A selling organization is not a very common term, and yet selling organizations are one of the most common kinds of organizations out there. “Most companies call the place that produces revenue a sales department. I don’t love that. If you think about sales, sales is a result. Selling is an activity that gets you to the result,” said Shawn Karol Sandy, interviewed by John Golden.

In this expert sales interview, Sandy explores what it takes to establish a selling organization by explaining four fundamental building blocks:

• A company’s culture
• Company behaviors
• The strategies developed to reinforce the behaviors
• The direction that leads to strategy creation that leads to behaviors, which drive culture

Company Culture:

Culture is the ubiquitous mindset of the organization, made up of the purpose and the values that are shared amongst all employees. It does not just apply to those on the sales team. And yet, there is a mindset for non-sales employees that they only cost the organization what they get paid and that they don’t have a fiscal and financial responsibility to the organization they work for. “That was my first clue that we needed to address culture. Everyone is responsible for contributing to the organization. We need to address culture so that everyone is responsible for contributing, and ensure everyone is connected to the results,” said Sandy. Ensuring that every employee is unified in their understanding of how they contribute provides a widespread culture that facilitates company growth.

Defining Organization Behavior:

After a culture is developed, specific practices are used to reinforce and uphold this culture. “If you define yourself as a selling organization, then you have to define the behaviors of what that means,” said Sandy. “This includes the person who answers the phone, to the sales team, to the organizational team, to the delivery driver. Everyone must support the shared mindset in how they act and behave.” It’s also essential to train your staff on these behaviors and encourage them to practice them daily. Modeling behaviors is also an excellent approach. You can’t hold your team accountable to things that you aren’t doing yourself.

Strategy:

The strategy looks at taking a selling organizations behaviors and using these behaviors to go to the market and make a profit. Having a sharp plan, and going to market with a strong culture, will help you prevail in the sales world. Flat, generic strategies are used by many organizations, despite lacking quality. For example, if an organization says that they don’t have a specific target market, and they have general principles for securing clients, they won’t be as successful as someone with a sharp strategy and particular target market.

Direction and Execution:

Having a culture, behaviors that support the culture, and a strategy for upholding behaviors is an excellent start, but it doesn’t mean anything if these things aren’t executed. “Having people who are embedded in the culture, and on board with creating a selling organization is super important,” said Sandy. Many people want results, but they’re not willing to reset the current culture or hold people accountable for living out the new culture. “If you can embrace this idea of a selling organization, and think, ‘what do I have to do to support the people directing the strategy and directing the behavior? How do I help all employees to live and breathe the culture?’ If you can answer these questions, and see them to fruition, you will begin to see a change in the organization,” said Sandy.

About Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

Pipeliner CRM empowers companies to build and tailor their selling organizations. Get your free trial of Pipeliner CRM now.

Make Your Clients Your Marketing Team
#SalesChats: Episode 48

Salespeople strive for customer loyalty, but your clients will only be loyal to you if you make them feel good when they work with you. The idea of creating a positive experience for your customers and making them feel good while working with you is the starting out point in making your clients become your marketing team. Tanya Pluckrose discusses using clients as your marketing team in this #SalesChat, hosted by John Golden and Martha Neumeister.

Pluckrose explains:
• A 3-start client, which will hire you and want to work with you. They are very coachable and will brag about you for a short time after the close of the deal.
• A 4-star client will do all of the things a 3-star client will do, but they will also write a public testimonial on Yelp or your website or another review channel
• A 5-start client is a 4-star client, plus they will also vouch for you and refer you to others, even strangers, giving a verbal recommendation of you
• A 6-star client is a client who will brag about you, write testimonials, and speak testimonials, but they will also be on the lookout for new experiences for you. They feel so strongly that you made them feel special while they were working with you, and are will still be loyal to you decades later. They feel an emotional investment in you or your company.
• Three key areas that salespeople need to utilize in order to delight clients including appearance, approach, and accountability
• Reinforcing these crucial things throughout the entire sales process, not just in the beginning when you first connect with a prospect
• Ensuring the culture is upheld by all members of the organization, including the back of the house and other non-sales people
• Think like a client, but act like a CEO in order to anticipate the unexpressed needs of the client
• The best ways to start implementing accountability throughout all of the members of an organization

Our Guest

Tanya Pluckrose

is an expert and thought leader on the subject of attracting and retaining high value clientele. Over the past 20 years she has lead teams for Qantas Airways that addressed the needs of more than 1.3 million diverse VIP customers, while safely managing the-state-of-the-art aircrafts, including the A380, valued in excess of US$375 million. In her private consultancy business, she helps companies create systems that attract and retain high value clients.

Links › tanyapluckrose.com | twitter.com | linkedin.com

Our Hosts

John Golden

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

Martha Neumeister

Martha is social media strategist, responsible for all social media platforms of Pipeliner CRM. She is a communication expert with social media affinity, which she has been focusing on throughout her professional career. She has a bachelor´s degree in Entrepreneurship & Management and a master´s degree in Online Marketing which supports her in her career as Social Media Strategist.

About SalesChats

SalesChats is a fast-paced (no more than 30 minutes) multi-media series that provides leading strategies, tactics and thinking for sales professionals worldwide. It can be found on Twitter (#SalesChats), as a live Google+ Hangout, and as a podcast available on iTunes, SoundCloud and right here on SalesPOP! If you think you would make a great guest for #SalesChats, please contact co-host Martha Neumeister.

SalesChats is co-hosted by John Golden, CSO Pipeliner CRM, and Martha Neumeister, Social Media Strategist Pipeliner CRM.

Social selling has revolutionized the sales world. It is no secret that the use of social media to engage with buyers and close deals has opened a new world of opportunities for salespeople. However, navigating these changes and utilizing social selling to its maximum potential can be a struggle. John Golden interviews Julio Viskovich.

This expert sales interview explores social selling, discussing topics such as:

• How salespeople can adapt to the digital age
• The role changes that have come about as a result of the digital era
• Exploring social selling using a golfing metaphors
• Initial steps you can take to enter the social selling world

Adapting to the Digital Age

Adjusting to the digital age is about matching what has happened with the buyers. No one can look at the digital age and the shape that it’s in today and say there haven’t been drastic changes. Everyone is engaging on a social network. Whether it’s for business or social engagement, we are all using social media. So the question as salespeople becomes, how do we bring the right tools and strategies to give that modern buyer what we need.

Changing Roles

“Our role is changing every day,” said Viskovich. “The more information that is available online takes away from our traditional method of selling.” Salespeople serve less as providers of information, and more providers of insight. They serve to illustrate the problems that an organization has, and explain how a product or service can help solve that problem.

Social Selling and Golfing

Part of the issue surrounding social selling is that many salespeople have jumped on the bandwagon and considered it a miracle tool. This can be dangerous because there is a tendency to get so caught up in it that salespeople lose sight of actually selling. Viskovich gives the example of going golfing. When you go golfing, you need a variety of different clubs, and you use all of them to have a good golf game. Social selling is one club that you should throw in your golf bag, but it shouldn’t be the only tool that you use. “We have to realize that it’s just one of the tools in our bag, and not to get too carried away with using it,” said Viskovich. “I really do see it as a compliment to the other tools we have.”

Baby Steps to Evolve in the Digital World

If you are new to social selling and exploring the digital world, two crucial steps can help you break in. The first is to make sure that you have an online presence in the right spots. Understand where your buyers are, and go there on a daily basis. Explore some of the professionals or influencers in your field that are currently doing well, and understand what they look like. You can then build your profile around that. It’s important to have your profiles expand beyond just your CV or a brief description of your business or service. Instead, create something that peaks potential buyers interest.

For more information on social selling, watch the expert sales interview!

About Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

Pipeliner CRM fully empowers social selling. Get your free trial of Pipeliner CRM now.

Ways CEO’s Screw Up the Sales Function
#SalesChats: Episode 36

The salespeople and sales managers are the most talked about positions when it comes to sales functions. But, the CEO’s play a role too. Colleen Stanley discusses CEO’s and the sales function in this #SalesChat, hosted by John Golden and Martha Neumeister.

Stanley explains:
• Why leadership can have a negative impact on the sales organization
• The tendency of higher ups to think salespeople are born, and not made, which leads to an insufficient focus on training
• Sales teams should be collaborative, and foster a unified culture that scales an organization
• Creating a culture where emotional intelligence plays a significant part
• “Emotional contagion,” how the mood of a leader effects the mood of the sales team
• How all or nothing thinking can play a negative role in hiring
• The difference between genuine empathy and generic empathy, and the role that these play in leading and motivating salespeople
• The CEOs that don’t display emotional self awareness, and the impact that this has on the sales team and the organization as a whole
• Understanding things like: “how did I show up today?” “What triggers did I respond to that caused me to respond in a manner that I regret?” “Was I the trigger?”
• How senior leadership can empower sales management, so that sales management can empower the sales team
• The necessity for CEOs to provide training to sales managers
• Becoming a trusted advisor by creating a culture of learning
• Systemization, and coaching effectively using a structured system and sales playbook

Our Guest

Colleen Stanley

is the author of Emotional Intelligence For Sales Success, now published in 6 languages, and Growing Great Sales Teams, an international sales keynote speaker and has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Sales Bloggers in the world for the last 3 years. She is the creator of the Ei Selling® System, a unique and powerful sales program that integrates emotional intelligence skills with consultative selling skills. Salesforce has named Colleen as one of the most influential sales figures of the 21st century.

Links › salesleadershipdevelopment.com | twitter.com | linkedin.com

Our Hosts

John Golden

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

Martha Neumeister

Martha is social media strategist, responsible for all social media platforms of Pipeliner CRM. She is a communication expert with social media affinity, which she has been focusing on throughout her professional career. She has a bachelor´s degree in Entrepreneurship & Management and a master´s degree in Online Marketing which supports her in her career as Social Media Strategist.

About SalesChats

SalesChats is a fast-paced (no more than 30 minutes) multi-media series that provides leading strategies, tactics and thinking for sales professionals worldwide. It can be found on Twitter (#SalesChats), as a live Google+ Hangout, and as a podcast available on iTunes, SoundCloud and right here on SalesPOP! If you think you would make a great guest for #SalesChats, please contact co-host Martha Neumeister.

SalesChats is co-hosted by John Golden, CSO Pipeliner CRM, and Martha Neumeister, Social Media Strategist Pipeliner CRM.

Many salespeople aim to sell to large accounts. However, it takes a lot of specific skills and practice to execute this kind of sale properly. When looking for tips to sell to large accounts, your first step likely wouldn’t be to turn to Inuit techniques for whale hunting. However, Barbara Weaver, interviewed by John Golden, explores how this analogy can be incredibly helpful.

This expert sales interview teaches you how to sell to large accounts by exploring:

• Why whale hunting applies to sales
• The importance of good research
• Creating a strategic approach
• Executing as a unit

The Analogy of the Whale

Weaver is the founder and CEO of The Whale Hunters, a group that specializes in training companies to sell to large accounts. She got the name of her company from Inuit traditions and utilized it as a metaphor for going after large-scale accounts. The Inuit people would hunt for whales annually. They would spend all winter preparing for the hunt, which took place in the spring. When it came time for the actual hunt, each person had a specific role, and they had a formulated plan prepared before seeking out a whale. “It’s ancient wisdom for modern business,” said Weaver.

Good Research

The first step in preparing for the “hunt” to sell to large-scale accounts is to prepare and do good research. Luckily, it’s quite easy to get information on your target company using the Internet. When trying to understand and conceptualize the hunt, it’s important to step back and look at the bigger picture. “Enterprise accounts should be looked at as a market,” said Weaver. “You need to know pretty much everything about them, including their footprint, opportunities of what you could be doing with them, and their cooperate strategy. Have some idea of what they’re trying to accomplish so you can have intelligent conversations with their executives.” You can’t develop an enterprise account and grow that customer unless you have a strategy to do that in the first place.

Strategic Approach

After you have done your research, you have to have a concrete plan and a strategic approach to be successful. This approach is going to be much different for a more substantial account than it is a traditional size account. “You don’t approach that account in the same way you approach everyone else,” said Weaver. Part of having a strategic plan involves having dedicated resources that can be utilized specifically for large-scale accounts. Sales and marketing have to work very closely together throughout the entire process. A joint effort between these two teams is crucial for ultimate success. An account manager is also necessary. You need to have an account management approach, as well as an initial sales approach. Work with a cross-section of all teams, including leadership, sales, marketing, and operations. Working together as a unit will ensure that once you have located your whale, you can execute your plan and ultimately catch it.

Execute as a Group

If you have done your research and have a strategic plan, it becomes time to execute. However, to do that, all of the teams have to be prepared. They have to be ready for the hunt. “If everyone is not committed, you won’t be successful,” said Weaver. “The whole company has to be in on it. It takes a whole Inuit village to catch a whale, just like it takes a whole company to land an enterprise account.” If you’re not ready to go after the whale, you can go after smaller prey and work your way up to bigger accounts. The more companies you work with and the more deals you close, the more prepared you get to go for the larger companies you’re truly seeking. “By working with other companies, your company can start to understand how bigger companies behave. Your company will get more like them, more systematic, more sophisticated, more rules in place, and eventually become bigger companies themselves,” said Weaver. This kind of training prepares your company to go after enterprise accounts in the future.

About Our Host

John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.

Pipeliner CRM empowers salespeople to go after the big deals. Get your free trial of Pipeliner CRM now.

A sales process is that series of steps followed by salespeople–from a lead, all the way through to a close. For the sake of simplicity, the sales process can be easily compared to and run through 5 basic common steps.

Pipeliner CRM supports a company’s specific sales process–visually and intuitively.Get your free trial of Pipeliner CRM now.