Categories: Sales Negotiation | Sales Kickoff | MEDDICC
It’s no secret selling in the B2B SaaS market got a little harder over the past several quarters. Now more than ever, organizations are looking for ways to gain an edge, keep pipelines healthy, and identify which prospects are most likely to land.
Recently, Force Management hosted three leaders of high-growth firms for a panel discussion on successful selling through a down market. One competency discussed in depth was qualification as a priority for sales organizations during a period of budget restrictions.
Here’s Jim Sullivan laying out the heart of the matter–qualifying early and often is crucial for identifying which prospects can access the funding versus the ones that just plain cannot:
The key for leaders is to ensure a consistent method is embedded within the selling motion. Harnessing the power of integrated technology allows managers to track consistency in qualifying early and throughout. Opportunity Manager® provides output data and Guided Assessments to direct coaching, upskilling, and affirm proper application of your desired qualification approach.
A Changed Process
In this clip, Bill Binch compares how he originally learned to sell with how today’s sales conversations have shifted to zero in on two specific pieces of the MEDDICC approach:
Bill’s conceptualization highlights an important and perhaps comforting reality: the fundamentals don’t change. But processes do, and your teams need a plan for how they’ll execute selling fundamentals in response to shifts in how customers are doing business.
Aside from honing in on today’s relevant Metrics and Identified Pain, Bill’s comments emphasize the importance of fine-tuning reps’ ability to reach the new faces represented on buying committees. Do your reps have a message tailored to the various C-suite roles now included in the decision process? Work with customer-facing teams to adapt messaging and address the diverse priorities and KPIs to persuade each stakeholder to reach the collective yes.
Deep Discovery for Identifying New Stakeholders
Of course, getting access to these leaders doesn’t just happen; these conversations are borne from careful probing and discovery questions that uncover who these added gatekeepers even are.
In this clip, Marcy Cambell illustrates the questions teams might use to identify each stakeholder in the purchasing decision. Marcy provides examples of savvy ways to reach potential champions and C-level executives without making your contact feel stepped over or otherwise damaging the relationship.
Navigating the new complexities in buyer organizations presents a challenge for even the most seasoned reps. One tool that has proven effective is the use of the Relationship Mapping feature in Opportunity Manager®, Force Management’s CRM plug-in. The tool helps ensure data is consistently collected through every process stage and highlights the blind spots or missed opportunities that warrant attention. This podcast describes how sales leaders at project44 leveraged the Relationship Mapping feature to achieve larger deals and an accelerated growth trajectory.
Strategies for Next Year’s Initiative
Right now, sales leaders are looking ahead and considering which strategies deserve priority for driving success in the coming year. For all the reasons above, many organizations are planning a fine-tuned qualification approach as a top agenda item in their upcoming SKO.
No matter which aspects of your selling motion are emphasized with next year’s initiatives, starting your campaign with a strategy that charts a path for success is imperative. Use our latest guide to build a plan for SKO momentum lasting beyond the event and positioning your team to seize every opportunity. Take advantage of our free Guide to SKOs: The Mistakes You’re Making and devise your plan for prosperity in the coming year.
