Author: Jay Mitchell



3 Timeless B2B Selling Lessons From 2021

December 2, 2021
Jay Mitchell

Change permeates our marketplaces. Yet since early 2020, the pace of change has accelerated. As a result, the B2B selling environment has become more fluid than ever before.

Business transformed from in-person to virtual to hybrid. Supply chain disruptions have stymied getting solutions to buyers. And buyers — and their budgets — continue to shift in needs and expectations.

All this rapid change and disruption has not only highlighted selling vulnerabilities but also core opportunities for sustainable business in light of any environment. I will share the 2021 selling lessons I have learned from leading my own organization, as well as from listening to and supporting other selling organization leaders these past two years.

1) Focus on What You Can Control

The truth of any selling environment remains: there are elements within your control — and others that are not. Leaders who succeed regardless the market circumstances have realistic oversight into their organization’s capabilities. They can identify their business competencies against market situations to make wise decisions.

What else is in your control? Adopting a “Seek to Serve, Not to Sell™” selling strategy. This selling principle was effective decades ago, is effective today — and will remain effective into the future. When sellers focus first on solutions to buyers’ challenges before deals and profits, they in turn foster loyalty, trust and credibility. With the primary objective of putting value to others ahead of the self, the outcome is sustainably selling more over the long-run.

2) Embrace Your Tools

A recent Sandler Research Center report found nearly equal buyer preference for seller communication between phone calls, video calls, email and face-to-face. Learn what your buyer audience and your salesforce need — and use your tools to deliver.

Another vital tool to start thinking about now is the 2022 sales kickoff. Recently Mereo took a pulse of the current state of sales kickoff planning, and we found that 43% of respondents are planning a hybrid (virtual / in-person) sales kickoff. Which format will best serve your teams and goals?

3) Practice Resilience

Sustainable revenue performance demands strong leadership. Do not lose hope in this overwhelmingly fluid selling environment. Remain resilient and flexible as you plan for 2022 and beyond. Challenges continue to change, and it is up to leadership to face them with wisdom, guidance and courage.

Strengthen Your Business Foundations

Some of these 2021 B2B selling lessons have been hard-learned — and have come with bumps, bruises and even scars. Yet awareness, adaptability and resilience are the hallmarks of sustainable revenue performance — for the current market situation and into the future.

Solid product management presents a key opportunity for any business to reach sustainable revenue performance. To learn more about the five strategic areas vital to successfully serving your audiences with relevant solutions, explore the Mereo “Elevating Revenue Performance with Solution Management” eBook.

 

LEARN MORE



Sales Training Program Trouble? Look to Outside Sales Enablement for a Holistic Solution.

October 28, 2021
Jay Mitchell

Sales training is a common prescription to B2B selling organizations’ problems. Salespeople not hitting quotas? No problem — sales training! Rolling out new solutions that take a different value messaging approach? Sales training! A young, new sales team that needs onboarding to your unique sales strategy? Sales training it is!

Yet, no matter how valuable a specific sales training program can be, when the program alone fails to make any impact on revenue performance it usually is indicative of another organizational issue gone unchecked and unresolved.

For every business — from two-person start-ups to multi-national Fortune 50 organizations — there are five interdependent operational disciplines at play in selling that feed the overall revenue performance engine: demand progression, solution marketing, solution management, sales operations and sales enablement.

Sales training alone cannot fix the entire organization. Any investment in a sales training program while other parts of the engine are failing can lead to poor outcomes.

An Evolving Need Beyond Sales Training

One of our B2B selling organization clients realized this reality. The company’s leaders wanted to grow in the market. They felt optimistic too: Their products were widely viewed as top performers by their target customers, according to a survey commissioned by the company.

Yet that same customer survey revealed sales and service hygienic factors were also expected. While the organization claimed those factors differentiated them, customers saw those as essentials that the organization and any competition had to deliver. In the survey, customers pushed beyond the essentials and flagged problem-solving and competence / subject matter expertise as not only ways to establish a relationship but to serve as a trusted advisor.

With these customer insights, the selling organization moved to action. The company invested in sales training to level-up their salespeople’s value selling skills. They brought in Mereo revenue performance consultants to help.

But as the teams began working together, soon it became apparent that sales training alone would not address the main issue keeping customers from choosing their solution. Instead of charging forward with the sales training that was planned, the program evolved.

HELP YOUR SALESPEOPLE OVERCOME THE 5 BIGGEST ISSUES DERAILING THE DEAL. DOWNLOAD THE FREE EBOOK TODAY!

Enter a Holistic Sales Enablement Approach

In light of new insights, the program blossomed into a multi-functional platform that enhanced the entire customer lifecycle. The selling organization began serving customers as a trusted advisor.

Even while its solutions were in high demand, the organization intentionally chose to serve customers first by identifying their true needs — many of which are often not even recognized by the customer — and then by helping customers understand the compelling value proposition of addressing the underlying circumstances.

The results have been positive as the client continues to string together record quarter on-top-of record quarter, all while seeing a substantial uptick in customer service levels. The united and aligned front driven and reinforced through the program has played an instrumental role in building and scaling sustainable revenue performance.

That fundamental learning represented the value of embracing a series of leading practices in the go-to-market engine versus relying solely on a sales training fix. For this organization, the game-changing elements of this program included:

  • Aligning Across Leadership, Sales, Marketing and Product Teams
  • Identifying and Addressing Status Quo
  • Gaining Third-Party Support and Validation

Defeat Sales Training Trouble

One of the major factors that set this program apart was the use of Mereo as a third-party consultant. According to leadership and front-line professionals alike, employing an outside resource offers focused expertise as well as credibility that overcomes internal oversights. The outside support also accelerated change management as it allowed the organization to gain buy-in with a novel program that had never been undertaken before — but that Mereo had a proven track record leading.

To learn more about the power of Mereo holistic sales enablement programs, explore the Pitney Bowes success story.

 

HOLISTIC SALES ENABLEMENT IN ACTION

 



3 Keys for Selling in the Midst of Supply Chain Disruption

October 14, 2021
Jay Mitchell

The great supply chain disruption spans across industries and sectors. For sellers at the head of the supply chain — and their buyers who want the end solution — this has amounted to unprecedented delays and price hikes. Even service-based industries have not been immune to these disruptions; they have been experienced in the form of talent shortages, where there just are not enough people to serve clients and customers.

Accenture has found that 94% of Fortune 1000 companies are feeling these disruptions. Another 55% are downgrading growth outlooks in response. The August 2021 Chief Executive CEO Briefing likewise notes vastly different outlooks for the future from leader-to-leader.

Many issues have contributed to this situation. From initial lockdowns in 2020, to cargo container shortages, to shipping costs rising to 13 times more than pre-COVID levels, to shipping vessels remaining 2.5 times longer at anchor before they can port — these issues are revealing how expansive, close and fragile these links are in the supply chain.

Albeit a mega-monster of a challenge, sellers are not powerless to manage these issues until longer-term resolutions are found and market order returns.

Supply Real Value

Supply chain disruptions have caused massive frustrations for sellers and buyers alike. But there are ways sellers can effectively navigate this to best Seek to Serve™ the buyer.

1) Control: Sellers must come to terms with what is within their control and what is not, regardless of their wishes. Focus on what your team can manage — and then, manage it.

As a seller, you do not control the availability of your supply. You do not control finished goods, raw materials, production capacity, shipping timing in the manufacturing sector, or talent availability (either capacity or capability) in a services sector. What you do control is what you sell:

  • Work with your buyers to identify the solution they need but also a contingency plan that you know you can provide and have available.
  • Go the extra mile and validate supply for the product or service.
  • Identify alternatives the buyer can employ (even if they don’t result in your direct compensation).

2) Communicate: Buyer frustrations are valid. Listen to these and let your buyers know you are listening and that you understand. Then be willing to have the difficult conversations about what is and what is not realistic for timelines, budgets and supply in the current environment. Beyond that, commit to Seek to Serve, Not to Sell™ for real value-exchange.

3) Compromise: There may be some situations where Seeking to Serve between market limitations and buyer needs will lead to compromise. Be willing to figure out solutions with your buyers and meet them in the middle if necessary. Maybe you can adjust pricing with premiums or by extending projects. Perhaps there is an alternative source for your solutions, between different warehouses, different components or different talent resources.

E2open found in its “2021 Forecasting and Inventory Benchmark Study: Supply Chain Performance During the Covid-19 Pandemic” that service levels for manufacturers fell 12 percentage points to 87% — representing a 13X increase in service risk for the year. For a $100 billion company, this drop in service could translate into a loss of about $12 billion. If this is true in your business, whether billions or millions, every percentage point you can help save matters — not just for your company but for your buyer as well, who is likely dependent upon your solution.

Inspire your teams to serve buyers with real value in these challenging times. Download our Seek to Serve, Not to Sell eBook.

 

SEEK TO SERVE



Managing Irregular Buyer Budgets in a Fluid Selling Environment

September 23, 2021
Jay Mitchell

Early this month I touched on the irregularities organizations are navigating internally and externally in terms of hybrid virtual and in-person interactions. Now I want to shed some light on another anomaly as the result of this fluid selling environment: buyer budgets and prolonged sales cycles.

Personally I have never seen buyer budgets in this much disarray in the now 2.5 decades I have worked in this industry. When I speak with the Mereo team of principals, with clients and with friends in the industry, there is a consensus: Buyer budgets are out of whack.

So, what is going on — and, more importantly, what can your selling team do about it?

Making Sense of the Buyer Budget Disruption

When COVID-19 first hit the states, budgets and targets had already been set for the year. As buyers went quiet and tightened spending in response, though, suddenly the revenue numbers that had been set in pre- or early-2020 became inconceivable. Thus set off a domino effect of revenue instability and deal holds.

A number of months passed and, in many cases, budgets sat untouched. On top of that, the usual travel expenses accumulated with salespeople going remote and interacting with buyers virtually. Companies eventually experienced some Revenue Rebound as buyers began spending once again.

Although things did not go back fully to normal, and while there have been many remaining challenges like supply chain shortages and issues, they were looking more positive again for 2021.

Yet as 2021 has rolled around, many organizations that usually had methodical and cyclical budget planning approaches were sitting by quietly watching as a handful of macroeconomic situations arose around us. Those organizations who paused releasing of final budgets joined the ranks of organizations who finalize revenue and expense budgets after the new fiscal year begins. Further compounding matters, many figured out their budgets just before the summer months hit — and more employees than ever before took much-needed vacations. Sales deals continued to stall as members of the buyer committee with newly established budgets set off for a national park or beach week.

Sandler Research has found that while half of participants reported B2B purchase cycles remaining the same, more than 30% noted they were “longer” or “significantly longer.” Participants from larger organizations were 33% more likely to have experienced longer cycles as well.

The biggest takeaway? The majority of B2B sales cycles have bottled-necked — until this point.

Seek to Serve™ for the Sales Cycle Surge — and Possible Future Fall — Ahead

I said it before and I will say it again: Business leaders must acknowledge and accept that there are conditions out of their control, some that are in their control, and others yet that offer advantages and silver linings.

What is out of control? Your buyers’ budgets and buying cycles. The pandemic situation. A number of other macroeconomic situations yet unfolding. Stay aware and atop these, but do not spend all your energy worrying here. Where you can influence these, be proactive in doing so.

Rather focus on what is in your realm of control: when a qualified lead surfaces, be timely (and courteous) with a rapid response; engage buying committees on topics that matter to them (their situation and related challenges) BEFORE pitching your solution; and shape our sales conversation messaging to incorporate relevant and compelling differentiation, not just me-too jargon that you (and most of your competition) claims as differentiators. What is the common purpose about each of those? Seek to serve, not to sell™!

To strengthen your organization with a selling approach that supports sustainable revenue performance in uncertain times, future disruptions and otherwise, download the Seek to Serve, Not to Sell eBook.

 

SEEK TO SERVE

 



Elevating Sales Cycles in This Fluid Selling Environment

September 9, 2021
Jay Mitchell

In April 2020, I had written on an idea about “Revenue Rebound” in a post-Covid future. Now in mid 2021, the disruptions continue — and selling organizations remain in this flux of fluid selling environments.

Navigating these environments internally and externally can be a major point of stress and challenge for executives. But we are here to help with some research insights we have been keeping tabs on, some anecdotes our clients have shared, and first-hand experiences we at Mereo LLC too are experiencing.

Let’s see if we can make some sense of these chaotic times and keep headed in the right direction of sustainable revenue performance.

The ‘New Normal’ Hybrid Model of Selling

The current fluid selling environment can make an executive feel like a character trying to stay afloat a spinning log in a sea of uncertainty. Circumstances and guidance continues to change: Social distancing protocols. Vaccines. Office space leases. Empty desks. Employee preferences and needs. Buyer conditions.

Internally, the decisions have been tough. Your business’ needs may dictate your next choices. Or, there might be some flexibility in your decisions ahead — looking back at how your team performed remotely and what the future could hold. Is your team working remote still? For the indefinite future? Are you back in the office? A hybrid model?

Externally, sellers are navigating buyer protocols, novel needs and personal comfortability. No longer can sellers drop in on buyers without first considering which manner is most appropriate and beneficial for the conversation and to serve their needs.

The fluid selling environment puts extra pressures on executives and their teams. Yet, it also presents some unprecedented opportunities with potential positive outcomes.

Fluid Selling Approaches in the Time of a Fluid Environment

While many wish things would go back to “the way they were,” virtual selling has proven beneficial in a number of ways. I have written about this recently, but a quick recap:

Due to the nature of virtual selling, there is greater access to sales cycles by members previously not involved — for both sellers and buyers. Buying committees have a greater mix of stakeholders than in the past. For buyers specifically, Chorus.ai has found that C-suite executives are 2.2 times more likely to join sales calls now than in pre-2020. Members of the buying committee have the ability to jump in and out of sales calls with a click of a button. There are fewer barriers of access with virtual settings.

In parallel, sellers have an opportunity to bring their own new members to sales calls. With the low cost of sale of virtual selling, experts on your team can now join a call for 15 to 20 minutes to add greater value. More members can help speak to the different needs of the greater mix of buyer personas.

While this might have traditional salespeople who are craving the power of in-person meetings and interactions frustrated yet, there is hope on the other side of the tunnel.

In a recent Sandler Research report, the majority of B2B respondents said they almost equally preferred to communicate with selling organizations by (1) email, (2) face-to-face, (3) video calls and (4) telephone.

Seek to Serve, Not to Sell™ — Now More Than Ever Before

The bottom line? Your sellers need to be prepared to cater to buyer preferences and needs. All indications are that the selling model of the future is neither just virtual nor is it just in-person. Going forward, there will remain a sophisticated hybrid mix.

With this fluid selling environment, your organization can act with flexibility and awareness to Seek to Serve™ buyer needs, while accommodating employees to do their best and show up with ease. Business leaders must acknowledge and accept that there are conditions within their control, some that are out of control, and others yet that offer advantages and silver linings.

Be aware of where your greatest challenges fall, and focus your efforts on that which you can control and take advantage of. And to inspire your teams to serve buyers with real value in these challenging times, download our Seek to Serve, Not to Sell eBook.

 

SEEK TO SERVE

 



The View Ahead from the Top: Selling Post-Pandemic

June 17, 2021
Jay Mitchell

Earlier this year, I detailed some key takeaways from a year of COVID-19 selling conditions. Around this time I was also invited to speak at a Top Sales World Roundtable hosted by Jonathan Farrington. Joined by fellow sales thought leaders and feet-on-the-ground CEOs Dave Mattson, Bob Apollo and Kevin Eikenberry, we had a fascinating discussion that focused on the major challenges sales leadership has faced this last year — and the outlook for challenges and opportunities ahead.

Read on for some key points from the conversation — and use the link below for free access to the full discussion.

Valuable Change

Everyone in the selling world was in agreement early 2020 — the pandemic was disruptive. Offices closed. Sales cycles halted. Deals fell through. B2B selling organization leadership was faced with the pressure and need to rapidly adjust and change, both for their employees’ benefits and for their buying audiences’ needs.

Out of that great pressure came valuable shifts in overcoming status quo:

  • Virtual selling has proven to have a place in sophisticated selling cycles to everyone’s benefit.
  • Organizations of all sizes and shapes (including gigantic ones which have historically been excused change due to their size) have proven to be highly adaptable and flexible by pivoting quickly, empowering them for speed bumps and curves the future road brings.
  • Those that did not pivot fast enough could pinpoint their organizational weaknesses.
  • Sales organizations that had not already realized this benefit had to focus on buyer outcomes to survive.
  • Leadership realized fulfilling wins by investing focus in their internal teams and long-term buyer relationships.

According to Sandler Research, 84% of customers want a long-term relationship with sellers.

Lasting Impacts

Most of the experts agreed: The virtual selling relationship will likely take a hybrid approach. At Mereo, we believe the virtual preferences will differ not between buyer but based on the cost and risk of the sale. With big purchases, people will still want to look you in the eye and shake your hand (or give you the COVID elbow). That said, for a lengthy sales cycle that traditionally was marked by a half dozen or more in-person meetings, it is likely in-person meetings will be fewer and focused on key junctures in the journey versus every interaction.

For many sales organizations internally, though, the workday has changed drastically with teams locally distant but virtually connected. Mereo has supported clients make the transition from our own experience of a geographically distanced workforce. And that office dynamic shift might not change back once offices can open back up again. But it might not all be gold: According to Prodoscore, between January 2020 and January 2021, professionals were working 80 minutes more per day and were in 2 hours per day in meetings now versus three days in meetings.

Executive Insight Takeaways

Optimism is the resounding tone between these CEOs and thought leaders. A revenue rebound, if not already apparent, may be in the future for many companies that had been flexible and persistent.

Going forward, these experts offered these lasting takeaways:

  • From Kevin: Work-from-home may have been mandatory a year ago but it is voluntary now.
  • From David: Lean into the two Ps of process and partnerships.
  • From Bob: Reorganize your company focus around delivering customer outcomes.
  • From Jay: Seek to Serve™ not only your buyers but also your employees and families.

To access the full Roundtable podcast episode, please visit the Top Sales World Sales Futurists.

LISTEN NOW

 



3 Lessons From 1 Year of COVID-19 Selling

April 22, 2021
Jay Mitchell

We have been selling in COVID-19 conditions, at some capacity or another, for more than a year now. These are the biggest lessons the Mereo team has learned either directly or in supporting Mereo clients in their go-to-market initiatives.

Virtual Selling Has a Role in Sophisticated Sales Cycles

The COVID-19 pandemic rapidly forced us into remote work — and sellers across the world adapted. Virtual selling has proven effective for many B2B organizations. The technology has proven capable. Virtual meetings have a generally lower cost of sale and increased accessibility. More of your key subject matter experts can pop into a sales call with relevant content that would otherwise be infeasible.

As we move forward and see an end to social distancing, virtual selling should remain part of sales cycles. Buyers and sellers alike have greater comfort with virtual selling than in pre-2020 days. And virtual selling capabilities can actually enable you to better serve your buyers — not just for more formal meetings in their buying journey (e.g., concept discovery, proposal review) but even more-so in the ad-hoc conversations that occur all along the journey.

Do not think in terms of 100% virtual selling. Do not think in terms of 100% in-person selling. Embrace a hybrid model that serves your organization — and your buyer — best.

Buying Committee Dynamics Have Elevated

Due to the nature of virtual selling, there is greater access to sales cycles by members previously not involved — for both sellers and buyers. Buying committees have a greater mix of stakeholders than in the past. For buyers specifically, Chorus.ai has found that C-suite executives are 2.2 times more likely to join sales calls now than in pre-2020. Members of the buying committee have the ability to jump in and out of sales calls with a click of a button. There are fewer barriers of access with virtual settings.

In parallel, sellers have an opportunity to bring their own new members to sales calls. With the low cost of sale of virtual selling, experts on your team can now join a call for 15 to 20 minutes to add greater value. More members can help speak to the different needs of the greater mix of buyer personas.

Differentiated Value Messaging Needs to Evolve

Buyers’ needs and, as mentioned above, their environment has changed. Your value proposition must adapt too.

Sellers have an opportunity to elevate and evolve their value messaging to meet the needs of these new elevated buyers. Take the time to create personas for each member of the buying committee and know what matters to each of them — their distinct pains and issues — so you can make the most of everyone’s time when you have them on a call.

Be prepared to highlight different solution differentiators for different buyers. Be ready to ask different questions. And maintain the flexibility your selling organization embraced in 2020 to use sales tools that will best serve your buyers.

Infuse Seek to Serve, Not to Sell™ Into Your Organization

As we continue to adjust and evolve, adopt a winning selling strategy for any selling environment — COVID-19 selling or otherwise. Learn how to Seek to Serve, Not to Sell to build rewarding sustainable revenue performance.

 

Learn How

 



How the Baylor Bears Won a National Championship With a Culture — and Coach — Committed to JOY

April 8, 2021
Jay Mitchell

In the world of college men’s basketball, let alone any sport, players are in the game to win. The hours of practice, the dedication of skills, the coming together as a team — this is all to reach the pinnacle of success. This winning mindset is not unlike salespeople on a selling organization’s team looking to score deal after deal with buyers.

Yet, Scott Drew, the Baylor Bears men’s basketball coach, helped lead his team to the National Championship with a different focus and foundation: JOY.

As an alumnus of Baylor, a season-ticket holder and simply a fan of the program, I am wearing my green and gold glasses for sure, but I have also had an opportunity to witness the journey. So let’s take a closer look.

With a spirit of Seek to Serve, Not to Sell™, the Baylor Bears men’s basketball team focuses on serving others above the self, first and foremost. Not surprisingly with this commitment, heart and community, the team has realized success all the same — time after time.

‘Preparing Champions for Life’

When Drew came on as coach in 2003, like a good leader, he identified a need first and foremost for healing the program that had faced some past obstacles and failures. His introductory press conference set the tone and still permeates every message he shares today, all putting another stone in the foundation of an environment of optimism and cheerfulness with his team.

They put in the time together. They know each other’s pains, their strengths, their goals. Much as between salesperson and buyer, they build deep relationships of trust and interdependent value.

As guard Jared Butler says in the Baylor Magazine Spring 2021 Issue, “A culture of JOY is Jesus, Others and then Yourself. It’s a hierarchy of the way of thinking. For me, it’s the fact that I get to be here with this group of guys. It’s joy; it’s fun.”

Since Drew took leadership of the program in 2003, the team has secured a 21-9 postseason record, an NIT Tournament title, eight NCAA Tournament appearances, four Sweet 16 invites, two Elite Eight appearances, one Final Four appearance, the first No. 1 national ranking, a Big 12 conference title and now – the ultimate measure of excellence in the game – the first National Championship.

For not focusing on winning, Coach Drew and this team sure have been doing a lot of it.

In the Game of Selling

What does basketball have to do with sales? Quite a bit actually. Drew and the Baylor Bears men’s basketball team embody a culture all selling organizations can learn from and aspire to. The time and dedication they show each other off the court is just as important as their plays on the court. And their others-focused culture engineers an environment that does not force winning but rather nurtures it.

Like sports culture, the selling world gets bogged down in me-focused goals and short-term thinking. “We need to land that deal now.” “We need to sell our solution and meet this quota.” “We need to win, win, win.”

Yet, at the heart of selling pumps a buyer with a problem and the lifeblood of a seller who is dedicated to helping them overcome that problem to reach a goal. When you help your salespeople realize a deeper purpose, they in turn put in more heart, more time, more commitment to serve your buyers. And when you help your buyers win, you in turn win.

Monday night, my son and I got to share in the JOY as fans in the stands for the victory in the title game in Indianapolis. But I take much more than a trophy from the season and the game itself. The real lesson it teaches is that a culture of JOY personifies Seek to Serve by embracing the creation of value for others more than the value for oneself – and that is a victory for everyone!

Congratulations to Coach Drew and the entire Baylor Bears men’s basketball program for establishing the right foundation, having the right purpose and achieving the penultimate prize along the journey! Sic ’em Bears.

To learn more about the art and science of a Seek to Serve, Not to Sell culture, download our free eBook.

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virtual content proof

Deliver RICH Virtual Content: Part IV — Is your content supported by proof?

February 25, 2021
Jay Mitchell

Virtual Content Messaging Without Proof Lose Urgency and Credibility

Most buyers come from a place of doubt. In fact, most humans operate from this framework, surely from a long-ago survival mechanism. And really it makes sense: multiple sellers can often over-inundate buyers with equally high-quality messaging which have few key points of differentiation. Buying solutions often means hefty investments and breaking well-embedded status quos. It can be hard to know who to trust or what to truly act on, just as it can be hard to confidently tell a buyer that they need a specific solution and that they need to act fast without something real to support it.

Back-up Your Virtual Content With Proof
Bring Your Messages Home With the Impact of Hard Data

Credibility is established with information, such as regulatory changes and current industry trends. Most importantly, hard data often comes in sharing client value stories, which share a truly relevant tale that packs a punch of proof. What have others like the prospect done to solve similar issues? What insights do those examples yield? How comfortable are your teams in sharing relevant examples in every conversation? 

According to a recent Forrester study, when B2B buyers were asked which content is most credible and impactful for them, 71% agreed client value stories were most credible. However, as many as 78% of executive buyers claim that salespeople do not have relevant client examples to share. It is vital you assess your repository of client value stories — as well as your sellers’ accessibility and comfort to yield these.

RICH IDEAS IN PRACTICE

  • Are there new industry regulations and implications you can address and help solve?
  • Are your metrics reports providing meaningful data and insight or are they rather just a stylish iteration of numbers?
  • Which clients could your prospect speak with that would offer peer perspective? What would those clients share with your prospect?

Seek to Serve™ Virtually Everywhere

Prepare your teams now to engage with relevance, innovation, complexities and hard proof in a virtual setting — and reap the benefits a mutually beneficial relationship built on trust and value.

 

 

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executive sales calls

Why Are C-Suite Executives Now Joining Your Sales Calls? Prepare for This Marked Change.

February 18, 2021
Jay Mitchell

Salespeople are now faced with selling to the C-suite. C-Suite executives are becoming more involved in your sales deals. They are 2.2 times more likely to join a sales cycle meeting now than pre-pandemic times (Chorus.ai, 2021). They are more engaged in online channels in 2020 than in 2019, at 88% vs. 54% (ITSMA, 2020). They are also looking at your messaging and pitches, your solutions, your differentiation, your deals — and everything in-between — with greater scrutiny and tighter budgets.

sales calls c-suite executive

While a “researcher” may still serve as a buffer on the buying committee, your sales teams now must prepare to sell directly to the key decision makers. The stakes may be raised, but there are steps you can take to equally uplift your selling tools and skills — and come away winning an unfair share™ of the market.

C-Suite Selling Distinctions

There is no room for subpar selling when a member of the C-Suite is directly involved. The bar is raised on all accounts. High-level executives have less time, have far less patience for ambiguity and irrelevance, and hold a more wary ear toward your sales conversations and pitches. And rightly so: globally, organizations have suffered financially from the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions. As businesses rebound, executives are looking to selling organizations like yours to prove your solutions are worth their cost and can yield real results.

It is up to your salespeople and marketing teams to optimize your selling content and conversations across the entire buying journey.

executive buyers sales calls 

Relevant Selling

Every piece of your sales pitch, sales conversation and solution communication must speak directly to your prospect.

  • Research your prospect like a diligent scientist.
  • Hand-select the most relevant use cases.
  • Actively listen for opportunities to serve.

Concise Selling

Chorus.ai research also discovered an 81% drop in C-Suite executives’ attendance from the first to second sales call (2021). Therefore, you must be concise, comprehensive and value-packed with every minute of your first interaction.

  • Show the prospect you understand their business challenges and opportunities — this is where the conversation MUST start.
  • Deliver innovative insights and ideas.
  • Address uncomfortable status quos and difficult topics — and the gains that could result if they were conquered.
  • Speak to your solution’s value and differentiation.
  • Offer to support the executive through a more extensive engagement with the executive’s team and a joint readout with the team on observations and recommendations.

Powerful Value Selling

A conversation in and of itself will not serve a buyer. Your conversations with your buyer need to focus on an exchange of value often triggered by the insights and knowledge you provide. And B2B executives want sellers and account managers to create more value by being more consultative.

  • Develop differentiated value messaging in relation to your buyer’s challenges.
  • Help your prospect build his or her business case.
  • Provide ongoing advice to guide your buyer toward their objectives, while avoiding pitfalls.

c-suite executive buyers sales calls

Aligned Campaigns

The pressure does not start and end with salespeople. Since executives are engaging more online than ever before, marketing and prospecting campaigns also need to be packaged and tailored to resonate with executive teams.

  • Speak to the executive’s greatest challenges.
  • Detail their relevant personal, professional and organizational gains.
  • Align differentiated value messaging across channels and teams.

Button-Up Your Sales Strategy

Selling excellence cannot be left to trial and error improvements — nor can your selling strategy be entrusted to anyone but the experts. Your chance to resonate with C-Suite prospects is narrower than ever before — and those executives’ need for powerful solutions is even greater. It is vital you adjust your selling for this C-suite audience.

Mereo experts have built powerful selling frameworks, sales enablement tools and sales training we can rapidly customize to impact your selling organization. With the addition of the Mereo Decision Maker Network™, a group of 300+ high-level executives from across industries, we can directly test your pitches, messaging and campaigns for external validation.

Level-up your selling now. Prepare to pitch to the bosses.

 

Prepare to Sell to the C-Suite