Executing the Basics with Jim Ninivaggi, Brainshark

May 22, 2017 By Barbara Giamanco Leave a Comment

Successful selling is all about the basics, but how well do sales teams execute on the basics these days? Jim Ninivaggi, SVP of Business Development at Brainshark shares his views on why the basics in selling matter more today than ever.

We talked about:

Jim’s belief that salespeople have to get “back to basics.” He talked about the basics he means and how sales teams have veered away from them.

How the factors that contribute to sales success have changed over the past few decades.

What has diverted sales organizations’ attention away from the basics, the repercussions and how can sales teams can get back on track.

Critical components to sales readiness – specifically onboarding, training, and coaching – and how to implement a back-to-basics approach.

An example of how organizations really excel at executing on the basics and what modern sales teams can learn.

Enjoy the interview!

About Jim:

Jim is the SVP of business development at Brainshark, a leading sales enablement and readiness solutions provider. He helps to shape and execute Brainshark’s partner strategy – driving key partnerships that extend the power of Brainshark’s solutions and platform.

Jim has three decades of experience in B2B sales productivity. He previously served as service director for sales enablement strategies at research and advisory firm SiriusDecisions – helping to build and define that practice area for both the firm and industry at large.

Connect with Jim on LinkedIn Connect with Jim on Twitter

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Selling in the Age of the Customer

April 25, 2016 By Barbara Giamanco Leave a Comment

According to Forrester, “we are living in the age of the customer”. I admit, when I first heard the phrase it caused me to wonder when was that ever not true? Hasn’t it always been about the customer? From a selling process point of view, I suppose researchers think that isn’t the case.

So, why is it that now – at this point in time – we live in the age of the customer? And, what does that actually mean anyway?

After a few web searches, it seems that what it means is not anything different than what many of us in the sales industry have been saying for 10+ years. Living in the age of the customer is simply a reference to the fact that with the internet and social networks, buyers have access to the information they need to inform their buying decision process.

“In the Age of the Seller, salespeople were the original internet of prospects and customers.” – Jim Blasingame

From a selling point of view, what this means is that technology has shifted the balance of power to buyers, because they don’t necessarily need you to tell them about what your product or solution does, or even what it costs. That’s where I still see a big disconnect in selling today. Defaulting to product feature dumps – on the phone and in email, doing demos or even pushing discount offers at month end to try to hit quota is de rigueur in selling today. Ask a salesperson to clearly articulate what problem their product solves for a customer, which by the way, it what the customer actually cares about, and one of two things happens. Either said salesperson starts rolling into their scripted pitch, regaling you with stories about their products amazing features, or they stare back at you blankly having no idea how to respond.

The game has changed.

When Joan and I wrote The New Handshake: Sales Meets Social Media, we took you back to the early days of systematized selling largely attributed to the work of John Patterson, founder of the National Cash Register Company now simply known as NCR. His N.C.R. Primer published in 1887 detailed a specific process and language that salespeople were to use to sell their goods. The system turned the company into a dominant force in the industry, while also having a major impact on the development of the modern sales industry.

Other companies began using variations of Patterson’s system to train their salespeople to sell. Emphasis was placed on uncovering a buyers need for the product and then making a persuasive pitch to induce someone to buy. Without the benefit of the internet or social channels, customers had to sit through presentation after presentation from salespeople pitching their wares, and they’ve been selling that way for over 125 years.

Wake up. It’s 2016.

The problem, unfortunately, is that most companies haven’t realized – or maybe that’s accepted – that the a-typical approach to selling — rooted in obsolete selling approaches — isn’t as effective as it used to be. With pressure to increase pipeline, close deals faster and increase revenue, the leadership response is usually to insist that salespeople do more. But more calls, emails, product pitches and demos isn’t the answer. The customer is already way ahead of you.

Selling in the age of the customer means doing things differently.

Buyers can gather a lot of data before talking to a salesperson, but that doesn’t mean that you as a seller don’t have an opportunity to add value in the early decision making process. Better yet, you can get in front of that early stage research. How? Use social networks to increase your visibility to buyers. Use email and social networks to demonstrate that you are a business resource for prospective buyers. Get in their head. Think about what’s important to them. Then share information that adds real value, something that they can use and that speaks to the issues that are important to them.

I believe that we have always lived in the age of the customer, in that putting the needs of any customer and potential customers should always come first. But today’s customer demands more than your PowerPoint pitch or demo, and they are really making their voice heard. At the top of their lungs they are screaming at you to approach them differently! Otherwise, you are of no use to them at all.

A Social Selling Primer for Sales Leaders

March 6, 2016 By Barbara Giamanco 3 Comments

“Social selling is hogwash. Nothing is a substitute for human interaction.”

I heard a speaker make this statement at a conference. Statements like that are frustrating. This speaker wanted the audience to believe that the only way to do business is to meet people face-to-face, which, of course, is no longer true. If it were, we wouldn’t continue to see a steady rise in the investment sales organizations are making in inside sales teams.

The truth is that you can “interact” with other human beings in meaningful ways online. Does this mean that your salespeople will only converse with buyers on social media to discuss, negotiate and close deals? Of course not! After nurturing an online relationship, the next step in the sales cycle is, naturally, talking to your prospective customer real-time.

Anyone proclaiming that integrating social media into your sales process (AKA social selling) is hogwash either doesn’t understand how to do it, fears changing their approach or sells services that run counter to modern day selling practices. Salespeople who plan to achieve sales quotas will adapt how they sell, because buyers demand it.

Integrating social media into your team’s selling process is a must if you expect your salespeople to break through the competitive clutter and reach buyers who are better informed and more digitally connected than ever before.

Most often, sellers will use social channels on the front end of the sales cycle to network, prospect, build their online reputation and brand, increase their visibility, demonstrate credibility and capability, generate leads and conduct pre-sales call research. Social channels can and should also be used to nurture existing customer relationships also. If your salespeople are out of sight, they don’t exist. It is dangerous to assume that once a customer signs on the dotted line that they will stick with your company forever.

To turn your sales organization into a social selling machine, you need to do these things:

Accept that buyer behavior has changed. You, as the sales leader, must shift your mindset. It is a vastly different selling world than it was 10+ years ago. The approaches that worked for you when you were building a book of business, aren’t working for your sales team members today. Inundated with requests, buyers block phone calls and emails from people they don’t know. It takes a lot to break through the noise these days. Your salespeople must change their sales approach. Your job is to help them learn how to do it.
Create a social selling strategy. Engage marketing as part of the planning process, but marketing doesn’t own it for sales. Be careful not to default to social selling training without having thought through the bigger picture. Heading straight to tactics without a well-conceived plan is a recipe for failure.
Establish usage guidelines. People need to know what is expected of them. As they do today, salespeople represent themselves and the company brand. The only difference is that what is said online stays there. Forever. Mistakes are bound to happen, but you can mitigate risks by ensuring that your salespeople learn the art of communicating online. More importantly, teach them what’s appropriate to say and do on behalf of your company when they are using social networks as part of their selling activities. Don’t assume that they know.
Choose the right tools. In planning your social selling strategy, you will have identified the key characteristics of your ideal buyer(s). Understanding these buyer personas becomes the guide you use to determine what social channels are best suited for reaching those targeted buyers. The key is in making sure that your salespeople spend time on the right social channels, and they shouldn’t try to master all channels at once. Most social media platforms are free to use but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a cost associated with them. Time is money. Spend it wisely.
Invest in training. Sales behaviors have to change and salespeople need to understand how to strategically use technology in the right way. If you, or your salespeople, view social channels as a vehicle to spam a bigger audience with a sales pitch, a huge opportunity has been wasted, and your brand reputation is put at serious risk. Training should be ongoing and not just a one-time event.
Focus on the right metrics. Expecting salespeople to just do more – make more cold calls, send more emails, or do more demos – can actually impede sales progress by wasting a lot of time. The quality of sales activities is what counts. Attaining measurable sales results is more important than checking off the box that says your reps made 200 calls each day.
Be realistic in your expectations. Using social channels is not a short-cut to increasing pipeline and revenue. You will not see results overnight. This is no different from any other sales training you may have invested in for your sales teams. Learning how to do things differently and developing new habits takes time. Provide the ongoing training and coaching that your people need and give them the space to allow these new approaches to bear fruit.

Smart sales leaders know that social selling isn’t hogwash, nor is it a gimmicky approach to selling. These leaders know social selling is simply another set of sales tools and an evolved approach to reaching today’s buyers, which means their job is to prepare their teams accordingly.

Why I’m Over Social Selling

October 12, 2015 By Barbara Giamanco 26 Comments

I said it. I am over social selling. Totally. Over. It.

Given that I’ve been evangelizing the integration of social media into your selling process for years, you might be wondering why. In a word… noise.

And not just noise, but noise specifically coming from a whole new crop of experts, as well as companies who are looking to capitalize on what they perceive is a hot SEO term. Each camp then goes about finding a way to put their own self-serving spin on the subject. It has become nauseating.

As someone who loves the profession of selling and has worked hard to elevate the perception and professionalism of our industry, it riles me up that this new breed of social selling noisemakers only drag the profession down. These experts don’t actually talk about what it takes to successfully sell today. They can’t. They don’t know how to sell. Oh, they can copy and repeat what others have already said for years and act like they are the first to tout such profound wisdom. They are good at bragging about how many Twitter followers they have or how high their Klout score is. They will beat you over the head that it’s “all about content”. On LinkedIn, they want you to know they have high SSI (social selling index) scores, which supposedly means the higher your score, the higher your sales opportunities will be. Except for one thing. Scores, followers and sharing content have zip to do with the ability to sell.

Let’s talk about selling, shall we.

I love social tools, if put into the hands of those that have been trained in the art and science of core selling skills. –Miles Austin

Anyone with any REAL SALES BACKGROUND already understands that social channels are nothing more than another set of “tools” that you can avail yourself of to reach potential buyers. We know that buyers block cold emails and phone calls, because they just don’t trust vendors to do much more than waste their precious time trying to pitch them.

We also know that as a result of easy access to information, buyers and their teams go online to research companies, solutions and people to get a sense of who will make their short-list when they have a problem to solve. But the latest noise would have you believe that content is all that drives buying decisions. Yes, content is important, but content IS NOT going to close that B2B, highly complex sale. Content may win you the opportunity to have a sales conversation, but from that point on your consultative selling skills better be top notch, because that’s what wins business. I have said this for years, and I’ll keep saying it until there is no more breath left in my body.

This graphic I put together illustrates how I think about the sales process. From my point of view, using social channels (social selling) fits in those first 3 steps you take to connect with and engage buyers in order to secure the sales meeting. You can also use social channels to keep up with ongoing support and the nurturing of your client relationships. But what about those stages in between? Qualify the opportunity, propose a solution, negotiate the terms of the deal, close the business and deliver the service? I can think of few situations where those steps are happening using social channels. These activities are happening when you are actually engaged in the art of selling. You know…when you are talking to and meeting with potential buyers.

Yes, absolutely, integrate the use of social media into your sales process, but I’m asking you not to believe anyone who would suggest that’s all you need to successfully compete for business. You must have great sales skills and understand your buyer’s decision making process well enough to align your approach to theirs.

Being a great salesperson doesn’t rely on cheap social selling tricks. Your success depends on taking a strategic sales approach, great selling skills that focuses on solving problems for buyers and a process that you consistently execute against. You can follow the social selling noisemakers who can’t go further than clicks, likes and shares and believe their hype, or, you can get the training you need and do the work it takes – throughout the entire sales process – to be great at selling.

Service Excellence – Why Experience Goes Wrong

January 20, 2015 By Barbara Giamanco 1 Comment

Service excellence is something that I expect from the companies taking my money for the product or service I purchase from them. Yet, I think of countless interactions with vendors recently that cause me to wonder why companies have such difficulty getting it right.

At its core, the importance of delivering service excellence is fairly straightforward and easy to understand. Even easier is the clear financial ROI. A CEI survey found that 86% of buyers will pay more for a great customer experience, but only 1% felt most vendors measured up. Ouch.

Harder to understand are the obstacles getting in the way of creating the experiences that buyers say they’ll pay more to receive. Even if employees want to do the right thing personally, it is not unusual for corporate policies to tie their hands.

For the companies who are committed to improving service experiences, below I highlight seven reasons why making progress on a customer focused initiative inside your organization may not be working.

1.Tactics first. Sound familiar?

It is common for organizations to dive head first into their quest to improve customer focus without taking the time to determine if there is clear commitment from the CEO, evaluating how the functional departments currently work together or if there is the wherewithal to see the strategic implementation through to the end. It will be a long road ahead, possibly made even longer due to the size of the company.

2. Lack of clarity from the CEO about creating one, holistic customer experience.

When the CEO says “put your focus on the customer”, what does that mean exactly? Everyone – beginning with his or her direct reports – will interpret the directive differently. The CEO says charge and before you know it, people scurry into tactical action. The problem is that when each department jumps straight to tactics, based on their interpretation of what “putting focus on the customer means”, it puts the cart before the horse and usually doesn’t end up leading to any meaningful improvement for customers.

3. No inter-departmental alignment that creates one company customer experience.

To create a company wide, holistic customer experience requires detailed investigation and analysis of how customer experience stacks up today. Until you know, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to craft a strategy designed to right the ship. In other words, do you know what it feels like to do business with your company?

For departments to be in alignment, you need to know that the CEO is as committed to the customer mission as they say they are. Before embarking on what could be a failing mission, ask questions to gain more clarity about their commitment to the customer and the overall initiative. This might feel uncomfortable. After all, who wants to put themselves in the hot seat questioning the CEO’s commitment to the mission? Discomfort aside, you need to know the CEO’s answers to these questions and maybe more:

Are you clear about what you want accomplished?
Can you define the differentiated value you want us to deliver to customers?
Do you understand the scope of the work that will be required?
What about the new skills that employees – any perhaps you – will need to make this work?
Are you willing to commit company time, resources and budget to ensure success?
Will you insist on patience from every person, in every department to see the work through?
What about reliability in company operations? Are you prepared to hold everyone accountable to core goals and objectives?
Are you ready to be relentless in insisting on strategic customer metrics to track how we are doing?

4. Talk is cheap. Customers still aren’t thought of as true assets to the business.

Without customers there is no revenue, no business. Seems obvious enough. Customer growth drives the long-term sustainability and profitability of the company. Isn’t it odd that customer goals don’t warrant the same CEO attention as the monthly, quarterly and annual sales goals? In fact, many companies probably don’t even have clearly defined customer goals.

According to Jeanne Bliss, “Understanding the state of customer relationships and even something as simple as customer counts still pale in comparison to quarterly sales goals in the rate at which they are understood, managed and held up as a success factor of the business. No one knows the goal-line for customers. Most CEOs haven’t told their company what it is.”

5. The metrics, accountability and motivation do not line up with the commitment.

The CEO may say that they’re committed to a customer experience initiative, but if they don’t change the definition of success or realign the rewards and compensation, you have a problem. Even if the needed changes are made, they are often at such a high level – like bonuses against customer satisfaction scores – that employees don’t really know what to do to change their behavior. In fact, they might not even have any control over what the C-Suite decided to measure.

Metrics must be tied to relevant operational processes. Metrics must also be designed to hold people accountable and conversations related to “customer first” must always be front and center. The customer must be the first priority on every meeting agenda, not an afterthought. Up front work has to be done to identify how each person and department is measured against customer first goals, as well as how they deliver on the defined customer experience promise.

6. The scope of the work isn’t clearly understood or committed to.

Change is not easy. There will be real challenges when bucking up against the ingrained status quo. Everyone, starting with the CEO, must be realistic about what it will take to accomplish the overall mission and must be there every step of the way to support the work it will take. If the commitment is there but not much more, people will see right through the ruse. The corporate – I told you so types – will quickly expose the ugly truth, which is that this is just one more empty promise about the focus on the customer. CEO’s who are truly committed to the end game will acknowledge the scale of the undertaking needed to bring about the level of systemic change required.

7. Sustainable change requires patience often fleeting in most corporations.

There are no short-cuts or quick routes to sustainable change. To become a company that delivers against a customer experience strategy could take several years. Employees need to know that the CEO expects everyone to maintain a level of patience that lets team members stay the course.

Without the CEO’s personal commitment to corporate patience that exists beyond this current quarter, once again, employees will see right through it. In a nanosecond, they will abandon any efforts related to the strategic initiative if their performance rating is at risk because they stayed focused on a mission not yielding results quickly enough for impatient and unrealistic leaders.

It is my belief that companies need to focus far more attention on customer experience than they do today, especially given the multitude of channels in which customers and future customers can interact with their brand. Processes should be created to support what’s best for the customer – not what’s most convenient for the company. If you hope to acquire and retain more wallet share than your competitors, now might be the time to give serious thought about putting customers first.

Content Captures Interest

June 4, 2013 By Barbara Giamanco Leave a Comment

Unless this is the first post you’ve ever read of mine, you already know that I believe social selling success breaks down into 3 buckets:

Strategy
Skills
Execution

Basically, you need a plan, sales and technology skills, the right technology to support your goals, consistent execution and a commitment to measure and track your results.

With buyers starting the journey without sales people initially, you need a way to create a sense of authority and influence, and anyone who sells anything certainly needs to be visible and easily found.

A cornerstone of your social selling strategy is having great content to share. And your first tip today, is that the content should not always be yours and it most definitely cannot be a sales pitch!

If you work for a company that is sizable enough to have marketers creating content for you to share…awesome. A word of caution though…the content being served up cannot be perceived by your prospects as your own personal love fest. In other words, provide value in the case studies, white papers, video’s, blog posts or recorded webinars. If all you do is talk about what you sell and how great you are, you just missed the entire point of what social selling is all about.

If you have no content to work with here are 15 ways to serve some up:

Write a blog and/or comment on other top blogs in your industry.
Conduct podcast interviews with industry leaders.
Curate the content from key influencers (not competitors) or websites you like – Forbes, Mashable, TechCrunch, Top Sales World…whoever is important to you in your field… via RSS feeds and using a dashboard tool like Hootsuite.
Follow influencers in your field on Twitter and on LinkedIn. Share their posts.
Reach out to other influencers and ask about guest blogging on their site. If they do podcast or video interviews, ask to be considered for an interview.
Share content from the people you respect and follow on LinkedIn. Use the new mention feature to give them a shout-out.
Conduct a webinar. Deliver your own content or set it up panel style and moderate. Record the session for post follow up and use in sharing content later.
Create a kick-butt presentation and post via Slideshare and then share it with your minions and encourage them to share with theirs.
Curate a newspaper using Paper.li. Add 25 of the top people you like and include their blog posts, tweets, etc. It will post automatically through your Twitter account, and you can also share it with others via email or LinkedIn.
Speak at an event – could be as a featured speaker or a panelist and have it videotaped. Share the video on your LinkedIn profile.
Create a video of your tip of the week. Get really good at it and do it daily.
Host a live tweet chat, capture key points from the discussion and turn that into blog posts, interviews or presentations.
Get to know editors at various online sites who publish blog posts or magazines. Offer to guest write an article.
Host and record a Google hangout session focused on an educational topic that your prospects would be interested in.
Conduct a survey and share the results with prospects and others in your network. For example, I co-authored our Social Media and Sales Quota report, which you can download from our website.

Don’t become overwhelmed with these suggestions, you only need to choose a few of them to get you started!

If you have content to work with that’s cool. Mix in any corporate content that has been created for you and also integrate a few of the suggestions that I’ve shared with you.

Don’t forget that sharing only your content is boring and will appear self-serving. Make the content you share a nice mix of yours and that of others who offer fresh insights and perspectives.

Once you create content, you have to get really good at sharing it. That takes an organized approach and scheduling, which I will talk about next week. Until then, happy selling!

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