GSU Sales Lab

Sales best practices: The Challenger Sale

Situation, problem, implication, need payoff. Always be closing. The customer is always right.

That’s all you need to know about selling…right? Not so fast.

For years, sales reps have heard these adages and many try to follow them. Yet some succeed while others do not. In this groundbreaking, research-driven work, the Challenger Sale explores the reasons for success – or failure – among five dominant rep profiles:

The Hard Worker
The Problem Solver
The Relationship Builder
The Lone Wolf
The Challenger.

Through analysis of more than 6,000+ salespeople, 90+ companies, and a spectrum of industries, the research found a single profile dominated and defined nearly 40% of the top -selling sales professionals. The specifics of the research and its sometime counter-intuitive roadmap for sales success make this an essential read for the complex sale. Check out Amazon for a free preview!

Sales best practices: SPIN Selling

by Kent Jones

The SPIN Selling Questions: Situation – Problem – Implication – Need Payoff

First released in 1988, Neil Rackham’s SPIN®Selling asserted the most successful sellers are seen by their customers as consultants or problem solvers who are working in the customers’ best interest.

SPIN Selling was one of the first sales methodologies backed by objective research. While later methodologies such as the Challenger Sale offer important enhancements, SPIN Selling remains an essential and versatile foundation for the successful sales professional.

One of McGraw-Hill’s all-time top-selling business books, SPIN Selling is currently Amazon’s best-selling book on sales. In its 2013 list of the “Top 10 ‘How To Sell’ Books of All Time,” Inc. magazine wrote:

″Finally, this is the book that turned selling from an art into a science. While other sales books are heavy with anecdotes and assumptions, Neil Rackham examined hard evidence of actual sales performance and codified what works — and what doesn’t — in real world sales situations. A must-read for everyone who sells″^[8]

Check out the Amazon link below for a free preview!

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Posted on December 25, 2018

10 Ways to Find a Sales or Marketing Job When You Don’t Have a Job or Experience

by Kent Jones

As many recent college grads will attest, finding a job when you have a degree but no job or relevant experience requires creativity and persistence. Even experienced workers face job hunting challenges when unemployed, especially as their last paying job recedes in the rear-view mirror. Fortunately, there are several ways to develop relevant experience, income, and get on the path to your dream job.

Smart employers recognize skilled and motivated candidates are in short supply. For many needs, inexperienced workers with raw talent and drive offer a great untapped talent pool. To get a jump on competing employers and separate the winners from the wanna-bes, recruiters often look for people who have demonstrated selected key skills – customer engagement, persistence, creativity or otherwise – in a non-traditional or non-work setting. As in the movie “Moneyball”, these often-overlooked individuals may offer a high-value winning resource for enterprising employers.

Here are 10 ways to develop and showcase in-demand skills and get the attention of great hiring managers.

Build a great LinkedIn profile featuring skills employers are looking for (these can be identified by scanning a range of industry job listings or other resources). It’s a great networking vehicle and can showcase your marketing skills.
Request informational interviews with people doing the job currently, either at the same or higher levels in the organization. Use LinkedIn or similar sources to identify participants and players in the local industry. While this is primarily a path to informational interviews, a LinkedIn profile view alert can sometimes serve as a soft introduction with a contact.
Another good source of contacts, referrals and exposure is to be a guest attendee at local business society meetings. Good forums may include American Marketing Association, sales leadership groups, technology incubators, or other industry-appropriate organizations.
Customers of an industry in your career target can be another way to network to the sales and marketing people that serve them. A long time ago, I asked my local grocery store manager to give me the business cards of the 10 best sales reps that called on him. (It turned out telling a sales rep their customer thinks they are a leader was an easy way to get their attention.) I made good connections in the CPG industry and learned a lot.
Develop relevant work experience through a paid or unpaid internship or an apprenticeship with a qualified industry professional or service provider. Demonstrate zero personal ego and happily and enthusiastically do whatever grunt work they offer. Make the coffee if needed. Gain experience as you possibly earn your way into better projects later.
Develop experience by doing relevant volunteer work for a nonprofit or similar. Build your skill arsenal while you make the world a better place.
Do relevant paid contract work on Upwork, Fiverr, or similar. Use it to build a portfolio, develop skills and connections, and demonstrate initiative.
Start a small business that provides a basic marketing service. Options may include copywriting, web dev/design, graphics, ads, video production, SEO, social media, etc. Even if it isn’t financially successful, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate initiative, grit, employment, and work/portfolio skills.
Create and market a successful blog or comparable social media profile. Track metrics and be ready to discuss your content testing and audience-building strategies. Even if it isn’t financially successful, it’s an opportunity to develop and demonstrate relevant job skills to potential employers.
On slow interview days, do a part-time job or activity that puts you in contact with qualified potential hiring managers or referral contacts. Use these opportunities to develop and demonstrate customer engagement and communication skills. Possible options include restaurant waitstaff with business clientele, Uber/Lyft ride-sharing, or other service-oriented roles. It’s not a long-term career, but provides cash, temporary employment, and skill practice – this is a proven approach for actors and many others.

These approaches can be a great way to set yourself apart from the crowd and create your own narrative. They might be the catalyst to get the perfect job or create a new business of your own. Happy hunting!

Insights! Networking! Join us Feb 9 for the SOAR Sales Breakfast

by Kent Jones

Please join the next Atlanta Sales Leadership Community meeting at 730am February 8th at the GSU Buckhead campus. Our panel of sales leaders from the community will share insights and perspectives on how their companies are attracting, recruiting, and hiring recent college graduates to build strength in their sales teams. You will leave the meeting with approaches you can use to sell more and deliver more customer value.

Building Strength in Sales Teams with Recent College Graduates – Atlanta Sales Leadership Community

To learn more about the community, follow this link.

Sales best practices: The Challenger Sale

Situation, problem, implication, need payoff. Always be closing. The customer is always right.

Sales best practices: SPIN Selling

The SPIN Selling Questions: Situation – Problem – Implication – Need Payoff

10 Ways to Find a Sales or Marketing Job When You Don’t Have a Job or Experience

Insights! Networking! Join us Feb 9 for the SOAR Sales Breakfast

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GSU Sales Lab

Sales best practices: The Challenger Sale

Situation, problem, implication, need payoff. Always be closing. The customer is always right.

Sales best practices: SPIN Selling

The SPIN Selling Questions: Situation – Problem – Implication – Need Payoff

10 Ways to Find a Sales or Marketing Job When You Don’t Have a Job or Experience

Insights! Networking! Join us Feb 9 for the SOAR Sales Breakfast

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Archives

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