a prospect -- is actually the most important in the sales process. It sets the tone for the entire relationship, both pre- and post-sale. Discovery calls are crucial for sales professionals to understand the details of a prospect’s situation.

Procurement 145

Procurement Sales Decision-making Prioritization 145

Hubspot Sales

APRIL 17, 2018

Ask any sales rep what the hardest part of their job is, and I’ll bet they’ll say “closing.” After all, signing new customers and upselling existing accounts is how a rep makes quota. Here are 17 of the most prevalent -- and devastating -- closing fumbles I see reps make. 17 Sales Closing Mistakes to Stop Making Right Now.

Procurement 145

Procurement Decision-making Negotiation Sales 145

Account Manager Tips

MARCH 23, 2021

Account growth, renewals and advocacy are difficult for indirect suppliers because procurement focus on spend management. Identify and connect with decision-makers, budget holders and manage complex relationship networks. Importance of key account management Existing business is cheaper and more profitable than new business.

Key Account Management 246

Key Account Management Account Management Management Suppliers 246

Hubspot Sales

NOVEMBER 5, 2019

If you’re in the business of selling to other businesses, the competition to land the sale can be fierce. With 58% of B2B buyers doing their own research before engaging with sales reps , many buyers are over halfway through the sales process before even speaking with a rep. Procurement auction. B2B Reverse Auction.

Procurement 106

Procurement Suppliers Government Manufacturing 106

Hubspot Sales

MARCH 1, 2022

They aren’t anything to fear, though, because the right phone sales technique can help you close the deal and drive it home every single time. How to Close a Sales Deal on the Phone. The first thing you should do when you make any sales call is to have everyone on the call introduce themselves. Answer objections.

Value Proposition 124

Value Proposition Negotiation Procurement Onboarding 124

Account Manager Tips

JUNE 29, 2021

Build relationships with decision-makers and expand your network. Let's talk about the client lifecycle The sales cycle attracts qualified leads, engages and converts them to clients. Do you make the first move and present a compelling proposal that positions you as the partner of choice? Define price strategy.

Suppliers 246

Suppliers Shareholders Stakeholders Decision-making 246

Hubspot Sales

APRIL 12, 2021

When it comes to sales, some might think the only difference between sales roles is the product you’re selling. However, enterprise sales strategy differs vastly from self-service, SMB (small-medium business), or mid-market sales. To build trust, your sales team needs to custom-fit their processes for each customer.

Marketing 116

Marketing Sales Retail Decision-making 116

Brooks Group

APRIL 9, 2024

Bigger deals usually mean bigger committees, which present unique challenges compared to selling to an individual decision maker or even a small group. Lack of clear authority, conflicting priorities, and the logistics of keeping 7, 10, or 12 people in the loop make the B2B buying process an increasingly tough sale.

Value Proposition 106

Value Proposition Procurement Decision-making Stakeholders 106

Nutshell

JUNE 5, 2020

This phenomenon is known as the “ Curse of Knowledge ”: When you encounter information that you’re familiar with—like a beaten-to-death professional title ( *cough* self-described “thought leaders” *cough* ), or a scripted sales message—your brain instinctively “doesn’t wanna know,” because you’ve encountered the same data before.

Procurement 96

Procurement Value Proposition B2B Sales 96

Hubspot Sales

MAY 30, 2019

We know that best-in-class sales organizations use a consultative sales process. A sales process is consultative when the stages and actions align with the customer’s buying experience and are defined in terms of the customer relationship. Consultative Sales Process. Make sure that's clear for your prospect.

Procurement 109

Procurement Negotiation Sales Leadership Sales 109

Hubspot Sales

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

Map the decision-making process. Expect an extended sales cycle. To give you an idea, you may always reach out to the startup’s head of sales. 2) Map out the decision-making process. The larger the company, the more complex their decision-making process usually is. Provide value.

Procurement 111

Procurement Decision-making Negotiation Value Proposition 111

Whetstone

MAY 9, 2023

Unfortunately, Procurement doesn’t! When you’re not allowed to differentiate your value and you are forced to compete solely on price, it can be difficult to close a sale, and if you do close the sale, you know it might not have been worth the effort. Here are four tips on how to effectively deal with procurement departments: 1.

Procurement 40

Procurement Suppliers Value Proposition Decision-making 40

Hubspot Sales

NOVEMBER 6, 2017

For example, if your champion was supposed to introduce you to someone in Procurement, but they never followed through, your follow-up question might be, “ When do you want to start implementation? When you’re working toward a goal in sales, give your prospect ample exit opportunities. This is an easier ask that doesn’t require action.

Procurement 145

Procurement Decision-making Meetings Sales 145

Hubspot Sales

AUGUST 13, 2018

Sales forecasting can play a major role in your company’s success ( and your own career development ). According to research from the Aberdeen Group , companies with accurate sales forecasts are 10% more likely to grow their revenue year-over-year and 7.3% Read on to learn: What Is Sales Forecasting? more likely to hit quota.

Sales 141

Sales CRM Procurement Decision-making 141

Red Star Kim

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

At the recent Business Development for Professionals – 2024 Virtual Conference – MBL Seminars I presented a session entitled “Supporting Fee-Earners in Sales Targeting”. Here is a summary of the sales targeting toolbox for professional services firms. So targeting is often more important and more challenging.

Value Proposition 130

Value Proposition Key Account Management Digitalization Sales 130

Hubspot Sales

MAY 29, 2019

So you’ve just been promoted to sales manager -- congratulations! Making that transition and becoming an effective coach and leader aren’t easy. In your first three months as a manager, you’ll have to learn an entirely new set of processes -- some related to sales, some not. What do you think makes a good leader?

Sales Management 141

Sales Management Management Sales Meetings 141

Revenue Storm

MARCH 14, 2023

Well, maybe not, because you may have been told one of the following buyer excuses: #1: “I am the decision maker.” – This is the classic of all deceptions. In a complex B2B sales cycle, there is rarely one decision maker. 5: “The procurement process will be easy.” – It never is! 2: “I am very interested.

Procurement 78

Procurement Value Proposition Decision-making B2B 78

Hubspot Sales

AUGUST 19, 2018

If you asked most people what activity they associated most with sales, I’d guess that many of them would respond the same way: Closing. For one thing, it’s the most visible part of the sales process -- all of us have been closed at one time or another, whether we’re buying a new vacuum cleaner or a new Learjet. What Is a Sales Closer?

Negotiation 128

Negotiation Procurement Stakeholders Decision-making 128

Hubspot Sales

JUNE 13, 2018

If you’re a B2B salesperson, you’ve probably heard about SPIN Sales. SPIN gives reps a research-backed framework for working and closing complex deals with extended sales processes. You can use SPIN principles along with your current sales methodology. Many of SPIN’s principles align well with inbound sales.).

Procurement 145

Procurement Decision-making Meetings Publishing 145

Hubspot Sales

DECEMBER 9, 2020

It's a sales methodology that became popular in the 1980s, and it's based on a pretty simple premise: A salesperson diagnoses their prospect’s needs, then recommends the right products and or services to accommodate them. This brand of sales emphasizes the "why" over the "what" of a potential sale. Develop Your Questions.

Cybersecurity 136

Cybersecurity Retail Decision-making Procurement 136

Hubspot Sales

OCTOBER 12, 2020

It’s the same as anticipating the likely outcome of a sales opportunity while there’s still time to influence it. Sales managers are like tornado watchers. So I've put together a high-level overview of the deal review process and laid out five rules to make your deal reviews valuable for both you and your salespeople.

Procurement 131

Procurement Sales Management Decision-making Publishing 131

MTD Sales Training

OCTOBER 5, 2018

No, but maybe they are claiming to have more power than they really have in the decision-making process. Either way, it makes you look silly when you are attempting to close with someone who actually doesn’t have the authority you had originally assumed. 2) Make sure your research is complete and accurate.

Suppliers 96

Suppliers Decision-making Procurement Negotiation 96

Miller Heiman Group

FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Stakeholder management is complicated—because it involves an ever-expanding number of roles who influence purchase decisions at an organization. Other stakeholders are simply not accustomed to engaging directly with sales teams. Understand the Decision Dynamic. Let’s explore four strategies to find them. Invest in The Coach.

Stakeholders 106

Stakeholders Procurement Decision-making Organization 106

SBI Growth

OCTOBER 23, 2012

This is a post for any Sales Leader considering or using a buyer-driven sales process. During many of our training events for a sales process rollout, we’ll get the question “So I should just identify the buyer’s stage and go from there?”. It’s tempting for the sales rep to give in. Who doesn’t want the quick sale?

Procurement 117

Procurement Decision-making Negotiation Software 117

Flevy

MARCH 8, 2022

Marketing, Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Procurement. However, once an organization succeeds in effectively aligning its Corporate Strategy with its Supply Chain Strategy , it enjoys the immense benefits of superior Financial Performance , with tangible benefits in terms of both Cost Management and Sales Growth.

Supply Chain 111

Supply Chain Value Proposition Procurement Manufacturing 111

MTD Sales Training

JUNE 28, 2017

Your ability to uncover needs in your customer’s business is one of the areas that will make you stand out from the competition. That outsider viewpoint can make a big difference to the buyer, as they can often be immersed in the minutia of everyday business and miss the big picture. Past Mistakes. Past Mistakes. Happy Selling!

Decision-making 72

Decision-making Procurement Negotiation Sales Training 72

Revenue Storm

NOVEMBER 9, 2021

You are faced with the embarrassing and unenviable task of delivering bad news to your sales leader –the important deal you committed to in your sales forecast to close this quarter won’t in fact close this quarter after all. Then of course, you will have the joys of legal and procurement. Procurement approval: November 15.

Procurement 78

Procurement Decision-making Advertising Meetings 78

Revenue Storm

DECEMBER 15, 2020

One that I believe will act to change enterprise sales forever. They have learned how to do their research and compile all the information they need to make their decision, how to get the help and support they might need both during and after the sale, and how to push the buy button. What strategies have they employed?

Procurement 78

Procurement Value Proposition B2B Sales 78

Hubspot Sales

AUGUST 7, 2018

Win-loss review analysis is one of the most difficult parts of the sales process. If you won the deal, it's likely your sales team is at the bar tossing back a few drinks. Just make sure not to ask all of them -- in-person interviews should be no longer than 15-20 minutes.). Did you define your decision criteria?

Procurement 94

Procurement Decision-making Logistics Stakeholders 94

Openview

MAY 29, 2019

The LTV of an enterprise customer can be extraordinarily high, making the extra effort to land them well worth it. And making decisions about how far you should go to support the enterprise can be gut-wrenching. It’s easy to tout your brand’s reliability in a sales pitch, but in practice, that might not actually be the case.

Procurement 93

Procurement Decision-making Account Management Meetings 93

Hubspot Sales

FEBRUARY 16, 2018

Account-based sales (ABS) is one of the year’s most buzzed-about buzzwords. You’re reading about its many merits, your boss is referring to it in meetings, and you might already be implementing it in your sales strategy. 5 Common Mistakes in Account-Based Sales. 5 Common Mistakes in Account-Based Sales. Think about it.

Procurement 110

Procurement Stakeholders Decision-making Facilitation 110

Account Manager Tips

JUNE 23, 2020

Phil is an account management and sales professional professional with a wealth of experience and wisdom he's distilled into The Tenets of Account Management. And just, how did you end up in sales? And I got fed up of living away from home full time and when into an internal sales role. Don't ever do an important meeting alone.

Key Account Management 182

Key Account Management Account Management Management Suppliers 182

Openview

MARCH 16, 2018

Marc Benioff and his team demonstrated a consistent ability to scale with an outbound sales team in those early years. And with that, modern inside sales was born. Building an outbound sales motion is not new, and yet almost every company makes the same three mistakes in the first months of getting up and running.

Investors 89

Investors Prioritization Sales Decision-making 89

Apptivo

APRIL 27, 2022

An ERP system brings together business processes of an enterprise, which makes it possible to improve performance and enhance project management abilities which, in turn, helps plan, budget, predict and report the organization’s processes and financial status. The Sourcing and procurement module. The Sales module.

Supply Chain 98

Supply Chain Procurement Manufacturing Logistics 98

Zendesk

FEBRUARY 24, 2022

If you’re reading this, you probably have a solid idea of what’s required for a strong sales team: Lead generation. Consistent sales messaging. Personalized sales styles. Intelligently utilized sales software. The secret to a successful modern sales team isn’t the closers—it’s the people behind the scenes.

Sales 98

Sales Sales Analytics Software Software 98