Selling the Sage Way

To transform into "Trusted Advisors" with our customers we must be both "trustworthy" and "competent", but which is more important?  Listen to this episode to find out.

Adopting a consistent selling process across the organization certainly drives better performance.  However, in this episode I discuss which methodologies are best as well as custom suits, taco bell, and golf.

To be a pro's pro when it comes to professional selling, mastering "objection handling" is a critical skill that can define your success or failure on your journey to becoming a "trusted advisor".  

Learn how three (3) key sales KPI's can dramatically impact your selling performance and compound your ROI.

There is no better way to grow your bookings, earnings, and career than mastering the skill of negotiation.  Learn unique insights about the Negotiation step in the Sage Customer Centric Selling Framework.

Learn how to effectively navigate the buyer's journey in the decision process.  Understand the when, who, and what is involved to get the buyer from where they are today, to a decision date, that is mutually agreed upon by both parties.

Why is discussing money with customers so uncomfortable and anxiety producing?  Listen to this episode to understand how to not blow up your deals when talking money and maximize your close rates and average selling prices.

Now that you understand your customer's challenges, the economic impact and priority of solving the challenges you are ready to embark on the "Solution" step in the Sage Customer Centric Selling Framework.  

In this episode you will learn next level qualification and discovery skills, which is the heart and soul of selling.  Sellers who master opportunity qualification are the one's consistently crushing their numbers because they only work on deals that are worthy of their time, increasing their chances for success significantly.  

Learn why and how to create a "Mutual Understanding" agreement with your customer on the front end of every meeting.  This will decrease resistance during the meeting, allow for deep discovery, and make sure both parties reach an outcome for the meeting.  This is a critical foundational element of any strong selling methodology.

Learn a bit of software industry history and how the Customer Success function came to be.  Also learn what the CS rep is really selling.  It may surprise you.

In this episode you learn how to deal with a "blind rfp", which has been written by the incumbent vendor, and still find a way to win the business.

Learn how and why PPS (premature presentation syndrome) kills more deals and success than anything in sales.  In addition, learn how "timing" of when to present is everything.

"Price is Never the Real Issue" is a core fundamental selling belief we must have if we want to transform into professional sellers and trusted advisors for our clients.  Listen and learn how to overcome this standard "pricing objection".

Reinforcement is important to maximize the ROI of sales training.  Learn four (4) specific ways you can reinforce the training post engagement to institutionalize the Sage customer centric selling framework.

A fun little story about the inspiration of the company name and logo.  It's not what you think.

Learn the challenges of the modern day SaaS seller or sales organization.  Buyers are more sophisticated than ever, there is "Hyper-Competition" amongst vendors competing for wallet share, and sales talent (AE's, SE's, Mgt) is super scarce.  

Mutual Outcome Plans (MOP's) can help you enhance your qualification skills and selling process.  Learn how to leverage MOP's to drive higher quality opportunities for you and your company.

The best sales people realize their time is critically important.  They want to make sure they are working on the "right" deals that are going to yield the greatest return on their investment.  Getting to "no" quickly is a skill required in order to get to "yes".  Listen to this short episode to understand what I mean.

My students greatly benefit from my training.  However, there is a small minority that have the desire to best at the top of the leader board consistently.  They treat their sales profession as a craft and are always working on it.  Listen to this episode to find out what they are doing that sets them apart and allows them to make seven figure commissions.

"If you cannot be with the one you love, love the one you are with" (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young).  Not only is this a great song but an awesome selling tactic.  Listen to this short snackable podcast to learn why and how to leverage.

The best negotiators are first and foremost the best sellers.  I share some lessons learned, strategy and tactics that come from closing thousands of transactions and negotiating billions of dollars in software licensing.

The best sales people, especially early in the sales cycle, do the least amount of speaking but have the greatest amount of impact, per word, when they do.  This episode focuses on the skill of "active listening" and why it's important that your customer makes the first presentation during the selling cycle.

This episode briefly describes the four components (vision, guiding principles, dynamic methodology, conversational selling intelligence) that make up the Sage Customer Centric Selling Framework and why they are critical to institutionalize across your selling organization.

Your vision of becoming your customer's "Trusted Advisor" must be anchored in certain beliefs or principles that guide your actions as a seller.  This podcast describes the importance of having those beliefs and how they become your sherpa on the journey to trusted advisorship.