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  • Better Ways to Customize Training for the Individual Sales Reps

    Better Ways to Customize Training for the Individual Sales Reps

    Opportunely, sales enablement platforms allow companies to cater to a potent mix of informal and formal learning to assist all their sales reps in preparing for buyer interactions. Today, let’s look at how you can change your coaching strategy to engage your sales reps using sales coaching technology. Let’s begin. 

    Coaching across Channels 

    Sales reps are comfortable engaging with things like video and mobile technology as they prefer it. Sales readiness platforms for these sales professionals make content available as they require it in their respective sales and buyer journeys. 

    We agree that the basics of training haven’t changed. What has changed is the way we can deliver it effectively. Ensuring your sales coaching technology can be utilized from wherever your reps require it maximizes engagement. 

    Video Coaching Technology 

    Sales reps need to feel motivated and confident based on their sales coaching from their leaders/ managers and coaches. In addition, the sales manager needs to verify their learnings – strategies, work approach, sales pitch, objection handling, etc. 

    The video roleplay platform assists sales managers to understand how much their team has understood and provides the sales reps to practice and explore their learnings. 

    A robust sales video roleplay platform enables the sales team to learn, practice, test, improve, and perform well while facing the actual buyer interaction and engaging well. In addition, it helps in providing constructive feedback and quickly identifies where improvement is required. It, in return, saves a lot of time and effort due to the automation. 

    Peer-to-Peer Learning 

    Peer-to-peer learning is a great way to capture experiences and share so that the entire team learns and improves. The knowledge can be passed from experienced reps to new hires so that the whole team understands effectively and brings in positive outcomes. Peer-to-peer learning should be practiced every month to brainstorm, explore, and identify knowledge gaps between peers. Informative learning approaches are also another great form of learning. 

    JIT Learning Approach 

    JIT stands for just in time. It enables a field coaching approach for sales reps to work on their skills, allowing better development opportunities. This type of learning is also called “in-the-moment” coaching. And should happen regularly – at least once per week. 

    Mastery types: 

    Organizational mastery consists of the core competencies that the whole sales force must master. For this type of training, measures of achieving should be defined clearly. In addition, the rep must be fully aware of the standards to use to assess them. Examples requiring organizational skills include new hire onboarding, new product launches, new sales methodology. 

    Individual mastery involves constant coaching and an assessment-focused approach to develop individual reps. These tasks could consist of leadership improvement or even onboarding if a representative joined the business after group onboarding already happened. 

    Summing it up! 

    Every individual has their way of looking at things and learning them. Everyone has a different grasping ability and so on. The solution is to cater to various options using tech-based programs to know best what suits. We provide features such as video-based training and automated tech tools to assist in executing the best coaching sales strategy. There are many sales enablement platforms that you can explore by taking a demo to know more

  • Overcome Challenges for a Sales Content Strategy

    Overcome Challenges for a Sales Content Strategy

    Building a robust sales content strategy comes with a set of challenges. So, as a sales manager or business owner, you must identify and resolve them to ensure smooth functioning. In our today’s blog article, we have listed the four challenges for a sales content strategy. So, let’s begin. 

    1. Sync Sales & Marketing Teams. 
    2. Creating Impactful Content. 
    3. Using the Right Content. 
    4. Content Effectiveness to Insight Planning. 

    Sync Sales & Marketing Teams 

    Research tells us that 1/3rd of sales and marketing teams do not work regularly. As a result, a lack of communication leads to a disconnect in creating sales content. The sales team considers their work role in generating leads, attend new clients, and servicing existing clients. The same goes for marketing which makes communication barriers and misunderstandings while understanding the work approach. 

    Creating Impactful Content 

    According to Sirius Decisions, only 30% of the content gets utilized by the sales reps, whereas the other goes unused. Therefore, the sales material for referring is neither relevant nor actionable, not worth implementing, very basic, or inappropriate for execution. It does not mean you require more content or oversized documents, or research papers to excel, but acceptable and well-structured content aligned strategically is all that your sales team needs. Hence, collaborating in departments to understand, perform, and deliver what is required is vital. So, that resource optimization is performing better. 

    Using the Awarathon’s dashboard, marketing can get feedback from sales reps from anywhere within a time frame. Marketing thus delivers valuable insight into the content, making it more relevant and actionable. 

    Are your sales reps using the right content? 

    Most of the time, sales reps are reluctant while exploring content for their use. They like to depend on old ways or practices that might not be healthy to achieve the desired results. Hence, it becomes the sales manager’s responsibility to effectively ensure the relevant content is consumed by their teams. When it comes to Awarathon, it is one source for aligning all your content well so your team knows when to access what & can also add, and remove content with ease. 

    We have content buckets to cater to each content style and learning pattern. So, you learn to practice and perform no matter the scenario or how difficult the objection handling is. This work approach makes us one of the best video roleplay and sales readiness platforms compared to the rest. 

    Content Effectiveness to Insight Mapping

    There is no challenge for content generation in big-sized organizations, but it is essential to identify which one makes your sales efforts successful. Unfortunately, organizations happen to rely on the wrong metrics and benchmark what is not required. Mapping content effectiveness involves a combination of quantitative, numbers-based analytics along with qualitative observations. Tracking the popularity of content is another aspect that tells you the maximum number of downloads or link clicks, etc., that is not a measure to count on content effectiveness. Therefore, knowing the correct factor to monitor and note which parameter worked well is crucial. 

    Nowadays, virtual selling enables a better path to track content effectiveness when sales reps record interactions and pitches. A video roleplay platform like Awarathon can record and generate reports to know where improvements can be made accordingly. Hence, these were the challenges that one could face in sales content strategy. 

    To learn more about us by filling our web form – here.

  • Types of Sales Metrics to Track

    Types of Sales Metrics to Track

    Types of Sales Metrics to Track. Metrics are a fundamental parameter for every business. It is because it is a defined measure to benchmark your efforts and outcomes. To ensure your team is on the right track and is also a measure that can be improved. 

    For example, in Q1, a sales rep did six closures & in Q2, he did 10. Here the metric is the sales rep’s sales closures & as we can see, it can be measured. Similarly, the other parameter can be measured, which we will discuss in this blog article. 

    Every sales team must track the crucial metrics to evaluate the work performance with accuracy, skills, and visibility among management for planning and reporting. Some companies know its importance but fail to understand and utilize it in a meaningful way. As mentioned, various factors are depending on your company size to choose from. Let’s begin. 

    What are Sales Metrics? 

    Sales metrics, in simple terms, are data points that display the performance of your individual sales reps or a sales company. They are often used by sales managers or sales coaches to track progress, find issues, and better performance in the upcoming months. Essentially, sales metrics strive to drive sales teams on the right path allowing them to recognize problems in the sales process, increase their revenue, and remain aggressive in today’s marketplace.

    Types of Sales Metrics to Track 

    The KPI for Sales: 

    This parameter is essential because it allows companies to measure their overall performance. The sales managers depend on this parameter to make sound business decisions. It gives them an indication idea for gap identification for product-market & the respective sales rep’s ability. The total revenue achieved is yet another standard parameter divided down to revenue by-product, the rate of revenue from new business, or revenue by market. Lastly, the year or quarter-by-quarter growth in the sales figures is another popular parameter. The sales managers and sales leaders track to find out how effective the sales team is performing. 

    The coaching metrics: 

    Many companies make a good investment in sales enablement programs. Without a robust sales enablement strategy, it isn’t easy to successfully run a sales team. Hence, sales coaching is not valuable to those in sales & anyone involved in sales enablement. So, why is this metric vital? Well, coaching and training can answer essential questions such as the following. What is the spend on training? How is the sales performance during and after training? How is the allocation of time done? Are the gaps minimized? Besides, the sales companies are required to be cognisant of engagement metrics with coaching and how skilled the sales reps are with that content through evaluations, tests, coaching sessions, and missions. Once these figures are in place, you, as a sales manager, can tune in to your coaching session to make sure they’re as efficient as possible. 

    The pipeline metrics:

    A sales pipeline is nothing but a visual display or an infographic creative to showcase the prospects and their respective sales cycle positions. It is like a map drawn regularly. To identify gaps in prospects, closures, and new client pitches. Through this, sales managers can enable access to knowing success through the sales pipeline, providing insights to the company through the sales pipeline’s position. The length of the sales cycle in the channel is equally essential. It is nothing but the amount of time a sales rep takes to initiate an interaction. With a buyer and when the deal gets close or converts to a sale. The shorter the cycle, the better the matrices. Lastly, the win rate is another vital aspect of the sales pipeline metric. Win rate is one key pipeline metric. It displays the percentage of possibilities proposed that sales agents won based on the options that enter the proposal stage, rather than all the pipeline ones. It explains a sales team’s achievement and shows sales managers how to stage sales reps to have the most challenging converting opportunities. 

    The Hiring Metrics: 

    A successful hiring requires good talent onboarded in the team. The hiring process can be tedious, but it is imperative for its overall success. Every sales manager or business owner while hiring must have a specific criterion in his/her mind for selecting or rejecting the candidates they interview. Hence, choosing the right candidate for your sales team is vital as it directly relates to your sales performance. Sales ramp-up time is one example of hiring and onboarding metrics. It shows the average time it takes for new sales representatives to be ultimately productive. Sales managers can use this number to make the ideal organizational decisions and set realistic expectations for new representatives. The work productivity should be calculated to record and note the ratio of sales to target capacity. Then one can figure out the exact financial impact of a percentage increase/ decrease in your sales productivity. The progress of new hires and the path to retention are also beneficial. These were the 4 core Types of Sales Metrics to Track which you learned through this blog article. 

  • Merits of Consolidating Your Sales Readiness Technology

    Merits of Consolidating Your Sales Readiness Technology

    This year is very different for many sales organizations as well. The sales teams have shifted their entire work operations remotely as now the sales reps are working remotely. Organizations had to rework their existing staff count, tools, and work approaches as a practical approach requires planning with care to realign resources. Nowadays, it would be best if you have a holistic approach to meet long-term objectives. Innovative sales coaching and sales readiness technology can assist drive a better sales process. As it consists of learning, collaboration, Content, management, and reporting to deliver results. Also allows you to save a lot of time, effort, and extra cost on various other solutions. 

    Create your Sales Tech Stack 

    There are so many software and platforms in the sales enablement space – right from sales readiness technology, CRM tools, sales lead generation platforms, meeting managing tools, and so on. Each of them comes with a purpose in mind – learning, content management, analytics tools, and collaboration tools. The global average of platforms and tools for learning currently used by any given organization is 23 – twice the number that organizations used in 2011. A sales executive alone uses an average of 6 tools. Learn more – here

    The stack includes tools like a Learning Experience Platform (LXP), Learning Management System (LMS), Sales Content Management, and tools for call coaching, role play, support, video appointments, and more. Creating the right sales tech stack is not an easy task, but it comes with many benefits. Besides cost, there is time/ effort to maintain each platform your organization opts for. Selection, engagement, and performance also suffer when users have to familiarize themselves with different systems and shift between platforms to accomplish other tasks. So, consolidating your tech stack may be the answer. 

    Benefits of Tech Stack Consolidation 

    Experience says that the more complex the learning process is, the less likely sellers will welcome it. As they already have their current set of work activities to perform, opting for something new that is tedious to learn and execute might not happen. 

    A fragmented way that depends on multiple tools for various coaching and enablement initiatives harms selection, leads to inadequately trained sales reps, and eventually hurts your bottom line. 

    From a financial point of well, a tech stack consolidation makes sense. With fewer tools to manage and learn from, your sales team will see more prominent adoption and more satisfied users. Ask yourself what tools you can have, leave, or add and still have the same—or even more—skills. 

    Therefore, replacing tools such as LMS, CMS, coaching/role-playing, reinforcement, and call coaching with an all-rounder solution called the sales readiness technology. 

    You get system-wide advantages that you’re not able to recognize unless you have a comprehensive platform. Hence, with a holistic approach, you can; Achieve a 360-degree aspect of behavior and Content associated with success instead of making hypotheses and drawing relationships based on the content reps’ experience or the exercises they performed. Lower down the workload with a seamless performance management admin of a single solution versus several individual platforms’ management. User adoption can be increased with an effortless experience for sales reps who can share, build, and access the Content by getting trained, collaborating with their teams effectively, and switching tools. The multiple costs can be saved by reducing the subscription of the various tools/ platforms. But, how to understand which tools to implement? It would be best to go for a robust solution that drives your organization’s vital capabilities to grow and succeed. 

    Core Capabilities of the New Sales Enablement Stack 

    There is a new class of blended learning platforms that offer a holistic way to sales enablement. These answers stimulate the sales cycle, drive high average contract values, and boost sales business profitability. Here are the core capabilities of the modern sales enablement tech stack. All these will be a part of your sales readiness technology you wish to opt for. So, let’s begin. 

    1. Training and Onboarding 

    Onboarding new recruitments & providing them with learning material is a part of sales training. It also includes – support on product knowledge, messaging, competition, and the abilities needed to have helpful interactions during the virtual sales process. 

    1. The activation of Content 

    The sales enablement drives the production, delivery, and administration of buyer-facing sales assets and internal sales education content. All the content must be easily discoverable, easy to use, trackable, and reusable across the sales company. 

    Sales reps should know how / when to use these resources. To achieve the most significant impact on their prospects. Teams who understand what’s working—and what’s not—can improve sales content to be even more effective. 

    1. Coaching 

    Sales enablement continues not only for sales reps but also for sales administrators. Providing front-line supervisors to encourage, stimulate, and assist sales reps with good coaching and presentation abilities improves seller productivity and leads to more reliable results. The call recording coaching capabilities with actionable, AI-powered insight allow administrators to provide the most efficient point-in-time review. 

    1. Collaborations 

    The tech that assists your team and sales reps with information across departments is vital. Sale enablement promotes interaction within the organization and across other functions. In particular, adjustment and constant collab with the marketing team are required. 

    Without that, the sales reps miss out on the insights marketing is gathering from its top-of-funnel campaigns, and marketing misses the chance to shape its movements based on first-hand sales conversations. 

    1. Analytics 

    It is the final element. When it comes to modern sales enablement, the tech stack is a measurement. It consists of some relevant metrics like – average sales cycle length, quotas achieved by sales reps, and average deal size. The reporting and measures expand to the overall success of the sales readiness technology part. Teams who understand the content type and act accordingly will close better deals frequently by optimizing the overall sales process. 

    Deliver the Next with – Sales Readiness Technology 

    A powerful action-driven & tech-driven platform is the new next your sales organization must consider. It is a robust, safe, and feature-rich platform to help your sales team drive the required results and achieve the desired outcomes in meeting their sales quotas. Considering the current scenarios and circumstances, online sales readiness technology software is the need of the hour to automate the sales process, streamline work, learn better, identify knowledge gaps, and so on. 

    Know Now 

    Learn more about Awarathon by simply filling out this form here – http://awarathon.com/request-demo/  and we will be happy to assist you by identifying your business problems and objectives. 

  • Remote Selling Masterclass Part 3

    Remote Selling Masterclass Part 3

    Mastering the sales process (continued) Negotiating, closing, follow up and retention. We started the series by looking at the fundamentals of remote selling, from winning habits to optimizing your technology. Part 2 focused on the early methodology of the sales process: planning, organising, and knowing when, why (criteria) and how to strategically move through the deal stages. Winning in sales is done by maintaining the same level of determination throughout the process, learning how to get the favourable outcome from all your interactions, executing at world class in negotiation and closing is what separates great salespeople from the rest. 

    How to design irresistible proposals 

    Step 1 Listen More 

    “Questions are to sales as breath is to life. If you fail to ask them, you will die. If you ask them incorrectly, your death will not be immediate, but it’s inevitable.” Jeffrey Gitomer 

    Start with their interest. Knowing what your client values the most and what they need is critical. Do your due diligence when sales planning. What issues are the most important to them? Taylor your deal on key aspects like quality, liability, cost of inaction, short term, and continuous support. 

    You can vary your position by dividing your deal into multiple parts and giving your client options. It will show you are flexible and opened to innovation and accepting other ideas. 

    When asking consultative questions, follow up to understand why the answers are the way they are. Why are the things that are important to them, important to them. Consistently connect the answers to your value add and your track record dealing with the same or similar priorities. When you have run full diagnostics repeat them back to ensure they know you understand their challenge their pain. 

    Step 2 Build Trust 

    Building trust starts with your story, your branding, your marketing, your public visibility and accessibility of testimonials and reviews. 

    What your company says online and in the public domain will be what potential clients and existing clients will judge you against to begin with. 

    How clear are your mission, values, and your purpose? As you go to the market you must embody that story and those values. 

    Every time you do what you say, you make an investment in the “emotional bank account” of your potential client. Being reliable and proactive, true to your values will make you stand out in the crowd. This is a certain and easy way to build trust. 

    Step 3 Win-Win or no deal:

    Creating mutual benefit in your deals is what makes your offer well received and raise the likelihood of a negotiated agreement. 

    A win-win outcome is your primary goal. The easiest way to achieve win–win is to co create your proposals with your client. When they see the proposal, they should look at it and say “Yes this is what I said I wanted and I would be willing to invest in”. 

    Step 4. Know your strengths and weaknesses. 

    The success of any negotiation lies in preparation. 

    Start by knowing what your deal’s strengths and weaknesses are and what is the joint motivation for pushing this deal forward. Consider your client’s alternatives and walk away reasons, get in front of those.

    Step 5 Know who to invite to the negotiation table. 

    In larger size organization, you must consider a team of buyers and deal influencers. Knowing the structure of the buying team and involving the key players in your sales process as soon as possible can avoid deal drift and ultimately disappointment. 

    One simple question along the lines of: “Do you think there’s anyone else that would need/like to see this?” Or “It’s great to see your buy-in on this, is there anyone else that I should be talking to in your team/organisation?” or “Will you be the only one making the decision?” can help you identify who else you should consider pitching to. 

    Step 6 Be flexible 

    Be ready to add value to your package. You thought you had designed the best deal, but you’re faced with rejection. You can’t move the price, but you do have freedom of customising. Think creatively of what bundles would relax the resistance, can you create a bundle of services? If you have listened so far to your potential client, you will know what will incite interest in a new deal. 

    Remember, people don’t change their minds, they make different decision based on new information. 

    Prepare for all possible objections, barriers, and deal breakers. How probable is it that your negotiation will be stalled and why? Are interpersonal differences the reason or your tactics have damaged the trust? Was your communication on point? If you are dealing with a different culture, could it be that inter-cultural differences have hindered the agreement? At each step get an unbiased confirmation that your actions have resolved the concerns. Get feedback from the client on how the deal is tracking in line with agreed expectations. 

    Get creative! Tapping into your creativity is easier said than done, especially in a business environment when your intuition pushes you to use your strategic, analytical thinking. Ask for a brainstorm solution focused session with your colleagues like mind mapping, blue-sky thinking or six thinking hats. 

    PRO Tip 1: 

    Keep in mind that if you offer a discount this might be interpreted like there could be an even better deal if they push harder. Place your price anchor right. Always start at the top of the scale when asked what your process/costs of engagement are. “We offer services up to 100k” instead of “starting at 5k” Operate discounts on a quid pro quo basis. 5% more for an extra 3 months service etc. 

    PRO Tip 2: 

    Roleplay in your head all possible outcomes in each stage of your negotiation. Don’t overestimate your position, but also never come across as desperate. You only want the deal if it’s great for you as well as the client. Keep the power but be of service.

    PRO Tip 3: 

    Observe what your steps trigger in the other party in the negotiation process. Use questions like: “what could we do better to get you onboard in this area” or “has this resolved your concerns?”. 

    PRO Tip 4: 

    To generate value sometimes the situation will call for information disclosure so be prepared beforehand. Getting an NDA signed is a good step to ensure information can flow freely and also gets something official in writing to create a sense of an existing relationship. 

    Closing the deal: 

    People buy from you when they like and trust you and only when they are convinced of the value of your product. For your prospect to understand the value he needs to grasp where he realistically stands, where he could be, and the space between these two points – this is your product’s value, also named by Keenan as the Value Gap in Gap remote selling. The bigger the value they perceive the more likely it is that you will close the sale. 

    Everything you do must be crafted around the potential improvement of your client’s reality and future. You are the problem-finder and the solution-giver. 

    Strategies to close your deal: 

    Start by stating the reason why other people have bought from you and continue with strong questions asimed at the result and the most important benefit your product will offer. A question along the lines of If I can give you the “solution to the biggest pain” are you ready to buy today?

    How you close the deal will depend on your buyer’s personality. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that because you are Remote selling b2b the personality of the person in front of you won’t choose to work with his preferred character type. If you are Remote selling to an organization, it is advisable you talk with more than one person, and find the one that clicks with you! Contact Linehan Group to master Multi-Functional Pitching. 

    Brian Tracy: in The Psychology of Remote Selling identifies the 6 most encountered buyers’ persona and the best strategies for each. Here they are starting from the most common ones: 

    1. The analytical buyer: task-oriented, not particularly outgoing, and focused on details. To win over you will have to focus on accuracy, numbers, and specifications. Slow things down, and avoid generalization. 
    2. The driver buyer: Impatient, direct, and straight to the point. The greatest concern is getting the results. What you need to do is speed up the process, focus on the results, and offer a quick clear decision/ action path. 
    3. The socializer buyer, also called the integrated buyer sits balanced between being people-oriented and task-oriented. The best way to deal with this person is to write down any pre-agreed conditions, they tend to forget. Send over all copies of everything you speak about better understanding is key. 
    4. The relater buyer: not very exuberant, interested in what people think about a product. They strive for harmony and you will need to pay extra attention to building the relationship with them. With this buyer, you should focus on the experience other of your customers had. They will buy when they know you well and after consulting with other business associates. 
    5. The self-actualizing buyer knows exactly what he wants and how much he is willing to pay for it. You will have a decision quickly if you can match your deal to their needs/wants. The sale is easy.
    6. The apathetic buyer- a rare persona, they are negative and indifferent. No matter what you do, the chances are they will not be considering a change. 

    There are many closing strategies and approaches, but “there is no silver bullet” and the efficiency of the approach you chose will always depend on whether you’ve done your homework in knowing your client, your product’s value and ultimately making yourself liked. 

    Here are some closing strategies that work well, when executed well. 

    1. The assumptive/ summary close. 

    We like it because for it to work you need to be certain that you have identified the exact problem and need of your prospect. The deal was closed before entering the closing stage. You have already clearly identified the pain (maybe unknown until this point) and you have the expert cure, who would say no to a cure? No one, that is right. All that remains is to sign. 

    1. Urgency/ Take away close. 

    You have worked hard, you have prepared the destiny course-changing package, and now it’s time to shake hands (bump elbows or head nod). You want to infuse your offer in a sense of urgency. The problem that you are solving must have a high cost if remains unresolved. Your trust in your product’s value does not leave space for hesitation and indecision. 

    1. The Benjamin Franklin closing strategy. 

    Whenever you hear something is the lines of “I want to think about” is the moment to push over the fence your client with a pros and cons layout. This strategy is exactly that, inviting your client to make an order in a bunch of facts that because unorganised leaves your client undecided and confused. Be natural and explain the benefit of going through the cons with you, what better moment to dive into any doubt, or concerns than when your presentation is fresh into their mind? “Usually when people think about our product, they have questions we are best placed to answer” “Sometimes people say they need to think about it to be polite because they are not convinced of the benefit, is that what’s happening here, I’m a big boy I can take it! 

    1. The alternative/ options strategy. 

    Simple, you give the prospect the option to choose between different bundles (remember your bundles we have talked about?), it would sound like this: after looking together at the x problem we have agreed that the y is the solution. Which package would you prefer to start with: the YA or YB? 

    1. The sharp angle.

    They ask you for an adjustment you offer them an adjustment. It would sound something like this: yes, I can offer a price reduction over a longer period of contract. 

    Follow-up and retention- Clear sequence of events. 

    Many good deals and partnerships are lost because of a lack of or poor follow-up. 

    By email, through social media, calling, or by a handwritten note. We know that 80% of sales will see at least 5 follows up, so it’s a good idea to use different channels. Ask your prospect what their preferred one is and know and lead each conversation you have with a clear next stop. 

    Tip: If they’ve seen too much of you and you’re concerned you’re losing them, try removing yourself from the equation by using marketing tools like an active campaign, video message, (Personal creative non-buying related follow up) or bringing in another team member or subject matter expert to inject fresh credibility. 

    When done well, a post-sale follow-up reinforces your relationship and is proof of your genuine interest in your client’s success. Were you left without a deal? Follow up anyway! 

    The follow-up should be creative and consistent. Clients work with people who make buying easy and next steps simple. Use reliable apps and CRM to schedule your follow-up emails and calls. 

    The general rules of following up: 

    1. Keep doing it 
    2. Be consistent. 
    3. Be punctual. 
    4. Be creative.
    5. Use more than one channel of communication. 
    6. Be relevant. 
    7. Make clear your next stop and the outcome of each interaction. 
    8. Use the information you are told in the previous communication. 

    Remember! Getting new clients is exciting but keeping sight of the strategies to retain them is where the success of your business lies. 

    Retention Tips: 

    1. Build your relationships: knowing the pain of your client has opened the door but there is much more to know besides solving one problem. Slowing things down and putting aside time to have meaningful conversations of future opportunities discovery are crucial. 
    2. Set your feedback systems right: loop it! Asking for feedback is the only way you will know what your clients think and feel about your work and the results of your agreements. 
    3. Get your clients used to having you as part of their strategic team, the earlier the better. 
    4. Be proactive – keep updated with the trends in your industry, do your research, keep on top of news, innovation, and insights of value to your existing and potential clients, and participate in conventions, webinars, and other online events. You will naturally know what your client’s future challenges will be. Design your business, deals, and packages to resolve not only today’s problem but tomorrow’s too. Your clients should look up to you as the expert in your field, the master of your domain an agent of change.. 

    “People buy from people they know, like and trust. If they don’t yet know, like, or trust you; or you aren’t representing a brand they already, know, like, and trust, you MUST have a story, solution, and case studies that they will relate to (know), like, and trust!”

  • Remote Selling Masterclass Part 2: Mastering your Sales Process.

    Remote Selling Masterclass Part 2: Mastering your Sales Process.

    In part 1 of the series, we talked about the key fundamentals for staying ready so you don’t have to get ready to sell and win remotely! In part two “Mastering Your Sales Process” we will share the best sales process setup and management that Linehan Group and Awarathon are seeing work best in the fast-changing world of Outbound! 

    Win your morning win the day – make your morning rituals a key part of your sales process. 

    Your morning routine has an incredible impact on how your day unfolds. As Stephen Covey says “Management works in the system leadership works on the system.” Getting your morning ritual optimized is a critical first step in your macro process. We start here because the self-discipline and leadership in managing your time is a critical element of moving through the sales process. Here is what we see works best. 

    1. The best morning routines begin the night before. Developing a list of objectives helps get the morning off to a fast, organized, and effective start. Pulling together your plan at 8 am means your competitors already have a head start on you. 
    2. In the morning, put your body and mind before your screens. Flush your system with lemon and water. Meditate, pray, or whatever works best for you to slow down before you speed up. Work out if that’s your way of refreshing the mind for the gift of a new day. 
    3. Eat a good breakfast every morning: Breakfast is the key meal of the day and can set you up for success. 
    4. Read an inspiring and innovative sales or business book / watch a powerful speaker in your industry and take that knowledge into the field to lean on and share to build relationships. These high-value conversation pieces pay dividends on calls and in meetings to show you have your finger on the pulse and should be viewed as a valued and trusted expert. 
    5. Review your plan for the day within your CRM, visualize success in meetings and on scheduled calls. Play the movie of those calls and meetings in your head, live into the best outcomes by visualizing how you will get there and what that win will feel like. 
    6. Challenge yourself to at least 2 out of the box creative type of outreach every day. Whether it’s a personal fed ex package or invitation to an event to a potential client, 104 clever, outstanding outreach activities a year will guarantee more deals. 
    7. Select 3 – 6 sales training topics to review that you can bring into your day as your key skills to develop. The best companies we work with have training refreshing before they pick up a phone! 
    8. If you have morning team meetings/sales huddles keep them brief. They are invaluable rituals to get clear on the mission for the day, to lift team focus and energy, and to train and prepare for specific big pitches. They should be skillfully prepared by the sales leader to be high value, a low time investment. 
    9. Engage your CRM. If your CRM has been carefully selected and optimized, it will make your workflow and time management a breeze. 
    10. We train our teams to use the first 10 minutes of every day to confirm all meetings on the calendar. The clients we are speaking to are busy and often things come up unexpectedly; it is critical to confirm the day ahead. 
    11. Tackle the hardest or important tasks of the day first. This makes you feel productive out of the gate, sets the tone for the day, and puts you in the right mindset.
    12. If you are in outbound sales the phone is your best friend. Allocate time slots where no one comes between you and it. We encourage uninterrupted blocks of time in the morning and afternoon to smile while you dial. We encourage scheduled, united, standing “power hours” to elevate the energy in the room and to encourage a sense of team unity in the trenches! Have conversation targets not just call targets within those blocks. “My goal is to make 60 dials have 12 conversations 3 quality conversations with next steps.” 
    13. Allocate a block of time before peak business or after peak business for lead sourcing and marketing aligned omnichannel outreach through your CRM, Linked in Navigator, DiscoverOrg, Crunch Base, and other lead sourcing and data tools. 

    Optimizing your sales process 

    Create – Document – Execute – Feedback – Measure – Improve. 

    Whether you are selling in the field, selling in the office, selling from home or even your gym you need a process. 

    Having a solid step by step, go to market plan on an individual, team and company basis is the most critical building block of business development. Great companies have created an optimal AI sales process, specifically designed for the type of market they are in and the type of product or service they sell. 

    Beyond price and product/service type, lead time decision-maker level, buyer persona, and ideal specific buyer journey need to be considered. 

    The sales team leader must set up a best-fit process. One that can be measured and improved. An important question to ask is: “have you or your sales leader thoroughly audited and maximized your sales process’s effectiveness and considered any changes that are needed because of a move to remote working.” 

    Here’s how to do it: 

    1. Evaluate the current process and why it is the way it is. 
    2. Keep the sales process to 5 / 6 stages maximum. 
    3. Develop each area from the top of the funnel to closed-won / closed lost. What are the entry and exit criteria for each stage in the funnel? 
    4. Ask; how will clients’ “best case” and “worse case” enter and exit the funnel? 5. Know your BATNAs (Best alternatives to a negotiated agreement). 
    5. Source information on why you or your team structure the calls the way they do currently? Explore the benefits and disadvantages of that – then test measure and improve. 
    6. Ensure a document crystal-clear optimized approach and establish regular training based on a constant feedback loop. 
    7. Feedback loops should be constant using the CRM, chat tools, and training sessions. 9. Get buy-in on every metric, for example, “Why do you need to have ten conversations a day, how many new opportunities does that guarantee? How many opportunities do you need daily, weekly, quarterly, and annually to hit your targets, maximize your earning potential and live the life you want! 
    8. See how much can be automated for effectiveness but do not over-rely on automation. Remember, sales is conversations and commitments it is People — stories — momentum. 
    9. Get fluent in how your partner teams fit into and impact the agreed stages, from marketing and social media to channel partnerships and account management. Always ask how these channels can accelerate your momentum and results of moving from one stage to the next and optimizing spend and contract length. 

    Remote tip! – Over-communicate and stay engaged. 

    As a remote salesperson, you can easily begin to feel isolated or siloed. This is not conducive to authentically enthusiastic outreach. Remember, as Ivern Ball said, “knowledge is power, but enthusiasm pulls the switch”. Use video and chat apps like Slack to call your “sales counterparts” for inspiration and sharing of great conversations or wins outside of block booked client call slots. 

    Putting more emphasis on regular communication will ensure you and your entire team are updated on company wins and developments you can use to influence deals. It allows you to stay united and help each other when necessary. 

    Reach out and connect with friends and contacts in other industries and parts of the world to refresh perspective and to zoom out to 30000 feet before you zoom back into a surgical approach to selling. 

    Removing randomness from your sales process 

    When we think of a AI sales process, we want to understand it from the perspective of our internal identification of where the client is in the sales cycle. It does however help to align that with where the client or customer is in the buyer journey. 

    Different companies use different stages and % closed indicators for forecasting. CRMs like Hubspot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, etc. allow for very tailored sales stage set up and forecasting. 

    At Linehan Group we use Unaware – Aware – Understand – Believe – Act to determine where our potential customers are in getting to a place where they are ready to act, sign a service agreement. 

    Contact 

    Step one in the traditional AI sales process is always identifying your ideal buyer or client. Knowing who the right people are to call and pitch and organizing that outreach is your starting point. In some cases, it is a group of titles within a group of companies and industries who we know to influence the decision. For example, Marketing Directors and Finance Directors in FMCG companies. In some cases, it’s one person, Head of HR for learning and development budgets for example. Many companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on buyer persona research projects to make sure they have identified and understood the “ideal client”. Many sales units now have sophisticated lead generation software like our partner White Rabbit which seamlessly aligns with the marketing team’s processes to identify and target the “right people”. The known universe of potential buyers must be identified, prioritized, organized, and engaged through a combined, omnichannel marketing and AI sales process to have the best results. 

    Qualification 

    As mentioned above the more nurtured and qualified a lead is the better for your momentum and control over next steps in the sales proves. However the lead arrives you must still continuously qualify that lead. This is the part of the process that ensures the person you are speaking to has the budget, authority, need for what you re offering and that the timing is right. Linehan Group offers training on pitch development to ensure you know what to say and how to say it at every stage in the pitch to ensure your clients are moving forward in a committed way at each stage of their buying journey; message us directly to improve your pitch now. 

    Meeting/call preparation and management 

    1. Share videos, case studies, overviews, white papers, etc. with your ideas in advance. 2. Use “pitch to win” prep tools for virtual meetings. 
    2. Send agenda, video, and screen expectations. 
    3. Make instructions crystal clear for how to join; use one-touch mobile dial-ins. 5. Do deep-dive due diligence. Research and know what is going on in the buyer’s world. 6. Follow the pre-meeting tech checklist, so all tech is ready to go (video, webcam, audio, bandwidth, office scene, lighting, recordings, screens, files prepared to share, etc.
    4. Record for training: Ask for permission. 
    5. Open strong with rapport, story, momentum, and wow engagement; be immediately buyer-focused.
    6. Mechanics of open: Review agenda, note tech options (e.g., virtual whiteboard), review timing, ask what buyers want out of the meeting. 
    7. Collaborate: Involve the buyer; use virtual whiteboards and ask questions to generate discussion and get buy-in. 
    8. Check-in: Ask periodically if people are getting what they expect. 
    9. Mechanics of close: Know when you will wrap, check-in with enough time before the wrap to ask perception questions (e.g., Did you get what you hoped for? Did we miss anything?) 
    10. Close with the next step: Book the next meeting on the call. 
    11. Follow up with a written summary and sequence of events. 

    World-class call planning guarantees more productive customer meetings, increased credibility, a shortened sales cycle, and increased sales results. Using an efficient methodology for call planning helps to ensure that each customer call advances the sale. Set unambiguous call objectives, anticipate customer needs, identify potential value, prepare, Keep in mind your clients are also going through big changes and uncertainty. It’s never been more important to sell from your heart. Its also never been more important to ask questions through a world class consultative, diagnostic process. Even the most basic assumptions can no longer be made. As well as selling empathically, there is a great opportunity for hero selling. 

    Companies don’t just need more understanding they need cutting-edge interventions to survive and thrive through this uniquely challenging time in history. Salespeople solve problems, and solutions are at an extreme premium in a time of crisis. By getting organized, by getting clear on how you can help your clients by getting disciplined and proactive to execute product and service delivery beyond your client’s expectations, you will help your industry. You also help their industry and the economy at large. You will be using your unique skills and powers to help the world not just make a comeback but to make a leap forward and get in front of objections and visualize the call flow based on role-plays and previous live calls of the same type. This is another reason why you must get your conversations up to sharpen the axe that cuts through dead air and defensive or hostile target objections. 

    To recap:

    1. Your AI sales process starts with your preparation and organization. If you are not in the right mindset with an aggressive activity plan, no tools or process will magically get you the results you need to hit your target. Regimented, rituals are the key to unlocking consistent success in the AI sales process. 
    2. Review every element of your current process to expose the gaps, leaks and inefficiencies to be addressed and improved on. 
    3. Remove randomness from language. Understand the customer journeys and how it synchronizes with the internal AI sales process. 
    4. Know who you want to engage, and how. 
    5. Don’t waste time on non-buyers or non-deal influencers. 
    6. Execute world-class call and meeting preparation so every touchpoint is a “WOW” moment for your potential client.

     

  • Components of a Sales Readiness Platform: Automating the Last Mile of the Front Office

    Components of a Sales Readiness Platform: Automating the Last Mile of the Front Office

    This blog article will be covering the various components of a sales readiness platform. Many of the technologies emphasize marketing automation functions or sales processes like sales activity management, CRM, forecasting, customer management, and many more. These are crafted to improve the marketing capability to connect with the buyers or the sales reps’ productivity, effectiveness, and data quality in the back office. It is where sales readiness software comes into the frame as it provides an all-rounder essential set of features required for your sales team to level up. Get a free demo to learn more about the sales readiness platform. Our feature offerings to overcome your business challenges. 

    The Sales Tools 

    Although there is the availability of such tools, one area that remains untouched is the improvising in-person interactions between companies and clients. Usually, all client-facing teams must have the required knowledge, skills, and positivity to provide an interactive customer experience. As every organization prioritizes making things happen toward their business objectives, readiness actions have the majority divided and siloed. The sales teams are equipped with all the required content, tools, and advice from their sales managers/ leaders/ heads to effectively sell. The R&D departments primarily emphasize the overall growth of the organization as a whole. 

    However many companies still lack ways of periodic, scalable, and repeatable work approaches to prepare and access employees who face customers. There is no structured approach to automate and simplify things required to enhance customer engagement productivity. This is where a sales readiness platform is involved. As it provides sales reps to better utilize sales enablement and material for automating frontline officers. 

    As we all know, some organizations invest a considerable amount in their sales coaching programs to train their sales executives. It is also essential to test their performance and skills by doing a mock before facing the buyers. Therefore, sales readiness software comes in handy for your post-training performance check. 

    Sales Readiness Platform: Data-Driven, Automated Capabilities Evaluation 

    A Sales Readiness platform aims to assess how competent a customer-facing representative is. To engage a client or prospect and drive the discussion towards a particular consequence. So, in the same way, getting solutions to problems of what a sales rep can pitch and sell; practices to be appealing and deliver an excellent customer experience during the buying journey. 

    Data is the foundation of any top sales readiness program 

    A data-driven Sales Readiness platform enables the aggregation of measured abilities and competencies that best connect with sales performance and venture metrics and are most important to an organization. Those become an organization’s “capability structure” that can be utilized to recognize experience and information gaps and drive remediation through education, training, and coaching. Through this data, companies can optimize their readiness expenses and build role-specific readiness content, training, and coaching plans that map back to the framework. Then the platform helps evaluate the impact of those plans to inform constant development plans. 

    We will now be covering the various components of a sales readiness software, also known as a sales readiness platform. Let’s begin. 

    Components of a Sales Readiness Platform 

    When evaluating a sales readiness platform that aligns with data and an insight-driven approach. It is vital to keep in mind the following pointers. So let us take a deep dive into what factors form the essential components of a sales readiness platform. 

    The Delivery of Content 

    Cloud and web-based solutions with mobile abilities are essential. To adopt as the mobile workforce takes hold. Due to the new standard sales executives work remotely at a distance. Hence, they should consume content remotely with ease at their requirements from their respective devices. 

    The ongoing learning activity 

    Different sales executives have different ways to learn and adapt things. Hence, the provision of continuing knowledge is performed in various forms. It includes videos, graphics, documents, podcasts, etc. So, searching for solutions to cater the range from video to podcast and video roleplay to presentation. 

    Coaching on the Field 

    The sales executives or the sales team often look for solutions. The strategies to assist live coaching led by coaches. Online and customized coaching allows sales managers to observe, conduct, and capture one-on-one interactions. Recording the sessions helps to revisit them and find knowledge gaps, skill gaps, and presentation gaps. For further improvement, enabling the sales teams to scale up their efforts. A good sales training session should make use of data collected from various lectures conducted. To verify sales managers are teaching effectively & the sales executives continue to improve. Real-time reporting assists managers in enabling leadership to get better insights into the coaching program. 

    Use-case Features

    The sales readiness software should enable auto-assign for new users/ employees to the appropriate readiness paths. Apart from just the long-format content/ course, microlearning should also be considered. So that the content is grasped in the form of new learning material & is easily understood by the sales executives. Post which conducting assessments in the form of a quiz, MCQ must check competency gaps. The technology used in the sales readiness software must identify gaps with the sales executives’ suggestions. To learn and practice again until perfection. Generally, the sales readiness platform also includes – interactive gamification, scenario-based questions, critical objection handling, robust reporting, and detailed scorecards. The sales executives must explore it in detail for their learning and practice. 

    Video Roleplay 

    A sales readiness software should propose remote roleplay & stimulated sales scenes for their sales executives to enhance their sales process. The video roleplay is a powerful tool when it comes to practicing, preparing, and performing. When it comes to Awarathon, we are the experts in providing this feature in the sales readiness platform. Video roleplay is one of the primary features used by our Awarathon platform. The various mediums and platforms the sales executives can utilize to prepare themselves through practice using the sales readiness software. A Sales Readiness platform should assist in skill growth for each of these kinds of engagements. 

    The Ecosystem 

    The sales enablement sessions cannot operate in isolation. Hence, it is essential to factor in data availability. As the content might be exchanged with other systems and tech solutions. The objective is to consolidate separated solutions around the same set of interconnected enterprises, marketing, and operations functions. The right set of API, data sources, integration policies, migration rules, setup guides, and so on. 

    Finishing it up 

    Measuring, forecasting, and executing the success of a sales enablement program can be a tedious task when it comes to evaluating the ROI aspect of a sales readiness platform. It is equally important to consider brand perception, revenue matrices, and brand value. As most companies aim high for customer experience and engagement at the top of their pyramid, sales readiness is a more critical part of the sales enablement strategy. When provided with the knowledge and skills required, the client-facing representatives are positive and prepared for fruitful and engaging interactions with clients, which interprets more closed deals, larger deal sizes, and, ultimately, more significant business growth. 

    Explore more about Awarathon and our dashboard, request a demo here!

  • Sales Technology Training Predictions

    Sales Technology Training Predictions

    Awarathon helps you deliver the perfect sales pitch online and is one of the best online sales readiness platform. The way to provide an ideal sales pitch online consists of 5 key elements – Knowledge, Body language, Objection handling, Pace, and Modulation which is perfectly done for us. This makes us one of the best showpad alternatives. 

    Awarathon’s AI-enabled training framework deeply assesses each of these parameters to provide actionable roadmaps to mentors and managers. Whether you need granular or big-picture insights — we’ve got you covered. Learn more about our product details in the link here – http://awarathon.com/product/ Our core feature offerings and relevant functionalities for sales teams. Hence, we call our brand showpad alternatives. 

    Let’s begin with today’s blog article, which talks about the sales tech training predictions. Good organizations have adopted the new working method by providing their employees with the required skills to upgrade themselves to the new standard of working remotely (working from home). 

    Well, this shift isn’t that easy as it requires a change in mindset too. 

    It should be coupled with a learning team that will help understand the team’s problems, and core issues and solve them with the right technology and content. This approach will help others stay motivated and help them face new challenges the work scenarios throw at them. 

    He has made a list of pointers for the Sales tech predictions for us to know. So, let’s begin one by one by taking a deep dive into each of the parameters mentioned in today’s blog. 

    1. On-Demand Training Resources 
    2. Growing Preference for Video 
    3. The Change of Devices 
    4. Daily functions with AI 
    5. Evolution to the Niche 
    6. The wave in content generated by the Sales team 

    On-demand Training Resources 

    With the increase in smart devices and video access, content creation and consumption has increased. Be it business, entertainment, tutorial, learning, or anything else. 

    Today, both customers and salespeople expect immediate access to information and the ability to communicate in real time. To meet these requirements, companies must adopt a complete platform for online sales-readiness. To ensure your sales reps can effectively deliver a perfect sales pitch online. 

    Growing preference for Video 

    Video is the new trend. Be it work or learning a skill. Learning through videos is always welcomed as it saves time, generates interest, and helps fast grasping, and memorize things better than reading long-form documents and brochures.

    So, organizations must make the most of video learning and assessment tools in their online sales readiness platform. It will assist their sales team as well in delivering perfect sales pitches online efficiently. 

    So, we predict increased importance for this modern learning – video training over the years. The more we connect online for sharing content, reading notes, understanding brands, and requesting demos. The better we grow as a business understand the role of technology in daily work. 

    The change of devices 

    The more accessible devices, the more they use. It includes our mobile phones, laptops, tablets, etc. It gives us the liberty to access things that are a tap away and get the required work done with ease at our convenience. Therefore, more and more organizations are adopting online sales-readiness platforms to improve their sales performance. 

    Professionals are switching from laptops to mobile devices due to the very reason of its accessibility. The more they use it, the more it will help them access the required content on the go, capture information, share it with peers, and make additional notes where required. 

    Daily functions with Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

    After years of research, AI plays a vital role in various domains, and the same is true for automating sales functions. AI powers the data to help organizations gain better insights, personalize the process, and automate necessary work and benchmarks based on the previous quota achieved. It is through AI, which allows sales reps to deliver perfect sales pitches online. It creates a video roleplay environment and later provides you with a scorecard of your pitch’s performance. Hence, the AI’s role in the sales process, mainly in the online sales readiness platform, is crucial. 

    Evolution to the Niche 

    The rise of customization and personalization across various domains has initiated the development of niche solutions for technology. Because technology is coming up with targeted answers to business problems, companies, and their staff will require highly relevant solutions specific to their business. 

    This approach will help meet sales strategies and improve training programs powered by peer-to-peer collaborations and agile learning. The wave in content generated by the Sales team 

    In today’s changing times, the working staff is exposed to new scenarios. Hence they require new methods to capture their learning. The document of knowledge can be done through Video as mobile is the go-to device nowadays. Therefore, we see that sales reps rely more on their smartphones to capture and share sales information due to their ease of use. 

    Capturing real-life examples and stories can reach and impact teams across the domain, allowing all to create a learning experience. All thanks to the mobile video feature for helping us in capturing what matters. Hence, we should expect that the sales team management take practical actions in content creation for sales enablement by gathering the data in various forms to benefit the company. 

    Transformation in the Sales Profession 

    Unline, like any other industry’s sales domain, is also going through a transformation led by technological advancements. Imagine the value addition and benefits this has brought to your sales team. It includes right from the sales process to become streamlined to deliver perfect sales pitches online. 

    Many firms opt for an online sales readiness platform. By shifting their work process and mindset to a digital way. It is because no matter how difficult this shift would be as of now, it is undoubtedly going to yield long-term benefits. It will save a lot of their costs on training and coaching for their teams for many organizations. Offering all these features with ease at affordable pricing enables us to be the best showpad alternatives. 

    The next is here – Showpad Alternatives 

    Awarathon is one of the best Showpad alternatives as it provides a robust and secured platform for post-sales training. We enable sales teams with the right technology to deliver expected outcomes. Understanding core business problems and providing solutions to them has become the need of an hour. Upskilling, training, learning, motivating, managing, and tracking employees’ performance is a challenge many organizations with the sales team face today. Solution and data-driven tools in the market focus on particular issues leaving all your worries on the AI and focusing on your core business goals. 

    As the sales industry’s work role continues to evolve, the sales readiness technology will also include those parameters through technology for your service. However, enabling you to focus on what matters the most and leave the rest automated with better tracking, management, and reporting systems a click away

  • The role of Sales Coaching Scorecard in Coachable context

    The role of Sales Coaching Scorecard in Coachable context

    Sales Coaching Scorecard 

    Before we begin this blog article on Sales coaching scorecards. A quick brief about us – Awarathon. Awarathon is a competitor to Mindtickle and Brainshark. It is a complete sales readiness platform that comes with top-class and relevant feature offerings. To solve modern-day business problems when it comes to sales. 

    Sales-oriented organizations were sales operations, contributing the majority of the work. The challenge faced by sales managers is not about data but how to manage the data. But how to make the most in terms of regulating it as an integral part of your sales process. As there is no backup team. To manage the data, evaluate it, and provide the sales team with an insight to perform better. It is a vital problem that the organization must address to improve sales and achieve its quotas ultimately. 

    Therefore, for Awarathon’s customers, the solution is a Sales Readiness Scorecard. 

    It inserts data from sales coaching courses into a ‘coachable’ context. As it allows sales readiness leaders to collaborate with the sales team to enhance sales performance. These scorecards are enriched with data from CRM to make the ‘coachable’ context stronger. 

    So, what exactly is ‘coachable ‘context & what’s its importance? 

    The ultimate objective of sales training is to help your sales reps achieve their quotas and streamline the sales process. Also, be self-motivated, negotiate well, understand the industry and product offering, and make fundamental decisions. When it comes to scorecards, the core context refers to the sales representatives only. 

    These sales coaching scorecards take extensive data about coaching and learning to incorporate it into the sales reps. It makes it feasible for the sales enablement team and sales managers. To focus on what matters the most, allowing the sales reps to focus on parameters that can drive success. The sales readiness scorecard automates the data completely, doing the necessary and possible calculations. To generate context which matters to the sales reps. 

    Organizations can manage the following with the help of a sales readiness scorecard.

    • Organization of data 
    • Onboarding cohort 
    • Comparison of data 

    With the CRM add-on for the sales readiness scorecard, you can automatically connect performance metrics with your readiness data. It is a lot more straightforward and time-saving than ever before. Thanks to the sales readiness platform. This is because the features of scorecards are incorporated into the sales readiness platform. To enable your sales team to meet its quotas and improve the sales process effectively. It also includes efficiency metrics, including the pipeline created, opportunities generated, closing rates, sales cycle, the average price of selling, and many more relevant parameters for your team’s understanding. 

    The next thing you might ask now is what makes the data ‘coachable’? 

    Scorecards insert data into a coachable context. This is because scorecards help sales representatives with three primary objectives. 

    1. Identify the problems of sales departments. 
    2. Motivate to improve sales performance. 
    3. Hold accountable for weekly performance. 

    Identify the problems of sales departments. 

    Scorecards enable the sales readiness team to diagnose problems such as – reps not completing coaching, and struggling to master product understanding to gain knowledge. This insightful information is then shared with the sales managers to know what their team lacks and assist them with their specific problems. 

    With the CRM, performance data is inserted into the readiness data. It improves the diagnostic power of the sales readiness scorecard so that you can help your sales reps achieve results. 

    For example, if a sales rep cannot say the pitch properly, you can help him with the sales communication part. If a sales rep struggles with closing a deal for a winning opportunity, you can help him negotiate skills that belong to the later stage of the consumer journey. As mentioned earlier, Awarathon is one of the competitors to Mindtickle and Brainshark. 

    Motivate to improve sales performance. 

    Scorecards are the easiest way to show your sales reps their performance and motivate them in areas where they are performing better. Because of each sales rep’s scorecard, they are now encouraged to practice and serve better to improve their sales and achieve their quotas. 

    Their perspective towards sales training will change, instead of just seeing it as a daily chore or a compulsion to perform the task. They will now see it as the key to success. With a CRM add-on with a sales readiness scorecard, their sales performance will be calculated automatically, helping the sales managers to save time and evaluate accurately. 

    Hold accountable for weekly performance. 

    The sales readiness scorecard provides the record score promptly weekly, and fortnightly, which you can share with your reps as a sales manager. Your sales reps now know that as you are tracking their performance and coaching completion metrics. They will now start taking work a bit more seriously, ensuring that the deadlines are currently met, unlike before when tracking was not in place. Proper follow-ups can ensure completion enabling the sales team to achieve scalable outcomes. CRM with sales readiness scorecards helps sales-readiness teams know the team’s accountability for continuous improvement. Comparisons to understand what’s better and where modification is required. 

    Summing it up 

    When the sales reps and managers have the required things to identify problems, motivate sales staff, and maintain accountability, it is known as a ‘coachable’ context. Sales readiness scorecards automatically incorporate all the readiness data into your sales team’s context & can be enhanced by adding performance data if you are a customer of any CRM software. 

    Explore more about sales-readiness scorecards by requesting a free demo with us and getting to know more about our feature offerings and know more about us. Fill in the form; our representative executive will get in touch with you shortly. We are one of the best competitors to Mindtickle and Brainshark. 

  • The Remote Selling Masterclass

    The Remote Selling Masterclass

    Today we focus on the key fundamentals. As we move through the sales journey, we will be taking things up to an advanced and detailed level to help you win remotely. We will explore and explain the various tools, hacks, tips, and techniques that will help your pipeline and business grow. Let’s get started! 

    What is Remote Selling? 

    Remote selling or Virtual selling is a process where both the buyer and the seller are involved virtually rather than through in-person meetings while engaged in pitches, meetings and negotiations. Virtual selling helps both the parties (the buyer and the seller) save time, and cost, allowing them to work from their respective locations with ease. 

    Remote selling is now the standard operating procedure for many companies. Successful companies and sales teams have had to adapt fast to the new world. Processes have changed, tools have changed, and client behaviour and expectations have transformed. Here is what we are seeing work best in the companies and industries we see thriving in 2021. 

    The Fundamentals of Remote Selling 

    The fundamentals of remote selling are often neglected but It’s much more than a simple change of chair! The truth is that a below-par remote set-up and remote sales process can have a significantly detrimental impact on the pitch, the communication, the perception, the relationship and ultimately the deal. 

    While working from home, it can be difficult to stay focused and reach peak productivity levels in an environment that says, “Relax with my family,” not “Smash my targets!”The best salespeople, who get the most consistent, high revenue earning results, are disciplined and organized, they create and protect a sales-supporting environment. They are ruthless in rituals. 

    Here are a few points to make your space a temple of sales excellence: 

    Create a Dedicated Workspace.

    Ensure that your place is where you have blocked out potential distractions. Losing focus and refocusing is a significant cause of frustration and ultimately burnout. Declutter: Clutter can increase distractibility; use two or three screens when you work. A room in a house is ideal but understandably not always possible. If you live in a small apartment, create an area or specific corner of a room. If you are selling at a world-class level, you will ideally have a headset, and cloud telephony, and spend most of your time smiling and dialling, staying in your client’s world. By working in the same location every day, you will train your brain to get into work mode every time you step into that space. 

    Make physical and psychological comfort a priority. 

    We usually say culture is king, but comfort is up there in the royal family of effectiveness when making sure you can get into a world-class sales flow state. Invest in quality ergonomic furniture, and your work will improve. Get the temperature right in the room. A recent neuroscience study carried out by wellbeing practitioners Cohere stated that those who get enough natural light sleep better and are up to 40% more productive. If possible, your home office should have a window that lets the sun in, making the remote working experience much more effective. 

    Comfortable headphones: 

    A comfortable headset can be worn all day while blocking out all distractions. This allows you to stay focused on work and enjoy the music for a “non-live” activity. Create a playlist for yourself that gets you fired up, whatever that may be for you. Every time you book a call-back or meeting or ideally close a deal, get that favourite tune of yours blaring to ignite the brain’s serotonin and reward centres. Thunderstruck or Final Countdown has shown excellent results for us! Take breaks throughout the day: When you are selling, you can get into a zone where hours can fly by. Set alarms and block your time. The blocks of time are guidelines you should stick to for your mind and body’s sake. Of course, you can make exceptions if a call is going well, or you need one more deal to hit your quota. The point is not to underestimate the benefits of ritualized breaks and time for clearing your head. It goes a long way to ensuring you have a steady energy level all day as opposed to peaks and troughs. 

    Optimize your technology stack 

    1. Your internet speed: 

    You probably have internet access in your home. But is your network speed fast enough to support your work activities? If not, use an ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi while you look at upgrading. 

    1. Setting up your phone: 

    Make sure your company has provided you with the phone set-up and tech to remove any possible glitches or slowdowns in your daily sales plan. Just calling Air call, or any cloud telephony service provider is ideal. These are the most cost-effective, streamlined ways to get call volume up and ensure you can track activity and metrics seamlessly. 

    Make sure you have had the training to leverage an integrated sales tech stack. You might already use lead generation, email automation, and CRM solutions regularly. But now that you’re working remotely, you will have to learn how video conferencing software like Zoom works, choose and master one conferencing tool but be ready to use others if clients prefer. 

    1. The sales tools you need: 

    Your organization needs to invest in the right tool/s matching your business objectives. There are a fast-growing number of tools to ensure you spend most of your time selling to the right people. Sales CRM software like Pipedrive, sales coaching software, sales management software, sales readiness software like Awarathon, and sale prospecting AI software like White Rabbit. The company or team leader should guide you in optimizing your tech stack based on the business goals you wish to meet. Hence, sales readiness software is essential to perform your sales process online and streamline business objectives effectively.

    Here are four top video conferencing solutions: 

    Zoom: Zoom usage has skyrocketed during the pandemic. This tool includes useful features like HD audio and video, recording and transcripts, screen sharing and co-annotations, and virtual backgrounds. On the downside, Zoom has had security issues in the past. Even so, Zoom is a top option for many remote salespeople. 

    Skype: Skype is a popular video conferencing option. It will allow you to make international calls for free and host meetings for up to 50 people. Other handy features include subtitle and translation services, screen sharing, and the ability to record calls. For both team meetings and client calls, Skype is a solid option. 

    Google Meet: Google Meet is a video conferencing solution that’s part of Google’s widely used G Suite. This tool isn’t quite as featured-packed as other options, but it’s incredibly easy to use and free for G Suite users. Use Meet to host secure meetings for 250 people, get access to screen sharing, and more. 

    ClickMeeting: Lastly, we have ClickMeeting, a fully-featured video conferencing solution. This tool enables users to host team meetings and client calls, record and send product demos, and host live webinars. It also comes with top features like custom branding; in-meeting digital whiteboards, polls and surveys, and CTAs; and a detailed analytics dashboard. ClickMeeting requires a monthly fee to access top features, but it can be used for free for the first 30 days. Certainly worth trying. 

    VIDEO tips 

    1. Use video for every meeting! 
    2. Use an HD webcam and test before the meeting. 
    3. Adjust head position: The top of the head should be 10% to 15% from the top of the screen 4. Look at the speaking client on screen. 
    4. Position the camera at eye level or slightly above 

    Lighting Tips 

    1. Manage face lighting, so it is natural. 
    2. Reduce backlighting and overheads that create dark faces and glare. 
    3. Use purpose-built video lights such as ring lights or desk lights and dimmers if possible. 4. Use colour temperature adjustments for hue control; stay more white/blue than orange. 5. Green screen: If room lighting is hard to control, use face lights and a green screen with the digital background photo. 
    4. Preparing, planning, and scheduling

    Plan actions weekly and review daily. Track progress with your direct report or accountability partner: Stay motivated by committing your results to someone else and being accountable for them. A defined schedule is often the difference between failure and target, smashing productivity as a remote salesperson. If you work from home for the first time, you need to develop more discipline than ever before to get up early and stick to a highly productive schedule. Set a manageable schedule and stick to it. Decide when you’re going to start, when you’ll take breaks, and when you’ll sign off for the day—before your day begins. 

    Get power from your why EVERYDAY in EVERY conversation. 

    1. Why do I love what I do? / Why do I love sales? 
    2. What is my purpose at my company? 
    3. What is different about the method we use to solve the specific problem of our clients why is it awesome? 
    4. What will it feel like and what will change in my life if I succeed against my goals today, this week, this month, this year? 

    So you’ve nailed the fundamentals. Now it’s time to drive activity and performance. In the forthcoming chapters in the series, we will explore the sales process, sales coaching & sales readiness software finishing the series by closing the sale. 

    Get in touch to immediately improve your overall sales performance through sales coaching and sales readiness software.