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How can understanding customer's needs lead to sales success? Unveiling the Iceberg: A Deep Dive into Customer-Centric Sales
Hello everyone, I’m your host, and today I’m excited to share with you the insights from a recent expert insight episode where I had the pleasure of interviewing Karl Becker, the founder of Improving Sales Performance and author of several insightful books on sales and marketing alignment. Our conversation revolved around his new book, “Iceberg Selling,” and the importance of understanding customers on a deeper level. The Iceberg Selling Concept Karl Becker introduced us to the concept of “Iceberg Selling,” a sales approach that goes beyond the surface-level understanding of customers. He emphasized that to be successful in sales, we must delve deeper into the customer’s world, understanding their needs and connecting with them on a more profound level. This approach, Karl believes, can set us apart from our competitors and lead to better results. Karl and I found common ground in the belief that people crave to be seen, heard, and understood. This simple yet powerful concept forms the foundation of effective sales. Drawing from his extensive experience as a consultant, Karl noticed that salespeople often focus solely on closing deals without truly understanding the customer. He stressed the importance of investing time in understanding the customer’s unique situation and building a connection with them. Strengths Over Weaknesses Our conversation then shifted to the idea of focusing on people’s strengths rather than their weaknesses. Karl highlighted the importance of recognizing and leveraging each individual’s strengths. He shared a conversation he had with a peer group of marketing agency owners, discussing the role of account managers and their level of ownership in client success. Karl suggested changing the title from account manager to account leader to emphasize the need for them to take ownership and lead their accounts to success. This idea resonated with the group, as it shifted their perspective on the role and highlighted the importance of driving outcomes and creating value for clients. I found myself agreeing with Karl’s point about the distinction between management and leadership. I emphasized the psychological and executional differences between the two and the importance of understanding what leadership means in the context of sales. The concept of an account leader signifies taking responsibility for the transfer of value and the success of the client. Building Authentic Relationships Karl added that account managers in sales and marketing often have a natural inclination towards building relationships and understanding people. He suggested that they should apply this mindset to understanding their clients’ success and needs. By aligning with clients and bringing value, account managers can create successful outcomes. He encourages account managers to immerse themselves in their clients’ world, building strong relationships and rapport. Karl also emphasized the importance of authenticity and being true to oneself in sales. He believes that when salespeople show their genuine selves, amazing things happen, and clients are more likely to open up and reveal their needs and challenges. This leads to co-creating solutions and a deeper understanding between the salesperson and the client. I agreed with Karl’s point and added that in today’s world, people’s defenses are often up when they encounter salespeople. Therefore, being authentic from the beginning is one of the fastest ways to break down that initial distrust. Karl further explained that salespeople sometimes carry baggage or “head trash” that affects their approach to sales. He shared a story about a founder who had hang-ups about sales due to negative experiences and perceptions. Through coaching, the founder realized that sales is about genuinely showing up, caring, and offering solutions to help others. The Pride in Sales Both Karl and I expressed our passion for sales and the pivotal role it plays in society. We believe that salespeople should be proud of their profession and the value they bring to their clients. After all, sales is not just about closing deals; it’s about understanding, connecting, and creating value for others. Our Host John is the Amazon bestselling author of Winning the Battle for Sales: Lessons on Closing Every Deal from the World’s Greatest Military Victories and Social Upheaval: How to Win at Social Selling. A globally acknowledged Sales & Marketing thought leader, speaker, and strategist. He is CSMO at Pipeliner CRM. In his spare time, John is an avid Martial Artist.  The Power of Connection: Meeting People Where They Are Here's what to expect on the podcast:
• How does the power of connection influence a person's sense of belonging and identity? • Why do some individuals find it challenging to connect with people? • How can building connections affect a person's career advancement and success? • What is the iceberg concept, and how does it apply to all relationships? • And much more! I am here with Karl Becker. This interview could be about his accomplishments: he has a US Patent, he founded and ran a globally recognized digital agency, he was a 40 Under 40 award winner, and is an author of three books. Instead, he is here to talk more about how all of his missteps, tough situations, life experiences, and growing up dyslexic in a highly academic family have made him an accidental sales consultant. Karl’s focus is helping salespeople but contends that each of us, salesperson or not, can connect better with ourselves, find and leverage our natural strengths, and learn how to find depth and more substance in all of our relationships. Plus, his new book, Iceberg Selling, has illustrations of polar bears and walruses - so we are going to find what that’s about too.  How to ensure that your Sales Team is Hyper Productive In this guest podcast appearance, Karl Becker shares his insights for building a hyper productive sales team. In the interview he shares mindsets and best practices from his book Iceberg Selling, touches upon how core values are essential to leading teams, and provides tips on bringing sales and marketing together. Plus the episode is packed full or stories and inspiration.
Listen to the podcast below, on PodBean, or on Apple Podcasts.  Alignment between your sales and marketing teams is absolutely critical to long-term success. In the past, it was all too common within organizations for these two departments to work completely independently of one another. This would almost inevitably lead to friction, frustration, and bottlenecks in the overall sales process. Fortunately, modern technology has made it possible to easily link marketing activities to sales activities. As a result, you can create a seamless buyer's journey from start to finish.
With that in mind, let's briefly review the fundamentals of the integrated sales and marketing funnel. Then, we'll discuss some key principles of alignment for each funnel stage. The Basics of the Integrated Sales and Marketing Funnel The sales funnel is simply a way to organize leads in order of how close they are to making a purchase. It allows you to develop strategies and tactics for both of your departments that align with the needs of customers in each stage of the funnel. The ultimate goal is to move each prospect through the funnel and toward a purchase with your brand. We can divide the funnel into three main stages:
Leads can enter the funnel at any stage. However, a typical buyer's journey starts at the top of the funnel, gradually progresses to the middle, and finally ends at the bottom. Let's break down each stage of the funnel. Specifically, let's examine how your marketing and sales teams can act in alignment as they work to "nudge" the prospect further along. Top of the Funnel: Leads Who Want To Learn More Leads who enter here may have initially made contact with your company via marketing outreach (newsletters, social media posts, trade shows, and so on). These are often referred to as marketing qualified leads (MQLs). These leads aren't ready to buy. They may not have even known about your company or the solutions you offer until very recently. However, companies often send these leads directly to the sales team — which is a huge mistake! Your first lead generation priority at this stage of the funnel should be moving prospects to the next stage, not trying to sell them something they're probably not even interested in yet. Who should own these leads? Marketing, 100%. Your marketing team can develop content that tells your story and aligns with each type of lead entering the top of your funnel. Then, they can share the data they've collected with your sales team, so your reps will have an idea of what to expect when interacting with leads. Middle of the funnel: leads who are considering your solution At this stage, leads have already interacted with your content, and they're digging deeper into the benefits of your specific solution. These are now sales qualified leads (SQLs). Of course, you'll find different levels of interest within this stage of the funnel. Some leads will be only slightly interested in your offerings (more curious than anything else), while others will be very interested. In addition, you can expect that leads in this stage will begin exploring all their options — including offerings from your competitors. Who should own these leads? At this point, your sales team should start reaching out and following up with prospects. After all, it's their job to engage with people who are considering your solutions. Since the typical lead in this stage has already expressed interest in your offering, sales reps should have a better foundation on which to engage them further via direct messaging (email, phone call, text). At the same time, your marketing team's job is to create relevant resources that will help turn leads into solid SQLs — i.e., leads that are primed for conversations with your sales reps. For instance, marketing materials can start extending invitations for leads to interact with your sales team. The point is, ownership at this stage should be split between sales and marketing, depending on the nature of each lead. Bottom of the funnel: leads who want to buy your solution This is where leads are strongly considering purchasing your solution. It's true that some leads at this stage are more ready to buy than others. However, all of them are definitely beyond the research and evaluation process — they want to take action. These leads are sometimes called "opportunities." Keep in mind that many leads want to de-risk their decision. And they may be considering a purchase from one of your competitors at the same time they're evaluating your solution. For that reason, it's crucial that each sales rep understands common concerns and objections that these leads may have. They must proactively address such concerns to the extent possible. Who should own these leads? Your sales reps. Guiding leads toward a purchase is where most salespeople excel. At this point, you're way beyond providing marketing resources and making the case for your company via content. Skilled sales reps can either finalize a deal quickly or provide the lead with support in making the best decision. If your sales team has an inventory of resources at their disposal, they'll likely perform much better. It's often helpful to keep a running list of FAQs handy, especially if your reps notice that certain questions often become roadblocks that prevent sales from going through. If misunderstandings arise, your team should be prepared to effectively address them. Moreover, documenting why each lead chose or did not choose to buy from your company can provide invaluable data for both your sales and marketing teams moving forward. In summary, each stage of the sales and marketing funnel should be integrated, so that both teams are working unitedly towards common goals. Marketing generally has more influence over the upper half of the funnel, while sales handle the lower half. However, if you want the maximum impact from your lead generation efforts, both teams should be involved in every stage to some degree. At the end of the day, such intentional alignment is what will drive results and help improve your company's sales performance. Learn More A healthy relationship between sales and marketing is vital to an organization’s success. Dive deep into this effective strategy in a new book called Sales & Marketing Alignment. If you'd like more insights on how you can improve your sales leadership, contact us. Or sign up for our newsletter for more valuable resources.  This week on the Intentional Success Podcast I’m joined by a very special guest, my long-time friend and colleague, Karl Becker, President of Improving Sales Performance and the mastermind behind the transformative book, “Iceberg Selling.”
We take a deep dive into the evolving world of sales as Karl, with his wealth of experience, unravels the intricacies of understanding buyers’ needs and cultivating the ultimate sales mindset. Learn actionable strategies and insights that have the power to reshape your sales culture and enhance performance. If you’re on a mission to elevate your sales skills, this episode is your ticket to success. Don’t miss out on these game-changing revelations! Interview - Why Most Businesses Score Low On Sales Infrastructure (In The Revenue Equation)9/20/2023
 Audio Series: Interviews from Set Up To Win Topics Covered In This Interview (4:57 Minutes)
 Many sales reps and marketers truly believe in their products. They are convinced that the product is great, and they're also convinced that customers will love it. However, there's often a disconnect between the reasons they are so excited about the product and the reasons customers may be interested in it. That disconnect can lead to missed opportunities, lost sales, and a lot of head-scratching on the part of your team members. "Why aren't we selling more of this product?" they may wonder. "What are we missing?" In many cases, the root cause of the problem is a failure to use benefits-centered messaging when interacting with prospects and leads. The Difference Between Features and Benefits When we talk about "benefits-centered messaging," what are we actually referring to? Simply put, it's a type of storytelling that's relevant to and compelling for your audience. It's not focused on the what or the how of your product — rather, it articulates the why of it: why would your leads want to buy what you're offering? Why will it make their life easier, simpler, or better? Benefits-centered messaging is much different from features-centered messaging. For example, imagine a marketing message focused on the features of a new smartphone. Perhaps it discusses how advanced the camera is, or how many pixels will be in your photos. The emphasis is on the technical aspect of the product, the what and how. Now take that same scenario, and imagine a benefits-centered message for the smartphone camera. Maybe the message would be something like: "Capture your memories and relive them more clearly than ever before." The focus has shifted away from the technical specs, and onto why customers should be interested in the camera — in this case, because it will help them better remember precious moments for years to come. The Two Paths To Purchase At the core of every purchase decision is at least one of two powerful motivators: fear and desire. People either want to avoid pain or achieve a state of being better than the one they currently are in. All products and services are designed to help the buyer avoid the pain they fear or obtain what they desire. Therefore, the job of your sales and marketing teams is to tell a story about how your product will help customers meet one of those goals (or sometimes both). You could even replace the word "benefits" in the phrase benefits-centered messaging with "positive outcomes" — the meaning remains exactly the same. What's the point? Dumping a list of features onto your website or other forms of marketing content probably won't get you the best results. On the other hand, identifying what your customers truly want and need, and creating messaging that guides them to your solution, is what will help you get wins consistently. With that in mind, try looking at your product through the eyes of the customer by asking yourself questions like:
Remember, the same product may hold out different benefits for different people. So while it's important to know what a product does, it's just as important to understand what a product can do for the customer. How To Beef Up Your Benefits-Centered Messaging It's important for your company to have a solid, well-articulated identity. In other words, you need to answer the question: "What do we do?" Now, the challenge is to build on that foundation by answering the question: "What positive outcomes can our company help bring about?" In terms of interactions with your customers, there are two main ways to do just that: 1. Communicate Benefits With Your Marketing Copy A lot of company websites out there start almost every sentence on their home page with "we" or "our." For instance:
The problem with these statements is that, frankly, just about any competitor could say the same thing. Experience, commitment to customer service, hard work — these are simply the price of entry in most industries. They're not differentiators in any meaningful way. At the end of the day, people don't buy from your company because of your expertise or technical abilities; they buy from you because of the benefits you offer, and their trust that you'll deliver on those benefits. Therefore, your entire website (and any other marketing materials you publish) should speak to and serve the needs of your target audience. Don't brag about how fantastic your company is; rather, make it clear how you've made — and are making — your customers' lives better. 2. Center Your Conversations Around Positive Outcomes Using benefits-centered messaging is especially important when conversing with leads. Many sales reps fall into the trap of extolling the virtues of their product without seeking to understand what specific fear or desire is motivating the person across from them. On the other hand, asking questions and truly listening to the answers can help salespeople to steer the conversation in the right direction, and ultimately toward a purchase. Consider using the following questions (or variations on these questions) to better understand your prospects:
It's amazing how many sales reps don't ask these questions — and yet, getting the answers is often the key that will help you convince the customer of your solution's value to them! In summary: don't focus so much on product features. Instead, think like your customers, and focus on the benefits they're looking for. If your sales and marketing teams practice this approach, you're virtually guaranteed to see improved results from their efforts. Learn More A healthy relationship between sales and marketing is vital to an organization’s success. Dive deep into this effective strategy in a new book called Sales & Marketing Alignment. If you'd like more insights on how you can improve your sales leadership, contact us. Or sign up for our newsletter for more valuable resources.  Audio Series: Interviews from Set Up To Win Topics Covered In This Interview (3:53 Minutes)
 Most B2B sales (and a good chunk of B2C sales) involve more than the purely transactional. The most successful sales reps understand that developing a relationship with leads is what drives purchase decisions. And a big part of developing that relationship is understanding where the buyer is coming from, what led them to your company in the first place, and why they would ultimately buy from you. This is where a firm grasp of your typical buyer's journey is an invaluable asset. You can generally break it down into five distinct steps. Each one can inform your sales team's messaging, break down barriers, and eventually result in a win. Let's talk about them one at a time. Step #1: The Buyer's Current State This is where you want to paint a picture of your ideal customer persona's daily life, even before they're aware of your company or the solutions you offer. Yes, basic demographics are important here. However, it's helpful to go beneath the surface. Imagine the ups and downs your customer may experience on a regular basis. For example, let's say you provide outsourced software development solutions. Your ideal customer persona is Jonathan, a 35-year-old manager for a software development team. Maybe you envision Jonathan spending most of his time in meetings. He acts as the "glue guy" between different departments within his organization, and deals with a fast-paced workload and a high-pressure environment. This mental image you've created can be a foundation for the next steps in Jonathan's customer journey. Step #2: The Buyer's Challenges It's vital to dig into the specific challenges and pain points your customer is facing. After all, you can't effectively position yourself as a solutions provider if you don't understand the problems that need to be fixed! Think about issues that could keep your buyers up at night, including problems they're already facing and potential problems that they worry about. In B2B settings, think about challenges that could cause buyers to fail at their job, or make their job more stressful and frustrating. In Jonathan's case, perhaps he is concerned about capacity-related questions — e.g., whether his current team has the bandwidth to complete all their deliverables on time. He may find it stressful when one or more of his team members goes on vacation, and everyone else has to pick up the slack. Also, he is very worried about missing deadlines, delivering incomplete product features, or otherwise derailing the project timeline. Step #3: The Buyer's Desired State Now that you've uncovered the customer's key challenges and obstacles, it's time to transition into what a perfect day for them would look like. What would their dream world be, in which all of their problems have been magically solved? Don't be afraid to think big during this step. Remember, though, that before the customer can achieve their ideal state (their wants), they must first address the risks and challenges they're currently facing (their needs). So think about the things that are non-negotiable for their success — their "deal breakers." Then, move on to the things they would like to have, but may not need at the moment. For example, what would Jonathan's perfect world look like? He would manage a team of skilled developers who are creative, able to spot issues quickly, and eager to collaborate with one another. On the other hand, what are his non-negotiable needs? He needs to maintain alignment between team members, achieve business goals, and deliver features and completed products on time. Step #4: The Buyer's Solutions There must be an understanding that your buyer could reach their "happily ever after" through a number of different options. Your solution isn't the only one available. It may be the best solution in certain areas, but includes significant drawbacks in others. Therefore, take a long, hard look at your competition. Think about the distinct benefits and disadvantages that come with their offerings. And don't be afraid to bring those up in your conversations with the lead! Doing so will demonstrate that you can be trusted and that you sincerely want the best for them. Going back to Jonathan's situation, what would some of his potential hiring solutions look like? He could beef up his in-house team with more developers and engineers. He could invest in more training for his current team. Or he could outsource some or all of his team's software development duties. Of course, for each of these solutions there is another subset of options he could evaluate (like whether to outsource to a domestic or offshore company). Step #5: The Buyer's Purchase Finally, we come to the step in which your sales reps will (hopefully) close the deal. It's important to note that not all leads (even warm leads) are immediately ready for this step. However, when your reps understand the previous four steps of the buyer's journey and use them to inform their talking points, they'll be in a much better position to convince and convert. A large part of this step is "de-risking" the purchase for your lead. In other words, bolster the customer's confidence in your solution. Provide case studies, testimonials, references, and warranties as needed. Make sure you understand what process your B2B customer needs to go through in order to finally pull the trigger. Lastly, make sure your customer understands any final actions they need to take to buy your product. After reviewing several options, Jonathan may decide to outsource some of his software development workload to your company. Perhaps he is impressed with testimonials from your other clients. Or (after talking with one of your reps) realizes that outsourcing is actually less costly than hiring new in-house developers, and provides more scalability. He is also reassured by your company's vetting process for developers and feels confident that they have the skills and experience needed to make his projects a success. If you carefully examine each step in this five-step buyer's journey and disseminate that information to your sales team, then your reps will be in a prime position to develop strong relationships with leads, overcome objections, and close deals. Learn More A healthy relationship between sales and marketing is vital to an organization’s success. Dive deep into this effective strategy in a new book called Sales & Marketing Alignment. If you'd like more insights on how you can improve your sales leadership, contact us. Or sign up for our newsletter for more valuable resources.  Audio Series: Interviews from Set Up To Win Topics Covered In This Interview (6:01 Minutes)
 Do you know exactly who your ideal customer is? Have you developed accurate customer personas? Many company leaders may say something like: "Of course we do! We sell to tech companies." But do they understand which people have a stake in the decision-making process at one of those tech company clients? Who actually makes the final decision?
As you can tell from this simple example, staying at the surface level of who a customer is inevitably results in knowledge gaps for marketers and salespeople alike. Perhaps just as bad is when everyone on an integrated team has completely different ideas about what their target consumer looks like. (For instance, are "tech companies" SaaS companies or IT service providers... or both?) Without having clearly defined and detailed customer personas to help you focus your efforts, misalignment is all but guaranteed. Put another way: you may reach out to the wrong people, with the wrong messaging, while promoting the wrong product. On the other hand, when you have that clear-cut customer persona in front of you, everyone on your team will be in a much better position to succeed. Your sales reps will understand how and why your customers interact with your brand. Plus, they may even be able to answer customer questions before they ask them. And your marketers will be able to craft highly targeted and compelling content — content that generates conversions. The Groundwork for Creating a Hyper-Specific Customer Persona There is a basic three-step system that will help you narrow down which customers you should pursue in the first place. Here is what it involves:
Why Flexibility Is Key At times, your ideal buyer may need something you didn't foresee. Even if the discovery initially catches you off-guard, once you have that information in hand, you can use it to pivot your strategy and create more effective marketing materials and sales pitches. Keep a close eye on how your marketing campaigns perform after you've created a new customer persona. Are you generating as many leads as expected? Are those leads converting, or is there a bottleneck somewhere in the sales funnel? Don't be afraid to go back to the drawing board if it's obvious that your messaging or offering doesn't align with customer needs. You may be selling to the wrong people, or may just need to tweak your offering to resolve a more specific problem than you'd anticipated. Of course, communication between your sales and marketing teams is absolutely imperative if you want to maintain your flexibility. Be especially sensitive to the risk points that leads may express concern over — your ability to sell your offerings to them depends on your ability to address those risks. Paint a Detailed Picture of Your Customer Personas When you begin to develop customer personas, you want to make it as realistic and detailed as possible, even to the point of choosing a stock photo to go along with the fictional name you've selected. A good starting point may be thinking about one of your current customers who fits the mold of an ideal buyer. Perhaps you can ask your sales team about them, or even interview them personally. Then, you'll be able to leverage your knowledge of that customer, along with some historical data, to create a persona that effectively mirrors real life. Spend some time imagining your customer persona's profile and general characteristics. As you develop the persona, drill down as far as you can go in terms of personal demographics. For instance, you may want to think about distinctive elements like:
Of course, there's no need to go overboard with your customer persona: you're a salesperson, not a Russian novelist! Still, the more relatable you make it, the easier it will be for your sales and marketing team to identify with and adapt to your target consumer. It certainly takes some effort to identify and define your ideal buyer. But at the end of the day, doing so is a major step toward improving your company's sales performance and forging long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships. Learn More A healthy relationship between sales and marketing is vital to an organization’s success. Dive deep into this effective strategy in a new book called Sales & Marketing Alignment. If you'd like more insights on how you can improve your sales leadership, contact us. Or sign up for our newsletter for more valuable resources.  Audio Series: Interviews from Set Up To Win Topics Covered In This Interview (7:27 Minutes)
 Are you using the Revenue Equation? First, let's cover why it's important. In order for any sales and marketing tactic to work at maximum effectiveness, it must be implemented within the context of an overarching strategy. Simply put, you need to determine where your business is right now and where you want it to go. Then, develop a plan to get from point A to point B. That's your strategy. Many sales and marketing teams pull the trigger on key decisions without having a clearly defined strategy in place. On the other hand, the most successful companies out there adhere to their core strategy in all major sales and marketing decisions. They have a firm grasp of what their sales strengths and weaknesses are and deploy their tactics accordingly. At the end of the day, your company's strategy will determine the ultimate success of your sales and marketing efforts... which in turn will determine whether you hit your revenue and profitability goals. Thus, the ability to identify strengths, weaknesses, areas of misalignment, and adjustments that are "low-hanging fruit" is vital to sustainable success in your sales and marketing integration journey. You may wonder: Okay, I understand all that, but how can I effectively identify those things and then make the needed changes? This is where an exceptional tool comes into the picture: namely, the Revenue Equation. Why the Revenue Equation Is So Powerful The Revenue Equation is a framework for sales and marketing organizations. It's an assessment designed to help understand the root causes of sales and marketing problems. Ultimately, the goal is to create systems that will solve those problems. The true power of the Revenue Equation kicks in when all the stakeholders in an organization (specifically, leadership, management, and sales/marketing team members) get on the same page. When everyone in a company has a clear, shared understanding of what needs to happen moving forward, then everyone can work as a team to turn that vision into a reality. I talk more about the Revenue Equation in this recent audio interview. How the Revenue Equation Works The Revenue Equation consists of three core factors that paint a comprehensive picture of what's needed for revenue stabilization and growth. These three factors are:
For each factor, you'll need to assess where your company stands at the moment, especially in comparison to where you want it to stand. Everyone in your company should take part in this assessment. Remember: you want all stakeholders to be on the same page. With that in mind, let's briefly list some questions that your assessment should include, taking it one factor at a time: 1. Foundations How well defined and understood within your organization are:
2. Design How well defined and used within your organization are:
3. Infrastructure How well defined and used within your organization are:
As you implement the above assessment throughout your company, you may indeed find several areas of opportunity that need to be addressed. However, don't forget about the flip side of the coin: you'll no doubt also identify several sales strengths that your organization possesses — advantages that your competitors may not have. So the Revenue Equation is not only a great way to identify bottlenecks in your sales and marketing process that is hindering progress; it's also a wonderful way to remind yourself of and solidify those aspects of sales and marketing that your team already does really well! How the Revenue Equation Can Lead to Strategic Success It should be noted that the Revenue Equation is not a "one and done" type deal. It can (and should) be refined and redeployed over the course of time, as your company grows and adapts to new opportunities in the market. Leveraging the Revenue Equation in such an intentional way can create accountability, increase efficiency, and optimize performance throughout your organization. It will help your sales and marketing teams become (or stay) aligned, and develop greater clarity around their role in propelling your business forward. Let's briefly review what you can do to leverage the Revenue Equation into a sustainable growth driver:
It's true that investing in strategic development can be time-consuming at first, and it may be tempting to "skip ahead" to sales and marketing tactics. However, using the Revenue Equation discussed above can lay a solid foundation for all of your future sales and marketing efforts. It can help align all departments within your organization and ultimately improve your sales performance. Ultimately, it will increase sales! Learn More A healthy relationship between sales and marketing is vital to an organization’s success. Dive deep into this effective strategy in a new book called Sales & Marketing Alignment. If you'd like more insights on how you can improve your sales leadership, contact us. Or sign up for our newsletter for more valuable resources.  Audio Series: Interviews from Set Up To Win
Topics Covered In This Interview (4:59 Minutes)
 Any business leader worth their salt wants the company's sales and marketing teams to function at peak performance. However, this won't happen automatically; the leader needs to be a leader in several vital areas before the teams will follow. Buy-in starts at the top, and management's words and deeds are what set the tone for the rest of the organization.
With that in mind, here are six key ways in which leaders can contribute to improved sales and marketing performance from their team members: 1. Show Respect This is a fundamental step in optimizing your team's performance... one which sadly goes neglected more often than not. It's important to understand that your marketers and sales reps are "subject-matter experts" when it comes to prospects' pain points, concerns, and values. They have experience in offering targeted solutions that guide leads through the sales funnel and toward a final purchase decision with your brand. That experience — that expertise, hard work, and passion — must be respected by leadership. Make it clear to both your sales and marketing teams that you understand how they are directly contributing to the company's mission, vision, goals, and ultimate success. Vocalize your appreciation for their efforts. By simply filling this basic human need — the need to feel respected and valued — you're already setting your teams on the right path, and motivating each member to give their best, even toward the most ambitious revenue goals. 2. Support Teamwork Do everything you can to push back against collaboration's silent killer: the "silo mentality." Sales and marketing experts may be able to accomplish quite a bit apart from each other, but that pales in comparison to what they can accomplish together. For that reason, aligning your sales and marketing teams toward a common vision and goals should be a top priority on your leadership agenda. Set up processes that promote communication and collaboration between the two teams, such as regular interdepartmental meetings. Communicate with team leaders in joint strategy sessions. Do what you can to walk the walk, and your managers and team members will fall in line. 3. Ask for Feedback (and really listen to it) What if your departments aren't performing to expectations? The quickest and most effective way to uncover sales and marketing roadblocks is to seek feedback from your teams. Ask questions, and pay close attention to the answers. It may be enough to seek feedback from team leaders, but at times you'll need to get feedback from the entire team. Your sales reps in particular can help you understand what prospects truly want, and why deals may not be closing as expected. These team members are "on the front lines" when it comes to customer interactions, and they can function as the de facto eyes and ears of your organization. Be willing to tap into their knowledge and experience, especially when contemplating major strategic changes. 4. Promote and Drive Ongoing, Integrated Training Interdepartmental collaboration is one vital aspect of proper alignment between sales and marketing. For most modern organizations, integrated training on sales and marketing tools is another. It's vital that your sales reps and marketers understand how to use such tools effectively — whether it's a new lead database, a CRM, or an email automation platform. They also need to understand how their activities with these tools play into the bigger picture. For example, when exactly should a marketing-qualified lead (MQL) transition into a sales-qualified lead (SQL)? And what steps need to take place in order to implement and document that transition? In this regard, it may be best to remove training silos within sales and marketing and bring the teams together for integrated learning sessions. 5. Focus on Results and Watch the Numbers As you implement alignment between sales and marketing, you'll be asking team members to track specific KPIs for the sales and marketing processes over which they've taken ownership. When it comes to these numbers, balance will be needed on your part: you'll certainly never want to fall into the trap of micromanagement, which is both inefficient and counterproductive. At the same time, as a leader it's your responsibility to regularly and methodically review these KPIs within the context of the company's larger goals. By keeping an eye on key metrics, you'll be able to spot any bottlenecks (or potential bottlenecks) in your sales and marketing strategy. You'll also gain insight into which team members could benefit most from constructive feedback. At the end of the day, it's important for sales and marketing leaders to remember that they're working toward an overarching objective, and are getting consistent support and direction from proactive leadership. 6. Celebrate Wins... and Have Fun! In many ways, sales and marketing teams can be compared to sports teams. For instance, both work toward common goals. In order to be effective, both require hard work from individual members, along with a clear understanding of their specific roles. And both can achieve visible, measurable success ("points scored," if you will). There are many ways to "score points" in sales and marketing. No matter how you keep track of those points, it's important to occasionally step back and celebrate the wins — all the times your company has experienced some type of success from the efforts of your team members. Take advantage of these opportunities to acknowledge the work of your team, and express your appreciation for them. There will always be room for improvement; but taking a moment to look at what you are doing right is great for team morale, and a driver for future success. When it's all said and done, sales and marketing performance has a direct relation to qualities that any leader can develop: understanding, respect, empathy, consistency, and trust. By holding the vision of sales and marketing alignment, seeking feedback, and demonstrating your respect and appreciation for the efforts of each team member, you'll undoubtedly see improvement in each department's performance. Momentum will gradually build, and your company will be set up for sustainable success for years to come. Learn More A healthy relationship between sales and marketing is vital to an organization’s success. Dive deep into this effective strategy in a new book called Sales & Marketing Alignment. If you'd like more insights on how you can improve your sales leadership, contact us. Or sign up for our newsletter for more valuable resources. |
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