by Art Waskey | Mar 20, 2023 | Art of Sales Weekly, Featured
I work with small and medium business owners (SMBs) in the distribution sector and find they struggle with implementing meaningful strategic plans. As we know, corporate strategy starts at the top. Yet those at the top are often unsure which project should come next. This makes forming an effective plan difficult. To develop a strategy everyone can understand you need to pick the right team and make the right plan.
The Collective Good
Furthermore, to assemble an effective team to lead your strategic plan, pick the players within your organization who can work together.
In his book, The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni discusses building a cohesive leadership team. He advises that the team must be small enough (three to ten people) to be effective. Additionally, members must trust one another and be able to be genuinely vulnerable with each other. Lencioni writes: “At the heart of vulnerability lies the willingness of people to abandon their pride and their fear, to sacrifice their egos for the collective good of the team.”
Long-term Vision
To help with planning your strategy, I highly recommend you read Traction by Gino Wickman. Wickman has developed the concept of the Six Key Components of The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). Thus, in his model, the EOS is led by a person that facilitates a team based on a long-term vision. Wickman says: “With a clear long-term vision in place, you’re ready to establish short-term priorities that contribute to achieving your vision. You will establish the three to seven most important priorities for the company, the ones that must be done in the next 90 days.”
Rocks
Wickman calls these important priorities Rocks. Rocks are bite-size chunks that are broken down into next steps with the goal of completion in 90 days. Team members meet regularly to engage in productive, unfiltered discussions of issues. The team leaves meetings with clear-cut, active, and specific agreements about decisions. They hold one another accountable to commitments and best behavior. Collective priorities and needs are focused on the larger organization rather than individual departments.
Pick and Plan
In conclusion, the cooperative effort necessary to implement a strategic plan is possible when you have a well-chosen team. By planning your next steps based on the needs of the larger organization, your business will grow. With a collaborative team and a carefully laid out strategic plan, you can pick and plan your way to success. Get tips and tricks like the above in The Art of Sales books. Or subscribe to the FREE monthly articles here.
by Art Waskey | Mar 12, 2023 | Art of Sales Weekly, Featured
Leadership doesn’t just happen. To be functional it has to be promoted. Recently, in a Distributor Strategy Group webcast, Eric Chernik, CEO, of Building Controls & Solutions (BSC) provided excellent insight into defining functional leadership (700% Growth in 3 years Engagement Powers Growth for BSC, Distributor Strategy Group, January 25, 2023,). Chernik described being an employee enabler as his primary role.
Key competencies
In addition, to become a functional leader and successful enabler, here are four key competencies I suggest you work on.
- Empowerment. Firstly, Empower your employees by allowing them to express their passion and talent. Maintain an entrepreneurial spirit that maximizes each individual’s talents. Build strategic relationships across functional areas within the team and support employees with continued training.
- Manage corporate culture. Cultural change must be managed from the top. In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins stated, “Build a culture around the idea of freedom and responsibility, within a framework.” That framework should include alleviating fear, removing overbearing controls, creating an atmosphere of transparency, and ensuring integrity.
- Hire right. Chernik stated that he didn’t buy companies primarily based on their financials but rather on their key employees. In addition, he found it crucial to get recommendations from those who had previously worked with the employees, rather than listed references. Your network of influence is valuable in hiring right. Alternatively, as a consultant with a 60-year career in atmospheric gas and welding distribution, I get frequent calls from suppliers and distributors for recommendations.
- Remove organizational politics. For example, be collaborative and take politics out of your organizational approach. Collaboration increases understanding and promotes better personal relationships between workers. To remove political pressure, Chernik suggests getting rid of titles. In order to sell to the customer, he explained that ability should be emphasized rather than position. In short, the flatter your organization, the less likely that politics will get in the way of success.
Functional leadership
Lastly, by achieving 700% growth in three years, Eric Chernik is proven to be a model leader. You can be one as well by promoting functional leadership. Similarly, hire the right employees, empower them to do their best, manage your corporate culture carefully, and keep organizational politics in check.
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by Art Waskey | Feb 27, 2023 | Art of Sales Weekly, Featured
A Needle in a Haystack
Today, finding the right product can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. In your B2B business, how do you help customers find and choose your products? The best answer is to focus on your stakeholders – know what they want.
A Complex Task
In addition, Knowing your stakeholders is a complex task, as there tend to be many involved in any one deal. For example, a typical manufacturing decision-making team comprises executives, management, operations, and purchasing staff. Add to this mix the prevalence of buying committees. According to a recent SMB survey, 80% of companies have buying committees that influence decisions today.
Value-Added Requirements
As authors Richardson and Sharer discuss in their book Agile and Resilient, this mix of stakeholders influences how you approach the sales journey. They report, “Three big changes we have identified where sellers need to become more adept are: selling to committees, working with purchasing/procurement, and selling to the C-suite.”
In addition, sellers must tailor their conversations, marketing messages, and sales tools to all stakeholders. For this purpose, sellers need to identify the stakeholders’ value-added requirements.
Mine Your Data
Therefore, mine your data to help find and understand your customers’ value-added requirements. Make sure you have an omnichannel presence. According to IndustrialDistribution, “Omnichannel refers to the connection of all systems, platforms, departments, and sales channels. Furthermore, with omnichannel capabilities, distributors can provide customers with a consistent experience across all touchpoints. With AI, that experience isn’t just consistent – it’s seamless.” Contrarily, use data to understand your stakeholders’ buying patterns and needs more fully.
Knowledge is power
Lastly, fulfill your stakeholders’ specific needs by understanding their expectations and pursuing sales success relentlessly. The power of the sale lies in customer knowledge.
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by Art Waskey | Feb 13, 2023 | Art of Sales Weekly, Featured
Pitching your Products
Today’s market is flooded with an array of goods and services. As a B2B seller, this makes pitching your products more challenging. As a distribution consultant, I am often asked how best to fine-tune sales strategies to meet buyers’ expectations. My answer is to focus on building trust and proving your value to customers.
Build Trust with Personalization
One of the best ways to build trust with customers is to increase the personalization of the sale.
Listen to the nuances in your customer’s voice — not just his words. Tailor the sale to each customer’s specific need. Show empathy and kindness when problems arise. My best B2B relationships have developed from projects where I have helped a customer out of a tight spot.
Use Technology
Sales have always been based on trust. In a recent blog, Michael Buscemi, Director of SMB at G2, stated, “I don’t think trust has fundamentally changed… However, I think the way our information is available today has made it [trust] more acute in the minds of buyers and sellers.” Technology is available that helps identify customers’ specific needs. Use data to personalize your approach to each client and build trust.
Prove Product Value
Today’s buyers start their research for a product or service online. A survey last year by DemandGen Report reported that 77% of B2B buyers did not talk with a salesperson until they had performed independent research. In this research environment, you need to prove your value by being the product expert. It is imperative that the sales team has hands-on experience with the product or service it sells. For example, when our bathrooms needed updating I researched the latest designs online. Only then did I invite a couple of local sales companies to demonstrate their products to me. My order went to the company that convinced me of the value of their installations.
Recipe for Success
Establish customer relationships based on trust. Add to that the ability to prove the value of your product or service. This is the recipe for sales success in today’s competitive market. Get tips and tricks like the above in The Art of Sales books. Or subscribe to the FREE monthly articles here.
by Art Waskey | Feb 6, 2023 | Art of Sales Weekly, Featured
Workers in the US labor market are on the move. A shortage of talent combined with greatly expanded job options has led to rapid employee turnover. Additionally, the US Bureau of Labor reported that the professional and business services industry, which includes B2B sales, had the fifth-highest turnover rate in 2021. Altogether, in a fluid labor market, how do you get your employees to stay? Prove that you value them.
Create Strategies
Furthermore, employees switch jobs for a variety of reasons including quicker advancement, better compensation, and to find a more pleasant work environment. Business leaders need to take responsibility for retention. Also, recognize the current demands of the labor market and create strategies that encourage employees to stay.
Value your Team
Here are some ways to build loyalty by valuing your employees.
Get comfortable with change – The Y and Z generations are comfortable with change. Empower your managers to try new ideas and listen to suggestions from younger employees.
Provide a career path – Make sure internal opportunities for job growth are seen. Establish clear pathways for career advancement. Provide meaningful time for employees to communicate personal career goals. Offer and invest in training where there are gaps in skills.
Refocus the culture – Culture is developed top-down in an organization. Get external assessments to ensure you are projecting a healthy culture. Create 360-degree reviews where managers can see and understand gaps in relationships. If a manager has a high report turnover, recognize it early and make adjustments.
Reassess your compensation plan – With social media, job-hoppers are aware of the benefits other companies offer and discuss them with their peers. Be sure your compensation plan is in line with companies like yours.
Staying Power
In conclusion, make sure your employees feel valued for their contribution to your workplace. The longer a person is in a position that doesn’t fulfill them or underutilizes their talents, the more likely he is to move. Lastly, create staying power within your company by providing opportunities for promotion, great compensation packages, and a culture of trust.
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by Art Waskey | Jan 29, 2023 | Art of Sales Weekly, Featured
Personalize the Sale
I have an older car which I use for fun when family comes to visit. As it gets only occasional use, the battery often needs charging. I went online to shop for a charger and found a large assortment of options. However, I had no idea which charger was best for me so I headed to my local auto parts stores. In the first store, the rep showed me three options but gave no recommendation. At my next stop, I talked with a rep who was a charger user himself. He asked me about my specific needs and handed me the charger I should buy. His personalization of the sale was invaluable to me. As a salesperson, it is important to keep in mind that the perceived value of a product or service is how it looks, feels, and sounds to the buyer.
Tailor your Solutions
The online marketplace offers lots of product choices at low prices. In the absence of appropriate descriptive information, however, price doesn’t help you select the right product for you. According to Laura Ramos, VP, Principal Analyst at Forrester, “Sixty percent of customers will stop doing business with sellers that do not tailor solutions to meet their exact needs.” “Forty-three percent of buyers feel embarrassed in front of their peers if sellers’ presentations are not customized to their specific needs.” In the example above of the battery charger, I could have purchased the product online at a lower price. However, it would be of little value to me if it was the wrong charger.
Enhance Perceived Value
Remember, the perceived value is how a product or service looks, feels, and sounds to the buyer. Always present an organized and knowledgeable sales plan that enhances the perceived value of your solution. Personalized perceived value positions enable the seller to build strong, value-driven, long-term customer relationships.
The Value of Peace of Mind
The personalized attention I received from the store rep in the example above added perceived value to the charger I purchased. Going forward, I may still look online for information and prices. But I will buy my auto parts from the local, personalized, added-value distributor who offers me peace of mind that I made the right choice. Get tips and tricks like the above in The Art of Sales books. Or subscribe to the FREE monthly articles here.
