Categories: Sales Productivity
2020 was a year unlike any other. Many of us are still working through unexpected and unique challenges. The Force Management content team worked to publish content that was relevant and helpful to a sales community that was navigating unprecedented times.
Taking a look back, we put together a list of the content that resonated most with our network of revenue leaders. You may find value in these insights as well, as you assess how you can improve your sales team’s ability to compete next year.
1. Get Busy: Responding to the Crazy Week That Was
As the first wave of the pandemic hit, John Kaplan shared some spirit on how company leaders can focus on a “Get Busy” mindset. His insights are still relevant. He shares how elite sales and company leaders can use this time to differentiate their organization and come out of this murky sales environment in a better position to compete. Heading into the new year, share this with your organization to spark motivation and spirit around upcoming goals and initiatives.
2. Using MEDDICC to Drive Revenue Predictability
Many sales leaders have turned to MEDDICC, or any of its variants, to improve their ability to predict the business and make impactful decisions accordingly. This article covers what successful sales leaders consider when implementing MEDDICC into their sales organization and how they’re able to achieve their desired results because of it. If you’re seriously considering MEDDICC or already planning to launch it, we have a great resource page that covers everything you need to know to implement and execute MEDDICC successfully.
3. How Sales Messaging & Qualification Work Together to Drive Scalable Growth
Oftentimes, when sales leaders are considering MEDDICC, they eventually come to the question of “should they first pursue a sales messaging or sales qualification initiative?” Remember, MEDDICC alone is just a tool, merely a checklist. Without a great qualification process and a value-based messaging framework, it may be difficult for your sales reps to close on the gaps they’re uncovering in their deals using MEDDICC. Understand how your sales teams can leverage a value-based sales messaging framework and a great sales qualification process to hit their numbers repeatedly.
4. Four Reasons Your Sales Messaging Framework Needs a Refresh
A value messaging framework is a critical tool for success in many organizations that require thoughtful sales conversations in a competitive B2B environment. It isn't a script. Rather, it’s a repeatable framework that guides the customer conversation throughout the buying process. If you have a Value Framework or something similar, it may be time to assess if it’s still as relevant as it needs to be for your sales team. Here are four reasons why updating or reframing your messaging framework may help your sales team drive better margins next year.
5. #1 Ranking Objective for CROs: Cracking into New Accounts
A study asking 200+ sales leaders for their top sales objective moving forward showed that sales teams overwhelmingly were struggling to open up new accounts this year. If your sales organization has lost healthy pipeline due to the pandemic, but haven’t seen consistent improvements since, this article may be worth a read. Hear the top three sales enablement initiatives that sales senior leaders are prioritizing to improve their salespeople's ability to crack into new accounts and drive pipeline.
6. Getting beyond the “event” of the SKO
2020 forced many companies to make tough decisions and now many are moving towards their plans for 2021. Whether you’ve already decided to move forward with some type of virtual SKO or not, see how you could leverage a strategic initiative to provide your sales team with what they need to compete next year and how you can achieve your desired outcomes in the virtual environment.
7. Don’t Let Your Sales Initiative Fail: Lead from the Front
Approaching the launch of a strategic sales initiative? With any change initiative, there’s always the question of whether or not it will stick. Achieving sales transformation goes beyond what happens during the training. Understand what you can do and implement as a leader before, during and after the sales training to ensure your initiative succeeds. Drive your desired outcomes, see how and share this article with other relevant leaders in your sales organization.
8. The Right Methodology to Ensure Your Technology Sells
The current environment has many companies adjusting product road maps and sales campaigns, trying to align with the most pressing needs of their specific marketplace. As your organization prepares to launch new or shifted offerings, you, as a sales leader, have a huge opportunity to enable your sales teams to sell these technical solutions in a way that drives competitive revenue growth. Read the article to see how you can enable your sales organization to sell your technology at a premium, while increasing cross-sells, up-sells, etc.
9. The Role Your Managers Play in Maintaining Sales Momentum
Sales managers play a critical role in driving the success of their organization. They’re the people charged with reinforcing methodologies, coaching sales reps, communicating up in their organization and ultimately meeting team revenue goals. Your sales teams that saw the best numbers this year, most likely had managers that were successful at all of the above. Help them continue to lead to success and bring your other front-line managers up to speed, this article covers how you can get started.
10. Four Areas of Sales Effectiveness to Assess Before Next Year
If you’re considering what strategic sales initiative will drive the most bottom-line impact and return on investment, this article is for you. Define and align what's next for your sales team. Understand how you can move forward and what you should consider if you want to launch a transformation initiative sometime early next year. Assess your sales organization’s ability to execute in the four areas of sales effectiveness covered in this article.
