"Winning strategies for today’s transparent sales environment"

There is no such thing as a sales cycle.  Does that surprise you?  If you have a traditional sales background then the sales cycle has become part of your daily lexicon.  But the reality is that it is just a myth.  A dangerous myth to believe in, but a myth nonetheless.

I constantly hear the same statement regarding sales cycles from virtually every organization I work with; “Our sales cycle is X weeks or months or light years”, as though there is some magic time frame which determines how long it takes to sell your product or service.  Most organizations simply take the good and the bad sales efforts, average them together and then cement into every sales person’s head that this is THE sales cycle.

Those who know me know that this is one of my biggest pet peeves because it almost guarantees that you will take THAT amount of time to close a deal since you are convinced that is how much time it should take.  Before I dive into this, let me provide a perfect example from my own sales career why this is nonsense. Read More→

I’m guessing that many people still agree with this one.  As a matter of fact, I was at a conference just a few weeks ago and this was one of the pillars that was taught in a break out session by a self described “expert”.    This is not only a myth, but believing in it wastes time, lengthens the sales cycle and inevitably leaves you waiting for the customer at the altar while they”re out partying with another solution provider.

I have either closed, or help close the largest deals in my life without ever:

• Conducting any serious entertaining (other than an occasional lunch)
• Knowing the prospective customer’s wife/husband or if they had any children
• Knowing what the prospective customer’s hobbies were
• Having a prospective customer know anything personal about me of any significance

And just so we are on the same page, these were significant, seven and eight figure deals with senior executives and on occasion, a board of directors.

But there was certainly one thing I DID know.   I knew more about the prospective customers business (where my solution touched the business) than they did.  And I mean everything.   Every detail, every nuance, every possible angle where my solution might have an impact.  I could stand in front of a group of executives/decision makers and discuss intricate areas of their business with absolute confidence and authority. Read More→