DESCRIPTION
Driving MORE Sales is targeted at first-time CEOs and sales executives in the tech industry. Industry veterans Patricia Watkins and Dan Doster bring to life the art and science of sales through real-world examples and practical wisdom in this useful guide for transforming sales teams into winning organizations. Detailed and comprehensive, yet entertaining and easy-to-read, Watkins and Doster’s book provides guidance on what you need to know to drive MORE sales.
“CEOs: pay attention!! Driving More Sales hands you the keys to the sales “black box” and provides the steering wheel needed to accelerate sales growth. It is jam packed with practical insight that will help your company today!”
“One recurrent problem I’ve observed while serving on boards of directors is the lack of effective communications regarding sales strategies and tactics among C-suite executives. Watkins and Doster have provided a sophisticated set of benchmarks and best practices to drive this vital dialogue.”
“Outstanding execution is going to make the difference in delivering impressive sales results. Readers who embrace the processes outlined in this book, and make them a part of what they do every day, week, month, and quarter will be better positioned for success. This is not just a guide for sales management; it is imperative that all senior management be aligned to the sales process.”
“All executives want more sales. These timeless top-line-growth insights will challenge you in your pursuit of success. And, who doesn’t want to read a workbook for winning?”
“In banking, as in the tech industry, a well-researched path to winning in sales makes the difference in achieving your company and personal goals.”
Driving M.O.R.E. Sales focuses on several areas including:
Know your
Markets
Messaging
Metrics
Build Solid
Operations
Optimized Processes
Outcomes
Provide
Resellers and Channel Partners
Rewards & Recognition
Retention & Referrals
Ensure
Enablement
Essential Sales Tools
Execution
EXCERPT
We have experience in driving sales across many industries and companies. From start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, we’ve harnessed best practices, including the latest digital tools across sales, marketing, alliances, and channels. In serving as CEOs, COOs, and vice presidents of sales and marketing, we’ve learned what works and what doesn’t in the Internet age. We both love challenges and significantly creating or changing the landscape to drive positive outcomes. We both have a passion for finding ways to substantially increase sales, and we both have solid track records of results.
Over time, we’ve developed a sales framework that we’ve used successfully no matter where we’ve been and no matter the size of the challenges demanded. Our framework is designed to drive more sales. We call it the “MORE Sales Framework.” The MORE Sales Framework links the 12 elements in the MORE diagram below.
Market
Let’s start with the “M” in MORE: A clearly defined market is the first step towards successfully orienting the sales process. The selected market must identify a customer segment that needs—and can utilize—the product or service you offer. That’s where leveraging your competitive advantages provides the greatest impact and earnings potential.
Messaging
Without a succinct message to communicate your offering, and its value, how will prospects know what problem it solves? A compelling message can be driven across all of your market’s meaningful channels, not just traditional methods like websites, print, and media advertising. Digital marketing, mobile, and social media should be harnessed as well.
Metrics
Every company collects data. But too few define, capture, and collect data that’s useful in driving the desired behaviors. How else can management track the success of its practices without regular meaningful metrics to confirm course and speed?
Operations
The “O” in the MORE Sales Framework starts with operations. To make salespeople more effective, keep them selling. Offload to others the critical but burdensome administrative and logistical tasks from credit checks to revenue recognition and contracts, to placing and tracking orders, to preparing and maintaining reports and dashboards.
Optimized Sales Processes
It’s equally important to optimize sales processes. Otherwise, you’ll bog down your sales resources and reduce their productivity. Optimized sales processes increase sales velocity and shorten sales cycles.
Outcomes
The ultimate objective is achieving positive outcomes for your customers. Focusing on what the customer hopes to achieve closes more sales and sets the stage for glowing referrals.
Resellers/Channel Partners
The “R” element of the MORE Sales Framework starts with resellers and channel partners. Both are sales force multipliers. Partners expand your sales capability with additional feet-on-the-street and increased market exposure. The best partners bring trusted relationships with prospective customers, thus accelerating the sales cycle.
Retention and Referrals
Customer retention results from delighted customers. Happy customers provide upsell and cross-sell opportunities—plus strong referrals.
Rewards and Recognition
Alignment of all members of the sales team, from senior management to director to manager to salesperson, is vital to ensure that everyone is pulling in the same direction. Rewarding productive behaviors at all levels helps accomplish this.
Enablement
Enablement leads the “E” portion of the MORE Sales Framework. Training your salespeople to understand your offerings is critical. They need a thorough understanding of your messaging, your solution, and how your solution solves problems, how it delivers outcomes, and what makes you different from the competition.
Essential Sales Tools
One-time training events are easily forgotten. Essential sales tools provide repetition that will solidify your salespeople’s knowledge and skills, allowing them to deliver your message confidently and completely. Consistent messages must also permeate your website, digital marketing, mobile messaging, and social media. In addition, there is an abundance of software selling tools and plugins to help make sales more efficient, consistent, and predictable.
Execution
Finally, the most important (though often overlooked) element for achieving MORE sales is execution. Execution means carrying out the plan, optimizing the processes, reaching the objectives, implementing the metrics, and constantly ensuring that your company creates delightful outcomes. A brilliant plan that isn’t executed isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.