Browsing: sales

Have You Considered AI? I recently finished a Zoom training session with a distributor sales rep. As I started the Zoom, I received notice of a software update. I was asked if I wanted to add Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the session. When I accepted, I had no idea of what was going to happen. At the end of the training session, I received a pleasant surprise. Zoom AI had captured, classified, and cleaned our entire interaction. The results were amazing. I forwarded them to the trainee and the distributor owner. The trainee was able to review our session. The…

The Customer Relationship I consult primarily with distributors with revenues of $10 million and below. This is a group that succeeds based on its ability to provide exceptional customer service along with its products. Technology has dramatically changed the way these services are delivered. The salesperson’s one-time habit of regular customer visits to catch up on personal and professional information has been replaced by online communications. With so much material available on the internet, salespeople find it difficult to add something technically significant to a sales discussion. Also, digital interactions broaden the time between sales calls, diminishing a rep’s ability…

Sales and Marketing are two very crucial business functions with symbiotic relationships where each one’s success depends on the other. And they are typically referred to in order as sales and marketing. But why not marketing and sales? There could be unconscious weighting of importance by this order. Who comes first? But let’s talk about opportunities to build reciprocal synergies for business success as we go forward with growth strategies into 2024. While the definition of sales seems obvious, a brief description on each function follows: Marketing, as defined by the American Marketing Association (AMA), involves creating, communicating, delivering and…

If you’ve spent time in the B2B world recently, you may have noticed a new trend. And I’m not talking about ChatGPT or VR, although those are important and moving quickly, too. Sales and Marketing teams are finally finding ways to become better aligned and work more closely together. It’s long overdue. With better alignment, team members can work towards the same goals and boost organizational efficiencies, ultimately leading to more closed-won business. Why Sales and Marketing Struggle to Get Along Historically, Sales and Marketing haven’t really worked well together. “We gave you leads!” exclaims Marketing. “Why can’t you close…

By Jay Speilvogel, Venator Sales Group, LLC “My reps are winging it on sales calls.” “Our salespeople are acting in an entirely reactive mode when in front of prospects.” “When I ride-along with my reps, I am surprised at how unprepared they are for each call.” We were all taught at a young age Napoleon Hill’s famous quote, “plan our work and work our plan.” Many might also be familiar with Ben Franklin’s quote, “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” The challenge for most sales managers is that their people, both seasoned and brand new, are…

By Dirk Beveridge Recently, I attended the GAWDA Annual Convention in San Diego. I was fortunate to hear Bob Ewing, President at Red Ball Oxygen Co., and Past President of GAWDA, speak on the real crisis confronting independent, family and employee-owned distribution businesses — what has been coined as the “Silver Tsunami.” As baby boomers reach retirement age, we are seeing what economists predicted years ago — a profound and disruptive force on our country’s workforce. As evident in the dwindling labor pool, our industries face an uncertain future without this institutional knowledge. Bob addressed this and more to a…

“My greatest strength is creating relationships.” “My customers buy from me because they trust me.” “I am in sales because I love building relationships.” Sound familiar? Relationship selling will always be a critical capability; after all, people buy from people. In fact, most salespeople would define their relationship skills as their most valued asset; even more important than their hunting, qualifying, and closing. When asked on a job interview, the most common response to interview questions about sales capability would be one of the answers above. Take it one step further and relationship selling has become a common excuse for…

The other day, I unpacked a box from storage and came across four old iPhones. I replaced them because the batteries stopped holding a charge, they started running slow, and because I really wanted a better camera and larger screen size. The decision to upgrade my phone was relatively easy; but what about the decision to replace a website? Below are six reasons why you should replace your website. 1. It’s over three years old. As a general rule, a website should be replaced every three years. In that time, the technology available to give your customers and prospects a…

by Patrick Lencioni These days, virtually no one will tell you that teamwork isn’t important when it comes to an organization achieving its goals. Even cynics understand that groups of people who are willing to put their individual interests aside for the good of the team will outperform groups of people who do not. Having said that, there is something that often happens after a team succeeds that suggests many of us might be discounting the real power of teamwork. A great example of this happens in the world of professional sports. With the football season having just wrapped up,…

In 1972, I graduated LeTourneau College (now LeTourneau University) with a degree in welding engineering and began working for a small manufacturing firm as part of its five-person engineering group. My fellow team members were over 40 years old, which seemed ancient to me at the time.  However, I found it rewarding to introduce them to the exciting new ideas I had learned in college, which made the experience enjoyable. Over time, I noticed I did not share the enthusiasm my colleagues had for the work we performed, and this made me anxious. Eventually I approached my manager with a…