Cracking the sales operations code: Key to success

Sales operations, you say? What’s that? Your salesforce likely has a handful of people who are unable to move leads to the next stage. They follow up occasionally, but in general, there is plenty of room for improvement. This is where your sales operations team comes in.  This blog will help you understand how you can  use this core function to your advantage to achieve greater success.

What is sales and operations planning?

Sales operations is the support function of a sales team. It manages and optimizes all the activities that contribute to successful revenue generation.

Sales ops & planning are the backbone of your organization. If you don’t have a solid approach, you’ll end up with a disjointed and inefficient process. It can lead to missed opportunities, poor customer experiences, and lost revenue.

Saleshacker defines sales ops as: “the unit, role, activities, and processes within a sales organization that support, enable, and drive front line sales teams to sell better, faster, and more efficiently.”

Want more information about how sales operations works and why it’s important? Read on!

Primary roles & responsibilities of sales operations

roles of sales operations

The role of sales operations is to provide the right tools, processes, and systems to maximize your sales team’s effectiveness. It’s creating a seamless experience for your buyers throughout their entire journey with your business.

Sales ops bridges the gap between sales and marketing by ensuring that all of your customer touch points work perfectly to drive revenue. Here are the essential sales ops’ functions.

1. Sales strategy

A sales operations team crafts a clear-cut vision of your company, revenue goals, and the strategy to achieve them. Some strategic decisions zero in on:

  • Analyzing data
  • Optimizing the sales process/shortening the sales cycle
  • Using proper sales technology
  • Elevating conversion rates
  • Forecasting sales
  • Territory planning
  • Sales training
  • Evaluating and executing sales methodologies

2. Performance

Are there any bottlenecks in your systems that lead to the sellers’ underperformance and poor customer experience? The sales ops team exists to smoothen the entire process to upgrade performance and revenue. Here are examples of activities that the team does:

  • Deciding on the company’s key metrics 
  • Lead management
  • Sales rep compensation schemes and incentives
  • Coaching and mentoring
  • Sales frameworks and tactics adoption
  • Optimizing sales activities

3. Technology

Tech-savvy tools have proven to be a game changer in sales. But reps can become overwhelmed by multiple service providers. In this situation, the sales op team can own and manage the tech stack to ensure salespeople focus on what matters: selling.

Check out the following aspects under technology roles.

  • Customer relationships management tools (CRM) adoption
  • Apps and software integration, including data analytics
  • Tools for communication and conferencing
  • Task automation
  • Email automation
  • Content sharing and management

4. Operations

Administrative and operational tasks can slow down sellers and take up much of their time. And this is where you need the sales operations and planning department to take on these responsibilities. Examples include:

  • Hiring, onboarding, and training of the top talent
  • Product training
  • Managing and maintaining communication channels
  • Sales territorial and accounts allocation
  • Providing market intelligence
  • Compensation and incentive management

Sales operations vs. sales enablement

You may wonder whether sales ops is the same as sales enablement. They’re two sides of the same coin because they serve as modern sales organizations’ critical functions.

Sales ops is the planning, execution, tracking, and analysis of all sales activities. Sales enablement is creating the tools and resources that help reps succeed in their job. The two often overlap, but they’re not the same. 

Here are two ways that sales operations differ from sales enablement:

1. Sales operations is more strategic, while sales enablement is more tactical.

2.  Sales operations is more follow-through on existing plans, but sales enablement is more about developing new tools.

What is the role of a sales operations manager?

A sales operations manager coordinates the activities of all parties involved in the selling process. This includes sales executives, inside sales representatives, customer service representatives, and support staff.

They ensure all the selling processes are in line with your company standards and goals. Also, they create a smooth selling process that allows your sellers to focus on closing deals rather than on daily tasks.

Sales operations manager duties

Here are 7 examples of the sales operations manager’s roles.

1. Process improvement

2. Vendor management

3. Lead generation and lead management

4. Lead qualification and scoring

5. Lead nurturing/scheduling meetings with prospects/clients

6. Closing deals for sales reps (coaching)

7. Managing client expectations

8. Choosing and managing sales tech tools

9. Forecasting sales

Why is sales ops critical for your team?

Importance of sales operations

Sales operations provides a repeatable process that lets salespeople focus on selling rather than administrative tasks. It’s all about efficiency: enabling a smooth flow of information between different departments and teams. Every member in your organization gets to know exactly what they need to do at any given time. 

Here are some reasons why sales operations is vital for your team:

Help eliminate bottlenecks

Without systems in place, your team may not have a clear understanding of what each person’s responsibilities are. It can lead to roadblocks and delays when trying to push deals through the pipeline. A good sales operations system ensures everyone knows their role and how they fit into the larger picture (and it won’t take long for them to adjust).

Increase productivity by providing visibility into current activity levels — and future forecasts

Salespeople typically work with multiple leads at once. So, they must know how their activities impact others’ sales cycles — especially if deadlines are looming or they’re working on a deal that needs some extra attention.

Reduce costs

A good sales operation can help increase your company’s bottom line. It does this by reducing costs associated with new customer acquisition and increasing customer lifetime value (CLV).

Enhance efficiency

Good sales operations helps improve efficiency. It automates manual tasks like lead generation, follow-up emails, and other similar activities that take up valuable time for your employees.

How to start a sales operations team

You can start your sales ops from scratch using the following 7 steps.

Step 1: Define your sales ops system

First things first, determine how the team will function, their roles and duties, and how they’ll achieve them. Earlier, we mentioned some responsibilities, such as streamlining the sales process, hiring & compensation management, etc.

Step 2: Decide and agree on the primary KPIs

At this stage, consider the key metrics your team will use to analyze and evaluate performance. Examples include the conversion rate, average deal size, etc.

Step 3: Create a sales ops team structure

You should recruit the following talent to build your sales ops team structure. 

  • Sales operations analyst
  • Sales ops manager
  • Technical operations advisor
  • Sales operations rep

See the sales operations organization chart below.

sales ops org chart
Source

Step 4: Hire well 

If you want your team to succeed, ensure they have the right skills and attitude for the job. Look at their resumes and cover letters carefully to confirm they fit into your culture and align with what you need them to do in this role.

Step 5: Conduct sales operations training

Now that your team is up and running, you need to provide training to hone their sales operations skills. Continuous coaching and mentoring fire up the team and shows them how to handle challenges.

Step 6: Get the proper sales ops tools

Ensure they have the right tools and technology at their disposal. Sales ops specialists need access to CRM software, marketing automation platforms, and data visualization tools. They help the team accurately manage each stage of the sales cycle from start to finish.

Step 7: Evaluate and tweak your sales ops system

It’s crucial to continuously assess how you execute your sales operations to see what’s working or not. That’s because sales technology or software always changes, your rivals introduce new products, etc. Because of this, you need to constantly monitor and update your team with the latest developments in your industry.

How to manage your sales ops team?

managing your sales ops team

Here are 8 things you can do to manage your sales ops team successfully:

1. Clarify roles and responsibilities

Set clear expectations about what your sales ops team should be doing. Also, make sure their goals align with those of other teams in your organization. This’ll ensure that everyone’s efforts contribute to the overall success of the team as a whole.

2. Create a clear mission statement

Related to the above is a mission statement that outlines the purpose and the path to success for your sales ops team. It’s a crucial document that affects the team’s strategy, decisions, and roles in your company.

3. Provide regular feedback 

Give reports on performance metrics such as lead conversion rates or pipeline velocity. It lets them know how well they’re doing compared with others in their role, industry, or region. It’ll ensure that they have the information they need to improve over time and continue driving results for your business moving forward.

4. Motivate the sales ops team

You should also offer incentives for teamwork within your sales ops team. It can take many forms — from small parties after hitting key milestones together, like crushing a revenue goal. 

You may even just get everyone together at lunch once a week. It allows your reps to chat about what’s going on in their lives outside of work.

5. Distinguish sales ops responsibilities from sales enablement functions

These two departments can have conflicting roles if it’s unclear what each must do in your business. Take time to spell out the objectives and duties of each team and how they can collaborate to achieve your sales goals.

6. Ensure data is accessible to sellers

To work effectively, your reps must have info on opportunities, territories, and accounts at their fingertips. As a result, sales ops teams should ensure the data is easily accessible on the salespeople’s dashboard.

7. Set up a cadence of assessment and planning

Your sales ops department needs to be on top of its game and this can only happen if you develop regular meetings to assess its performance. In these sessions, you can review what the team has accomplished and their plans.

Also read: Sales meetings: Best practice to run effective sales meetings in 10 minutes

8. Develop sales operations best practices

As oil is to the car engine parts so is the sales ops team to the entire sales organization. Saleshacker says: sales operations should be the hub of best practices and standards in your company.” 

You can leverage sales operations by documenting, evaluating, sharing, and applying the best practices throughout your company. This way, everyone will be in sync and will be applying them uniformly.

What are the essential parts of sales operations?

aspects of sales operations

Typically, your team will focus on five critical functions.

1. Forecasting

Sales forecasting is predicting how much revenue you’ll generate over a specific time. It allows your company to plan for the future and make decisions about production and inventory levels, staffing requirements, and financial planning.

2. Establishing pricing models

The team must properly formulate price guidelines and proposal procedures. To produce actionable insights for sales operations, guidelines need to be accurate, useful, and well-crafted.

3. Data management

Data management is essential for sales operations because it helps provide better insights on how to improve the sales process. Data drives decision-making and performance across an organization. The sales ops team must manage it well to ensure all stakeholders can leverage it.

4. Analytics and reporting

Reporting and analytics are powerful tools for assessing successes and losses, as well as helping you make decisions.

5. Responsibility

Sales operations holds reps accountable by monitoring their sales activity and providing feedback on their performance. They also ensure sellers are following company policies.

Bonus: In March 2021, LinkedIn released a report on the state of sales operations. It identifies the key 10 trends in this field. Feast on the following sales ops stats to up your game.

sales ops stats
sales ops stats
Source

Ready to set up a potent sales ops team?

Sales operations is crucial for your organization’s success. It’s responsible for managing and overseeing the entire sales process from start to finish. Sales operations managers ensure you meet all sales goals, fulfill customer needs, and offer support to the sales team to excel. 

Also read: 11 guiding principles to a bulletproof sales negotiation strategy

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Enhance your lead qualification game with the MEDDIC sales methodology

A foolproof lead qualification process is the backbone of any successful sales strategy. Most sales pros believe that qualifying leads early on in the sales cycle helps the company save valuable resources like time and money in the long run. If you are looking for a time-tested sales methodology for enterprise sales, what better than one based on a lead qualification framework. This blog will elucidate how the MEDDIC sales methodology can help improve your conversion rate by focusing only on winning prospects.

Background on MEDDIC 

In the 1990s, American tech multinational PTC (Parametric Technology Corporation) went through an attrition phase and struggled to hire replacements. To salvage the situation, the company’s sales leader John McMahon sought help from one of their seasoned sellers, Dick Dunkel. Dick worked with individual teams within the company and concluded that PTC’s sales performance consistently revolved around six primary factors.

MEDDIC was developed from these six elements and was later implemented across the global PTC sales teams with the help of yet another successful PTC sales lead, Jack Napoli. Thanks to MEDDIC, PTC hit its goals for 43 straight quarters achieving over $10 bn in revenue. Since then, some of the world’s most outstanding sales companies, including PTC have given birth to thousands of successful MEDDIC sellers worldwide. 

What is MEDDIC sales methodology?

MEDDIC is a sales qualification methodology that encourages sellers to pursue leads with higher closing potential. It’s your blueprint for decoding the complex sales processes of enterprise sales companies. High-performing sales teams from around the world have driven efficient and foreseeable growth by applying MEDDIC.

Let’s take a deep dive into this sales technique.

The six principles of MEDDIC 

principles of MEDDIC
Source

The MEDDIC method represents a framework of qualifiers to identify your potential buyers. The acronym stands for Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision process, Decision Criteria, Identify pain, and Champion.

Metrics

Understand the metrics that are sacrosanct for your buyer. It will help you quantify your prospect’s expected success parameters, justify the value of your product/service, and demonstrate ROI. These metrics can be divided into two groups.

  1. Below the line – These represent metrics like cost savings and efficiency gains.
  2. Above the line – These metrics drive business decisions like revenue, customer satisfaction, etc.

You will need to focus on your discovery questions to uncover these metrics.

MEDDIC metrics discovery questions

Pro tip: To learn more about how to leverage discovery questions in lead qualification, read our comprehensive blog on 19 sales discovery questions.

Example script

Our product can guarantee X times more client engagement.

Our existing customers have seen an X% increase in revenue since using our branding services.

Economic buyer

Figure out if your contact has buying authority. Your goal is to tailor your offering to suit your economic buyer, as they are the ones who will be pulling the trigger. Being proactive with your prospect research goes a long way in determining their buying powers. Check out their Linked profile or go through their web page. You could also request your prospect for a team call inviting all key personnel.

Here are a few sample questions to ascertain your economic buyer.

Economic buyer sample questions

Decision criteria

Knowing your prospect’s decision criteria will help you understand what exactly you can do to nudge them towards a decision. Work out how you can add value to their decision criteria if already predetermined. If not, this is your chance to influence their deciding factor based on your research and offering.

According to MEDDIC’s official website, there are three categories of decision criteria.

Decision criteria types

Decision process

If the decision criteria defines what the prospect’s decision is based on, the decision process tells you how they make buying decisions. This step is essential if the prospect company is actually considering you as a prospective vendor. Knowing the decision process helps you know the deciding authority, the buying timeline, and the guidelines to follow. 

These sample questions will help you forecast the deal correctly.

Decision process sample questions

Identify pain

Identifying your prospective customer’s pain is fundamental to securing the deal. Let’s face it, if there is no actual pain/need, it is difficult for you to demonstrate the value of your product/service. Determine their pain through research and asking probing questions, let them know that you are aware of their problems, highlight what they would miss out on by not selecting your solution, and most importantly, illustrate how you can address their issue.

Example script

Sample questions for MEDDIC's Identify Pain

Champion

This is the person who is the most affected by the company’s business pain. You are likely to meet them during your initial calls and can identify them by their curiosity during product demos or sales pitches. Invest in developing a personal connection with this person so they can help you influence the company’s decision. Do note that a champion does not have to be the deciding authority, but they do have a say in the decision process.

However, keep this as your wild card and do not involve them in everyday communication. Let’s say after the proposal, conversations have slowed down, or there’s been limited contact from the prospect company. This is the time you reach out to your champion.

Example script

Sample script for MEDDIC Champion

Bonus: Watch the following video to recap your learnings so far.

MEDDIC Derivatives

To stay abreast of the rapidly changing business and technological landscape, MEDDIC birthed two other variants – MEDDICC and MEDDPICC. 

The extra C stands for Competition which has become more prevalent in sales cycles with multiple choices available to the average buyer. Hence sales reps must have a clear idea of their competitive advantage. The P refers to the Paper process, which focuses on avoiding any eleventh-hour delays or drops due to issues with pending paperwork. Ensure you are cognizant of the fine prints in the paperwork and get contracts signed on time.

Wondering which MEDDIC variant is suitable for you? Watch this video from legendary MEDDIC sales leader and author of the book MEDDICC, Andy White.

Why do you need to include MEDDIC in your sales strategy?

benefits of MEDDIC

Augments your lead qualification process

According to Pipedrive’s State of Sales Report 2020-2021, sales prospecting and qualification are the most time-consuming tasks for an average salesperson. Moreover, the more time you spend with unqualified leads, the more time you lose out on closing deals that matter. MEDDIC simplifies the lead qualification process and helps you tick off all the boxes befitting your ideal lead within a short timeframe.

Improves sales forecasting

By identifying the decision-maker and closing timeframe, MEDDIC enables you to predict deals more accurately. This is crucial when making decisions like sales hiring for managing a growing customer base, market expansion plans, business planning, etc.

Streamlines the sales process

MEDDIC helps standardize sales processes instead of relying on subjective decision-making and gut instinct. By utilizing quantifiable metrics and factual data, you can gauge the health of sales opportunities, identify roadblocks, and devise strategies to rectify them ahead of time.

Shortens buying cycle

MEDDIC not only helps you save time as a seller, but it also respects your customer’s time. Using the MEDDIC checklist makes the prospect aware of their core business needs and what they can expect from you. By determining these critical metrics at the beginning of the sales process, your buyer gets clarity on whether you can meet their needs. It especially benefits long and complicated enterprise sales processes by shortening the sales cycle. 

Tips for leveraging the MEDDIC sales process

MEDDIC best practices

Any successful sales methodology comes with certain pitfalls. For instance, to leverage MEDDIC make sure you are working with accurate information, updated on a real-time basis. Here are a few best practices to make the most of this sales methodology.

Know your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)

Understanding your target audience is vital in applying the MEDDIC lead qualification framework. Ideate your buyer personas based on solid research and existing client data.

Leverage data analytics

Accurate and updated data is essential for a successful sales strategy. Pay attention to data hygiene. Setting up workflow automation can remove the hassle of manually updating your CRM. Use CRM analytics to identify your target audience, qualify leads, and track and engage them by setting up activity triggers or prompts.

Practice objection handling

By applying the MEDDIC qualification framework, you will proactively invite customer objections. While this is necessary for identifying your prospective customer, you will also need the ability to handle objections. This will be possible by reviewing your deal history (both won and lost deals) to get perspective on facing client objections.

For a comprehensive guide on mastering sales objections, read 22 Most daunting sales objections and how to overcome them.

Conclusion

The MEDDIC sales process gives you six essential guidelines to filter the wheat from the chaff. A stellar lead qualification framework can save you hours spent chasing tire kickers. Using the MEDDIC checklist with precise and up-to-date data can help you achieve those revenue goals – smarter and faster.

Related: Build endearing business relationships with the Sandler sales methodology

17 Elite sales contest ideas to fire up your sales team

Let’s say Mary is the marketing manager at a large car dealership. She wants to foster friendly competition between her salespeople, so she organizes a sales contest every month. They compete against each other for the best month’s performance and whoever wins gets a bonus.

What other sales contest ideas and prizes can you use like Mary? How can your sellers benefit from games like these? How can you run them with success? Continue to dive into sales contest ideas to learn more.

What do sales contests mean?

Sales contests are a type of incentive program to galvanize your sales team to perform better. They can take many forms, but they all have one thing in common: they help track your team’s performance. 

A good way to think about sales contests is as a way to measure and reward your reps’ performance continuously. You can set up a contest at any time during the year. 

But they’re most effective when you start using them early in the year. And continue implementing them throughout (ideally with different types of contests at various times).

How do sales contests work?

Sales contests usually have two parts: a competition phase, where team members compete against each other. You also have an evaluation phase, where you assess everyone based on their performance during the competition phase.

Competition Phase

You design the competition phase around a prize or reward. The winner of the game gets the first pick of their next assignment or bonus or a non-cash incentive. 

Evaluation Phase     

This stage involves assessing the sales contest’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s vital because it helps identify what you need to improve on in the next contest. It also helps to determine what has been successful, and what you can replicate in future competitions.

In a  nutshell, the primary aims of a sales contest are:

  • Elevate the performance of underperformers or low achievers.
  • Boost the team’s overall team activity.
  • Foster your salespeople’s morale.

17 Sales contest ideas

sales contest ideas

Now let’s dig deeper into what a good competition looks like. We’ll give you several brilliant ideas you can use right away.

1. Cold call blitz contest

It entails offering prizes for new business development activities and results. These include metrics, such as emails sent, prospecting calls made, or new accounts opened during the contest time frame. To be fun and challenging, focus on multiple activity numbers. 

A seller who achieves the highest metrics in different activities wins the game.  This contest is best for inside sales teams. 

2.  Biz Dev pipeline competition

The top sales rep (or team) who builds the largest pipeline is awarded the prize! Alternatively, the contest can follow a specific business objective or goal to build a specific number of qualified leads for the month. It’s ideal for outbound sales teams.

3. Biz Dev competition

You can also design a sales contest to encourage your team to develop new business. For example, you can base the game on new accounts onboarded, products sold to existing clients, and other metrics aligned with business objectives. For example, you can assess how well your sellers use cross-selling strategies to boost revenue. 

The game is perfect for inside sales teams.

4. The most no’s contest

It’s a straightforward competition that rewards the salesperson who receives more no’s in a specific month. The contest recognizes that anyone on the team can get bogged down, so it incentivizes those who may feel rejected. It’s an excellent way to lift the spirits of discouraged reps and move deals stuck in the pipeline.

5. Sales channel contest

Hold multiple sales contests to fire up different channels, e.g., inside vs. outside reps, front-line vs. management, cashier vs. manager, etc. For example, a team vs. team can involve booking the most meetings in separate territories.  A team that gets the most meetings scheduled in a week, etc., clinches the prize. 

Outbound and inbound sales can participate in this contest.

6. Rep. vs. rep contest

Another variation of the above game is pitting sellers. Two reps can contest in a head-to-head game around a specific metric, such as demos made, deals closed, etc. Make it more thrilling by asking them to put their money in to match what your company has provided. 

It can be a formal competition that managers organize or an informal one, where salespeople do it by themselves. It’s perfect for inside and outside sales teams.

7. The daily prize

Inspire your team by holding random daily competitions that are open to everyone. Any rep who puts in plenty of effort in achieving particular goals can walk away with a reward.  You can run these contests on the days/weeks when sales dip, so your reps get some much-needed cranking up.

Buy and wrap any odd prizes, stack them up somewhere in a meeting room, and let the winner open them. However, no one should know what the gifts contain. It’ll add more fun and create a lot of expectations. Sellers can also opt to keep the presents or not.

Inbound and outbound teams can take part in this game.

8. Football fantasy contest

Want to add more fuel to your contests? You can conduct competitions during the football season. To be successful, you need to choose a specific season where your salespeople will compete for week-to-week. Ensure that you create teams, and monitor and assess their performance.

Inside sales teams can benefit from these contests- they become more productive.

9. Sales poker 

Use this contest to inject some spark into your sales team. You need 52 cards and whoever gets 5 cards by the end of the game is the winner. To earn each card, each participant needs to hit specific goals. It’s a brilliant way of involving everyone on the team because even low performers can win. 

It’s ideal for outbound reps.

10. Self vs. self sales contest

In this game, your reps compete with their previous performance to see if they can surpass it. Before you roll out the fun activities, have a chat with your seller about what they need to improve, the metrics, and the benchmarks. During the sales game, display their progress on a TV wall board to create a sense of personal ownership.

The competition is best for inside sales teams.

11.  The most improved

It’s a simple sales contest to elevate the motivation of the least successful reps. You zero in on those who perform much better in reaching a specific milestone or hitting their sales quota. You can also spice up the game by rewarding sellers who hit their scorecard goals.

Activity scorecards show the rep’s daily or weekly activities and metrics. Including them in games promotes excellent activity habits. And any team can benefit from this contest.

12. Advanced metric competition

While it’s a great idea to focus on activity numbers, advanced metrics can be a game changer. Sellers can compete over challenging stats, such as conversion rates. To execute this competition well, select the most crucial metric for your reps. It must be a number that needs a huge push.

You can either run a weekly or monthly contest. Ensure the incentive is more compelling and enticing. The game is perfect for sales development teams.

13. The team trophy

In this contest, you can pair or group top sellers with underperformers or those who’re struggling to crush their goals. Your goal is to award prizes for improved performance. Reps who enhance the results of their team members can get more points. 

Your star sellers won’t benefit much but will work harder to push their partners to win. In this way, they can share their best skills with weak sellers. The contest is best for outbound teams.

14. Sales team scavenger hunt/Sales bingo

This is a highly charged game where you encourage sellers with different expertise to work together for a common objective. For example, some salespeople are good at discovery calls, pitches, demos, etc. Two or more reps can team up to drive sales of a new product, find new opportunities for an existing product, etc. 

Teams that collaborate and rock their predetermined metrics or objectives become winners. Outside and inside sales teams can take part in this scavenger hunt.

15. The Shakespeare/The best selling strategy

This activity is a brilliant way to promote the sharing of the best-selling tactics. It could be closing deals, creating killer pitches, emails, or anything that can hone your team’s performance. After submitting or discussing their strategies, sellers can vote on the best ones. 

The winner wears Shakespeare’s doublet or any piece of the attire of an ancient celebrity in your locality. 

16. Sales brackets

Also called sales madness or March madness, the sales competition involves dividing your team into brackets. The idea is that participants must outsell each other and the winner in the first round moves to the next. Each round can last for a week. 

Finally, you’ll end up with the overall prizewinner after all the stages have been completed. Consider rewarding the runner-up, too. 

17. Retention contest

It’s a sales contest that grants a prize to a seller who has maintained selling opportunities with the most customers. Or they’ve been able to retain many clients monthly, quarterly, or annually. Your company can benefit from improved customer retention rates. 

Also read: The complete guide to understanding sales motivation

7 Sales contest prize ideas

sales contest prizes

What prizes can you offer winners in your competitions? Here are some examples of rewards you should try. Also, find out from your participants what they would prefer to walk away with in a contest through a survey.

1. Vacation Days

Who wouldn’t want a day off from work? Your hardworking reps would appreciate it if they could get a free vacation as an incentive in a contest. It gives them lots of time to unwind and refresh. This prize is great for big and irregular games. 

2. Cash Prize

You can also award contestants cash or additional pay on a paycheck. But note that you should prearrange with your accounting department to greenlight the amount. Monetary prizes are ideal for extended sales contests. 

3. Free personal growth

A sales contest prize could also be an opportunity for the winner to learn a new skill. They can attend a free seminar or any career development program at your cost. Bear in mind some reps, especially your champs may see no value in such pieces of training. 

4. Gift card

This incentive is another brilliant way to support your local businesses, such as gas suppliers, restaurants, etc.  Participants can purchase what they want at the selected stores using gift cards.

5. Electrical gadgets

Examples of electrical devices you can give away to competitors include tablets, laptops, fitness watches, etc.  Also, consider offering what your business sells. For example, you can award garden tools if you are into that business. 

6. Floating trophy

This type of sales contest prize is rotational as it passes from one winner to another weekly or monthly. The champ can keep it as long as they keep topping the charts. Because it provides some celebrity status, team members will fight hard to win and showcase it. Blend this reward with a monetary prize or a gift card to add more fun.

7. Appreciative meals

Offering a free lunch or meal for the prizewinner is another excellent way to reward them. They can choose where they want to enjoy their meal, but you need to know the costs beforehand.

Tips on planning a sales contest

tips to plan sales contest

Sales contests are challenging because they require a lot of time and effort from all parties involved. If you want your sales contest to be successful, here are some tips:

  • Use sales contest prizes that motivate your team.
  • Set up a sales contest goal that’s challenging and achievable.
  • Offer progress rewards to keep teams engaged during the contest period.
  • Encourage friendly competition with intra-team competitions.
  • Recognize top performers outside of the sales contest to encourage reps to bring their A-game all year long.
  • Motivate weak performers by focusing on activity metrics.
  • Zero in on enhancing performance instead of concentrating on sales.
  • Ensure everyone knows what they’re doing — and why.
  • Set clear goals and expectations for each round of the contest.
  • Make sure your sales reps understand how their performance will be evaluated and rewarded (i.e., what constitutes a win).
  • Survey your team after the sales contest is over so you can plan future contests that keep your employees motivated and engaged.

Benefits of sales contests

sales contest benefits

Sales contests are an excellent way to motivate sales teams and help them perform better.

  • They can make reps want to do better for their team and themselves. Sellers are competitive by nature and want to win the contest.
  • Contests incentivize reps to work harder, smarter, and more efficiently.
  • Competitions are fair because everyone has an equal chance of winning them. There is no bias towards any particular rep or team due to favoritism in judging winners.
  • Sales contests can help your organization get new ideas from the salespeople on how they can improve their performance.
  • They provide an easy way to track performance by giving points for each sale, lead, or other metrics. It allows your company to set goals and have a clear picture of its overall performance.
  • Contests help generate creative ideas for new products and services. 
  • They encourage sellers to take risks and think outside of the box. It can lead to higher sales numbers in the long run.

The 2019 Sales Performance Survey from Ambition.com indicates that sales contests inspire 21% of millennial sellers. It also states that sales games provide them with creative platforms to compete against each other.

Start your sales contests right now!

Want to inspire your salespeople? Sales contests can ignite your teams’ passion and enthusiasm. You can use them to increase the sales team’s performance and company revenue, and provide a sense of competition among reps.

Also read: 83 Sales motivational quotes that will fire up sales reps

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Ace your next sales interview with these top 40 interview questions and answers

Irrespective of your chosen vocation, most job interviews need you to be adept at selling/promoting your skills. But when it comes to cracking a sales interview, the stakes are even higher. To land your dream job in sales, you need to bring your A-game. In addition to your natural flair for persuasion and outstanding people skills, solid preparation will increase your chances exponentially. 

The techniques outlined in this blog will help you crack your next sales interview – whether you are looking to kick-start your sales career or land that coveted position. 

How to prepare for your sales interview?

sales interview preparation

Do your groundwork

Sales is one of the few professions which requires you to know your prospective employer almost as well as they do. This is mostly because prospect research is a key part of your job. In addition, as a sales professional, you are expected to be well-versed with your prospect company’s industry and market dynamics. So before you attempt that interview, study the company you are interviewing for, know what they sell and who they sell to, and practice your approach to selling their offerings.

Treat it like a sales meeting

The most fitting way to approach your sales interview is to consider it a high-priority sales meeting. You are interviewing for a critical role which is the company’s pain point. By connecting with your interviewer and skillfully addressing their questions, you overcome any objections and convince them that you are the best person for this role. Finally, you negotiate basic details like compensation, bonus, perks, etc., and close the deal by accepting the offer.

Answer behavioral questions with the STAR method

Many sales interviews include behavioral questions that aim to evaluate how you handle various sales various scenarios. STAR (Situation – Task – Action – Result) is an effective method to approach behavioral-style interviews. It encourages you to explain to the interviewer the Situation you were in, the Task you were allocated, the Action you undertook, and the Result of that maneuver. Applying this framework will help you demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and experience during the interview.

The following example demonstrates how you can answer behavioral questions with the STAR method.

STAR method example
Source

Highlight success stories

Illustrating your sales success stories can help you build credibility in interviews. Arming yourself with a few case studies with relevant figures is a great way to answer performance-related questions. You could also carry a contact book with your client list, which highlights relationships you built throughout your sales career.

Be prepared for role-play exercises

Some interviewers might test your skills via sales role-play exercises. You can practice such scenarios before the interview with a friend or trusted colleague.

Demonstrate interest with open-ended questions

A skilled salesperson is aware of the value they bring to the table. Hence they would use the interview as an opportunity to gauge the employer brand and understand the benefits they offer to ideal candidates. You demonstrate your interest in the position by asking open-ended questions whilst preparing yourself for the new role.

Here are a few questions to start with.

  1. Tell me more about your sales team’s size and structure?
  2. How would you describe your sales process?
  3. What would be the targets for this position?
  4. Can you give me an idea of your commission structure?
  5. What are the common qualities of your top performers?
  6. What percentage of your salespeople achieve their quotas?
  7. Do your sales teams have the flexibility to negotiate on pricing?
  8. What are the initial challenges for new sales hires in your company?
  9. What are the common objections faced by your sales team?
  10. Can you give me an idea of your business trajectory for the coming year/s?
  11. I would love to know more about your tech stack.

Get acquainted with popular sales questions

Lastly, preparing for common sales interview questions is paramount for landing your dream job. It gives you the confidence to face any possible outcome and also highlights your sales readiness to prospective employers.

The ensuing sections will focus on some of the top sales interview questions, the reasons why they are asked, and effective ways to address them. Read on. 

Common sales interview questions

common sales interview questions

Here are a few questions that you may face irrespective of your tenure or the position you are interviewing for.

1. Tell me about yourself.

Logic: Employers want to know you professionally as well as personally. 

Response: Use your rapport-building skills and offer just the right balance of personal and professional information. Start with something interesting about yourself- a hobby, passion, etc.  Then build the conversation around your interest in sales and that particular company.

Example: “Well, off the clock, I am deeply in love with my X hobby; I’ve done it for years and enjoy it with my friends and family! And professionally, I’ve been a salesperson for Y years as I have a passion for Z, which led me to find your company that aligns with my interests.”

2. What do you know about our company?

Logic: The interviewer tests your research skills and interest in the position.

Response: As indicated earlier, before appearing for a sales interview, read up on your prospect company. Go through their website and their social media pages and try to figure out their ICP.  You can find company reviews on Google, Glassdoor, Capterra, Yelp, or G2. It is also advisable to connect with senior management or key professionals on LinkedIn.

Example: “I have actually been following your company for some time. I love the fact that you focus on addressing  X challenge. I see that you achieved Y in an impeccable timeframe. I strongly relate to your cause as [insert your reasons that show common interests].

3. What interested you in interviewing for our company and/or this position? Or, why are you looking for a change?

Logic: Another way to gauge your research skills and test your enthusiasm to join them.

Response: State how you relate to the company’s mission and your interest in the industry/domain.

Example: Similar to the second point.

4. What do you expect out of this position?

Logic: They want to know if you are prepared for the job and if you have clarity on your goals as a sales professional.

Response: Demonstrate your understanding of the job description, along with your expectations from this new position.

Example: “I hope to build sustainable relationships with prospects and consistently meet my quota. I plan to achieve this by  [insert tasks you are expected to do]. I also plan to be one of the top performers in my team and reach [enter milestone] in [enter time].

5. What are you looking for in your next employer?

Logic: The interviewer is curious about your intentions- are you really motivated to find your next best employer, or are you just testing the waters? Some of them may ask this as they aim to meet your expectations since happy and driven employees stay longer.

Response: Explain the values and offerings you expect from your next employer. Even if it does not match the company’s mission, being transparent now will benefit both of you in the long run.

Example: “What’s most important for me is not becoming complacent in my career. I am inspired by continuous learning and newer challenges. I am looking forward to contributing to a team that believes in creating utility and upskilling. I do not shy away from hard work that contributes to my overall career growth.”

6. What has been your experience with job hunting so far?

Logic: You face this question when an employer wants to know your possible joining timeframe and if you are considering other offers.

Response: Your aim while job hunting is to look for the best possible option and have a safety net without misleading employers. 

Example: “ I have interviewed for X, Y and Z companies so far and waiting to hear from them on the final offer.”

7. Do you have any advice for us to improve as a company?

Logic: This again can be to test your interview preparation or a genuine interest in your opinion.

Response: Based on your knowledge of the company, imagine you own the company and what you could do to make it better. Be mindful of offering only constructive feedback, so your advice does not sound offensive.

Example: “ I am really impressed by your consistent social media efforts to engage with your primary audience. However, I feel like you are missing out on the Gen Zs, and you could tailor some content for this particular demographic.”

8. Why should we consider you for this role?

Logic: The interviewer wants to know if you are confident enough to deliver on their expectations. 

Response: Clarify your doubts if you did not get enough meat about the JD from your initial communications. Then draft your answer accordingly, provided you actually intend to /can meet their needs. Know your USP and communicate the same as precisely as possible.

Example: “ I understand you are looking for someone from X industry. My experience is a mix of X and several other sectors. My exposure to diverse business segments has enriched my client handling skills, which would be a great add-on for your team. ”

9. Walk me through your long-term career goals.

Logic: Employers know that you are here for the long haul if you are driven enough to set long-term goals.

Response: Before the interview, get in touch with a senior sales professional you admire or a sales mentor. Pick their brains to see how they reached where they are. Take diligent notes, create your goals, and list the activities you need to execute to reach those milestones. Narrate them in detail and with confidence.

Example: “ Along with meeting my assigned quotas, I want to get comfortable with handling Fortune accounts by next year. I also want to hone my leadership skills and would like to take up some related courses, or gain experience by mentoring juniors at work. This will help me achieve my long-term goal of holding a directorial position in X years and ultimately move on to a C-level role in Y years.”

10. Describe your key strength and weakness.

Logic: This shows your self-awareness to know what you excel at and which aspects need improvement. 

Response: Do not hesitate to sell your strengths in the interview. But, while highlighting your weaknesses, add what you are doing to improve yourself without compromising your chances.

Example:My greatest strength is my competitiveness, which is why I also excelled as an athlete in high school and college. Nothing invigorates me like a race to the finish; I love the challenge of trying to consistently earn an annual ranking in a company’s President’s Circle. I’ve learned, though, that no one becomes a top achiever without the help of the rest of the team. My weakness is that I’ve sometimes judged other team members when we’ve fallen short of a goal, so now I try to focus on motivating and supporting my team rather than just expecting them to follow my lead.”

11. How comfortable are you with cold calls?

Logic: For a fresh college graduate, the interviewer wants to know if they are outgoing enough to break the ice with strangers. It is equally important for experienced sales professionals to have had exposure to cold calling as it hones your relationship-building skills.

Response: Depending on your experience level, you either let them know about your ability to strike up a conversation or sell to strangers. Or you recount your experience and strategy for cold calling.

Example:As daunting as it can be, I understand that cold calling is the stepping stone for success in sales. I have always been an outgoing person and good at making friends out of strangers. I am excited to begin my cold calling journey based on solid prospect and industry research.”

12. Are you prepared to get on a sales call right now?

Logic: This can be subjective. They are either testing your confidence or want to know if you think before speaking.

Response: Show them your ability to think on your feet. Also, explain that you believe in solid preparation before representing a company.

Example:I have a repeatable sales process that I can mold to your product right away. Once I learn enough to be a responsible salesperson, absolutely, I’ll be ready for a call.”

13. Sell me this pen.

Logic: Be it an apple, a pen, or any other product, this is a classic sales interview question that tests your sales skills.

Response: Once again, preparation is key to answering this question. While there are various ways to answer this question, here’s one from The Balance Careers.

Example:Even in our tech-focused world, a pen is still essential. What I like about this one is that it has a secure cap, so it won’t stain pocket interiors or a bag. Plus, it’s refined-looking yet still budget-friendly.”

14. What are the core values that make an ideal salesperson?

Logic: They want to know if you have what it takes to be in this profession.

Response: Draw on your past experience, read up on the essential sales skills and decide what, according to you, are the most important ones to have.

Example:These are some of the essential skills which I feel are non-negotiable in sales. Empathy, Objection handling, [insert others].”

15. What drives you in uncertain times? How do you stay motivated?

Logic: The interviewer is trying to figure out what keeps you going, probably beyond monetary benefits. 

Response: A smart way to answer this would be to align your motivation with the company’s mission which may be to serve a higher purpose.

Example:I have always wanted my work to leave a positive impact on society. I really appreciate how your company has helped address [enter a fundamental issue]. This is something that could keep me motivated even during a low sales period”

Also read: The complete guide to understanding sales motivation

16. Are you a team player? How would you go about resolving internal conflicts?

Logic: Your prospective employer is not only looking for a sales star but also a team player who can uplift others. 

Response: Share why you value teamwork, how it helps you succeed, and if possible, some examples from your past (school or work) where you shone as a team player.

Example:I really believe that it takes a village to achieve your and your team’s targets in sales. I have had great success in the past because of my inherent team-building skills. There’s this one time when [insert your story and how you delivered exceptional results with team effort].”

17. If we make an offer, how soon can you join us?

Logic: It’s a sign that you are interviewing for a high-priority role, and they want you to join as soon as possible. They might also want to know how serious you are about joining them.

Response: Be honest about your options and any notice period that needs to be served at your present employer. 

Example:Once I have an offer, I am required to serve a notice for [insert time] at my current employer. There may be an option to do without it, but I am hoping for a smooth transition and not leave my team in a bind. I hope that is okay with you, as I am really interested in joining your team.”

How to land a sales job without any prior experience?

sales interview questions for beginners

It is only natural to worry about attempting a sales interview if you lack experience. However, do note that sales is one of the few industries that hire the most freshers. It’s because companies want fresh minds to mold into future sales superstars. Additionally, since the compensation is performance-based, they get away with salary negotiations.

Here are some example questions that you can tackle with limited or no sales experience.

1. Why sales?

Logic: They want to know your ‘why’ to predict your chances if sticking to the profession.

Response: Demonstrate how your life experience or educational background has prepared you for sales.

Example: “I’ve always been a very competitive person and love a good challenge. Even early on, in my schooling days, I would compete in all academic programs (like speech and debate). I loved the process of researching, preparing, and the thrill of competing for the #1 spot. 

I believe I’ll thrive in a fast-paced tech sales role and be motivated to hit my numbers and ultimately make bigger commission checks.”

2. Tell us about your extracurricular activities.

Logic: The interviewer wants to know if you have previous experience in competing or taking up a challenge.

Response: Show your competitive side and love for winning by taking about a sport you played or associations you were a part of. Or you could also talk about transferable skills that you acquired in your previous job.

Example: I understand my earlier work experience was in IT, and sales is a completely new domain. However, your company sells tech products, and I believe someone with prior experience in this industry would be a great asset to your sales team.

Moreover, I played competitive [insert sport] in school, which gives me the drive for success.”

3. Talk about a challenge you overcame in your life.

Logic: They want to test your endurance for facing obstacles/failures and the ability to learn from your mistakes. 

Response: Talk about a time when you faced a challenge and stretched yourself mentally or physically to overcome it.

Example: “Growing up, I have always been a fan of [insert a sport] and saw myself competing in college. Even though I achieved that dream, sports did not come naturally to me. [Insert how you overcame that challenge].”

sales interview questions for experienced candidates

The following sales interview questions are generally set to test your sales skills based on your experience.

1. Summarize your journey as a sales professional.

Logic: The interviewer wants to get an overview of your sales career. 

Response: You can start with your first sales job and describe your learnings from each profile. 

Example: “I started with X industry with company A. After spending a couple of years in this sector in two other companies, I felt I would do great in Y industry as it relates to my experience as well as passion. That is why this opportunity is ideal for me in many ways…  [Insert your reasons].”

2. If we were to ask your former colleague/reporting head to describe you, what would they say?

Logic: It is important for your prospective employer to understand your self-perception so they can compare notes when they conduct reference checks.

Response: To answer this question, you should have a fair idea of what your manager or colleagues think of you. Go back to any appreciation email or a time when you were complimented at work.

Example: “My colleagues know of me as someone who is dependable and thinks of the bigger picture. I once received a certificate of appreciation for going above and beyond my duties for this one project where [insert project details].”

3. How do you structure your day?

Logic: Your interviewer wants to know if you are able to cope with the everyday work pressures and organize your day for optimum productivity.

Response: Let them know that you have a plan of action to take on your workday. Instead of dealing with work issues as they come, tell them how you organize various tasks logically in different time buckets to get the most out of your day.

Example:Well, I usually like to start my day with a few cold calls as I am more energetic during the early hours, and also those are the active calling hours. Post lunch, I catch up with all operational tasks. [Insert the rest of your schedule].”

4. Pitch me our services/products.

Logic: This is a classic example of a role-playing exercise wherein your interviewer wants a demo of your sales and research skills.

Response: Instead of jumping into your prepared pitch, start with a few knowledge fact-gathering questions to understand the prospect’s (interviewer’s ) requirement and pain point. Demonstrate your research and sale skills by customizing your solution.  

Example:From my research/ from what I just heard from you, I understand you are doing quite well in X sector but could do even better with faster delivery and a more customer-centric approach. Here’s where we shine. [Insert your product/service].”

5. Explain your sales strategy – from lead generation to closure.

Logic: This is an important question for your interviewer as a major part of your success depends on your sales acumen. 

Response: Take them through your entire process from start to finish. 

Example: “I begin to generate sales opportunities by X through calculated preparation and client targeting. I develop opportunities by listening to the needs of the customer and working on providing the most appropriate resolution. I close sales opportunities by gaining the customer’s trust in both the product and me until we reach a positive agreement.”

6. How do you connect with your prospects?

Logic: The interviewer wants to know your rapport-building strategy.

Response: Explain your personal approach to building customer relationships. 

Example: “Every customer is different, so to ensure that I can build relationships with them, I would personalize my approach to their unique needs and hold conversations that are inviting and appropriate as we conduct business.”

7. How do you qualify a prospect?

Logic: They want to know your strategy behind prospect qualification, as it saves the company time and money to focus on winning accounts.

Response: Explain your prospect qualification strategy in detail. For cues to answer this question, refer to our blog on  Sandler sales methodology that focuses on finding the right prospects for your product/services than the other way around.

Example: “I believe in qualifying prospects early in the sales cycle, by asking the right questions. If I feel the prospect won’t benefit from what I offer, I will move it off my list. This saves me a lot of time chasing dead ends and I get to focus on prospects that are actually interested in our product.”

8. How do you handle sales objections or rejections?

Logic: Your interviewer wants to know if you are well-equipped to handle any objection that comes your way.

Response: Explain to them how you prepare to face sales objections-wether it is research, reaching out to other teams like product or marketing, or seeking advice from your reporting head.

Example: “I believe preparation is key for handling objections. Before any call, I research the prospect company and try to come up with possible challenges I may face during the call. [Insert more pointers].”  

Related: 22 Most daunting sales objections and how to overcome them

9. What according to you takes precedence, consistently meeting targets or nurturing existing relationships?

Logic: They want to know how well you know their business and target market.

Response: Frame your answer based on the company profile. For eg, if they sell one-off investments, they would value new customers. If they offer subscription-based services, the majority of their business might come from existing clients.

Example: “Generally, both customer types are equally important for the company’s growth. But as you have built a loyal customer base from your quality offerings and you sell membership subscriptions for X, you should focus more on keeping your existing clients happy whilst maintaining a healthy focus on acquiring new customers.”

10. How would you handle a challenging/rude prospect?

Logic: They want to know if you are capable of handling angry or frustrated prospects as such scenarios are quite common in sales.

Response: Demonstrate your ability to win over any personality type by being empathetic, logical, and assertive. 

Example: “There have been times when prospect conversation during negotiations has become challenging. While I want to meet my quota, but if winning the deal is not mutually beneficial, I would have to request them to look for other options.”

11. How do you incorporate social selling into your sales strategy?

Logic: Employers want to get a read on your virtual selling skills, which is crucial to a company’s success in today’s virtually connected world.

Response: Let them know your comfort level with using social media in attracting prospects and nurturing your target market. You can give an example where you closed a deal because of your engagement in social media.

Example: Social selling has become an important part of my sales efforts, especially since Covid 19 enforced virtual selling. In fact, last month I secured a big account because of my continued efforts to engage my customers online. [Insert what you did and how you helped your target market]”

Pro tip: Read The “whats”, “whys”, and “hows” of social selling

12. Describe a successful deal. What did you do right?

Logic: They want to know your strategy behind closing your greatest deal.

Response: Give them a step-by-step description of your most successful deal. It should highlight what you did differently.

Example: “My biggest sale (so far) involves selling a five-year contract for XYZ’s enterprise software to ABC Automotives. Believe it or not, this deal started with a cold call; in that initial conversation, the customer shared a problem that the enterprise software could solve, and so I was able to target subsequent presentations and interactions in a solution-oriented way. Relationship building was key to closing this deal, as well as to providing targeted demos of the software that spoke to saving the client time and increasing productivity.]”

13. Have you been consistent with your quotas?

Logic: Your interviewer wants to know your track record to predict your future performance at their company.

Response: Be honest and showcase your wins. Even if you did not have many of those, demonstrate how you improved from your failures.

Example: “Before covid, I won the best salesperson title in my company every quarter. The introduction of virtual selling threw me off my game for a little bit and I went through a lull. But I have always been a fast learner, I adopted virtual selling techniques and upped my social selling game. I have been able to pick up the pace since last year.”

14. How do you get out of a sales slump?

Logic: They want to know if you have the resilience to pick yourself up and get back in the game after a prolonged slow sales period.

Response: Explain your strategy- how you track your progress and what measures you take to get back to the groove.

Example: “When sales go down, I don’t panic. Instead, I take a step back and make a strategic plan to reach more customers, with a different approach. I would calculate how far I am from my benchmark and re-evaluate my plan as needed.”

15. What has been your favorite part of working in sales? What part is your least favorite?

Logic: This question gives them a sense of your strengths and areas where you will need additional support.

Response: Be honest about what you like best. While highlighting your not-so-favorite part, describe your steps to make that part easier.

Example: “Well, apart from the great compensation plans, I love the thrill of winning. It gives me the endorphin rush I thrive on. The part I don’t like a lot is operations, but by using sales intelligence tools I have been able to manage such tasks.”

16. Which sales metrics are important to you?

Logic: This can be a way to judge your technical knowledge.

Response: To answer this ensure you have a clear understanding of essential sales metrics. Take a look at our comprehensive blog on critical sales metrics and prepare your answer based on the ones you feel drive the most revenue.

Example: “My previous company practiced tracking these key metrics [insert the metrics]. However, I have paid special attention to X and Y metrics because of their direct impact on my sales targets.”

17. How do you stay up-to-date with industry trends?

Logic: They want to know if you are passionate enough to follow industry news.

Response: Mention your sources and how they have helped you win customers.

Example: “I am a big fan of X, Y and Z podcasts as they talk about the most current trends in the market. Then I get my daily dose of industry news by subscribing to relevant blogs and on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter.

18. What sales tools are you comfortable working with?

Logic: They need to know that you do not shy away from using technology.

Response: Mention what you have used so far, demonstrating your familiarity with using sales tools.

Example: “I have always used X CRM in my previous sales jobs. It has helped me remove mundane tasks and focus solely on my selling efforts. I am keen to explore what tools you use in your company.”

19. What do you think you bring to the table as an experienced sales professional?

Logic: This is another question that helps employers judge your greatest skills and understand if you are aware of them.

Response: Use this as an opportunity to sell the skills you gained from your experience, and highlight how that can help you in your new role.

Example: “I have worked in your industry for the past 5 years, which makes me a great candidate for this position. I have also managed small teams, which is critical for this role.”

20. Is virtual selling more challenging than in-person sales?

Logic: They want to know you if you are attuned to the realities of virtual selling.

Response: In a world of recurrent pandemics, companies have equipped themselves with the necessary tools to survive and thrive virtually. Read our blog on virtual selling for strategies to up your remote selling game. Let them know your comfort level with virtual sales and how you have been preparing yourself for this new reality.

Example: “The initial mandate to work remotely came as a shock, and it took me some time to get used to it. However, I have incorporated [insert your strategies] and now am quite comfortable should I need to transition into full virtual mode again.”

Summing up

Interviews can be unnerving, especially in the cut-throat world of sales. But through extensive research, proactiveness, preparation, and a clear vision of your goals, you can expect positive outcomes. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned sales professional, the strategies mentioned in this comprehensive blog will give you a winning chance at your next sales interview.

The 9 most effective sales closing techniques

Sales reps need a strong closing technique to lock the deal and get the customer to buy the product. There are different ways of closing a sale, depending on the product type, company culture, and customer preference. The salesperson should ask questions to help their customers understand what they want and use the correct closing approach. 

Find out the best sales closing techniques to win more deals. Let’s dive into the basics first. 

What is a closing technique in sales, and why is it crucial?

A closing technique is sealing a deal and ensuring that customers buy. It’s a culmination of the rep’s actions throughout the entire sales process. Closing a sale is vital because it shows your success and whether you’ve met the customer’s needs. 

Also, it helps your business grow, acquire more buyers and keep the ones you have. That’s why learning sales closing techniques is essential. Here are the most popular ways of closing a deal.

Top 9 sales closing techniques

sales closing techniques

1) Assumptive close

The assumptive close technique is a sales closing approach that implies the potential customer has already agreed to a sale. Also, it encourages customers to commit to a purchase by believing that they’re going to buy the product or service. 

It’s also convenient when there is a high-pressure situation, such as limited inventory.

You can use this close technique immediately after demonstrating your product’s ability to help your prospect. You could say: “How many product units do you want? When do you want to implement the solution?  

Pay attention to the customer’s needs and objections to help you craft your message. To know their preferences, you might say: “Does this address a specific need or problem?”

2) Question close

To close a sale, you need to know your customer’s needs. You have to understand what they want and how they want it. Also, you need to ask them questions about their needs and desires: the more specific questions, the better chance of making a sale.

Below are some examples of sales closing questions that will help you win the deal:

-“What made you interested in our product?”

  – “Are you satisfied with the solution I am offering?

– “How much money are you willing to spend on this?”

– “What other products or services are you considering?”

–  “What would prevent us from shipping the goods? “

These questions can create interest in the potential customer and help you handle objections. Here are some more examples of dealing with roadblocks to a sale.

question close examples
Source

Related: 22 Most daunting sales objections and how to overcome them

3) Now or never close

The now or never close is a powerful sales closing technique that you can use to get your prospect to take the next step and buy. It gives the potential customer a sense of urgency, making them more likely to purchase your product.

Deadlines, time limits, and urgency are time-tested sales techniques. They’re still effective because they force the customer to decide before they’re ready. Check out the following ‘now or never close’ examples.

  • “On sale for a limited time only. A lot of people have bought them.”
  • “Sign today, and I’ll give you an additional 10% discount.”
  • “Today is our last day in the area.”

4) Puppy dog close

The puppy dog close is a sales closing technique that encourages customers to try the product. The salesperson highlights the product benefits and then asks for an order or willingness to test the product. It’s based on the idea of a pet store owner asking a likely buyer to take a puppy home for a few days to try it out.

Sellers can also use this closing method by offering the prospect a trial to use the solution for several days. 

See the puppy dog example below.

puppy dog close
Source

Ubersuggest uses the puppy dog close technique for its three packages by providing a free trial to test the SEO software.

5) Scale close

Also called the gauge close, you ask the potential buyer direct questions on whether they’re interested in what you offer.  The scale close technique lets you see if your messaging has been successful during the sale cycle. 

An example of a scale close question

scale closing technique example
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6) Soft close

There are two traditional methods of closing a sale: the hard close and the soft close. The hard close approach is direct and final, such as closing with “Are you going to buy it now?”  “Are you registering today?” and “Would you mind signing now?”

But the soft-close technique allows for a gentler conclusion to a conversation or interaction. Here’s an example:  “Would you be interested in learning how I could reduce churn rate by 5 % while increasing revenue by 15%?”

A soft close lets you use non-confrontational language and look more natural. You can gently lead your customer before they decide to buy.

7) Take away close

The take away sales technique is when the salesperson takes away what they recommend to the customer. You offer something valuable to them but suggest something different with fewer features. 

For example, you can propose a different service package for a SaaS product with basic features if the client objects to the initial price. Many software companies do this-they show different prices for the same product. 

Example of a take away close technique

take away close example
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Zoho CRM offers the same tool at different prices with varied functions for separate customers. Note that the company has no free trials.

8) Summary close

The summary close is an effective sales closing technique because it allows you to review the product benefits. In this way, customers can decide whether or not they want to buy your solution. A summary close also provides closure for both the customer and the salesperson.

With this technique, it’s critical to involve the likely buyer by asking them what they think about your product. It helps you uncover objections and cement the product’s value in the prospect’s mind.

Summary close example

summary close example
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9 Analytical close

Some prospects like analyzing things, so the best closing technique should offer them comparative features or benefits. You can show them the pros and cons of different vendors or product functions. Here’s an example of an analytical closing approach by Ubbersuggest.

analytical close example
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Note that Neil Patel, the Founder & CEO of Ubbersuggest, mentions the annual subscription for his competitors. It lets users compare the prices and benefits.

Tips on improving your closing skills

tips to improve closing skills

Closing a sale is one of the most important skills for sales reps. It’s a process that requires persistence, patience, and confidence.

Ask questions

When you ask questions, you show interest in your customer’s needs. You want to find out what they need and how they want it delivered.

Demonstrate value

Showing them why your product or service will be valuable will make it easier for them to buy from you. Sales reps may encounter an objection where customers think the product lacks enough features or value for the price. To resolve this, provide a detailed explanation of what your product offers and why it has more value than others. 

Be confident

You need to be confident in yourself and your product or service if you want the customer to buy from you. Know your product in and out, its benefits, and strengths compared to your competitors. 

Be persistent

 To make a sale, you need to be persistent. You need to make the customer feel like their needs matter, and you won’t give up until they say yes. It’s crucial to establish comfort and balance confidence with vulnerability.

Build relationships

A hard-close sales approach is a high-pressure tactic that can offend some customers. Instead, focus on developing a win-win relationship with your prospect for a better experience. 

Ensure to build a good rapport with the buyer. And create an environment where they can feel comfortable and confident about agreeing to a sale. Be a helper.  

Know the decision-makers

Identify people who have the final say over the company’s buying decisions in the early stages of your conversations. That’s because it’s pointless to deal with gatekeepers – they’ve got less influence. 

Take a hard look at your sales cycle

You may have the best closing techniques. But if your sales process isn’t customer friendly, you can fail to close deals. Consider the following questions to evaluate your sales system.

-Are we making it easy or hard for customers to purchase?

-How does our sales process rate with buyers?

-Is there a way to make our sales training more productive? Do we need to assess our sales compensation framework closely?

-Can we learn anything from our sales team’s top achievers? What tips and best practices can we implement from them?

– What are some ways we can use our CRM to simplify our sales process? 

-How can CRM improve your overall sales cycle: nurturing campaigns, follow-ups, and lead generation?

Final thoughts on sales closing techniques

Sales reps are responsible for generating revenue and closing deals. Closing a sale is not just about making a good pitch – it’s understanding your customers and finding out their needs.

The first step is to get your prospect talking about their problems, what they want to achieve, and their pain points. When you better understand their wants, you can determine what it’ll take for them to say ‘yes’ and close the deal.

Salespeople must keep in mind that every customer is different, and there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach to closing a sale. You can close the deal with your buyers by keeping these key points.

– Build rapport and trust

– Know the customer’s needs and wants

– Present your product or service in a way that would satisfy the customer’s needs

– Propose an offer that would work for both parties

Related: 11 Super easy steps to hitting your sales quota

Master provocative selling with the Challenger sales method

Consultative selling is often the preferred route in buyer-centric marketplaces. In today’s relationship selling era, your end goal as a seller is ultimately to build long-term alliances. However, research indicates that  54% of high-performers prefer to provoke their buyers when it comes to complex selling. This blog will shed light on the fundamentals of an unconventional but surprising successful sales methodology- the Challenger sales method. 

Let’s begin.

Decoding the Challenger sales model

Developed in 2011, this methodology is based on the book The Challenger Sale.  The authors- Brent Adamson and Matthew Dixon, argue that in a world where buyers come armed with preconceived notions about your product/service and its cost, provoking them with a compelling imperative helps you stand out amidst the competition. 

The Challenger sales method encourages sellers to take control of the customer conversation and disrupt their way of thinking, instead of building relationships.
As a seller, you can achieve this by developing a comprehensive understanding of your prospect’s business to uncover their core issue, challenging them to see the bigger picture, and then coming up with a tailored solution to address their problem. 

To highlight the effectiveness of the Challenger sales profile, this methodology compares it with 4 other seller profiles.

What are the 5 seller profiles of The Challenger Sale?

the 5 seller profiles of Challenger sales

Based on the attitudes and behaviors of around 6000 sales reps, Adamson and Dixon declare 5 key sales profiles.

Hard worker

Driven by feedback and growth, the self-motivated salespeople in this category are always prepared to go the extra mile.

Relationship builder

This seller profile is willing to invest time in building long-term relationships with prospects. 

Related: Build endearing business relationships with the Sandler sales methodology

Lone wolf

Sales reps in this category are driven by their gut instinct. They value their independence and are completely self-assured.

Problem solver

You can count on problem solvers as they are extremely detail-oriented. They thrive by solving their team’s or customers’ problems.

Challenger

The challengers do not shy away from a debate as they know their prospect’s business inside and out. This gives them the confidence to face pricing discussions head-on and push customers out of their comfort zone.

The challengers live and breathe the T-T-T ideology.

What does the T-T-T acronym in Challenger selling stand for?

T-T-T method in Challenger sales

In 2009,  renowned author and thought leader Geoffrey Moore coined the original idea of Provocation-based selling in his popular HBR article ‘In a Downturn, Provoke Your Customers’. This technique helped companies restore their businesses during the ‘Great Recession’ by enabling them to see competitive challenges in a new light that makes addressing specific painful problems unmistakably urgent

Like many sales methodologies, The Challenger sales model is adapted from Moore’s provocative selling approach and encourages sales teams to master the Teach-Tailor-Take control (T-T-T) process.

Teach

You teach prospects something critical and impending about their business that they weren’t aware of. It can be an idea that can help further their growth or a limitation they can resolve with your help.

Tailor

Here, you make sure your approach is tailored to fit the prospect’s business needs and your end goal to address their pain point.

Take control

Being a challenger, you take control of the buying process like pricing parameters and buying timelines.

Is the Challenger sales methodology still relevant?

The onset of the global pandemic in 2020 accelerated digitization and the customer’s confidence in virtual selling. Buyers started controlling the purchase process by reprioritizing their spending and ensuring their purchases aligned with the new slate of pandemic-era priorities. Challenger Inc conducted a seller assessment to understand how top sellers were coping with the new normal of sales.

Challenger Inc seller assessment
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This study confirms that the Challenger sales model still stands strong even a decade after its inception.

By now, you should have a clear idea of what the Challenger selling system entails. The next section will elaborate on incorporating it into your sales strategy.

How to integrate the Challenger sales system?

The 6 steps of Challenger system
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The Challenger model focuses on educating prospects rather than nurturing business relationships. This approach seems daunting at first glance but can be simplified by practicing these 6 steps.

Step 1: The Warmer

This step starts with studying your customer so you know their business intensively. Show them that you understand what they need and you are the one who can meet their unresolved business needs.

Step 2: The Reframe

By step 2, you have a clear view of the prospect’s core issue and how they plan to fix it. Your job now is to take them by surprise and highlight a unique route to address their concerns. You aim to reframe their mindset and prepare them to explore newer possibilities.

The Reframe Challenger method
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Step 3: Rational drowning

rational Drowning_The Challenger sales method
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Empty claims are never enough to convince your prospects. So support them with factual data. Remember that you are not offering a sales pitch but convincing them that you understand their business better than they do.

Step 4: Emotional impact

Emotional impact_ The Challenger sales method
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No amount of data or research can help you win the sale unless you connect with your prospect at a human level. Sharing case studies of how you helped someone in a similar situation builds relatability. Your prospect should realize that your agenda is not to make a sale but solve a larger issue.

Step 5: A new way

A new way _ Challenger sales method
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Here, you paint a picture of how their life would look like if they acted differently. You do this by going over the specific capabilities they need to achieve their desired goal. Remember that it is not about your product but the solution.

Step 6: Your solution

It’s time for the big reveal. You present your product/service and tailor it to fit your prospect’s new way of doing business. Depending on your offering and your adherence to the first 5 steps, the buyer will consider your solution as the only alternative to address their issue. At this point, what you intend to sell pretty much sells itself.

The following video brilliantly summarizes these critical steps.

To demonstrate the applicability of the Challenger sales method, take a look at this sample scenario from Zendesk.

Challenger sales method example
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How can you benefit from the Challenger sales methodology?

Benefits of Challenger sales method

The Challengers are known to outshine other seller profiles, especially in complex selling systems. Here’s how you can reap its benefits.

Delivers new insights

What sets Challengers apart from other sellers is that they leverage their knowledge of their buyer’s business to deliver unparalleled insights. These can be ideas to bring in more money or address an undiscovered but pertinent issue. 

Incomparable sales experience

Gartner’s research indicates that the biggest differentiator between B2B sellers is not the company’s brand, products/services, or the pricing, but the sales experience. By taking control of the purchase process, Challengers persuade buyers to think differently, which builds customer loyalty.

Removes pricing constraints

By understanding the ins and outs of the prospect’s business, the Challengers become well versed in identifying the economic drivers of their company. Hence they do not hesitate to discuss pricing as they can convince buyers of the unique value they bring to the table.

Eliminates the need for chasing prospects

Challengers help prospects visualize a future without their most critical business challenge. They connect with prospective customers personally and show them how their solutions can make their lives easier. They can sell their offerings without chasing prospects and commanding respect as a seller.

The gray side of Challenger selling

Challenger sales method limitations

The success behind most sales methodologies depends on knowing when and when not to use them. Here are a few things to be mindful of before jumping on the Challenger bandwagon.

Not a one-size-fits-all approach

It goes without saying that the Challenger method is anything but conventional. It will require a lot of research and investment from your end. Also, there’s the added pressure of exploring multiple avenues before provoking the customer to adopt your unique approach.

Comparatively difficult to master

The effectiveness of this approach relies on your ability to execute it with utter finesse. If you are new to the game, honing this skill will be demanding as it takes a while to familiarize yourself with its intricacies.

Moreover, if you are a seasoned sales professional and used to consultative selling, you may find it challenging to adopt a contrasting methodology.

May backfire with existing clients

Provoking your customers might not be a suitable model for companies with a subscription-based model. Studies indicate that you have a 60-70% chance of selling to an existing customer but only a 5-20% of closing new ones. Challenging prospects has proved to be highly effective but might not be acceptable with existing customers. According to Corporate Visions, you risk losing clients to competition by around 10-16% when you challenge existing customers for expanding/renewing business.

Tread carefully while challenging 

There’s a thin line between challenging and insulting your buyers, and you must be very careful not to cross it. Note that the Challenger way does not encourage offending your customers but effectively propels them in a particular direction. 

Furthermore, your prospect’s personality plays a key role here. Thus, it would bode well or you to get a read on your buyer before you embark on this journey.

To challenge, or not to challenge?

The Challenger sales model helps create high performers in today’s information era with unlimited choices and real-time data. Implementing the T-T-T process enables you to teach value, tailor your offerings and take control of the buying narrative. But irrespective of your sales method, winning or losing the deal is sometimes situational. Ultimately, the best approach is the one that makes sense to your customer, and deciphering this code in sales requires time and unwavering resilience.

11 creative ways to improve your sales presentation

A good sales presentation is what drives the deal. It’s what closes the deal and earns money. It should present the company’s product and service, its benefits to customers, and how it can solve their problems. A sales presentation is an integral part of any sales process, and a salesperson should always know how to make an effective sales pitch.

This section will provide valuable tips for creating a successful and persuasive sales presentation to help you close more deals with your clients.

 Sales presentation definition

A sales presentation is a form of public speaking by sales personnel to pitch a product or service to potential customers. It persuades your prospect into buying your solution by educating them on what you offer and why they should buy it. It’s an essential part of the sales process and a tool to win potential buyers and close deals.

Sales pitch vs. sales presentation

A sales presentation is still a sales pitch but a more extended version requiring teamwork in preparation and delivery. A sales pitch is possible over the phone, email, or meeting. It’s what you do daily. But a proposal presentation targets a group of senior managers or executives in a public setting. It occurs after many touchpoints in your sales cadence and focuses on a more significant deal.

What should a sales presentation include?

A sales presentation is an interactive, visual, and persuasive communication method involving words, graphics, and other content. It should also include the following:

  • PowerPoint presentations
  • Video or live demonstration
  • Testimonials 
  • Charts, quotes, graphs to strengthen your case
  • Personalized content dealing with your audience’s challenges
  • A call to action – the next step for the potential customer

What makes a good proposal presentation?

An effective sales presentation will have a clear objective, an introduction to the company and what they do, a demo or live demonstration of the product or service, testimonials from satisfied customers, and a call-to-action for the prospect to move forward with the purchase.

How to create a sales presentation?

creating a sales presentation

 The following sales presentation structure can help you crush your sales. 

Step 1: Start with the goals

First, remember that your audience has needs and challenges they want to address. So, start your sales presentation by clarifying the objectives to show that you understand what your prospects need. You could say: “You mentioned your goal was to achieve XYZ.”

You may also list the objectives on the whiteboard or show them in a PowerPoint presentation. Any approach is acceptable as long as you spell out the goals before discussing product benefits. And use the first minutes to say the critical points because people tend to pay maximum attention during the early stages.

Step 2: Dig deeper into your product benefits and features

Step one is now clear. Next, discuss what you offer and how the product features can fix the potential customer’s pain points. Turn the technical aspects of your solution into benefits. Of course, you need to do this before the sales presentation. 

Example 1

features vs benefits example
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Example 2: Wordstream zeroes in on benefit-based marketing

features vs benefits examples 2
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Also, say: “Let me explain how we fix problem B for you, and here is what you benefit from the product.” Ensure you dive into the solution, and the product benefits speak to the customer’s challenges. You can show a demo to strengthen your case.

Step 3: Validate your claims with examples

You should use specific examples to prove that your solution can help the customer with this step. You can highlight case studies about buyers who solved their challenges using your product or service. Demonstrate that you’ve got a solid track record of dealing with the pain points.

Step 4: Engage the prospect by asking questions

One terrible mistake reps make is talking non-stop without asking for feedback from the audience. Marc Wayshak is a sales expert and says: 

Marc Wayshak quote
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Step 5: Repeat what you said in step 1

Your potential customers are likely to forget most of the things you said. Remind them by rephrasing their challenges and how your solution fixes them. End by saying: “Are there any questions?” Avoid saying, “ My presentation is over or has come to an end” or “Thanks for listening.” Move to the next stage after handling objections, if any.

Step 6: State the investment

It’s now time to say the cost of your product. The best thing is to frame the product price as an investment for the customer. It indicates that they’re making a worthwhile financial decision.

You could say: “ The investment for this product or service is…” After this, ask for the sale – which is your call to action. 

11 tips for a top-notch sales presentation

sales presentation tips

1. Know your audience

You should know the participants of your sales meeting. This way, you can understand what they’re looking for, their needs, and what will interest them the most. You can ask the contact person to provide you with the details to help zero in on what the audience wants.

2. Research on the prospects

The sales presentation isn’t about you – you’re not the session star. The attendees must be front and center of y0ur pitch. Because of this, you need to look up the prospect’s profiles on Google or LinkedIn. 

Find out their interests, publications, individual activities, awards, etc. Also, note that some meeting participants may check your online profile. Ensure it’s loaded with professionalism.

3. Prepare materials

Sales presentation hard copies can come in handy after the meeting. They can boost your conversion rate and help you follow up on the conversation. Organize price sheets, digital business cards,  brochures, case studies, white paper, press coverage or release, etc.

Also, ensure your handouts have information about who you’re, what you do, how you can help and work with them, and what they must do to do business with your company. Include the price options, the proposed contract terms and conditions, and contact details.

You could convert some documents into an interactive exercise, like a PDF with incomplete sentences. Your listeners can follow along and work on the activities to get engaged.

4. Clarify your roles

Make sure each presenter knows their responsibility before the meeting if it’s a team proposal presentation. Who’ll do what, and when? 

5. Tell a story

People like stories that resonate with their experiences. You can grab the audience’s attention and keep them glued by relating a case study of a client you helped. Note that the story should speak to their problems.

Relevant testimonials can develop credibility and trust. Start your story by saying: “I’m going to tell you a story.” It raises a sense of curiosity and expectation.

6. Use ‘no’ questions

Questions requiring yes answers are the most common. However, sales reps need to ask ‘no’ questions to allow the prospect to highlight any missing details in the presentation. You’ll get to know their challenges and how you can close the deal.

Here are examples of closed-ended questions to align your solution with the audience’s pain points. You can tweak them to suit your situation.

How well do your sales representatives utilize technology?

-Do you think your team should do more of Y?

-Would you say you’ve done your best in [insert area]?

-[Insert problem area] is it a challenge for your company?

Related: 19 Best sales discovery questions to close more deals

7. Be unconventional by speaking right to the left.

According to Sales Hacker,Everyone has expectations of presentations. Break them. In doing so you can not only help drive engagement but also show that you are in control of the presentation and drive the slides.

And this is how people expect y0u to present your sales pitch – from left to right or top to bottom. Instead, begin with your central point to encourage your audience to focus on you, not the slides.

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8. Talk about your competitors

Sales reps may think that including product competitors in their proposal presentation is a disadvantage. But discussing the rival’s strengths improves credibility showing your expertise and understanding of the customer’s problems.

Ensure that you demonstrate how your solution is better in fixing the audience’s challenges.

9. Avoid high-pressure selling tactics

A hard sale in your pitch shows that you’re more interested in getting rid of your product instead of helping the buyer. As a result, they can become more resistant. The better approach is guiding them to solve their problem based on their needs and budget.

 A satisfied and happy buyer can become your potent evangelist when they tell others how helpful your business is -you win more customers. 

10. Take charge of your sales presentation

Want to instill confidence in your delivery and solution? Avoid saying you think your product is the perfect fit for your prospects. Instead, let the attendees know that you trust what you offer by being persuasive and assertive. See the following examples.

Example 1

taking charge of presentation
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The above marketing messages include overused and abstract words: ‘productive,’ ‘productivity,’ ‘blow the roof,’’ and ‘blow you away.’ As a result, they’re not persuasive, concrete, emotional, and assertive. 

Example 2

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The last sentence is the best persuasive sales message- it’s concrete and emotional. You can also incorporate some statistics to add credibility.

11. Remember KISS

Many sales experts agree that concise sales presentations are the way to go. That’s because humans’ attention span is falling, as some studies claim. Your proposal presentation should follow KISS (Keep It Short & Simple). Or the 9-minute rule – meaning try to say everything in less than 9 minutes by spending between 2-3 minutes per slide.

Sales presentation styles

sales presentation styles

The following are examples of sales presentation approaches you can adopt in your delivery.

Connector style

As the name suggests, the sales presentation technique is like a two-way street. The presenter encourages the audience to respond to their content through open-ended questions. There’s dialogue, feedback, and active participation to allow the prospects to connect with you.

The visual approach

It’s a style that uses PowerPoint slides to create a powerful visual sales presentation. Sales reps can use this method for large audiences.  Also, it’s ideal if you’ve plenty of details you want to discuss. Slides can summarize the info- Visme lets you create different slides for varied listeners.

Freeform style

The technique relies on the salesperson’s skills to deliver a compelling sales pitch. And it leaves slides out of the presentation. You can use the style if you know your pitch inside and out and have little time for longer delivery.

Get inspired by these sales presentation examples

Richter

DemandGen

SalesScripter

Uber for business 

Also, watch the following sales presentation videos to get more ideas.

MIT

Mad Men

Summary on what makes a successful sales presentation

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Over to you

Sales presentations are a great way to close the deal. Here are critical things you should keep in mind when doing one.

-The first step in preparing for your presentation is identifying your audience, needs, and concerns. 

-The second step is to develop an outline that includes key points about how you’ll address these challenges or pain points. 

-The third step is to create visuals that’ll help you engage with your audience – these visuals should be clear, concise, and relevant to what you’re trying to say. 

-Finally, if you’re presenting in person, you must get into the right mindset by taking deep breaths before starting.

Also, watch the following 3-minute video on how you can give a top-class sales presentation.

Related: How to win buyers and influence revenue with your sales pitch

Unlock your B2B growth potential with sales intelligence

Real-time and precise data is the oil that drives the sales engine. However, as a salesperson, it would be challenging for you to manually collect, analyze and utilize heaps of data and meet your quotas simultaneously. In addition to relying on your sales experience and gut instinct, you need an intelligent approach that offers customized services to your cohort of well-informed buyers.

Enter sales intelligence! 

This article will help you understand what B2B sales intelligence stands for, where it comes from and how it helps boost your sales performance.

Let’s get cracking!

What is B2B sales intelligence?

sales intelligence definition sirius decisions
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To put it simply, sales intelligence refers to the data insights collected from multiple sources that help you discover your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile), analyze their behavior, and tailor your offerings to address their pain points. 

B2B sales intelligence spans way beyond the generic company and contact data. It offers you ingenious information about your prospects like their digital footprint, business goals, purchase records, current contracts, and much more. Sales intelligence marries prospect data with real-time buying signals that help you approach the right buyer at the right time. 

The data utilized by sales intelligence is generally segmented into the following categories.

Fit data

It helps you gauge your ICP’s requirements based on firmographic (company size, structure, etc.), technographic (prospect company’s technology stack), and demographic data.

Opportunity data

This data type highlights the set of conditions within a prospect company that indicates an ideal time to seek a sale. Some of these events may be corporate restructuring, company events, product launches, etc.

Intent data

It informs you about your prospect’s buying intent. This can be indicated by their social media activity, web page visits, etc.

What is sales intelligence software?

Here’s how software and sales marketplace G2 defines it.

sales intelligence definition G2
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Sales intelligence software automates your sales processes, which allows you to spend more time closing deals and less on research- whether it is related to discovering your ICP, lead qualification, or gathering buyer insights. When exploring such tools, it is crucial to review your goals and ensure your chosen platform aligns with them.

Based on application, sales intelligence software can be categorized into two types – Account-based and lead-based tools. In today’s data-driven world, account-based tools trump their lead-based counterparts to offer instantaneous, customized, and fitting insights.

Here’s why.

account based vs lead based sales intelligence

Where does sales intelligence come from?

We have established that sales intelligence is primarily about gathering intelligent insights from data. These intelligent tools or platforms use crawler technology that scours the web for publicly available information, which is then fed back into the tools.  

Below are some of the principal data sources used by sales intelligence tools.

 data sources used by sales intelligence tools
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Why do you need sales intelligence?

The global sales intelligence market is projected to reach $7.35 billion by 2030. The accelerated adoption of advanced solutions for enhanced customer targeting, increased demand for content optimization, and data enrichment tools have bolstered its growth exponentially. With a host of versatile features, sales intelligence has found its way across various stages of the B2B sales process.

Determine market potential

Inability to find potential ICPs may often give you the impression of a saturated target market. However, that may not be the case always. Sales intelligence offers you a detailed market overview and helps explore untapped opportunities by discovering your TAM (Total Addressable Market)

TAM is the amount of possible revenue for your B2B offering and is also indicated by the number of potential customers (companies) in the market. By inspecting your existing clientele, these efficient tools develop trends that fit your buyer personas and then identify companies or contacts that match those personas.

Identify  ICP

In sales, prospect research can be very time-consuming, precisely when done manually with insufficient resources. Sales intelligence software can analyze your existing customer profiles and search vast data sets to furnish targeted lists that fit your ICP. These tools compare fit data (prospect demographics, company details, etc.) with real-time insights like news articles, social media, contracts, etc., to make this happen.  

Lead qualification

Not every contact that fits your ICP is a potential client. You can spend a lot of time in a wild goose chase if you do not qualify prospects early in the sales cycle. 

Using sales intelligence gives you access to accurate and real-time lead data. These platforms can implement an effective lead scoring model by tracking your communication with prospects, their engagement rate like emails opened, content downloaded, etc., and then assigning scores to each contact. It also helps you gauge what works and what does not – when it comes to identifying your prospective customer.

Locate decision-makers

A prospect without buying power can cause delays in sales closures. Most sales intelligence tools have the option to filter contacts by designation. This way, you can make sure you reach out to the right person with buying authority, customize your outreach, and shorten the sales cycle.

Data hygiene and enrichment

Sales intelligence tools play a crucial role in maintaining and enriching your CRM data. The B2B business environment is ever-changing. Hence, you need a system that updates missing contact details and does that in real-time.

Furthermore, such software can provide additional information like industry updates and financial numbers, which are vital to tailoring your services for each prospect.

Capture buying signals

The ability to approach a sales-ready lead at the right time is no longer a far-fetched dream. Sales intelligence captures critical buying signals that identify prospects in the market right now, looking for services you offer. To gather such intel, it monitors multiple sources like news sites, social media activity, company websites, and industry news. Thus by capturing opportunity and intent data related to prospects, it gives you the correct window to approach them. 

Sales outreach

Sales intelligence elevates your sales outreach approach by offering contextual data about your prospects. As it creates your ICP based on existing customers, you are better placed to address their concerns. Additionally, it also analyzes customer behavior by monitoring their search patterns and reduces customer churn rate.

Automate sales processes with CRM integrations

Efficient sales intelligence tools can be easily integrated with CRM systems to automate non-revenue generating tasks. This provides a host of benefits.

  • It gives you more bandwidth to focus on closing sales.
  • CRM integration allows having all data insights in one place, which helps organize data and increases productivity.
  • Sales intelligence systems can automatically update missing contact details in your CRM.

Boost sales engagement

Relevant and up-to-date content is key to building engaging relationships with your prospects. Being able to provide meaningful insights to customers makes them feel heard. By applying sales intelligence you can automate and track your prospect communication via emails, phone calls, and social media engagement which helps you drill down the strategies that offer better results.

Sales forecasting

It brings better accuracy to sales forecasting, thus strengthening your sales strategy and accelerating growth. The data insights offered by sales intelligence help you understand who your prospective customers are, what they need, and how you can fulfill their business requirements. It also tracks your team’s performance so you can allocate resources strategically.

Competitive analysis

They say keep your friends close and enemies closer. Tracking your competitor’s behavior is key to gaining market share and closing maximum deals. However, this process can be time-consuming. Sales intelligence automates competitive analysis by tracking competitor behavior extensively.

Top sales intelligence platforms

sales intelligence tools

Listed below are sales intelligence platforms in no particular order, along with their  USPs. Most of these tools come with a  free trial which is a great way to understand their efficacy.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

The sales navigator gives you access to its full range of expansive database of 810 million members in more than 200 countries. This sales intelligence platform features powerful search capabilities and personalized algorithms and is also easily integrable with other CRMs.

Cost: Starts at $79.99 per user per month (billed annually). 

HubSpot Sales Hub

It is a sales CRM that offers sales engagement, configure-price-quote(CPQ) functionality, and sales analytics for growing teams. It automates your sales process using information from your sales intelligence data with in-depth analytics and reporting.

Cost: You can access its free CRM functionality that offers up to 1,000,000 contacts and no limits on users/customer data with no expiration date.

6Sense

Its account engagement platform provides rich account insights to engage with the right buyers at the right time with the right message. It allows you to prioritize the best accounts with in-market and ICP fit predictions and gauge your engagement rate with the buying team.

Cost: Book a demo for pricing options.

Demandbase Sales Intelligence Cloud

The platform offers account intelligence to spot opportunities earlier, engage intelligently, and accelerate deal closures. It provides precise company data, native intent data, expansive technographics, curated content, relevant news, and social insights – all in line with security practices and data privacy.

Cost: $150 per user per month

ZoomInfo

Its SalesOS helps you maximize productivity, accelerate pipeline, and achieve your revenue potential. It offers comprehensive contact and company data, insights into buyer intent, website visitor tracking, and contact tracking.

Cost: Get customized pricing for SalesOs based on your requirements

Apollo.ai

Apollo’s sales intelligence and revenue platform claims to increase your revenue tenfold. It allows you to search and engage over 220 million prospects, make data-based prospecting decisions based on split tests and sales analytics, enrich your CRM in real-time, and obtain verified emails and numbers directly from LinkedIn.

Cost: Starts from $39 per user per month (billed annually)

Clari

It provides complete deal visibility to identify spot risk, view deal inventory, and for accurate sales forecasting. It helps you view real-time data and AI-driven predictive insights.

Cost: Price available on request

Vainu

Vainu’s sales intelligence platform connects with your CRM  to find prospects quickly and visually. It lets you narrow down your search with 100 + company filters and instantly adds prospects to your CRM. You can also track your target companies and eliminate hours spent on tedious research with relevant information on your target accounts.

Cost: Starts from 6600€ per year with a one-time onboarding fee of 750€ 

Adapt

The platform helps increase your conversions with fresh B2B contact data along with actionable insights like hierarchy, company size, and industry. It ships prospect info directly to your CRM, enabling you to build complete contact profiles with contact info, demographics, and firmographics.

Cost: Get a quote on request

Echobot

Echobot’s sales intelligence software helps identify your prospective customers. It provides intelligent sales support, reduces preparation and research time, automates CRM data management, and promotes up-selling and cross-selling with relevant insights.

Cost: Get a price list by filling up their contact form.

Summing up

Sales intelligence is your one-stop solution to discover your ideal customer, engage them with intelligent and relevant content, track buyer behavior for the perfect sales window, and increase your win rate. It helps you keep pace with the changes in the high-powered B2B environment. Sales intelligence is the ultimate tool to transition from hard work to smart work while augmenting your sales performance.

Related: The compelling impact of artificial intelligence in sales

Answered: Your most burning questions about a sales kickoff

A sales kickoff is when a company gathers all its employees to share a common goal and vision. Its purpose is to inspire and motivate salespeople. Managers get feedback from their reps about their needs to succeed. You should plan it carefully and tailor it to the needs of your business and your employees. Also, a sales kickoff needs to be fun.

Read on to discover how you can successfully run a sales kickoff (SKO).

What is a sales kickoff, and how does it work?

Here’s the definition:

sales kickoff
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8 Benefits of running a sales kickoff 

benefits of sales kickoff

A sales kickoff is a highly anticipated event that can help inspire the sales team. It’s an opportunity for the company to share its vision, goals, and plans for the year. Check out the following eight benefits of a sales kickoff.

1. Sales kickoffs provide motivation

Sales kickoffs are an essential part of a business. They motivate employees, increase morale and make the work week more productive. 

2. SKO helps educate your team

Sales kickoffs help educate your team and get them on the same page. It’s a great way to teach everyone about your company and establish a unified vision. It helps build rapport with new employees and reconnect with long-time team members.

3. Sales kickoffs help you implement new strategies

Sales kickoff sessions are an essential part of a sales team’s success. It’s time to introduce new techniques, share them with the team, and inspire them. 

4. SKO gives you a roadmap to success

Every business needs a roadmap to success. A sales kickoff meeting is an event that kicks off the new year with goals, objectives, and a plan to meet those objectives. A well-executed sales kickoff can help boost morale, create better customer interactions and provide a sense of connection with co-workers.

5. Sales kickoffs create an energized environment

Sales kickoffs create an energized environment and get the team excited about a new product launch or sales goals. The event can motivate employees and generate excitement for the company’s unique purposes while also encouraging collaboration between departments.

6. Sales kickoffs are an excellent way to celebrate successes

There has been a lot of talk about the importance of rewarding successful employees. Sales kickoffs are a perfect way to do this.

7. SKO keeps your team on track with company goals

It’s always critical to stay focused on company goals. One way to do this is by hosting a sales kickoff each year. A sales kickoff can help motivate your team and keep them on track with company goals by reminding them of what they need to be working on.

8. Sales kickoff keeps your team excited and engaged

Sales kickoff is an important event that helps your team stay engaged and excited. It’s a time to celebrate the goals achieved and create an environment conducive to new purposes. Everyone can share their thoughts about what they would like to see in the coming year.

Best tips on how to conduct a successful sales kickoff

tips to conduct a sales kickoff

Clarify your objectives and choose an SKO theme

Every attendee of the sales kickoff needs to be clear on why the event is crucial to them. It means that before the meeting, you should define the purpose of the SKO around which you can develop a theme. Here are some questions to set the ball rolling.

  • What do we expect visitors will remember about this event?
  • What do we want to accomplish?
  • Is education our primary focus? New tools or motivation? 
  • Do you have any information about the product?
  • If your event is a success, how will we know?

You can develop a theme for your sales kickoff once your goals are clear. Check out the following SKO ideas to spark your imagination.

Fire up your sales

It’s a brilliant theme idea if your company has the following aims: introducing a new sales tactic or strategy, talking about recent market changes, launching new products, payment plan, etc. You can invite industry experts or top-performing reps to inspire salespeople with new sales techniques. But this should be related to your sector.

Creating customer connections

Your SKO can focus on how your company can improve customer relations by using a technology tool, such as  CRM software. In this case, you want to provide the latest information about how the platform can help sellers. 

 A vendor supplying the software can be part of the occasion to demonstrate the application’s benefits. You can also include a Q&A to allow reps to understand the software better.

Scaling new heights

A sales kickoff meeting can be a source of motivation and new challenges for your team. For example, you can emphasize this theme to inspire your salespeople with new internal processes or sales incentives programs. Or reps can have 1-on-1 or group meetings to share their experiences. Also, you can discuss your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses.

Get buy-in from your sellers

You can have a successful sales kickoff if you involve your reps in the planning stages. Well before the start of the event, use a poll or a survey to find out what they want to see in the meeting. Ask them about their career growth, dreams, plans, etc. 

The findings can show the reps’ interests and their goals -you can use this info to create themes and objectives.

Create excitement about your forthcoming event

Hollywood is brilliant in arousing interest in its future movies through film trailers, interviews of actors, adverts, etc. You can do the same on a small budget by asking your speakers to make short videos about their topics. Also, you can create videos centered around the themes to tease participants and build high expectations.

Create your SKO agenda

creating sales kickoff agenda

Check out some innovative ideas for your sales kickoff meeting plan.

  • Sales strategy lessons: Use internal or external real-life examples.
  • Skill development in sales: Focus on how sellers can overcome their fears, challenges, and customer objections.
  • Updates on the company product: Let your team see your solution from the buyer’s perspective – their likes and dislikes.
  • Company speakers: Invite internal staff, like account executives, a customer success team, etc., to share their hurdles and success stories.
  • Overall sales: Give an update on your business’ revenue, goals, customer support, etc. How well does it do in those areas? 
  • Competitors: Talk briefly about your organization’s market share vs. your rivals.

Related: 22 Most daunting sales objections and how to overcome them

The meeting is now up and running – here are some things you can do to inject fun and excitement.

Introduce healthy competitions

A sales kickoff meeting should be fun to keep the attendees engaged and excited. You can achieve this through sales competitions. For example, you can try the following creative activities:

  • Leaderboards with games and quizzes.
  • Sellers compete in creating killer pitches and rewarding the winner on the last day.
  • Awarding high-performing salespeople – hold a ceremony.

Encourage engagement among participants

While speakers can bring value to the SKO, impromptu interactions among the guests are also crucial. You need to leave free time on your schedule for reps to mingle and engage with other visitors. These informal conversations can strengthen relations, open new opportunities, and improve collaboration. 

Motivate your salespeople with real success stories

A sales kickoff is also an excellent time to inspire sellers with testimonies and case studies. Invite high-performing sales reps to talk about their challenges, how they overcome them, and their winning strategies. You can change these success stories into case studies for reference in the future.

Consider your wins and losses from a customer’s point of view

Organize a session where two buyers can share their experiences with your company or product. One customer can talk about why they bought your solution, how it fixes their pain points and the sales process.

The other buyer can share their dislike about your sales cycle, why they’re uninterested in your product, what they think about the sellers, etc.  Your team will understand what they need to do to close more deals.

Your sales kickoff is over; what’s next? Here are some things you can do after the SKO event. 

Reinforce the sales kickoff lessons

Salespeople will likely forget most of the information they learned during the occasion. It’s not anyone’s fault – it’s human nature. However, you can help them remember and practice the concepts through reinforcement.

You can share slide decks or presentations with sales leaders and sellers. Also, keep the most crucial lessons on the reps’ minds by reminding them throughout the year. Follow up on the agreed sales techniques or tactics by asking individual sellers how well they use them. 

Also, encourage the attendees to teach others who weren’t part of the meeting. This way, they can keep the SKO fresh and implement its recommendations. Incentives or awards are also a great way to motivate your team to apply the lessons.

Cash in on the feedback

The SKO participants have a mine of views concerning the meeting. So, collect feedback from the visitors about what they feel went right or wrong about the sales kickoff. Use surveys or polls. 

The findings can help you design a training program to improve sales performance or the next SKO. You can also use the ideas to develop a content marketing strategy for your customers.

What could an SKO meeting look like? See the following three examples.

Sales kickoff meeting examples

sales kickoff agenda
sales kickoff agenda
sales kickoff agenda

What’s a virtual sales kickoff, and do you need it?

A virtual sales kickoff is a way to get the entire company on the same page before salespeople go out and talk to customers. It’s a remote team meeting where everyone can see and hear what’s going on. 

An SKO is an excellent way for new hires to get up to speed or for remote employees who work at home all day to participate in meetings. It also allows people to ask questions they might not feel comfortable asking in person.

Having a virtual sales kickoff saves time, reduces travel costs, and helps your employees feel more connected with each other and their work.

How do you run a successful virtual sales kickoff?

A successful virtual sales kickoff will have a clear beginning, middle, and end plan. There should be plenty of time allotted for Q&A sessions to allow participants to ask any questions they may have. The most important part of this meeting is ensuring enough content to keep the salespeople engaged.

Wrapping up

The first step for a successful sales kickoff is to get all the necessary resources ready. It includes ensuring enough space for everyone, food, drinks on hand, and letting people know about the kickoff beforehand.

The next step is to plan out your schedule and decide when to start with your opening remarks, and have time for breaks during the day. 

The final step is to ensure you have clear objectives for everyone to know what they should be doing on the day.

Related: Sales meetings: Best practice to run effective sales meetings in 10 minutes

Build endearing business relationships with the Sandler sales methodology

Surviving in the cut-throat sales world requires you to be consistently on top of your game. Every prospect/account is different in sales, and applying the proper sales methodology can help you navigate dynamic sales cycles faster and more efficiently. Our previous blog, 9 Sales methodologies: How to win buyers and influence sales, explored various sales processes that help you improve your win rate. This article will dive deep into the workings of the Sandler sales methodology and how it can help you reach those sales milestones.

Before we get down to the nitty-gritty, let’s define this compelling sales technique.

What is the Sandler sales methodology?

David sandler quote
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The Sandler selling methodology was developed in 1967 by the founder of Sandler Training, David Sandler. What differentiates it from other sales methods is that it celebrates the consultative sales approach. This technique encourages salespeople to qualify prospects by asking probing questions which helps them validate the opportunity during the early stages of the sales process. Additionally, the buyer feels heard and in control of the buying cycle, which is critical for building sustainable business relationships.

However, if you are in sales, you must have come across multiple sales methodologies that guarantee increased revenue. So, what is so special about this particular technique?

Keep reading to find out.

Why is the Sandler selling system important in sales?

Rebecca Schmidt Sandler method quote
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It is worth noting that many successful sales reps still practice a 50-year methodology in a high-powered environment like sales. Yet, they do have solid reasons for their faith in this method. 

  • Sandler sales technique has proven success rates. 88% of salespeople have enhanced their sales strategy with Sandler, and 50% more have hit their sales quota than those that haven’t applied this technique. 
  • It helps build trust between sales professionals and their prospects, which creates a stellar brand reputation and augments repeat sales.
  • Instead of pushing your product to every prospect, this system trains you to find the ideal buyer for your offerings. It convinces the customer that your product can solve their pain points and that addressing their requirements is a high priority for both parties.
  • Qualifying prospects early in the sales cycle helps salespeople remove objections, focus only on interested parties, and save time in last-minute negotiations.
  • It helps improve the deal size, shorten the sales cycle, clean up the sales pipeline, enhance sales forecasting, and maintain price margins.

Now that we have defined and discussed the importance of this selling technique, it’s time to deconstruct the Sandler sales system.

The 3 stages of the Sandler sales process

sandler method stages

According to sandler.com, while different sales methodologies train you to get better at playing the sales game, the Sandler method utilizes three key stages that keep you from playing any such game. These three primary stages are-

Building and nurturing relationships

The Sandler sales methodology stresses on fostering long-term relationships. You can achieve this by-

  • Moving beyond the manipulations of the buyer-seller dance and focusing on building rapport with clients
  • Being clear about expectations
  • Gathering requirements through incisive questions

Qualifying opportunities

This stage involves finding the right fit for your product, not the other way around. You decide whether your offering solves your prospect’s requirement and qualifies the buyer by understanding their budget, timeline, and buying authority.

Closing the sale

After carefully screening the prospect, you address their concerns via a no-pressure presentation. Once the buyer agrees to the deal, you confirm the agreement and set post-sales service expectations.

The three stages discussed here are further segmented into the seven compartments of the Sandler submarine. But why submarine and not any other battleship? 

Continue reading.

The Sandler Submarine and its 7 compartments

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David Sandler was a World War II movie aficionado, and this sales system was inspired by his fascination for submarines.

How is the submarine related to Sandler sales method?

  • David Sandler designed the Sandler method in line with the structure of a sub. When under attack, the submarine crew moves through each compartment closing behind the door to previous compartments to avoid flooding. Keeping with this rationale, the Sandler technique guides salespeople to move through various sales cycle stages to prevent setbacks and arrive successfully at the closure stage.
  • Submarines operate in stealth mode as they run silently underwater. Sellers following the Sandler method stick to the same ideology of working hard with resilience, barring the usual pomp and show of the sales business.
  • Like the submarine crew, salespeople in this technique must secure each sales cycle stage before moving on to the next one. Going back may result in losing the deal, which for a submarine sailor equates with sinking the sub and losing lives.
  • Submarine sailors are one of the most courageous and disciplined people. Similarly, Sandler sales enthusiasts must brave the general fear and insecurity around losing out on multiple opportunities during the initial qualification process to get to their ultimate goal of harnessing a few but successful future relationships.
  • Sandler followers base their decision on objectivity and logic rather than on their gut instinct and emotional state.

What are the 7 compartments of the Sandler submarine?

The seven compartments of the Sandler submarine represent the seven principles of the Sandler sales methodology.

1. Practise rapport building

rapport building

Human beings have the pre-conceived notion that all salespeople are pushy and self-serving. Hence they instinctively put up their defenses while communicating with a salesperson. This principle suggests that you defy general perceptions and concentrate your efforts on bonding with your prospect. Building rapport helps you switch from transactional selling to a trust-building approach. Here are a few sandler sales tips to support this principle.

  • Assess your communication style and understand your value proposition – Before you devise a strategy to interact with your prospects, look inwards and analyze your sales approach. It is only natural for you to treat your prospects like you expect them to treat you. But, every prospect is different, and you need to adapt your communication style to fit every personality type. Moreover, it is essential to know your worth and what you bring to the table. 
  • Know that both buyers and sellers are of equal stature – It is critical to comprehend that being on the selling side does not undermine your value. Consider yourself a skilled interviewer whose sole intention is to help the customer. Project yourself as an expert in your field by asking intelligent questions that make the prospect comfortable sharing their opinions.
  • Make honesty your foremost policy – Being transparent with your prospect and showing your vulnerabilities will help them put their guard down. This strategy disarms the prospect and offers them the liberty to share their actual intentions.
  • Do not give in to self-serving tendencies –  Be extremely careful not to appear self-involved in front of your prospect. Pay attention to what they have to say and understand their concerns in detail. When it comes to existing clients, check in with them now and then instead of calling them only for up-selling opportunities.

2. Initiate up-front contracts

up-front contracts

Setting clear ground rules is a critical component of the Sandler selling methodology. This alerts both the buyer and seller to know what to expect from the sales process. Adopting this approach will greet your prospect with a welcome surprise, help establish behavioral boundaries and determine the steps to manage set expectations.

Ensure your upfront contracts highlight the following aspects

  • Share your objectives – Disclose what you expect to establish in the meeting. It also helps to ask the prospect what they expect from a discussion.
  • Set your agenda – Inform your prospect of what you plan to do before, during, and after the meeting.
  • Determine your buyer’s agenda – Anticipate what your prospect will be doing before, during, and after the meeting.
  • Inform timelines –  Respecting your buyer’s time and getting their approval on the meeting time frame is paramount.
  • Outline your end goals – Set and disclose your goals for the meeting – topics covered, ensuing steps post-meeting, etc.

For in-depth information on establishing your up-front contracts, listen to this episode from Selling the Sandler Way Podcast hosted by Dave Mattson, the president and CEO of Sandler Training.

3. Unveil your buyer’s pain

This step initiates the qualification stage. Pain is an extreme emotion that motivates people to drastically change their lives. Make it your goal to first determine if your prospect has a concern that you could address and then uncover this underlying pain.

But how do you do that? Follow the questions outlined in the Sandler Pain Funnel, which is a series of open-ended questions designed to uncover your prospect’s requirements. This step may occur over a series of email exchanges or phone calls.

sandler pain funnel
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4. Ascertain your prospect’s budget

Straightening out budgetary constraints in the early stages is beneficial for buyers and sellers alike. It allows prospects to move along the sales process without feeling obliged to sellers and helps the salesperson to customize a proposal based on the allotted budget.

If you often hesitate to bring up money during your first sales call, the results from this experiment should put your mind at ease.

Gong experiment
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As indicated in this study, discussing the prospect’s budget within the initial 38 mins of the first sales call increases your chances of closing the deal. But how do you do that? Take a look at the sample questionnaire and customize it based on your requirements.

questions to ascertain budget
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When following the Sandler sales technique, it is critical to go through this step before moving on to your presentation/proposal.

5. Figure out your prospect’s decision-making process

Buyer's pain
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Now that you have discovered your prospect’s objective, pain points, and budget, it is time to work out the details of their decision-making process. To understand this, you can use questions like the one mentioned below.

Buying process questions

It would not be ideal to move further into your Sandler submarine should you be unhappy with the answers to these questions. It becomes much easier for you to draft a suitable proposal that is more likely to be accepted when you are aware of the who, where, when, what, and how of their decision-making process. 

6. Fulfill your buyer’s need

This step is all about delivering a tailored solution that drove the buyer to your door and fulfills his needs. If you have ardently followed the previous principles of the Sandler sales program, this is how this stage should appear.

  • You are delivering a no-pressure presentation with the sole desire of solving your prospect’s pain points.
  • Depending on your prospect company’s regulations,  an informal discussion can replace the presentation where you are just re-iterating set expectations.
  • The buyer will decide, one way or another, without dillydallying as there are no hidden objections at this point.
  • If this step does not feel a lot smoother than your previous communications, know that you may have missed an essential element of the Sandler selling method. 

7. Finish strong with a suitable post-sell conversation

Closing the sale should not end your communication with the buyer.  Prepare them for the transition that’s about to occur and ensure a smooth onboarding experience to prevent buyer’s remorse. Standing by their side at this critical juncture will open up future opportunities like referrals or repeat business.

Asking questions similar to the ones mentioned below will make them feel a gratifying sense of time and money well-spent.

Onboarding questions
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This concludes the seven core principles of the Sandler sales methodology. You could also look at the following video for additional help in incorporating this sales technique into your sales strategy.

Win your prospect to win the deal

Bo Bennett quote

The Sandler method is just one of the many sales methodologies that help you sell more efficiently. However,  it is a time-tested technique to build a deeper connection with your prospects and nurture the buyer-seller relationship based on mutual trust and respect. Using this method sets you apart from the average salesperson as it focuses primarily on prospect qualification than pushing your agenda. 

Trying to find the ideal fit for your offering does bring in the additional risk of closing fewer sales. Hence, the Sandler sales methodology is found to be effective mostly in complex B2B sales where it is less about following the law of averages and more about investing time with qualified buyers But, ultimately, if you can win your prospect, winning deals become a much more fulfilling experience.

Related: 11 guiding principles to a bulletproof sales negotiation strategy