Sales Fundamentals — Ascender Community

Best Ways to Follow Up

Rachel Clapp Miller — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:49:06 +0000

This is one of my favorite topics to write about because I think it's an often overlooked way you can differentiate yourself as a salesperson. Curious to hear others' tips on following up on sales meetings.

https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Explore?post=differentiate-your-call-follow-ups

How do you respond to a question like this?

Lee Gallerano — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 14:10:40 +0000

I’ve been working with a prospect and have conducted both a discovery call and a demo. We had some excellent discovery during our initial call and even more during the demo. The customer then requested pricing for budgetary purposes, which I provided (though I’m unsure if that was the right move). I received the dreaded response below. Do you have any suggestions on how I should reply? How can I avoid this situation in the future?

Thanks so much for the details. We will regroup internally to discuss our approach and I will let you know how we would like to move forward.

Overcoming being single threaded...

Lee Gallerano — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 17:49:55 +0000

In my opportunities, I often find myself in a situation where there's a central point of contact managing a particular project. When I reach out to others involved in the project, I worry that I might upset this person. Another common scenario is when I ask the point of contact who else I should be talking to, and they insist that everything should be funneled through them.

In other words, my opportunities are frequently single-threaded. Can anyone offer advice on how to navigate this hurdle with my customers? How can I make bold requests without offending the customer?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Transforming Sales Pitches

Frank Azzolino — Wed, 29 May 2024 15:53:17 +0000

Reading this article on articulating differentiation was a game-changer for me. It emphasized aligning my product's unique features with my prospects' specific needs. By focusing on what's truly important to them, I've been able to craft more compelling pitches and close deals more effectively. This approach has not only boosted my confidence but also significantly improved my sales results.

What do you feel is helping you match your product's unique features with what your prospects really need in this competitive market?

Thriving in a Dynamic Market When Low Hanging Fruit Becomes Scarce

John Boney — Tue, 28 May 2024 12:08:37 +0000

This article offers some great insights on adapting sales strategies that are essential reading for anyone navigating today's volatile market. It offers practical tips and a forward-thinking approach and helps equip sales professionals to stay agile and responsive to evolving customer needs. Highly recommended for those looking to refine their approach and drive success in a dynamic environment.

Unlocking Sales Success: The Art of Solving Business Challenges Through Strategic Questioning

Paul DeMore — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 12:54:15 +0000

As a successful seller, understanding that the key to effective sales is solving a significant business issue for your potential customer. This blog post reaffirms this notion, highlighting the importance of pinpointing a major business challenge to create urgency and secure funding in deals. John Kaplan's timeless advice that this method is “as old as Egypt" strongly resonates with me. It's a core principle that has driven my success: focusing on value rather than product features.

The blog also stresses the significance of utilizing discovery and trap-setting questions to establish a foundation for sales conversations centered on value. I have personally witnessed how impactful discovery can be in sealing a deal. Through asking open-ended questions that prompt prospects to articulate their challenges, I've been able to instill a sense of urgency and guide them towards realizing the need for a solution—my solution. This strategy not only helps in building momentum but also positions me as a reliable advisor, a role crucial in developing successful customer relationships.

This blog post acts as a valuable reminder of the impact of strategic questioning in sales and reinforces my dedication to honing my own discovery skills to continue closing more deals.

Understanding Personality Styles Is A Game Changer In Sales

Antonella O'Day — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 16:39:48 +0000

One of the best things that you can do as a seller is to recognize and adapt to different buyer personality styles. When you learn to do this, it can significantly increase your sales success by fostering stronger rapport and connection with each individual client. Tailoring your communication approach to align with the preferences and motivations of diverse personality types allows you to build trust, credibility, and close more deals. Understanding the nuances of buyer personality styles will empower you to anticipate needs, address concerns more effectively, and ultimately deliver a more personalized and impactful sales experience.

This article does a fantastic job of helping to explain more about the value of this secret weapon to close more deals!

Since this is one of the first times I’m posting, I also wanted to say that you can also connect with me on Linkedin and I’d love to see you over there, too.

Introduction - Brent Wallace AE

Brent Wallace — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 21:00:38 +0000

Hey all! I just joined to get my MEDDICC certification and am really happy to be here!

I have a small digital marketing company that helps SMBs get found on Google in the niche of Anti-Aging and Longevity Sciences, and I plan on winding that down and will start to pursue, as of this month (January 2024) a SAAS AE position - I know this position is something that is tailor-made for my current skillset as that's what I have been doing with my own company for the past 15+ years!

Any advice or places to apply would be AWESOME and totally welcome!

Otherwise, I'm here to help in any way possible, and I can help with anything digital marking-related when it comes to local businesses!

Cheers!

Brent Wallace

Best Subject Lines of 2023 before it's too late

David Chimenti — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 19:11:17 +0000

As the year ends, everyone is closing down pipeline and trying to ensure that Q1 next year isn't a completely clean slate of depleted pipeline. This is likely the most important time of year to get good open and response rates on emails.

I know statistically, in 2022, one of the most opened subject lines was "Quick Question", and I used it and it worked well for open but not as well for response.

I am wondering what All-Star subject lines fellow Ascenders have been crushing it with this year and what you believe has made them so effective

Accessing the Economic Buyer when they know they need the problem solved but want no involvement

David Chimenti — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 23:51:27 +0000

I’ve been working deals where economic buyers are not at all technically inclined, and as such, run from a lot of tech conversations.

I’m talking to them about the correct high level initiatives, hitting the right personas with the right messaging, but the corporate structure within them space I sell in has been acquisition heavy leaving former business owners now with bosses and the possibility of losing credibility or worse so they don’t want to touch it.

I’ve been good at getting them to send me in the right direction with endorsement, but I am trying to get them back into the sales process a step earlier than they ever want to be and I think my strategy hinges on positioning value at this unique time.

What are some tips/tricks to lure them into a demo 2 in a discovery > demo 1 > demo 2 (which I want to do discovery/demo 2 with EB) > negotiation > close type of structure (I tried to keep that brief so cut out some stuff after the demo 2 spot I’m looking to pull them into)

issue getting access to EB

Nicholas Kelcz — Mon, 01 May 2023 11:03:03 +0000

Hi Everyone,

My team is selling ERP to SMB clients. A common issue we are facing is getting access to EBs.

We must do a demo to build credibility with our potential champions to get access. Sometimes this is not enough, and we are still stuck. In this situation, I have tried executive alignments, or I have pushed reps to bypass them, but this can be counterproductive.

What are some techniques or tricks you have used to get access to an EB when you don't have a strong champion? Or is the point moot, no champion, no deal?

Best,