May 15, 2018
The Art & The Science of Sales - Leveraging Data to Take Action.
This week Steve Will, Revenue Champion & SaaS Sales Leader, joins us to discuss sales, data, common challenges, dealing with conflict, and what's next.
We discuss Steve's background and experience, both as an individual contributor, and leading sales teams.
Questions Addressed
- How does Steve define success in sales?
- How do you distinguish between the Art & Science of Sales?
- How can you improve functional product knowledge?
- What are common mistakes companies make when thinking about data?
- What are some of the questions you should be asking when looking at data?
- How can technology be leveraged to help improve Marketing & Sales alignment?
- What does the sales professional of tomorrow look like?
Key Takeaways
- When Thinking of the Art - three things come to mind for Steve.
- Sales Skills
- Product Knowledge
- Industry Knowledge
- Talk to your peers - Peer & Customers are a great source of information when it comes to industry knowledge
- Ask your prospects & customers where they go for information.
- Separate yourself from the norm in your space, put your product through the use cases, work through the practical application.
- When Thinking about the Science of Sales - consider the data
that is available.
- The ability to uncover the story that the data is telling is critical.
- Putting the information into practical use is the next step.
- There are a lot of Sales Enablement tools that will help support sales cadences. A common mistake, is running using these tools, but not understanding how the cadence should change based on the personas you are working with.
- The Funnelwise playbook is a good example of where the Art & the Science of Sales come together in a successful partnership. Leveraging the data in context to take action.
- Crucial Conversations
- You need to have a good understanding of each others role & responsibilities
- Give your team member the benefit of the doubt
- Treat people with respect
- Be patient
- Most of the time, conflict occurs when goals do not align.
- As sales leaders, we are comfortable with being measured by revenue.
- Jill Rowley - talks about the traits of the modern seller.
- Leverage Data
- Seek Collaboration
- Communicate Effectively
- Exhibit Business Acumen
- Share New Ideas
- Embrace Technology
- The root of sales evil is poor discovery
Show Links
Call to Action
How do you distinguish between the Art & Science of Sales? Let us know via twitter @catalystsale or email us directly.
Please share your stories with us @catalystsale on twitter or via hello@catalystsale.com
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In every business, in every opportunity, there is someone who can help you navigate the internal challenges and close the deal. There is a Catalyst. We integrate process (Catalyst Sale Process), technology and people, with the purpose of accelerating revenue. Our thoughtful approach minimizes false starts that are common in emerging markets and high-growth environments. We continue to evolve our practice based on customer needs and emerging technology. We care about a thinking process that enables results versus a process that tells people what to do.