You’ve already done the hard work of finding your prospect. You’ve reached out to them. You’ve done your homework to qualify them. You’ve asked about their needs. You’ve confirmed their ability to purchase. You’ve identified the decision makers, and brought them in on the discussion. You’ve answered their questions, discussed their business case, and presented your recommendation.
Now for the moment of truth: The close. Continue reading
It goes without saying that your first meeting (or appointment) with a prospect is important. This isn’t just some lead you’ve cold called. This is someone who has made it through that all-important first step in the sales motion, and who has at least a fair chance of becoming a client or paying customer.
During the course of that first conversation, you’ve concluded that they could be a great fit for your product or service. Not only does it seem that they have a bona fide need for what you’re offering, but you believe they also have the ability to buy. They’re a truly qualified prospect. Now it’s time to meet with them to confirm your suspicions. Continue reading
In my previous post, I sketched in the basic steps that make up the sales process. Turning those steps into a repeatable process that can scale with your business needs isn’t as complicated as you might think. It’s a linear, straightforward system, often fittingly called a sales pipeline.
Much like the sales process itself, a sales pipeline is best looked at as a series of individual stages, each with a specific purpose. You can also think of it as a series of filters, each of which is designed to ensure that only the best-fitting prospects make it to the next stage. To accomplish this, each stage is defined by a series of rules and criteria. These rules define what a legitimate sales opportunity looks like. Continue reading
Every company, large and small, needs to understand the sales business. Sales can be intimidating, and it’s no surprise that it’s often given the lowest priority when a business is just starting out. From my perspective, however, sales is also an absolute must-have skill for every entrepreneur.
Too many folks miss the opportunity to apply the same level of professionalism and structure to sales that they do to the other functional areas of their business. It should be at least as important to your business as areas like HR, finance and accounting, product development or production. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the lack of a strong sales structure can be a huge roadblock when it comes to things like attracting investors. Continue reading
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How exactly does the “Always Be Aligning” approach to sales work? In this episode, host Tom Ryan explains the three fundamental building blocks of alignment-based sales, from creating a strong alignment statement and confirming interests to qualifying leads and learning when to pull the plug.
Not only can this technique build more sustainable and long-term relationships with customers, it also prevents the unnatural and high-pressure conversations of traditional methods. As always, Tom is joined by co-host and fellow podcaster Jason Pyles. Continue reading
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Sales doesn’t have to be the high-pressure, trust-destroying experience from the “ABCs of Sales” scene in Glengarry Glen Ross. Not only is it a terrible approach for building a long-term, sustainable relationship with your customers, it’s also not very effective in day-to-day sales.
In today’s episode, host Tom Ryan explores a more cooperative sales philosophy he calls “Always Be Aligning.” It’s a disqualification-focused approach that favors strong, mutually beneficial connections with customers over simply getting them to sign on the dotted line. As always, Tom is joined by co-host and fellow podcaster Jason Pyles. Continue reading
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What better way is there to celebrate the 50th episode of the Success In Business Podcast than by changing things up? Host Tom Ryan presses pause on the discussion of building a core competency in sales, and instead focuses on one of the most interesting topics in the sales and marketing culture: “Always Be Closing.”
Made famous by the 1992 film version of Glengarry Glen Ross, the ABC of Sales approach isn’t exactly what it’s cracked up to be. As Tom explains, it almost always does far more harm than good. As always, Tom is joined by co-host and fellow podcaster Jason Pyles. Continue reading
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The more you understand the economics of your business, the more options you have for controlling your growth and profits. While every company is different, the basic economics of business are universal.
In this episode, host Tom Ryan dissects customer acquisition costs, and explains the most common ongoing expenses. As always, Tom is joined by co-host Jason Pyles. Continue reading
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Every successful business is defined by its sales channels. From small-scale home business selling directly to customers to a complex B2B company with a huge variety of products and services, every dollar earned has to flow in from somewhere.
In this episode, host Tom Ryan explores the basic structure of a sales channel. From understanding your customers and developing a value proposition to explaining the fundamental differences between direct and indirect sales, Tom covers a huge range of topics in this podcast. He’s joined by co-host Jason Pyles, host of the Horror Movie Podcast. Continue reading
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Professionalizing the sales side of your business involves more than just creating a strong sales pitch. It’s about of creating a series of core competencies to create long-term, sustainable success.
In this episode, host Tom Ryan and co-host Jason Pyles provide an overview to their upcoming series of podcasts all about professionalizing your company’s sales. Learn why it’s important to develop these core competencies, and get and introduction into some of the key questions they’ll be exploring this week. Continue reading