The meek will inherit nothing...

With the beginning of March and just a few short weeks before the end of the Q, life in the world of us in the profession of Sales is totally focused on what we can bring across the finish line by the end of this month. 

I love the science of sales!!!

The way I practice my own sales work, the way we work with customers to leapfrog productivity, and what I teach in my Tufts "Science of Sales" course is all captured in a constant rhythm in my head of...

  • Process: build a formal customized process of steps from qualified leads to closed deals
  • Tools: build specific customized sales and marketing tools into those process steps
  • Technology: build all of that into an easy-to-use tech stack with instant reporting
  • Math: build in AI-forecasted metrics that are immediately useful to the salespeople 
  • People:  build a culture that attracts, constantly trains and promotes the best

If the best auto mechanics, surgeons, pilots and other critical professions are built on process, training and certifications, why should the professions of Sales be any different?  And, in fact the very best salespeople and sales companies we work with incorporate in their culture of being the best exactly this same discipline and are constantly refining their processes and tools.

Improve sales productivity by 25%Sales funnels constantly capture how I think about Sales

Although I love and breathe Hubspot, I still have not fully adapted their flywheel way of thinking introduced a couple of years ago. 

For me, I begin at the top of the funnel qualifying leads and end up at the bottom closing deals, and although I technically know that the Discovery step is the #1 most important step in any sales funnel, I still need to move to actually closing x number of deals in a calculated period of y days before the end of every month and every quarter.

 

you cannot be meek in Crossing over the line

Winning is about winning!  It's about putting points on the board before the buzzer sounds and the clock runs out. Crossing over the line in Sales does not mean that you need to change your demeanor or your style.  It doesn't mean that you need to become someone you are not or being "aggressive" or "pushy". 

What it does mean is that you need to use different tools and different tactics to move to a close both for your own success in your quota, and most importantly for the value that you are about ready to bring your new customer.  They also need to close in their rhythm of their own business cycle.   

Closing does mean that at a point you need to "cross over the line" both in your use and the timing of the words you use and your trained approach to actually using your own customized closing tactics.  

 

Zig Ziglar and sales successI learned from the best and still remember being captivated by Zig Ziglar on stage and devouring his books and always having his cassette tapes playing in my car.  As corny and as "old-fashioned" as he might look today, the guy was a genius in process and tools back in the day when the practice of sales was largely based on long trips, martini lunches, time on the golf course and resort vacations disguised as industry conferences. 

Zig took the practice of sales to the level of making it a profession, and he excelled in the art of closing deals.

 

38 Different ways to close a Deal

I'm nowhere near the capabilities or brilliance of Zig, but I did put together this video a few years ago to bring to light a few of the 38 different ways of crossing over the line to get to a close.  I personally use three of these all of the time since they fit my style and my own sales process and tools.  Send me a note or post here what works for you.  

Have a great day selling today...and enjoy what should be a slightly warmer weekend!

Jack Derby, Tufts Professor & Sales Coach AN ANYTIME sales SOUNDING BOARD IN '22 

If at any time this year, you have a need for a confidential sounding board for your 2022 business or sales planning process, just connect with me!  Text or email me, and I'll quickly set up a call.  I'm a very good listener, and we can get deep into tactics if you want. Obviously, no cost for a call or two; just an opportunity to listen intently and make a few recommendations based on decades of experience.

www.derbymanagement.com

Derby Entrepreneurship Center@Tufts. 

 

 

 

Tags: Sales Optimization, sales effectiveness, sales tools, how to close sales, sales process, how to write a sales plan, sales management productivity, 2022 sales planning