Categories: Sales Conversation
In the enterprise sales organization, you likely don't have the problem of brand recognition. You have products, proven solutions and big logos that make it easier for you to get your foot in the door with prospects.
The challenge for the sales leader often lies in focusing your sales teams. How do you equip your global sales teams to effectively explain the business value of your solutions in a way that prevents your products from being viewed as just a commodity? This simplification within a sales process can be extremely difficult when you have multiple solutions for multiple verticals. At the same time, how do your reps repeatedly overcome the perception that your prospects think they already know what you do.
When you're in a maturing market, there's a competitor knocking down your door every day. As a sales leader you need a way to pull together the content, processes, and tools so your sales teams can execute, repeatedly.
Here are four ways you can simplify the sales process and the sales conversation:
1. Define Your Value
You may have 1,000 things you sell, but what value do those products and solutions bring to your buyers? There are typically three to five key value drivers that are top of mind for your buying audiences. For example, if you sell to marketing leaders, a value driver may be to "Improve Return on Marketing Programs." Those buyers want to do that whether they go with your solution or not. If you want to simplify the sales conversation for your sales teams, your company needs to be crystal clear on those value drivers. Otherwise, how can you position your solution in a way that demonstrates business impact for your buyers?
2. Determine Your Differentiation
If you're in enterprise sales, you likely have a lot of competition. Struggling sales organizations will resort to lowering prices, as a way to snag a new logo or squeak out new revenue. That practice is a sure-fire way to always be viewed as a commodity. Instead, equip your reps with the ability to articulate the differentiation of your solution, in a way that has meaning to the buyer. As a company, you likely have ten reasons why you're different and/or better than the competition. There are reasons why customers choose to work with you. Have you clarified those differentiators for the sales team? Do they know how to position those with the buyers? You owe it to your sales teams to ensure they can articulate your differentiation in a way that allows them to charge a premium for the important solutions you provide.
3. Provide a Framework
Once you define your value and differentiation, you need to equip your reps wit ability to keep those topics top of mind in the sales conversation. Your reps don't need a script. Scripts don't work because reps can't adapt them to their own styles. Alternatively, a Value Framework can be the one tool that enables your teams to focus sales conversations on value, differentiation and aligning solutions to customer needs. It allows them to weed through your widgets, enabling a buyer-focused sales conversation.
4. Reinforcement
Don't hold a company-wide meeting, present your value, differentiation and the framework and then walk away and leave the sales execution to happen on its own. Develop a plan to reinforce your new simplified approach to the sales team.
- How are you equipping front-line managers to coach reps during role plays, pre-call planning sessions and opportunity reviews?
- What are you doing as a leader to ensure your sales teams are focused on business value and your differentiation?
- What is the daily plan for reinforcement?
Sometimes simplifying processes, content and tools for sales organizations is much more difficult than it appears. Taking the time to do the hard work up front, will pay off big dividends in the field. Learn how Force Management helps enterprise sales organizations equip their reps to break sales records.
