Have you ever felt like a rebel? Christina Boyd has found that many successful leaders often feel like Rebel leaders. They can get frustrated that others don’t hear what they are trying to say; that ideas they pitch get discarded; or that others that “play” the corporate game tend to get promoted faster. So she reached out to see if I would be a part of a series of videos to help Rebel Leaders gain a voice that is heard and trusted.
This series is completely free for you to access and view so take advantage of it! We have included the link below to help you get started.
******************************************************* PS If you want to find out how to think and speak holistically and strategically join us for our upcoming Managing Your Strategic Message Session for Leaders. Learn More
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While other companies make generic video blogs, we want to get to the heart of what you, a Valued Outcome Thinking® fan, really wants answered.
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Outcome Thinking® Solution
How to know what are REAL SALES opportunities in our company pipeline
by Anne Warfield
SITUATION:
We are a fast growing company. As the Sales Leader I am the one who needs to encourage and help the sales people close more deals. I am finding that our pipeline is not as big as I would like and that deals are often on there for a long time before they disappear.
So how can I get a better handle on what are “real” deals versus those that are pipe dreams? I need to be able to better forecast where we will be in sales and be able to push those who aren’t performing. I feel like we throw darts at a board right now.
OTHER PERSON’S PERSPECTIVE:
I am going to take this from a few different perspectives:
SLT- as the Senior Leadership Team they need to know accurate sales forecasts so they can map out and budget expenses against it. Their trust and faith will be based on how consistent you are with the forecasts, how transparent and early you are on discussions regarding problems and how you are able to deliver on what you say you will do to turn things around.
Sales team- they want to deliver for you. Because of this they will tend to “believe” something is a deal when it really is hot air. They will hold on to deals long after they are dead because they don’t want the pipeline to look empty. They will often not ask prospects the questions they should for fear they will hear no and they want to remain optimistic instead.
THINKING IT THROUGH USING OUTCOME THINKING®:
You need to solve two issues: 1. How to help your sales team rip off the band aid earlier so they are looking only at real possible deals and 2. Develop an accurate sales funnel for the SLT.
BEST HANDLED/PHRASED:
1. Start training your sales team on key questions that need to be answered in order for a deal to be considered viable. You should have these questions on a sheet that you can walk each sales person through with every deal.
We actually teach a “go for the no” sales approach called Sales Excavation. We find great sales people need to be able to challenge the customer and guide the sale rather than leave it in the client’s hands. Sometimes the most powerful sale comes from the SALES PERSON’s ability to say no!
2. Build an accountability funnel for each sales rep that contains the deal, the stage it is in, expected close date, and expected dollar amount. Make each sales person keep accurate statistics for themselves regarding number of calls, meetings, and deals that close as well as the gross margin of the deal. They should know their numbers inside and out.
3. You roll the accountability funnel up in to one sales accurate funnel that shows the deals, the stage (the key questions you asked in step 1 tell you the stage it is in), expected close date along with anything that could delay it and you should know the accuracy of each sales reps to give an accurate monthly sales dollars that will close.
I personally do a 10% over and under look so I can see worse case and best case scenario as well as look at a three-month plan and one year plan. I personally know what dollars need to be in the funnel in order to meet the yearly goal based on my closing ratio. You should know that as well.
These steps will start leading you in the right direction and if you want more help, call us to find out about our Sales Excavation and Platinum Program to turn your sales people in to a well-oiled strategic machine.
Deal of the Month!
How To Open Doors and Close More Sales
This question and answer style book includes valuable How To’s for the sales professional
How do you develop a follow-up plan that confirms that a session accomplished what it was supposed to?
Check out this book to find the answers to your sales questions.
Click here to register for the “Successful Communication, Brain Style Analysis” Virtual Training, a 90 minute training session with a personalized Outcome Thinking® Communication Assessment included, that you can now watch anytime that is convenient for you.
Quoteable Quotes
“People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.”
~ Zig Ziglar
The Corporate Rebel Series
Check out this free online interview training series called The Corporate Rebel Series: Learn to Lead and Succeed in Your 9-5 Without Sacrificing Your Soul.
If you feel like a square peg in a round hole at the office, like the person who believes collaboration will lead to more success than competition and that your experience at the office can be happier, then you are a rebel, and this series is for you.
This training series features 25 experts to teach you everything from mindfulness at the office to executive presence to leading from your core values to finding your true passions (and more).
“Before attending Managing Your Message I would lose the connection with my audience because there was too much detail and they didn’t always know why the information was relevant.
Since learning about Outcome Thinking® the audience is listening because they understand how what I’m saying can help them. This concept eliminates the communication barriers through understanding how people hear you.”
Renae Clark, Project Manager, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
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