Hear how best-in-class sales forces are redesigning their sales processes and tools so that they map to the changed buyer landscape. A webinar by Matt Sharrers, Principal at Sales Benchmark Index. Learn how to: Decrease the average sales cycle length, Increase the average deal size, especially for new customer logo accounts, Improve your win rate against the competition, Increase the close rate of your qualified leads into customers, Improve forecasting accuracy and Ensure your CRM system facilitates adoption of your sales methodology.

1. Website Email Phone
www.salesbenchmarkindex.com info@salesbenchmarkindex.com 1-888-556-7338
Sales Process: The Truth About Sales
Methodologies: Why Reps Don’t Adopt
Them and What to Do About It
Are you ready to be world class?

2. Matt Sharrers
Brief Bio
• Principal at Sales Benchmark Index
• VP of Sales at Fortune 500 company
• Author of Promoted to VP of Sales:
The Year 1 Toolkit
• Featured speaker on XM
radio, National Speakers Association
• Industry thought leader with more
than 15 years of business
experience
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3. Overview
Questions you need to answer
 How can you get your sales reps to adopt the sales
methodology?
 How has the buying process of your customer
changed?
 How can you accurately map the buying process of
your customer?
 How can you ensure your CRM system facilitates
adoption of your sales methodology?
 How can you ensure your sales management team
is coaching and reinforcing your sales methodology?
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4. Sales Methodology Goal
• Shorten sales cycle
• Improve win rates
• Increase average selling price
• Improve forecast accuracy
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5. The Buyer/Seller Mismatch
– Traditional sales processes are centered around the
seller, who attempted to dictate the pace
– The buyer has different plans, and now they can
dictate the pace
Seller’s Plan
4. 5.
3. 6.
1. 2. Identify Confirming Confirming 7.
Determining Finalizing 8. Closing
Prospecting Opportunity Vision Value and Negotiating
Problems Plan
Match Power
≠
Buyer’s Plan
1. Recognize 2. Identify 3. Evaluate 4. Resolve 5. Purchase
Needs Requirements Options Concerns Solution
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6. Sales Process:
Misaligned Exit Criteria
Sales Cycle
Determining Confirming Confirming Finalizing
Opportunity
Prospecting Differentiated Vision Value and Mutual Negotiating Closed
Identified
Problems Match Power Plan
Sales Exit Criteria
First Meeting Pain, Timeline, Discovery, Sch Demo, Summar Reference Close Call
Decision edule Demo y of Findings Called, Complete,
Criteria Activant Ask Order
Preferred, Propos
al Review
Needs Explore Resolve
Catalyst Purchase
Recognition Options Concerns
Buyer Exit Criteria
Recognize Clear Vision of Solution Preferred Solution Risks Considered Issue Order
Problem Identified
Buying Cycle
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7. Buying Process Comparison
Transactional Consultative Enterprise
Commodity/Standard Differentiated/Customizable Strategic/Low Substitutability
Service Service Service
Traits
Known, Static Scaling Requirements Embedding Requirements
Requirements (Functional Scope Increase) (Business Objectives Scope
(Geographical Scope Increase)
Increase)
Buying Price/Ease of Acquiring Solution Fit/Price- Platform & Values fit;
Criteria
Performance Tradeoff Sustainable; Return on effort
Timeline One-time Event Purchasing Stream Strategic Plan
Relation- Cost-based buyer-seller Benefits-based client- Trust-based business partners;
ship
transactional advisor cooperative Insider; Both parties change
Success Must meet decision Must access influencers Must access strategy level
maker
Nature Execute the deal Problem solve Agenda setting; blurred
boundaries between buyer &
seller
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8. 2. Identify
1. Recognize Needs 3. Evaluate Options 4. Resolve Concerns 5. Purchase Solution
Requirements
Definition – Identify the prospect’s corporate capabilities required to fulfill the need
Steps Sales Aids
1. Conduct Internal Account Planning Internal
2. Review Discovery & Insight Plan with Prospect 1. Opportunity Assessment
(MI #4) (updated)
3. Perform Discovery and Insight Work 2. Win Plan (updated)
4. Dry Run on Findings (MI #5)
5. Present Discovery Findings (MI #6) External
6. Visual Presentation of Pricing Techniques (MI #7) 1. Sub-Industry Standard Demo
7. Project Sponsor Meeting (MI #8) 2. Opportunity Map
8. Insert Business Requirements into a Prospect- 3. Evaluation Plan (updated)
Friendly Format (MI #9) 4. Value Case (Part 2)
9. Present Time to Value Theme (MI #10)
10. Internal Meeting to discuss Deal #1 Scope
Exit Criteria: Business Requirements Document (BRD) in Prospect-Friendly Format
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9. Job Aids
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10. Job Aids
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11. Key Metrics Comparison
Positives Negatives
• ASP grew on new logos • ASP on new projects down
• Sales Cycle Length dropped on both 50%
types • Potentially due to smaller
• Number of deals in same 6 month add on deals
time frame grew 68% (Training, audits)
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12. SM Suggested Weekly Cadence
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
AM AM AM AM AM
Weekly Update Office:
Meeting (1 hour) Sales Process Topic • Deal Reviews
Training Meeting • Inspect SFDC
• 1:1 Debriefs Field Rides Focusing Field Rides Focusing • Retention Call
− 15 Minute Prep on Sales Process on Sales Process • Other Internal
− 30 Minute Topics Topics Calls
Execution
(Travel)
PM PM PM PM PM
Office
Office: Office: • Deal Approval
• Recruiting • 1:1 Debriefs • Internal Calls
• Deal Reviews • Reactive • Review Pipeline
• Emails Field Rides Focusing Customer Calls Field Rides Focusing
• Internal Calls on Sales Process • Emails on Sales Process
• Deal Approvals Topics Topics
(Travel) (Travel)
KEY
Red: Mandatory
Orange: Recommended
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Black: Minimize time spent

13. Sales Management Reinforcement
1. Separate team selling from skill building
2. Regular cadence
3. On purpose coaching vs. sporadic visits
4. Coach through the lens of the methodology
5. Questions vs. statements
6. Call to Action from the rep
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14. Sales Methodology Questions
1. Have you mapped your buying process?
2. Have you measured sales cycle length, win
rates and average selling price?
3. Have you measured your forecasting accuracy?
4. Have you embedded your sales methodology
into your CRM system?
5. Have you prescribed a coaching cadence to
drive reinforcement of your sales
methodology?
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15. Q&A with Matt Sharrers
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16. Further interest…
Email - info@salesbenchmarkindex.com or call 1-888-556-7338
for a free sales methodology consultation.
Additional questions can be sent directly to Matt Sharrers at
matt.sharrers@salesbenchmarkindex.com
Sign up for the next webinar “Instant Improvements for
Segmenting Your Accounts - How to Determine the Real
Potential of Your Territory” at :
SalesBenchmarkIndex.com or by going to bit.ly/seg-acct
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