Category: storytelling

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New Sales Playbook post Covid-19!!

Covid-19 has altered the business landscape. Forever.

Sales playbook that we used so far does not work anymore.

Post Covid-19, I don’t think we are going to return to the previous style of functioning.

Right now, customers expect us to #bemorehuman.

Some food for thought:

  1. Do we care for our customers? Genuinely?
  2. Do we understand their feelings?
  3. Are we treating them like humans?
  4. Are we helping them solve some real problems?
  5. Are we making them feel special?
  6. How are our products going to help them during this pandemic specifically?
  7. Or, are we selling our product like we used to, by talking about our “product” & the “benefits”?
  8. Are we making the right connection between the buyer & our brand during this pandemic?
  9. If yes, what are we doing to achieve that?
  10. Are we helping them smile during these difficult times.

If the answer is a resounding “YES” to at least 7 / 10 questions above, we will sail through this period safely.

If not, it is time for us to take a re-look at our Strategies. Did I say “strategies”? I am sorry. That’s not the word right now.

….re-look at the way we connect with the buyers – would be more appropriate.

#HappyConnecting!!

#HappySelling!!

#covid19 #sales #business #newsalesplaybook #care4customers

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War for Talent!!

That was an Oil & Gas Engg Co., They called their employees & their families for a get together.

What’s special about it, you ask. Hang on. I’ll answer that.

Companies are now doing such events to build a strong sense of belonging & culture.

You will find fun events for everyone in the family. Drinks & Great Food will be on the house. Goodies bag at the end of the event.

Here’s where this company differed.

All those mentioned above were part of the event. Plus a talk by the CEO.

He said many families did not know what work they were doing & hence felt a need to talk about it. He spoke in a language that they understood.

There was a short film featuring the CEO, taken at his home, played during his talk, peppered in between. It showed him as a down to earth person [which he is] & as much human as everyone else in the room.

Hats off to the CEO. I am sure he’ll take the Co., to great heights.

Takeaways:

1. It is not just sufficient if your employees share your vision. Even their families have to.

2. Sense of belonging & culture is important.

3. Build a community around your brand.

4. Your Sales people are NOT the only ones who sell. All your employees & their families also do.

5. In the ecosystem of Customers, Partners & Employees, it is your employees who come first. They’re the ones who are going to serve your customers & partners.

6. War for talent is real. Companies that genuinely take care of its people are the ones that will win now.

7. Take care of your employees else someone else will.

Happy Caring!!

Happy Selling!!

#employees #communitybuilding #caring #branding #sales #marketing #warfortalent #community

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Add Value, not Tax!

Once, I was pretty late into an Account. The deal was almost signed when I entered.

Can’t change it.

But I did the unusual.

I didn’t walk away.

Instead, kept in touch. Shared some interesting anecdotes from other customers.

Over time, I became the most trusted advisor.

The customer wouldn’t buy anything without consulting me.

He called me one day & reminded me about what I had told him months before about how a particular solution can save them money & time. I had almost forgotten about it.

The rest is history.

I closed that deal.

I even sat in discussion with their ISP, negotiated a good deal for them.

Implemented the solution. Customer realized ROI in no time.

It was a feather in the cap for him internally.

My learning:

1. Never underestimate the potential of any customer.

2. Just because you lost a deal, it doesn’t mean you will not win any future deals.

3. You can’t win without playing the game.

4. If you add value, you will win.

5. Show up everyday, deal or no deal.

6. Keep rocking, be energetic, smile always. They will like you if you do.

#HappySelling

#b2b #changethegame #scienceofsales #prospecting #sales #underdog #marketing #ABM #rapport

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People laughed at him!

A young boy, who was just 12 years old, wanted to start his own magazine. When he said that, people laughed at him. 15 years later, in the year 1984, he was publishing a hundred of them. And he had built one of the first Technology Publishing empires.

He was interested in Technology, Science and Computing and he found that these three areas were converging.

7 years after he founded his publishing company, he sold it to Pearsons. Then he moved to United States and started his new company Business 2.0 and reached a market cap of $ 2 Billion at one point.

He founded a non-profit in the year 1996 to “foster the spread of great ideas”.

There was another company which was started in 1984 which was holding conferences dedicated to 3 things. And our young boy attended one of the conferences in 1998 and fell in love with it.

Eventually he bought that company in 2001. But the remarkable turn around came in 2006 when he distributed the talks [in the conferences] online for free. That was a revolution.

I am sure you have guessed it by now.

The company he acquired is TED [that stands for Technology, Entertainment & Design] and the young boy is none other than Chris Anderson. https://www.ted.com/

So, what dreams are you chasing? Did people laugh at you? Are you passionate about it? For all you know you may be creating a revolution in the years to come.

Don’t underestimate yourself. If you are passionate about it and if few people have found use for what you have created, you are on your way to success.

Happy creating!

Happy Starting-up!

Happy Selling!

#startupstories #startup #story

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My role model & other anecdotes….

There was a senior colleague who commanded respect from clients, principals, resellers and us colleagues. He was there in office every single day before office started for business. He was truly professional, knowledgeable, kept up his promises, always busy, added value to clients as well as partners, a crisis manager, a great people manager and had coffee & biscuits with us every evening after work. The evenings were interesting too.

One day I was preparing a proposal and he advised me to work on the proposals after office hours and not during productive sales time. From then on, all through the day, I was in front of customers talking about a new product or the upcoming workshops or just building relationship or talking about how technology is changing businesses and even lives. I normally simplify technology. It’s quite simple. I don’t get something if it is too complex. So, I question, read, inquire, find out the truth and understand it in detail. And then I simplify it and fine tune it according to the client I meet.

I think I built good relationships over the years with my clients and prospects. Some of them won’t buy anything related to technology without checking with me even if it is something that I don’t sell. Those were the zen moments in Account Management.

My role model has changed with time. Today it is Gary Vaynerchuk. He posted recently where in he taught how to tell a story. He says, if you are a real estate agent, tell me about the town and not just the house you want to sell. If you are passionate about Sales, tell me why you love it, your most interesting clients, biggest challenges etc. In essence, he says, don’t talk about the product / service that you are selling. Instead share the interesting anecdotes around your business. People would love to hear that. The rest will follow soon. Idea is to make things interesting.

Here is the image he had shared:

Happy StoryTelling!!

Happy Selling!!

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Are you a great Storyteller?

The good news is: You can become a great storyteller even if you are not one currently. I will give you the framework & guidelines for the same.

  1. Have a unique style. And don’t imitate other storytellers.
  2. People like to hear interesting anecdotes. So, sprinkle some here and there.
  3. Let the story be original and true. No fiction.
  4. Pump it with loads of energy. Nobody likes to hear a story that sucks energy.
  5. Make your audience think, imagine, visualize. May your story cause them to think in terms of pictures.
  6. Add humour. People like jokes. They forget themselves when they laugh.
  7. Create a community.
  8. Give them a peek into your life, your difficulties, how you solved them. Show them that you are human just like them. Connect with them.
  9. Speak about what you see in everyday life.
  10. Do not have any theme. But have a message in every session or each story you narrate.
  11. Don’t get stuck to any ideals. That is utopia. It doesn’t sell.
  12. Be creative.
  13. Be bold.
  14. Don’t be shy. Even if you are shy, it is just fine. Most of us are shy. But that doesn’t have to stop us from becoming a great storyteller.
  15. There is something unique in the way you see, perceive and think. Speak about that. That will make a great story.
  16. Try connecting with the local events or the big news of the day or the season.
  17. Just be you.
  18. Engage the audience depending on whom you are addressing. In Sales, we call it target segment.
  19. Don’t reveal the climax too soon. Let your audience get ready for it,
  20. Deliver value, for sure. You need to do your homework on this.

Happy Storytelling!!

Happy Selling!!

#sales #storytelling #crm

Contact: sales at zignalytics.com