Sales Management Content

Bryan Neale, Brooke Green,
and Bill Caskey

Value is the relief that your prospect feels when you can find and solve a pain they have.

Excerpt from post on:
December 14th, 2007

Sales Management Content

July 18th, 2008 Sales Trainers Shouldn’t be Talking about Sales Compensation. Or Should We? But I will and the question is: Are we working on the Right Problem when we devise comp plans? I get all sorts of RSS feed ...READ MORE

Sales Trainers Shouldn’t be Talking about Sales Compensation. Or Should We?

Friday, July 18th, 2008

But I will and the question is: Are we working on the Right Problem when we devise comp plans?

I get all sorts of RSS feed on sales compensation, including the latest from www.gotomarketstrategies.com Good content all but I think most miss the major point.

Vision Should Drive Compensation

The major point is what kind of compensation plan is going to lead to the vision of a business? Not which ones are easiest to calculate…or to track…or to manipulate. Which one best leads to the vision.

Since the vision of your business should be somewhat (or totally) focused around “customer problems and your ability to solve them–and what happens to you if you’re really good at that–then it seems comp plans should match up.

Shouldn’t there be a component of this that has to do with Customer Perception of how you solved their pain? Sure, there should. Can you put a dollar and cents # on it? No, not likely for most selling orgs.

A Compensation Solution

But you can offer some type of a component that has the Customer Rating of the sales person’s competency at understanding the problem and assigning resources to solve it.

There are plenty of survey packages that will do the trick, but first you have to change your thinking about compensation.

If you’re a manager/leader/president, float this idea past your people. If they balk, it might be just what they need to fully measure what you expect from them: Great problem solving skills.

Maybe you hold a percent or two back for those sales execs who are masterful at solving problems. And they get extra compensation for it.

The Customer’s Problems Come First–Not Compensation

Caution: Remember, I come from a different position on selling–one where the customer and his/her problems come first. My belief is that if you’re a competent problem finder and solver, the revenue will come. Everyone wins. So why not compensate your sales team on that?

Tags: sales compensation, Sales management issues, sales training, selling strategies
Posted in Bill Caskey, Sales Management Content, VP of Sales | 3 Comments »

May 28th, 2008 Straight Talk About Your Sales Force - Tip 5 of 5 Thanks for taking part in our video series. Tip #5 answers the question "How do I drive sales prospecting activity?" Bill Caskey will be dealing with ...READ MORE

Straight Talk About Your Sales Force - Tip 5 of 5

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

Thanks for taking part in our video series. Tip #5 answers the question “How do I drive sales prospecting activity?”

Bill Caskey will be dealing with this issue and others at the seminar called “Building Your Sales Dream Team.”

You can learn more by going to http://www.caskeyseminars.com.

Tags: Bill Caskey, free seminar, sales management, sales strategies, sales training
Posted in Executive Seminars, Sales Management Content, Video Blogs | No Comments »

May 27th, 2008 Straight Talk About Your Sales Force - Tip 4 of 5 Welcome back to our video series. Tip #4 answers the question "How do I get my prospects off the 'Price Discussion'?" Bill Caskey will be dealing ...READ MORE

Straight Talk About Your Sales Force - Tip 4 of 5

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

Welcome back to our video series. Tip #4 answers the question “How do I get my prospects off the ‘Price Discussion’?”

Bill Caskey will be dealing with this issue and others at the seminar called “Building Your Sales Dream Team.”

You can learn more by going to http://www.caskeyseminars.com.

Tags: Bill Caskey, free seminar, sales management, sales strategies, sales training
Posted in Executive Seminars, Sales Management Content, Video Blogs | No Comments »

May 23rd, 2008 Straight Talk About Your Sales Force - Tip 3 of 5 Hope you are enjoying our video series. Tip #3 answers the question "How do we shorten our selling cycle?" This is the #1 problem we ...READ MORE

Straight Talk About Your Sales Force - Tip 3 of 5

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

Hope you are enjoying our video series. Tip #3 answers the question “How do we shorten our selling cycle?” This is the #1 problem we hear from CEOs.

Bill Caskey will be dealing with this issue and others at the seminar called “Building Your Sales Dream Team.”

You can learn more by gong to http://www.caskeyseminars.com.

Tags: Bill Caskey, free seminar, sales management, sales strategies, sales training
Posted in Executive Seminars, Sales Management Content, Video Blogs | No Comments »

May 22nd, 2008 Straight Talk About Your Sales Force - Tip 2 of 5 Thanks for taking part in our video series. Tip #2 answers the question, "Why do prospects who initially showed great interest in our service suddenly ...READ MORE

Straight Talk About Your Sales Force - Tip 2 of 5

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

Thanks for taking part in our video series. Tip #2 answers the question, “Why do prospects who initially showed great interest in our service suddenly stop answering e-mails, calls, etc.?” This is a cousin to yesterday’s question on closing percentages.

Bill Caskey will be dealing with this issue and others at the seminar called “Building Your Dream Team.”

You can learn more by going to http://www.caskeyseminars.com.

Tags: Bill Caskey, free seminar, sales management, sales strategies, sales training
Posted in Executive Seminars, Sales Management Content, Video Blogs | No Comments »

April 23rd, 2008 Sales Training Tip #1 in a Series Over the next few weeks, we'll be offering up some sales training tips for you trainers/sales managers who take that role in your company. Never start ...READ MORE

Sales Training Tip #1 in a Series

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be offering up some sales training tips for you trainers/sales managers who take that role in your company.

Never start any sales training unless your team has bought in to it.

I know this sounds like heresy. “Why on earth would we want the inmates running the asylum?” (as one of my friends puts it).

Well, if you don’t engage your people in some kind of a Sales Problem/Pain Assessment (what do they believe they can improve on to get better/different results?) then you already have an asylum — you just don’t know it.

Sales People Are Honest If You Ask Them–And Care
OnestThe first thing that happens when you ask people is that, if they think there is a chance you can help them, they will tell you honestly what’s not working. Secondly, they will be much more engaged in training.

(Those are two words you don’t hear much in the same sentence: engaged and sales training.) And thirdly, you can tell who on your team is really in “growth mode” and who’s just going through the motions.

As a sales manager, you know your people have to change to meet market demands. But most won’t unless threatened (with their job).

We don’t believe it has to be that way.

Assess Your Sales Team
Take a few hours and come up with an assessment of your own. Create space for rigorous honesty. (I know this is tough in the corporate world.) And then purchase sales training to solve sales problems.

I have seen salespeople starved for something new and different that helps them grow professionally. But they never get it because the company nevers sees the connection between the training investment and return on that investment.

And do you know what? It’s not the people who really need training that feel that way. It’s usually the already-high-achievers that want to explore new ways do to old tasks.

So before you buy into the old myth, “seasoned sales people don’t need training” ask them what they want. You’ll be shocked.

Here’s an example of a very short assessment–it’ll at least get you started. Right click to download. My gift to you.

Ebook: Download

Tags: Bill Caskey, sales strategies, sales training, sales training tips, VP of Sales
Posted in Bill Caskey, Sales Management Content, Training and development, VP of Sales | No Comments »

December 21st, 2007 Calling On The CEO. I Know I Need To. But How? A study recently conducted by www.siriusdecisions.com in conjunction with the H.H. Gregg School of Sales at Ball State University, revealed (not surprisingly) that sales people, ...READ MORE

Calling On The CEO. I Know I Need To. But How?

Friday, December 21st, 2007

A study recently conducted by www.siriusdecisions.com in conjunction with the H.H. Gregg School of Sales at Ball State University, revealed (not surprisingly) that sales people, when calling on CEOs, are ill prepared.

And the CEOs don’t like it.

The report says 82% of the CEOs experience sales people who have not done their homework.

So Now What?
Good information. But if you’re a sales professional who “should be” calling on higher level contacts, exactly how do you do your research? The report didn’t talk about that, (most reports don’t tell you how to solve the problem) but I will.

Here are a few ideas:

Web Research. I suggest you go to the company website but don’t just take what they say. Remember, a website is a brochure. Not too many websites talk about the pain the company is experiencing–and that, after all, is what you’re looking for. You can get a “lay of the land” of the businesses they’re in–and some of their objectives.
Blog Research. What I’m doing more and more is going to blog.google.com and search there. Search on terms like “trends in the industry” or “company by name,” or even the contact himself/herself. You can get a lot of good information that way. And much of it is unfiltered by the company.
Zoominfo.com This is a great site to learn more about the person you’re calling on–where he went to school–where she last worked–how he came up through the ranks. It gives you a sense of who this person is and how they have experienced the world. All great stuff if you’re going to be having a conversation with them.

The Bottom Line
Be careful that you don’t do so much research that you fail to ask questions because you think you know it all. I’ve seen that happen. Nothing is more annoying (not even an unprepared sales person) than one who thinks they have the answers before they ask the questions.

Get serious about your pursuit of the CEO’s pain and dreams. Then you can position your solution in a way that is meaningful for him.

Tags: Presidents, VP of Sales
Posted in Bill Caskey, Sales Management Content | No Comments »

December 20th, 2007 Sales Managers: How Much Time Do You Spend Talking Value? If you're in the majority, you probably fill your meeting time with forecasting rubbish. You know: "what's in the sales funnel? when is that going ...READ MORE

Sales Managers: How Much Time Do You Spend Talking Value?

Thursday, December 20th, 2007

If you’re in the majority, you probably fill your meeting time with forecasting rubbish. You know: “what’s in the sales funnel? when is that going to close? what do we need to get them over the hump?”

For God’s sake, dump that technique. There is no growth in funnel review. If you must do that (which you must) do it in a short time frame, or one-on-one.

Instead use valuable group time to do valuable group work.

What is that? Here’s a suggestion from one of our clients after he’d been working with us for a few months.

“Bill, I use 75% of the sales meetings asking them one question: What have you done since last meeting to help your clients solve problems?”

At first, he reported that he got very few comments. But since we (Caskey) were training his people to reinvent themselves in the sales process–away from being the master persuader (where it was all about you) and toward a process where they were focused on the prospect and their problems, they eventually got it.

As he observed his most recent sales meeting he said he was shocked at how the mojo in the room had improved. The motivation level was enormous. And it all had to do with changing the focus of the meeting–to solving customer problems.

Try it. It takes some courage. But it works.

Tags: sales process, sales training, VP of Sales
Posted in Bill Caskey, Sales Management Content | No Comments »

November 6th, 2007 The $50 Million Deal We often hear that our “way” of training and coaching is "great, as long as you’re not going after big deals." We’ve never bought into ...READ MORE

The $50 Million Deal

Tuesday, November 6th, 2007

We often hear that our “way” of training and coaching is “great, as long as you’re not going after big deals.” We’ve never bought into that. Yes, it’s harder to detach from the outcome of bigger deals, but changing the way that you think is effective on any deal—$1 or $1,000,000.

We recently had a client land a $50,000,000 deal!

If you’re reading this, you know who you are. For the rest of you, it wouldn’t be cool to “out” our client, so you’ll have to keep guessing!

I wanted to share with you 3 of the fundamental principles that we’ve worked on with them. Please don’t get me wrong, we are not taking credit for the deal – they get that all to themselves. However, I do think they would agree that our work with them helped lay the foundation for a win.

Principle #1: Identifying and Communicating Your Value

• What is value? It is the relief that your prospect feels when you can find and solve a pain they have. Or, the excitement they feel when they recognize the possibility you can help them create with your product/service.

• What it is not. Value is never platitudes, claims or opinions. The more you claim and opine in your statement, the less believable it will be, and the more your prospect will tune out everything else you say.

• It is as if there is a conversation going on inside the prospect’s mind and your expression of your value meets him where he is.

• In creating your value statement, you should make two lists—one of the conscious pains that you help people solve. And the second of the unconscious pains you fix. The secret in this is that the true differential value you bring is in the discovery and solving of the unconscious pains.

Principle #2: Detachment

• What is detachment? The ability to emotionally divest yourself from an outcome that you can’t fully control anyway. We learned from an early age that there was a WIN and a LOSS—a winner and a loser. And we didn’t want to be the loser, so we became attached to the outcome of winning.

• What it is not. There is a difference between detached and “disengaged.” Disengaged is when you don’t care or your mind is distracted. Sometimes people use disengaged as a way to hide their true attachment. They will say things like “do what you want to do,” or “I don’t really care what you do.” Don’t be disengaged. You are attached to the process and detached from the outcomes. But if you become disengaged, you cross the line.

• What happens when you become attached to the outcome?

1. You are unable to take risks
2. You are unable to do the right thing for your prospect or client
3. You sell yourself short, trivializing your value in the process
4. You default to using someone else’s process even though yours has been proven effective

• How do you get out of it? Simple. Change thought. Thinking must change from “how will this effect me?” to “how can I contribute to the well being of another (prospect/client)?” Have you heard the saying, “when you’re depressed, go help someone else”? It’s true. So one way to “get out of yourself” is to help someone else. In sales, that usually means the prospect.

Principle #3: Clear Future / Presentation of Solution

• What is a “clear future”? You need to understand the decision making process of your prospect. How does the decision get made? Who makes the decision in their company? Are you talking to them? Can you live with that process of getting to them? When you get really good at managing your process, you will be the only one laying down the decision process – not them.

• Presentation. Present to the pain. If it’s a written presentation, then a review of the pain is in order at the top of the document. If it’s a spoken, delivered presentation, then a review of the pain should happen first. This is not the time to talk to them (your prospect) about all of the other great things you can do for them. DO NOT take your eye off of the ball, and by all means, don’t force them to take THEIR eye off of it either.

Tags: Presidents, quote
Posted in Basic Sales Strategy, Brooke Green, Sales Management Content | No Comments »

November 1st, 2007 The Sales Force of the Future We have been thinking about what the future sales force will look like lately. Why? Well, there are a ton of trends that are beginning ...READ MORE

The Sales Force of the Future

Thursday, November 1st, 2007

We have been thinking about what the future sales force will look like lately. Why? Well, there are a ton of trends that are beginning to impact sales forces and sales people – globalization – googlization – commodity pricing – readily available information on the web - etc. So we went out and looked for someone who had studied this from the perspective of: what do customers want from the seller? We found Ben Ball (Senior VIce President, Dechert-Hampe & Co.). So in this interview, you’ll hear what his study told us about what the sales person of the future might look like – act like. Sales managers/leaders: listen carefully.