08 February 2010 | Miller Heiman

Ask your sales team this question to move sales forward:

What are you doing to keep your funnel from drying up?

If you’re in sales, there’s probably no better feeling than closing a sale. And there’s no worse feeling than having no prospects.

The key to avoiding a dry funnel is to consistently feed the top with potential opportunities. To reduce how low you go into the valleys of your sales cycle, prospecting must be a top priority – right behind closing business. Try keeping this tip posted close:

Every time I close something, prospect or qualify something else.

Consider incorporating consistent prospecting efforts into your daily efforts. For example, rather than devoting a specific amount of minutes, try making five daily attempts to generate or qualify leads. Or, if you like using your calendar, block the first and last 15 minutes of each working day to make prospecting calls or researching those you’re planning to reach out to. And don’t forget, some of your best prospects for new business are those you’ve worked with in the past. Look for opportunities to contact past customers who may be experiencing new challenges.

Consistent prospecting is vital to a healthy sales funnel, and the success of the sales organization. Pay attention to the sales that need to be closed, yes, but don’t forget about rounding up new opportunities too.

For more tips about creating opportunities, check out
“The Miller Heiman Prospecting Guide: Best Practices for Maximizing New Business Development.”

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

No Comments

01 February 2010 | Miller Heiman

If you could only ask one question of your sales team this week to move sales forward, ask this:

What are your sales calls accomplishing?

Have you ever spent 30 minutes on the phone with a prospect or customer, only to have nothing to show for it? Not only did you waste your time, you also wasted their time. And think about it – you really only have so few selling hours in a year, right?

To move any sale forward, you’ll need to ask for incremental commitments. Comments like “let me think about the proposal” or “I’ll get back to you next month” are too vague to hold anyone accountable. The key is to end every call with a commitment from the customer to do something by a specific date. A good commitment from your customer would sound similar to this:

“I’ll present this information to my boss by during our meeting next Friday and get back to you on Monday.”

But customers won’t always volunteer to do things so be prepared to ask for commitment.

“You mentioned you are meeting with your boss on Friday to discuss this initiative.  Will you present the information we discussed and get back to me with her feedback on Monday?”

At the beginning of a sale, these actions may be small in nature, but as the relationship builds, it is possible to begin asking for larger commitments. Without asking your customers to engage with you, you’re doing the heavy lifting yourself and wasting their time. If that continues, the opportunity will eventually flop. Asking for customer help will go a long way to securing business.

photo credit: Bug-a-Lug(”,)

No Comments

15 January 2010 | Miller Heiman

If you could only ask one question of your sales team this week to move sales forward, ask this:

Are we engaged in lose-win or win-lose opportunities?

Have you ever been willing to give a bit more than you really wanted just to close the sale?

Ever given so much of a discount to win an account that it hurt your organization more than it helped? For example: a negative profit that set a precedent and now customers always expect a low price. (A lose-win occurs when you lose while the customer wins).

Or perhaps closed a sale knowing the customer wasn’t quite happy with the solution? (A win-lose occurs when you win while the customer loses).

Justifications for these actions may seem reasonable: “I don’t have many opportunities in my funnel to close,” or “I’m just doing what I need to do to make numbers.” But many sales professionals forget to calculate the ramifications of engaging in anything but win-win sales. These opportunities have the potential to turn into a lose-lose and hurt your company’s ability to secure business in the long run.

Win-win opportunities ensure you and your customer are satisfied with the sale – which typically result in loyal customers. Playing win-win with can also increase the number of referrals for your organization.

To learn more about playing win-win, click here.

Do you have a story of a lose-win or win-lose opportunity that went wrong? Share with us today!

2 Comments

08 January 2010 | Miller Heiman

If you could only ask one question of your sales team this week to move sales forward, ask this:

Have you spoken to the final decision maker directly, or is someone else carrying your message?

Unfortunately, the sales profession isn’t one that can rely on any sort of courier system. When it comes to discussing your company’s solution with those who will make that all-important yes or no decision, connecting with them yourself is critical to the success of the sale.

• Don’t be  intimidated –  it lets you get comfortable with someone else relaying your message instead of requesting a better meeting time for the final decision maker. Remember, regardless of title, they’re human, too.

• Dispel uncertainty with a valid business reason –    present solid information on how you can make a contribution to the way he or she is doing business . This allows you to be firm and confident enough to request a live conversation.

Do you have additional techniques that get you to the final decision maker? Share them with us.

No Comments

28 December 2009 | Miller Heiman

The wild and crazy ride that was 2009 is just about over. Are you ready for 2010? Some dedicated planning can help you meet the new year with confidence.

We’ve highlighted a few actions you and your organization can focus on now to improve sales results. The following recommendations are featured in Miller Heiman’s Year-End Guide for Sales Leaders: Strategies for Finishing the Current Year Strong and Starting Fast in the Coming Year:

• Work on closing the gap between leadership and field-team forecasts.
• Know where your organization is investing in growth and incorporate those priorities into next year’s plan.
• Invest in ways to help salespeople build strong customer relationships.
• Invest in ways to help salespeople improve their performance.
• Encourage salespeople to aim high; assure them that they won’t be penalized if they don’t hit their ambitious stretch targets.
• Determine the amount of new business, existing business and churn you expect next year; make sure your plan includes specific strategies for addressing each.
• Review the sales pipeline and set priorities about which opportunities to pursue.

Together, those steps will go a long way toward making the new year be exactly what it should be: an exciting time brimming with fresh opportunities for growth.

To read more, download the entire resource guide here. Additional articles include “When’s this Sale Going to Close: A Best Practice for Shortening Sales Cycle Length” and “Strategic Planning for Dummies and Experts Alike.”

1 Comment

21 December 2009 | Miller Heiman

If you could only ask one question of your sales team this week to move sales forward, ask this:

Are we pursuing opportunities we have with customers to strengthen or expand the business?

Many times, trends in a customer’s world can translate into opportunities for your company. The trick is learning how to recognize these opportunities and position your company’s products or services as a valuable solution. Consider looking for:

• Trends that will have at least a one-year impact
• Trends that have both a positive and negative effect on the customer’s organization
• Changes that have occurred in their market place
• Whether executives (if the company is public) have discussed challenges in quarterly reports or high-level addresses

To further understand if an opportunity is truly present, consider whether the solution will bring lasting value to the customer. If you aren’t confident, the answer is no.

Leveraged an opportunity with a strategic account recently? Don’t be shy – share your experience!

No Comments

08 December 2009 | Miller Heiman

If you could only ask one question of your sales team this week to move sales forward, ask this:

If you don’t have credibility, what will you do to establish it?

Much like a solid foundation is absolutely necessary for a  structurally-sound building, solid credibility is imperative for successful selling. Without credibility, winning business becomes undeniably harder. But this key element isn’t just handed over on a silver platter, it’s most often earned through one of four methods:

• By relating your customer’s challenge (in which case you must be sure you truly understand the customer’s concept) to a past organizational success that addressed the same issue.
• By bringing in someone with expertise in an area your client would appreciate. This highlights your position as a valuable resource who can add knowledge and insight to your prospect’s business.
• By scheduling meetings between professionals in the buying and selling organization that are of like rank. This is one way to demonstrate your company’s commitment to your prospect’s success.
• By affirming established credibility: present recent results with clients at an executive briefing; suggest future projects that can help their company achieve additional goals.

You can read more about building credibility here.

Do you have additional techniques that help you build credibility? Share them with us.

photo credit: jon gala

No Comments

01 December 2009 | Miller Heiman

If you could only ask one question of your sales team this week to move sales forward, ask this:

Have you identified all competition for the sale?

It’s a common misconception that the only type of competition sales professionals have to take into account is other sales professionals.  The reality is that there are three additional forms of competition. The trick is in considering not who could take away the business, but what. Yes, your prospect could ultimately choose to buy from a sales rep at an alternative company, but they could also choose to:

• Use internal resources to attempt to fix, accomplish or avoid the challenge.
• Use the budget in question to accomplish something else.
• Do nothing.

These other choices are not always so easy to spot, though. To identify all possible competition, the best approach is often a direct approach: asking what alternatives are being considered and what additional initiatives may be competing for the same budget.

Learn more about identifying additional forms of competition.

photo credit: Digital FotoFusion Library

3 Comments

30 November 2009 | Jason Reed

The Miller Heiman Client Summit in Atlanta was a big success!

The ballroom was packed with more than 75 sales professionals attending the Miller Heiman Client Summit. A diverse group, these sales professionals ranged from senior executives to “bag carrying” sales professionals. Equally as diverse were the industries they represented. However, it was a common objective that motivated each one of them to participate: they were there to exchange ideas, share best practices, hone skills and refine their trade.

The summit’s agenda was full of presentations related to the best practices of sales and sales leadership. Miller Heiman founder Bob Miller led a discussion on the importance of treating strategic client relationships as corporate assets while other sales leaders shared with the group the challenges they are facing in this economy, lessons they’ve learned, and how they’re tackling them. It was very interactive. As valuable as the presentations were, the tremendous amount of networking that took place throughout the day (and during the wrap-up cocktail hour) was insightful. I participated in a wide range of discussions centered around:

• How to effectively deal with the ever-increasing pressures of commoditization
• How sales organizations mount a consistent approach to selling globally
• As we emerge from this unforgiving economy are we poised to handle our customers’ needs
• The customers’ decision-making process has clearly changed in this market and decision-making power has moved up to more senior executives. As a result, there are implications to salesmanship and the acumen needed to sell and succeed at higher levels.

It seemed to me that most of the professionals shared a similar mentality. Perhaps it is best characterized as a belief that as sales professionals we must be open to and commit ourselves to improving. One attendee I talked to said it best: “When you practice, you improve, and when you don’t, you don’t.”

Jason Reed
Sales Vice President, Miller Heiman

No Comments

23 November 2009 | Miller Heiman

If you could only ask one question of your sales team this week to move sales forward, ask this:

Are you able to articulate why this meeting should be high priority for the key decision maker?

It’s the end of the year – and understandably, the prospects and customers you need to connect with are as busy as you, if not more so.

By stating a valid business reason and emphasizing how your conversation will help with the contact’s priorities,  you encourage contacts to meet with you because it quickly highlights your reason for calling and shows you know what is relevant to them. Valid business reasons also help persuade buying influences to meet with you because it shows you’ve taken the time out of your day to research their business challenges and are prepared to demonstrate how you can help them meet or exceed goals and objectives or minimize problems.

Put yourself in your contact’s shoes: would you agree to a meeting if the other person was vague about what it is about? Probably not. Would you agree if you knew that the meeting would help you accomplish something within your own organization?

Listen to three examples of a valid business reason here and begin crafting yours today.

photo credit: koyochi

No Comments