Our sales effectiveness and service programs address the following skill sets:
| Building customer relationships Discovering customer needs Identifying your value proposition Targeting the right clients Managing a pipeline Facilitating decision making |
Negotiating to win outcomes Building confidence with negotiations Developing a customer-centric culture Delivering service excellence skills Motivating your sales team Coaching for performance |
The following summarizes the management development curriculum that is available as classroom-based workshops, blended online learning programs, and webinars.
Relationship Selling
Relationship Selling equips sales professionals with the skills to develop new business, expand existing accounts, and offer greater value through the establishment of relationships with customers.
The following outlines the modules for this consultative sales program. This course is available as a facilitator-led workshop that includes a dynamic sales simulation, or as a blended online training solution that includes reinforcements and practice sessions.
Module 1: Relationship Selling as a Strategy
In today’s competitive marketplace, having good products and services is not enough to maintain your competitive advantage. The way to keep customers is by building strong business relationships. During this module, we look at the abundant benefits of relationship selling, and define the steps of the relationship sales process.
Module 2: Preparing for Sales Calls
Preparing to meet with customers takes time and energy, but it’s well worth it. During this module, we explore how to get an appointment and how to prepare for your sales calls. We also discuss the importance of making the most of the time you have with a prospective customer.
Module 3: Discovering Customer Needs
Effective salespeople are good communicators. They ask good questions and listen to the responses in order to learn about their customers. During this module, we discuss communication skills that enable you to manage the discovery process and better understand your customer’s needs.
Module 4: Defining Value
An important aspect of relationship selling is knowing how each of your customers defines value, and knowing what value you can provide to them. During this module, we discuss how value can differentiate your products and services in a crowded marketplace, and we identify ways to communicate the value you bring.
Module 5: Recommending Solutions
Customers want solutions that will address their needs and help them achieve their objectives. During this module, we look at how to develop a solution that will do that, and how to communicate the benefits of your products and services as part of that solution.
Module 6: Handling Objections
Effective salespeople are skilled at handling objections. In fact, they are more concerned when they don’t receive objections! During this module, we introduce a six-step process to successfully position objections as a positive aspect of winning the business.
Module 7: Closing the Sale
With a relationship selling approach, you’re “closing” all throughout the sales process by gaining agreement on needs, understanding how you can provide value, and recommending solutions that are on target. All that’s left is asking for the business and handling any objections the customer might bring up. During this module, we explore ways to do just that—with confidence!
Performance Outcomes:
- Improve their performance as a result of learning new relationship selling skills.
- Experience what it is like to be a customer through a business simulation.
- Acquire more confidence and professionalism in their selling activities.
Business Simulation:
Relationship Selling includes a custom-designed “real world” business simulation. The simulation incorporates a fictitious customer profile that is typical for your organization and market. Sales teams compete for the business of this customer, and everyone wins! This experience provides an outstanding opportunity for participants to practice new skills and gain valuable feedback.
Delivery Options:
- Workshop/Classroom-Based Instruction: 16 Hour Session
- Facilitator-Led Webinar: Two 4-Hour Sessions
- Blended Learning: Six 20-minute online courses (prework), plus manager/trainer facilitated team workshops
Strategic Account Management
To be successful in today’s competitive sales world, sales professionals must work smart and target the right customers. Account Management and Development provides sales professionals with the knowledge and skills to plan effectively and use their time in the field advantageously.
The following outlines the modules for this hands-on, tools-rich sales program. This course is available as a facilitator-led workshop that includes customized case studies, or as a webinar.
Module 1: The Importance of Sales Planning
During this module, we discuss the importance of sales planning and working strategically with accounts. The module outlines the characteristics of high-performing salespeople and presents the steps in the process of effective account management and development.
Module 2: Targeting the Right Customers
This module identifies a process to target those customers with the highest potential for business opportunities. The module also outlines how to develop a target account profile that determines whether the customer is a “strategic fit” with your organization.
Module 3: Developing Contacts
Within this module, participants learn to identify key contacts in each target account. We address different buying roles, how those roles affect the buying decision, how to assess what is important to the customer, and how to provide value.
Module 4: Managing the Sales Process
During this module, we introduce the concept of a sales pipeline and how the various steps relate directly to the sales process. We also identify specific activities required to facilitate the buying decision.
Module 5: Implementing Sales Strategies
This module outlines how to develop and implement strategies to generate additional business with both prospective and existing customers. In addition, the module discusses the importance of sharing best practices related to strategic account planning.
Performance Outcomes:
- Effectively target the right customers.
- Identify key contacts and determine their role in the buying decision.
- Develop sales strategies to increase business with new and existing customers.
- Apply a sales development tool to outline the account strategies and tactics needed to increase their sales.
Delivery Options:
- Workshop/Classroom-Based Instruction: 8 Hour Session
- Facilitator-Led Webinar: 4 Hour Session
Negotiating to Win3
With all of the options available to customers making a purchasing decision, many products and services seem to be differentiated only by price. Price is not; however, a sustainable strategic differentiator and can change at any time. Negotiating to Win³ provides sales professionals with the skills to move customers from reluctance to commitment by focusing on the value your organization brings to the table. Your salespeople learn valuable negotiation skills and how to sell with conviction.
The following outlines the modules for this sales development program. This course is available as a facilitator-led workshop that includes a customized case study, or as a webinar.
Module 1: Negotiating to Win/Win/Win
During this module, we emphasize that negotiating is a process used to arrive at an outcome that benefits everyone: the customer, the salesperson, and the organization.
Module 2: Understanding Yourself
This module presents the five basic negotiation styles, specifies the behaviors associated with each style, and explains how each style affects the negotiation process and the salesperson’s approach.
Module 3: Understanding Your Customer
Understanding your customers and what constitutes a win for them is essential. During this module, we outline structured questions to ask to discover the customer’s interests and concerns, and to determine how customers perceive the value you offer them.
Module 4: Planning for the Negotiation
During this module, we outline how to identify concessions other than price that are of value to the customer. This module demonstrates how to plan your questions to gain a deeper understanding of the customer’s requirements.
Module 5: Conducting the Negotiation
Maintaining a good customer relationship throughout the negotiation process is essential to the sale. During this module, we outline seven negotiating techniques that facilitate and ensure a “win” for all concerned with the sale.
Performance Outcomes:
- Move customers from reluctance to commitment by focusing on value.
- Identify concessions beyond price that are of value to the customer.
- Structure questions to discover the customers’ interests vs. positions.
- Maintain customer relationships throughout the negotiation process.
- Sell with conviction.
Delivery Options:
- Workshop/Classroom-Based Instruction: 8 Hour Session
- Facilitator-Led Webinar: 4 Hour Session
Coaching for Sales Results
A successful coaching experience for both the coach and the salesperson will result in increased performance and productivity. Coaching for Sales Results introduces sales managers to the coaching process, and teaches core skills to ensure effective sales coaching in the field.
The following outlines the modules for this sales management program. This course is available as a facilitator-led workshop that includes customized coaching scenarios, or as a blended online training solution that includes a classroom-based or webinar session.
Module 1: Introduction to Coaching
Within this module, we define coaching and performance development as a sales management practice for improving sales rep and team performance. The module outlines what coaching is and when coaching is most effective. In addition, we present the benefits of coaching for both the manager and sales professional.
Module 2: The Sales Coaching Process
This module introduces the coaching process which outlines action steps to ensure a successful coaching experience. The process includes:
1. Setting the tone;
2. Identifying the performance issue or development opportunity;
3. Establishing goals;
4. Generating development ideas;
5. Planning the action steps. In addition, the module applies the coaching process to actual work-related coaching opportunities.
Module 3: Coaching Success Factors
During this module, we present the success factors to increase the effectiveness of the coach. We also focus on maintaining positive and constructive intent behind the coaching, gaining buy-in from the salesperson, and providing constructive feedback to engage the person and gain commitment.
Module 4: Coaching Back on the Job
This module addresses how to implement sales coaching back on the job—from overcoming obstacles to making coaching part of everyday management practices. The module also applies the coaching skills and process to actual workplace examples.
Performance Outcomes:
- Understand how coaching can impact sales productivity, employee satisfaction, and retention.
- Apply a proven coaching process in a variety of coaching situations.
- Provide effective feedback.
- Use the coaching success factors that will make coaching more productive for both the coach and person being coached.
- Apply the coaching skills back on the job.
Delivery Options:
- Workshop/Classroom-Based Instruction: 8 Hour Session
- Facilitator-Led Webinar: 4 Hour Session