Book Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Surviving the Current Business Climate
What Type of Salesperson Do You Prefer? • Two Problems with Traditional Methods • The Sales Profession is Changing • Hold on Just One Minute! • Sales Effectiveness is an Elusive Topic

Chapter 2: Building High Performance Sales Teams
In Search of Top Performers • Experience is a Double-Edged Sword • Evaluating the Person Beneath the Smile • Nobody Likes the Spanish Inquisition • There Are No Magic Bullets • The Quickest Way to Commoditize Your Value • Sales Effectiveness is a Different Story

Chapter 3: “Culturalizing” the QBS Methodology
Quantitative vs. Qualitative • What’s Important to Your Customers? • What Concerns Your Customers Most • Building a Repository of Business Issues • What Problem Do You Solve? • And why is that important? • Management Must Play a Leading Role

Chapter 4: The Effectiveness Triad™
Your Execution Strategy • Conversational Layering™ • Leveraging Curiosity to Increase Mindshare • Escalating the Value of Your Sales Conversations • Diagnostic Questions™ for Instant Credibility • Soliciting More Accurate Information • Gold Medals & German Shepherds • The Herd Theory™ • Navigating to the Right Person • Four Keys to Closing More Deals

Chapter 5: Someone has to “Pedal the Bike”
Ten Questions Exercise • Putting it All Together

Chapter 6: Solving Problems vs. Providing Solutions
What Your Current Message Communicates • Re-engineering the Elevator Pitch • SPA vs. PAS Positioning™ • Taking Advantage of the Missionary Sale • Implication, Implication, Implication… • Leveraging the Rest of the Herd • Gravitating Away from Whatever Feels Most Comfortable

Chapter 7: The Paradox of Value
The Intangible Nature of Perceived Value • Corporate Messaging Has Become Convoluted • Touting “Solutions” May Actually Be the Problem • Education is the Ultimate Goal • “…and that’s what we solve!”

Chapter 8: Functional Equivalence is Your Enemy
“Cost” and “Price” are Very Different • What’s the Cost of Not Solving the Problem? • Be Careful Trying to Justify a Higher Price • Help Customers Register More Value • What if You Sell a True Commodity? • Put Yourself in a Strong Negotiating Position

Chapter 9: The Convergence of Sales & Marketing
Formulating a Cohesive Strategy • Develop a Pull Strategy versus a Push Mentality • Supporting the Field Sales Organization

Chapter 10: Ask and You Shall Receive
More than Just Gathering Information • Controlling Your Sales Conversations • Ask, “How do you mean?” • Use Humbling Disclaimers • Neutralize Questions to Smoke-Out Possible Objections • Understanding the Decision Process • Testing Your Champion’s Confidence

Chapter 11: QBS Escalation Strategies
Curiosity Always Kills the Cat • Focus Beyond the Transaction • What’s the Cost of Not Moving Forward? • Escalating to Higher Levels within Your Target Accounts • Bringing a Sales Manager or Executive into Your Deals

Chapter 12: Leveraging Your Extended Sales Force
The Evolution of Sales Partnerships • Developing Effective Market Partners • Let Partners in on Your Secrets • Seeking More Than Just Mindshare • Cooperative Marketing

Bonus Chapter: How to Pick a Sales Trainer
Which Problem are You Trying to Solve? • What about a Motivational Speaker? • Weeding Through all the Different Choices • Always Ask for a Money-Back Guarantee • Tailoring Course Content is Critical • Require a Longer-Term View • Outside Trainers Are Not the Enemy • Sales Excellence is a Choice