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Winning with Point of View Selling—Despite Constraints

March 28th, 2013 by David Carder

Selling is going through a bit of a transformation.  An emerging practice is challenging the established approach of consultative selling.  It goes by several names, including challenger selling and insight selling—but they all focus on the notion of proactively bringing compelling ideas to customers that demonstrate significant value.  As we’ve written about in some previous posts here and here, Forum defines this practice as Point of View (POV) selling.

Our recent practitioner work and research has led us to see an issue that organizations are struggling with related to POV selling. As we’ve spoken about in our webinar, this approach to selling can be especially relevant in the sale of complex, multi-faceted solutions, where the selling organization has significant room to creatively redefine value, integrate offerings, customize, and invent.  In contrast to this, organizations with more fixed offerings are asking questions like:  “Can we apply POV selling to what we do?” and, “How creative can we be around defining value beyond our core products?”  Our recent work with a top-10 pharmaceuticals company provided a unique context to answer these questions.

A critical function for a pharmaceuticals company is its managed markets area, working with a wide range of healthcare organizations to get their products “on formulary,” or positioned optimally to be prescribed to patients.  Dramatic changes in the healthcare industry and significant competitive pressures prompted this pharmaceuticals company to consider POV selling—looking for ways to bring new ideas and sources of value to their customers.  However, not only are their products highly targeted to specific disease states, but they also must speak to the impact of each drug in precise ways, carefully regulated by their compliance organization and outside entities.

So, can managed markets sales people in a pharmaceuticals company use POV selling, in the midst of these kinds of constraints?  The answer is yes, though our work with them took a different approach than with other organizations.  We placed a premium on idea-sharing.  It turned out that the elite-performing sales people across the group were experimenting with unique sources of value that they could control (vs. needing to be funded heavily by the company) and that weren’t affected by compliance considerations.  We interviewed these high performers, designed and facilitated brief POV Selling sessions at their National Conference, and are in the midst of rolling out a series of highly tailored webinars throughout the year—focusing on how to blend the best thinking from across their organization, with the research-based POV Selling practices that we’ve defined for high-performing sales people.

Perhaps the best way for me to bring this work to life is to give an example of a bold point-of-view that one account director was able to implement with one of their key customers.  The customer was a healthcare provider in the southern United States.   The pharmaceuticals company wanted to create greater awareness for cardio-vascular health, which was relevant to several of their products—The healthcare organization wanted to target the Hispanic population in their state (a practice called Population Health Management).  The point-of-view/idea prompted by the Account Director was for the two organizations to collaborate together to put on a Heart Healthy Weekend event— where the organizations co-delivered promotional radio spots in Spanish and in English, co-sponsored the event, provided a range of interactive and educational activities, and had a significant impact on the heart health awareness for this key population, creating a win-win for both parties

This was one of many points-of-view that these sales people have been able to proactively bring to their managed markets customers—demonstrating that they can gain the benefits of Point of View Selling, despite the important constraints in which they need to operate.

For more information on POV Selling and to download the POV Selling toolkit, please visit www.forum.com/povselling.

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Empowering Your Sales Team with The Right Mobile Apps

March 21st, 2013 by Forum Corporation

Is your business preparing for the future, or is it trapped in the past? Mobile devices, smartphones, and mobile apps are the newest wave of technology tools available to businesses.

According to a Cisco report, 64% of firms consider providing more mobility support a top priority for their business. Specifically, 47% want to support more mobile devices within their business, and 46% want to extend their business’s internal systems for mobile access.

So, what happens when your business hops on the mobile app bandwagon? 76% of businesses who utilize mobile devices reported increased employee responsiveness and decision making speed, and 60% reported faster issue resolution.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Sales Coaching: Driving Improved Results

March 20th, 2013 by David Robertson

In sales, coaching is the key to driving improved results; when you coach it demonstrates your real commitment to achieving the team goals, and Forum’s climate research shows that this is one of the key motivators of improved team performance.

To maximise your coaching impact, you should coach every day, and our experience shows that coaching is particularly effective if delivered before, during and after any learning experience. Most sales managers have coached in the field and know the value of being on hand to support planning, observe performance and give feedback. However, with our help, some of our clients are now extending this good practice to the workshop experience.

The coaching dialogue should be at the heart of the learning experience, and this needs to be owned by the coaches (sales managers). Coaches set the context, check and challenge reality and provide the encouragement and support to help the salesperson move from concepts to business outcomes. They help salespeople identify the ‘low hanging fruit’ and through providing relevant scenarios, stories and examples integrate the concepts, tools, processes, skills and behaviours into their world.

Coaching prior to the workshop

Four to six weeks prior to the learning event they meet and get aligned around the content of the workshop and the expected outcomes and together explore how they can be applied. This builds confidence and provides focus; it also provides the opportunity to select relevant examples and data from their workplace for use in workshop activities. They also explain their role in the workshop as activity coaches.

Coaching during the workshop

The workshop is an often a missed opportunity for coaching; having the coach in the room is key to providing real challenge and support which increases the relevance and rigour of the learning experience. If the salesperson can’t think of a context or scenario then the coaches can provide one, they get involved in activities and provide active feedback, they observe performance and build their coaching agenda. Their presence at the workshop reinforces their role as coach and helps to embed this role with their salespeople.

Coaching after the workshop

This helps to drive results through focusing the application of their learning where it will make most impact on your key metrics. Coaches help salespeople to evaluate the outcomes of applying their learning, exploring the impact on revenue, orders and contracts etc. Coaches link to strengths, development needs and business priorities and provide regular feedback to reinforce progress and address on-going development needs. The most effective sales managers use this phase to have regular coaching conversations and organise coaching calls where they can directly observe skills, process, and behaviours in action.

For the sales manager this means spending more time as a coach, this creates a sharp focus on results throughout the learning experience which pays off through consistently producing salespeople who are motivated to apply their learning and improve their performance. This is what drives improved results long after the workshop experience.

 

Has your organisation had success with sales coaching? Share in the comments or on social media.

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Forum Named a Top 20 Sales Training Company by TrainingIndustry.com for Third Consecutive Year

March 15th, 2013 by Forum Corporation

2013 Sales Top 20 seal-small jpeg

Forum is pleased to announce that we have been named a Top 20 Sales Training Company by TrainingIndustry.com for a third consecutive year! As with any honor, this award would not be possible without the continued relationships of our exceptional clients and partners who work with us to help salespeople develop strategy-specific skills.

TrainingIndustry.com compiles its annual Top 20 Sales Training Companies list to continually monitor the training marketplace for the best providers of outstanding service, and a proven track record for delivering superior sales training and improving the impact of the sales organization.

TrainingIndustry.com selected us based on the following criteria:

  • Industry recognition and impact on the sales training industry
  • Innovation in the sales training market
  • Company size and growth potential
  • Breadth of service offering
  • Strength of clients served
  • Geographic reach

In addition to our clients, we would also like to thank TrainingIndustry.com for this award. We are humbled!

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The Introvert…a Sales Manager’s Dream?

March 7th, 2013 by Melissa Powers

Is an introvert an ideal sales person? I say yes, absolutely!  As an introvert myself, I am keenly aware of the benefits of being an introvert and am always amazed at how this personality type gets the short end of the stick, especially in sales, a seemingly extroverted profession.

To keep it simple, I define the difference between an introvert and an extrovert by looking at where they find energy. When introverts want to re-charge, they look to do it alone.  For extroverts, they get energy from being around people.  It’s the difference between wanting to go to a cocktail party or settling down to read a good book.  This doesn’t mean introverts don’t enjoy parties or business meetings but they probably won’t be the last one at the bar or lingering late into the evening.

It’s a common misconception that introverts lack people skills. But what if you looked at it from the perspective of someone who prefers to build deep, long-lasting relationships?  Some also might presume an introvert is shy and quiet but you could instead view them as thoughtful and introspective.  Once you take the notion of extroverts as the only personality types for a career in sales out of the equation, then the possibility of introverts being successful in sales becomes a reality.  I am proof of this myself.

In today’s selling environment, it takes more than just being good at building relationships to find, win and keep business.  Customers are savvy and they are looking for insight, value and a point of view to help guide them in realizing their business objectives.  One of the many strengths of the introvert is their ability to listen well.  In turn, this enables them to ask better questions – a critical skill of the successful consultative salesperson.  Also, they tend to be highly prepared and creative.

In a perfect world what sales manager wouldn’t want their people to be thoroughly prepared for every sales call, to sincerely and effectively listen to the customer, ask thoughtful questions that get to the heart of the matter and uncover needs to ultimately recommend solutions based on this dialogue?   For those attributes alone, the introvert can be just as successful as the extrovert when it comes to selling today.

This reminds me of two adages’ I learned early on in my career.  “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” and second, “people love to hear the sound of their own voice.”  These help me to focus on the customer and to listen for things that are truly important to them. Thank you, Mr. Dale Carnegie (himself a famous introvert).  For more reading on introverts, I recommend Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain.   I think you will find it eye opening, and you may even come to realize you too are an introvert.   I will happily welcome you to the club. Food for thought!

So what is my secret for being successful in sales as an introvert? I’ll cover that in my next post, Getting Your ‘R’ On.  What do you think, can introverts be strong sellers? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Posted in Sales Alignment, strategy | 8 Comments »

The Trouble with Sales

February 25th, 2013 by Holly Gage

The title of this post and the fact that I’m in marketing suggest that what’s to follow is a rant about all of the things that salespeople do wrong. It isn’t. The trouble with sales is that it still suffers from an image problem.

Last week I was listening to a university professor on the radio discussing Machiavelli’s The Prince. He likened it to a spin doctor’s guidebook, saying “that’s why they teach it to real estate agents and salespeople.”

That is the trouble with sales. People are always eager to perpetuate the myth that selling is faintly disreputable. And of course the trouble isn’t caused purely by those outside the industry offering their “educated opinions”: multiple examples of mis-selling in the last few years haven’t helped the industry either.

The suggestion is that salespeople have to practice Machiavellian cunning in order to peddle goods or services that you don’t really need. But in 2013 would this Machiavellian salesperson really thrive—when potential customers can find out what others are saying about you as well as your organisation via web sites and social media before they decide whether to even contact you? The 2012 Buyersphere Report, a survey of B2B buyer behaviour in Europe, found that 87 percent of buyers go out and look for advice before buying. They won’t find Machiavellian salespeople based on recommendations, award nominations, or other credible sources.

As businesses struggle to strike a balance between growing revenue and managing costs, there is increasing pressure on salespeople. A December 2012 Which? investigation found that 65 percent of bank employees in sales roles reported being under more pressure than ever to meet goals set for them.

Star sales performers are certainly tenacious and focused. An organisation which places importance solely on hitting revenue goals runs a risk: the pressure that hitting the goals creates can drive salespeople to employ dubious methods to achieve results. This is avoidable, however, if two things are in place:

  1. Positive organisational climate: A healthy climate increases employee motivation and catalyses more effective performance. Even when there is pressure to meet tough targets, employees understand the organisation’s goals and standards. They are committed to achieving them—and they are recognised for positive behaviours. Research has shown a direct correlation between organisational climate and financial results.
  2. Strong sales manager: Leaders create a positive climate by setting high standards and helping their employees to meet them. They ensure that their team members remain focused on strategic goals—and that they are not tempted to employ reactionary short-term tactics. Strong sales managers reinforce positive behaviours by leading by example and providing ongoing coaching support to their team.

Recent research has shown that the most successful sales organisations place an equal emphasis on creating the right organisational climate and ensuring strong performance and results. Do you agree that sales is suffering from an image problem? Join the conversation by commenting below or on social media.

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Can you train a man to sell as one would train a parrot? Sales advice from 1927

January 17th, 2013 by Holly Gage

Sales Lessons from 1927Recently I was sorting through a pile of books that had belonged to my grandmother, and I came across a little gem: a book of lectures on salesmanship published in 1927. The author of the book, William G. Fern, was apparently a motivational speaker in his day and had previously published books with great titles including: Marvels of Will Power, Developing Man Power, and, my favourite, Are You Upward Bound?

This book opened a door onto the world of salesmanship in Britain in an era in which it was “somewhat infra dig to talk about salespeople; you call them ‘commercial travelers.’” Indeed, The Master Salesman was published in the same year that saw the first transatlantic phone call from New York to London. Selling and attitudes toward selling in 1927 Britain were very different:

“My bank friend says, ‘Well, I think salesmanship is absolutely unnecessary in a bank.” That is the trouble with banks, insurance companies, and civil servants, for they all think in the same way, to a large degree, that selling does not affect them; someday, sometime, somebody will wake them up.”

Although perhaps some things haven’t really changed:

“A lot of people expect sales without building up confidence first. Lots of people want orders before they have done anything to establish confidence.”

William Fern was not afraid to share his opinions, and, from the tone of his lectures, he certainly didn’t lack confidence himself. Here are some of my favourite nuggets of Fern wisdom:

  • “Appreciate yourself. The most successful marriage belongs to the man who is wise enough to sell himself every day to his wife. So you have to build appreciation, because what is the successful marriage but passing out your good points to the one who matters?

“I have been able to analyse quite a lot of people and quite a number of marriages. I know this, that successful marriages always happen to the women who are wise enough to say, ‘By Jove, yes, splendid, you did that remarkably well.’ ‘Yes, my dear.’”

  • “If a man wants a car, do not try to sell him butter.”
  • “You will find that the average traveller (salesperson) thinks he has done all his duty when he has shown the samples in his bag, in an endeavour to get business; the result is that he keeps on travelling. That is one reason why some people in this country cannot, or do not, sell goods—because they think it is only necessary to travel and not to sell.”
  • “Do you know why we cannot find salesmen in this country? Because many have ‘wishbones’ instead of ‘backbones.’”
  • “We are all salespeople; please do not advertise the fact that we are not. We all have something to sell; please accept that fact. If the people of England would accept the fact that we are all salespeople, the sooner we would succeed.”
  • “Get up every morning and say, ‘I am a man of action.’”
  • “The English are the hardest sales resisting people in the world. To sell in this country is a great task, and there is an increasing need for people who can sell. Americans come over here and give it up in disgust.”

But what of our title? Did William Fern really believe that you can train a man to sell as one would train a parrot?I’ll let him have the final word:

“Unfortunately for those so misguided, the buyer is always a variable.”

Do Fern’s lessons hold true today? Share your thoughts in the comments or join the conversation on social media.

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Posted in learning, Sales Alignment | 4 Comments »

Rising to Today’s Selling Challenges

October 23rd, 2012 by ForumCorp

Alyson Brandt, general manager, Americas at The Forum Corporation, speaks to Selling Power TV about trends in today’s selling environment, the emergence of Point of View Selling and busts a few myths about what buyers in the current market are really looking for when they make a purchase.

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Point of View Selling: Your Questions Answered

July 2nd, 2012 by Jeffrey Baker

“Point of View Selling” is a new approach to selling.  It is so new, in fact, that we often field many questions about it.

A primary question is, “What does it take to deploy a Point of View Selling Approach?”    Forum executive consultant, my colleague Michael Collins, recently answered this question in a guest blog post for American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

Along with Siemens’ sales program executive, Adrian Logan, I recently presented a webinar on Point of View Selling during which we ran out of time to answer the audience’ many questions.  Adrian and I will use this blog post to answer them:

Any recommendations for migrating from a 30 day revenue cycle to POV timeline? – Janet

Jeff Baker:    Any sales leader introducing POV Selling can manage the slight disruption to the traditional selling cadence and manage the minor impacts to their revenue cycles, provided changes are introduced gradually.  This is because POV Selling is focused on creating new revenue opportunities Read the rest of this entry »

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How is Sales Leadership Changing?

June 11th, 2012 by Steve Barry

In Strategic Selling: How to Sell to Senior Executives, we explored provocative data on what senior buyers look for in a supplier, and the corresponding sales approach.  This approach, Point of View Selling, is quite different from many selling approaches used today.

But an approach is only worth the paper on which it’s written – unless you can show business results.

To that end, we were fortunate to have Adrian Logan, Sales Program Executive at Siemens,  join our webinar and share two case studies of how they’ve applied this sales approach to land big deals.

Adrian is making his encore appearance for US audiences this Thursday, June 14th.  This time, we will look at this approach through the lens of the sales leader or manager.  What must they do differently to support this sales approach?  How should their metrics change?  Their coaching styles?  The way in which they manage pipeline?

Join us, June 14th from 2-3 pm EDT, for answers to these questions – and bring your own!  Register here.

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