The Missing Sales Link with Joe Erba

The Missing Sales Link: Joe Erba, our VP of Client Delivery, shares six valuable resources that can I.M.P.A.C.T. your sales team and sales goals. Time is valuable, so let's get to it:??

• Insight: Prospecting is one of the most important activities – and one of the greatest challenges – for today’s B2B sales teams. Effective prospecting fuels a healthy sales pipeline, and without consistent lead generation, sales teams miss out on viable opportunities and risk missing their number. So, what works in prospecting today? How do sellers get their prospects’ attention, and what methods and messaging work best? Join Michelle Richardson and Shellie Burkart on Friday, November 4th for insight into our new prospecting research and strategies for effective lead generation. Learn more and register for the webinar here.?? ?
• Market Trends: As the business world – and society as a whole – continues to evolve new operating models, “omni-channeling” remains at the forefront of change. In selling environments, we refer to this as the number of ways to engage prospects and clients. In order to continue conducting business during the height of the pandemic, we had to learn to effectively use digital means. As we all move beyond the height of the pandemic and become more comfortable with digital tools, clients have come to expect high-quality and efficient virtual engagements. In fact, buyers of most products and services now expect excellence from three different engagement models: in-person, remote, and the ability to “self-serve” regardless of time constraints (i.e. 24/7).?In a recent McKinsey & Company article entitled “The New B2B Growth Equation,” the team of writers lay out convincing arguments for the three engagement models and the need for sellers and their organizations to enhance their expertise in all three. Citing a recent survey of 3,500 decision-makers, buyers want more channels, more convenience, and more personalization in the products and services they purchase. And these buyers are not shy. If sellers can’t meet their demands, they’re confidently moving on.?
• ?Page Turner: At the Brooks Group, we pay a great deal of attention to the client journey. It’s extremely important for us to understand our client and their business before we can offer appropriate services. Through journey-mapping, we understand the important client “touchpoints” and work to make each one an exceptional experience.?In Jim Tincher’s recent book, How Hard Is It to Be Your Customer?, he points out that journey-mapping is a great tool to drive customer change and understanding. At The Brooks Group, we focus on a simple acronym…TLAC, which stands for “Think Like a Customer.” Starting from a customer’s perspective provides the necessary insight and understanding to deliver exceptional service in any channel of engagement.?
• ?Assessment:? One of our assessments, The IMPACT Selling Skills Index (SSI), measures an individual’s knowledge of the hard skills associated with IMPACT Selling. The benefits of using the SSI include determining the selling skill level of sales candidates before making hiring decisions, diagnosing skill gaps on your sales team to provide highly customized training, understanding an individual’s strengths and challenge areas to deliver targeted coaching, and developing personalized performance improvement plans for current team members. Want to learn more about our Selling Skills Index? Check out our online resources for more information.?
• ?Case Study: In this case study, we look at Red Spot, a leader in plastic coating manufacturing, who won a large contract away from a competitor at a price that was 20% higher than the competitor’s — a differential of more than $1 million annually, after implementing management training and IMPACT Selling?.?
• ?Thoughts from Joe Erba: Predictions are easy to make, but sometimes, hard to imagine. A recent McKinsey report cited that 40% of workers in the US might leave their jobs in the near future. A recent Microsoft survey found that over half of Gen Z workers (born 1997 and later) were considering leaving their jobs. On top of that dire prediction, the majority of people who left their jobs during the past two years didn’t return to the same industry! So, the dilemma for companies is how to keep your workers engaged. Good pay is important, but rarely shows up on top of any survey relating to retention. McKinsey research suggests an answer can be found in reskilling and allowing for transitions into new responsibilities within your company (73% of Gen Z’s would stay if it was easier to change roles internally). That’s not to say everyone needs to be promoted to move around. In fact, most employees would rather be individual contributors and not have to manage others. Remember that today’s worker is much different than past generations. They crave praise, often. They want to be seen and heard more than ever and favor teamwork over individual contributions. It’s harder than ever to develop a great team, but the rewards are that much more meaningful.?