Executing on your Sales Strategy
I just ran across some interesting information that may help someone out there execute on their sales strategy.
The Prime Resource Group lists some common challenges people face, which are:
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Our marketing strategy message is poorly executed and becomes highly diluted by the time a customer hears it.
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Our customer is missing the connection between our solutions and the impact on their business objectives.
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We are facing more and more customers who treat our offerings as commodities and miss the uniqueness of our value proposition.
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Our best market opportunities are dismissed by the sales force in favor of the "easy and familiar."
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Our sales organization is still trying to be all things to all people and we don't know if it's poor marketing strategy or poor execution.
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We're hearing too little, too late - and the competitor is eating away at our best marketing strategy.
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Our value proposition is not taken to the executive level and connecting with their business issues.
And the BayGroup has a good article on executing on your sales strategy, which should address the items listed above. They list the following skills for required for executing a sales strategy:
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Position your solution advantageously.
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Manage the two-way flow of information skillfully.
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Set and communicate high targets.
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Ask questions that uncover underlying motivations and the true business
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and personal needs.
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Communicate assertive requests and clear expectations.
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Make value for value trades.
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Manage tension in the sales process.
