All Blog Posts from Sales Machine
How to be a Strategic Vendor
In my previous post, I explained that it's dangerous to have a strategic account without being a strategic vendor. According to Sam Reese, CEO of the giant sales training firm Miller Heiman, there are three ways to become a strategic vendor:
- Control a de-facto monopoly. ...Continue »
Beware of "Strategic" Accounts!
A strategic account is a good thing, right? Wrong. A strategic account can be a freakin' disaster unless you're a strategic vendor. Let me explain.
Contrary to popular belief, a strategic account is not a customer that generates a lot of revenue and profits. That's just an "account." An account is strategic if, and o...Continue »
Is Your Firm Doomed to be Second Rate?
Last month I had an interesting conversation with Howard Stevens, the CEO of the HR Chally Group. Every year or so, he conducts an exhaustive survey of tens of thousands of customers and buyers to determine which of 7,300 sales organizations customers actually prefer to buy from. Occasionally, when a company emerges prominently from the pack, Chally gives them a sales excellence awa...Continue »
Stop Kissing and Start Kicking
Prospects buy from people they like, right? Wrong. Prospects buy from people they trust. Given a choice between a buying from a competent jerk and an incompetent friend, a prospect always goes with the guy who can deliver. After all, it’s the prospect’s own job on the line.
That doesn’t mean that you should act like a jerk, but your first priority must always be establishing your credibility. That’s easy if you work for, say, IBM, because the mere fact th...Continue »
Stupid Marketing Stories
A while back, I explained how to prevent marketing geeks from issuing embarrassing press releases. That post elicited some complaints, evidently from marketing geeks, who resent my attitude towards marketing. Here is a representative quote, verbatim: "This is the stupidest story I ever stumpled onto."
Well, that remark got me thinking, because I've "stumpled" onto some marketing stories that are a lot more stupidest than that. Here's my favorite.
Continue »
How to Reach the CEO... Directly
In my previous post, I explained how the customer wants you to play the game of getting access to the CEO. That's for wimps. Here's how to get access to the CEO (or anyone else) without negotiating thro...Continue »
How to Reach the CEO
In a comment to my previous entry “How to Sell to a CEO” karishmak asked:
“How do I reach the CEO? We can be very professional and act like a CEO but its very difficult to reach the CEO especially in the offshore software industry where you are restricted to talk through phones, emails and skypes. Can any one help?”
Great question.
There are three solutions...Continue »
The Umpire Strikes Back
Well, well... My recent post about sales process appears to have offended some of the old guard, specifically David Kurlan, author of "Baseline...Continue »
Don't Give Up Too Soon
I just witnessed a piece of sales stupidity that deals directly with one of our biggest challenges: how to deal effectively with a no-go at the end of a sales cycle. Here's the whole story.
A few months ago, an insurance agent contacted me suggesting I could get a better price from her firm. A great deal of paperwork ensued. In end, the carrier was only able to provide a minor discount compared to my current carrier. So when the agent just called me with yet another pap...Continue »
How to Call on a CEO
Sales managers often press reps to call high, since the big money decisions are typically made in the CEO’s suite. Unfortunately, pitching to a CEO is easier suggested than accomplished. It’s not impossible, but it does require rethinking who you are and what you do.
Let’s look at the challenges in detai...Continue »
