How Well Have You Progressed With The Sales Transformation Challenge?

In sales, our job is to make things unequal. Potential buyers have always been looking for differentiation. But the tables of what is expected from sellers have changed. What is your current success based on? How do you make things unequal? Are you leading with your products and solutions? Are you selling or helping? Are you dealing with one or multiple stakeholders? Are you focused on your or their success? These are sales transformational challenges you have been confronted with. Some of you are picking up new selling behaviors rapidly. But others, although having the right intention, find themselves stuck to old habits. Going forward, there is time to work on the new way of selling. Keep challenging yourself. Do not give in on “It Doesn’t Work, It Is Not For Me, or I will Do It Later.” The Buyer, with their new way of buying, may not give you a second chance. It is time to hit the pause button, take a deep breath, and reflect on what goes well and what doesn’t.

Reflect on your current thinking, your approach, your sales actions, etc by answering the below questionnaire. Good luck!

For every question, you have the option of answering with Always or Sometimes. Do not answer with what you think you should do, but more what reflects your current reality. It is ok if you don’t get everything right. It is not a quiz. It is not a competition of who scores the most. Answering these questions with honesty, mirroring your current behavior, will help you move forward, transforming into a Trusted advisor.

When preparing for the first meeting with a prospect: Always / Sometimes
1I mainly focus on sales process questions to ask and possible solutions to sell.
2I mainly focus on gaining customer situational knowledge – as much as possible.
3My strategy is to find the key decision-maker and meet with him or her
4My strategy is to meet with stakeholders in multiple functions before meeting with a key decision-maker
To gain the appointment
5I ask for 20min to introduce myself and my company
6I share market dynamics or research information – unseen or underappreciated – that may drive the need for change, then ask for 20min to discuss these further
During the meeting:
7I wait patiently when I can turn the conversation into sharing a solution I think will fit the customer well
8I lead with my sales pitch, wait for the customer’s reaction and lead the conversation from there.
9My approach is non-linear and more aligned with the buyer’s process
10My questions are intended to discover dissatisfaction, pain points, and defined needs
11My questions are intended to let the customer discover something about themselves
12I share insightful information relevant to the customer’s business challenges
13I lead with our unique products and solutions
14I focus on the strategic value the customer would gain when changing.
15I use stories, relevant to the any part of the conversation
16I have to differentiate by offering a better price
17I find myself jumping to conclusions too early
18I share with prospects the risks I see for them when not making a change
19I share what worked well for other customers I have helped before
Closing the meeting
20I focus on how I can close the deal
21I ask for the customer’s commitment for a next meeting involving another stakeholder.
My Mindset
22I focus on improving my Sales Acumen
23I focus on improving my Business Acumen
24I focus on hitting the target closing ratio
25I focus on helping the customer to become more successful
26I find myself often selling rather than helping
27I find myself often helping rather than selling
28My customer contacts perceive me as a salesperson
29My customer contacts perceive me as a person with business advice

Result: The above image with a Seller and a Buyer is an interactive photo. If you said Always to Q 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29 then slide the image (starting in the middle with your cursor) an equal amount of centimeters to the left. Then slide the image to the right for the Always or Sometimes on Q 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 13, 16, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28. Reflect on your results, How well are you Selling with the Buyer’s Perspective? What can you do better? Focus on these and discuss with your manager to get feedback.

Feel free to type in your results in the Comments field.

Thank you for your Likes. Ask and challenge your colleagues to take the questionnaire.

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