1. Andreas Uthmann
Zurich, January 2013
5+1 Sales Tips for 2013
Copyright 2012 by Blueconomics Business Solutions GmbH

2. 2
1. Collaborate, Collaborate, Collaborate
 Sales is a teamsport. If you
don’t manage to orchestrate
your internal team and
synchronize your messages,
how do you want to convince
your customer?
 To build your virtual account
team, draw it on paper.
 You can’t manage the whole
account by yourself. Define
clear relationship responsi-
bilities for each level of your
organisation. Show each team
member her role as part of the
overall sales strategy.
 Finally make sure to discuss
and align objectives and
activities in your team.
Copyright 2012 by Blueconomics Business Solutions GmbH

3. 3
2. Understand the Buying Center
 Sales is about people. And
people buy from people they
like.
 Knowing your buying
audience, the influencers and
decision-makers, their needs
and interests, is key for
success in every business.
Build your matrix.
 Analyze your buying network
first, «sell» second.
 Invest into the mission-critical
relationships, not just where
the sun shines.
Copyright 2012 by Blueconomics Business Solutions GmbH

4. 4
3. Leverage Social Relationships
 Never do «cold» calls again.
 Leverage social media
information across the entire
sales cycle.
 Use profile information to
identify influencers and
decision-makers. Use joint
connections to open the doors.
 Synchronize all social
channels in one stream to get
the full picture about your
contacts.
 Before any meeting, make
sure to screen the latest
updates and posts.
Copyright 2012 by Blueconomics Business Solutions GmbH

5. 5
4. Run Opportunity Reviews
 Management reviews are good
to get the forecast right, but
opportunity reviews are there
to win.
 Engage your entire account
team in the review process.
Reserve a fix time window,
week by week.
 Follow the process: Identify,
analyze, act.
 Discuss, not just document. It’s
about collaboration, not
reporting.
Copyright 2012 by Blueconomics Business Solutions GmbH

6. 6
5. Analyze your Wins and Losses
 Learn from both, success and
failure.
 Have a standard process to
capture the learnings. Engage
the whole team.
 Look on how the decision-
makers and influencers, their
needs, relationships as well as
your team and capabilities have
evolved over time.
 Try to not think about
competition too much, you can’t
change it. Instead, focus on the
customer needs and compare to
your strenghts and weaknesses.
 Don’t wait for the final decision.
Initiate regular milestone
reviews to mitigate risks and
avoid suprises.
Copyright 2012 by Blueconomics Business Solutions GmbH

7. 7
(6.) Network more, tweet less
 Social Media puts buyers, not
sellers in control. Listen first,
engage second.
 B2B buying decisions are
made by complex people
networks, not on Facebook.
 And relationships are built by
individual communication and
personal meetings, not by
posts and tweets.
 Networking is an investment.
Invest into your social capital
to win and grow.
Copyright 2012 by Blueconomics Business Solutions GmbH

8. Shake up
Your B2B
Sales.

9. 9
www.Blueconomics.info
Copyright 2012 by Blueconomics Business Solutions GmbH