SPI was very pleased to join the European Business Awards as the exclusive sales consulting sponsor of this year’s edition. It was a great opportunity to meet and discuss with the best of European business about their challenges and innovations. The Awards’ primary purpose is to support the development of a stronger and more successful business community throughout Europe. On 4 May in Dubrovnik, Croatia, 132 finalists from 34 countries were in attendance, hoping to be named a winner in this prestigious business competition. On this occasion, Steven Vantongelen delivered a presentation about sales excellence, explaining the five hurdles sales teams need to overcome to ensure business growth.

1. SALES EXCELLENCE:
OVERCOMING HURDLES TO
GROWTH
5/4/2017

2. Quick Facts
‣ Owners of Solution Selling® and The
Complex Sale® (RADAR, TEAM)
methodologies
‣ 600+ global clients
‣ 175+ certified employee & partner
professionals
‣ 50+ countries and 14 languages
‣ 25+ years in business
‣ Consistent contributor to sales thought
leadership and innovation
2 © Sales Performance International
SPI AT A GLANCE
SPI is a global sales effectiveness technology, training, and analytics company
10TH
CONSECUTIVE
YEAR
RECOGNITION
FOR SALES
TALENT
ANALYTICS
SOLUTION
7TH
CONSECUTIVE
YEAR

3. © Sales Performance International3
SPI AT A GLANCE
We work companies that sell high-value solutions to sophisticated buyers

4. 1. Selecting & retaining top talent
2. Shortening sales cycles
3. Adapting to new buyer behavior
4. Differentiating from competitors
5. Finding profitable new business
4 © Sales Performance International
HURDLES TO BUILDING A STRONG SALES FORCE

5. Selecting top sales talent
‣ Clarify the job requirements
‣ Define critical competencies
‣ Determine minimum proficiency
‣ Assess objectively
5 © Sales Performance International
1. SELECTING & RETAINING TOP TALENT

6. © Sales Performance International6
1. SELECTING & RETAINING TOP TALENT
Look beyond personality and “gut” interviews for knowledge, skills and ability

7. © Sales Performance International7
1. SELECTING & RETAINING TOP TALENT
Creating a culture of excellence and continuous improvement

8. ‣ Adopt a collaborative mindset
‣ Stay in synch with your customer
‣ Help you customer buy
8 © Sales Performance International
2. SHORTENING SALES CYCLES

9. 9 © Sales Performance International
2. SHORTENING SALES CYCLES
Three Sales
within a Sale
Financial
(Value)
Operational
(Conceptual)
Transition
(Implementation)

10. © Sales Performance International10
2. SHORTENING SALES CYCLES
Sales Collaboration Planning Template
Event Week of Responsible Go/No Go Billable
Meet with Dept Chair 1/7 ARL / ILLUMINA
Meet with Procurement (understand procurement process) 1/7 ARL / ILLUMINA
Summary meeting to discuss findings 1/14 ARL / ILLUMINA
Review cost estimate for Initial budgeting 1/21 ARL / ILLUMINA X
Provide example data / POC of their data / References 1/14 ILLUMINA X (for POC)
Perform site readiness evaluation 2/1 ARL / ILLUMINA X
L/T/A (legal, technical, admin) approval 1/21 ARL / ILLUMINA
Deliver formal quote and value/benefits 2/8 ILLUMINA X
Conduct experimental design and site readiness 2/8 ARL / ILLUMINA X
Agree on Success Criteria 2/8 ARL / ILLUMINA
Pre Proposal review 2/15 ARL / ILLUMINA X
Agree on implementation plan/timeline 2/21 ARL / ILLUMINA X
Deliver final proposal 3/1 ILLUMINA
PO issued 3/8 ARL
Measure success ongoing ARL / ILLUMINA
* Mutual decision to proceed

11. 11 © Sales Performance International
3. ADAPTING TO NEW BUYER BEHAVIOR

12. © Sales Performance International12
3. ADAPTING TO NEW BUYER BEHAVIOR
More than ever, sales and marketing must be completely aligned
Marketing
Sales
Customer
Messaging, Process and
Value

13. 13 © Sales Performance International
3. ADAPTING TO NEW BUYER BEHAVIOR
Discover Consider Decide
Question
the Status
Quo
Commit to
Change
Explore
Solutions
Compare
& Commit
to Solution
Justify /
Socialize
Make the
Selection
Create Qualify Develop Prove
Negotiate
& Resolve
Finalize
Identify
Potential
Opportunity
Confirm
Buying
Need
Position
Solution
Demonstrate
Solution
Reach
Mutual
Agreement
Finalize
Documentation
Stage
Objective
Sales
Stage
Buying
Stage

14. 14 © Sales Performance International
An explosion of VC funding and rapid development
makes sustainable differentiation challenging
4. DIFFERENTIATING FROM COMPETITORS

15. 15 © Sales Performance International
Differentiated Capability Unique Value
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
VALUE
U
N
I
Q
U
E
N
E
S
S
Differentiation Grid
4. DIFFERENTIATING FROM COMPETITORS

16. 16 © Sales Performance International
‣ Your sales people can be
a formidable
differentiator for your
business
4. DIFFERENTIATING FROM COMPETITORS

17. 17 © Sales Performance International
5. FINDING PROFITABLE NEW BUSINESS

18. 18 © Sales Performance International
5. FINDING PROFITABLE NEW BUSINESS
1. Inbound
2. Mass
Outbound
3. Targeted
Outbound
• Content / SEO
• PPC / Digital Ads
• Email
• Social Media
• Events
• ABM
• Trigger-events

19. THANK YOU!
Email: info@spisales.com
Phone: +1 (704) 227-6500
Web: www.spisales.com