What’s Missing in the Sales Tech Stack?
It was one of those moments of clarity. A profound ‘Ah-hah’ that smacks me on the head.
This past week, I was at SalesLloft Rainmaker 2017. What an AMAZING event. What they do to help the modern seller effectively engage the today’s buyer is transformative. If only I had these tools when I was coming up through the ranks many years ago. And I mean MANY!
While there, after eaves-dropping on dozens of phone conversations in the hallway, after diagnosing 27 sales rep calls last week, after reading my own call prep notes; I had that Ah-hah moment of clarity.
That obvious Realization:
In today’s market, you simply MUST be EXCELLENT on the phone It’s not an option.
The Sales Tech Stack, while great, is not enough. You MUST be EXCELLENT on the phone.
Our prospects are busy. Our competition is relentless. The market place is noisy.
We must the EXCELLENT on the phone to #RiseUp and claim our share of the market.
It comes down to the value of the first engagement.
But how do we become excellent?
It isn’t obvious. It isn’t intuitive.
Years of sales development leadership have taught me these important concepts.
The 3 elements required for sales conversation success:
- Know what ‘good’ is. When I ask most reps or sales leaders what ‘good’ looks like on a call, I tend to get a lot of stuttering, vague answers and blank stares. You have to know what ‘good’ looks like to assess how you are doing. Are you covering the stages of the call effectively? Are you using those lame catch phrases? (Read our previous blog on Call Assassins). Is your tone creating an environment that engages?
- Employ a cadence of rigor. Like the habit going to the gym, you have to build a regular cadence of reviewing and annotating your calls. The clients who use our service are challenged to self-assess at least one call per day, at the end of the day, before wrapping up. Without making a regular investment in this process, don’t expect any real change.
- Accountability and Coaching is Key. Peer level accountability and coaching from your leadership or via an outsourced firm like Span the Chasm is a true ‘must have’. Regular peer call-assessments create amazing results because accountability works. Additionally, obtaining expert coaching to accelerate your growth journey is a must. Why do all professional athletes engage 1:1 coaching? Simple. It drives results.
By partnering with ExecVision (the handsome chaps in the pic above), I have the good fortune to coach and observe reps and quickly transform their phone skills on a weekly basis. As a result, their engagement efficiency with prospects improves by 15 – 40%.
If you’re not seeing growth in your team, the question becomes… Why aren’t YOU using coaching services and assessment tools?
If you’re frustrated with the lack of effectiveness of your phone skills or those of your reps, please stop the madness. Click the link below to begin the process by sending us a few calls, and Span the Chasm will conduct a your complimentary assessment. It’s our privilege to help drive the results you deserve to achieve.
Why? Because being mediocre on the phone won’t pay the rent.
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Randy Riemersma is the founder of Span the Chasm. Span the Chasm helps companies drive sustainable sales growth. It is all we do.
