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1. Strategic Sales Training combined with CRM….A powerful
combination for sales success!
by
Mariano J. Doble, President and CEO, Doble Group, LLC
Introduction
“An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action
rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage,” -- Jack Welch.
Jack Welch is an American chemical engineer, business executive, and author. He was
Chairman and CEO of General Electric for 20 years. During his tenure at GE, the
company's value rose 4,000 percent.
Mr. Welch’s advice on training and learning as they relate to a company’s path
to success is more relevant today than ever. Every company needs to find the
competitive advantage that will propel it ahead of its competition, and as Mr.
Welch so succinctly frames it – that advantage can be achieved through
professional training and applying the knowledge gained to your business
processes.
Doble Group has always been a proponent of continuous learning as a positive
driver for organizational success. Our company specifically focuses on
integrated CRM solutions and training aimed at maximizing the capabilities of
CRM. This white paper focuses on the training program we offer and how it
helps companies achieve success and gain competitive advantage in the
marketplace.
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2. A New Approach to Strategic Sales Training & Support
Doble Group’s specific approach to strategic sales training revolves around the
principles of value, consultative and solution based selling and consists of four
stages to help our customers maximize the alignment between people,
processes and ultimately the CRM.
In Stage 1, the goal is to identify the specific business strategy of the individual
organization – each company is different. The next step is to align the multi-
faceted, Sales Cloud tool’s capabilities to automate the company’s unique
business strategies and sales processes.
During Stage 2, hands-on training is delivered, so everyone involved in the
sales process knows how to use the Salesforce CRM tool to its maximum
advantage and can apply this hands-on knowledge to their individual work
environments.
In Stage 3, optimization training is conducted to help teams align best
practices with the Salesforce CRM tool. At this level of training, sales team
members, who can already use the tool confidently, now learn how to
proficiently apply these advanced, best practices to make the CRM tool even
more effective in the execution of their sales efforts. Often times, the
Optimization and Hands On training are combined into one training (depending
on budget).
Stage 4 consists of Doble Group’s unique Customer Advantage Sales Training
(CAST). This training deals with modifying the sales professionals’ skills and
behaviors to make them even more effective in the sales process. CAST is
designed to help sales teams and managers master the concepts required to
offer their customers a different sales experience based on value, consultative
and solution selling techniques. From identifying customer needs, to
developing effective account strategies, ROI based propositions and compelling
presentations, this hands-on practical approach transforms the way people sell
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3. forever. This training is not necessarily tied to the Salesforce CRM tool, but
sales team members, who have the CAST training, will be able to use the CRM
tool to its maximum capacity.
The CAST Training Difference
CAST prepares sales professionals to use a consultative, value-based, solutions
selling approach. Why is this type of training critical for today’s sales
environment? Sales organizations are presently facing numerous challenges
because of increased buyer sophistication, due to greater information
availability; compressed product life cycles, as a result of technological
advances; and price pressures on products and services, brought on by intense
local and global competition.
CAST is designed to help clients win and grow their customer base by
demonstrating to sales professionals how to communicate the superior value of
their product/service offerings. Profitable growth requires that companies
customize their market offerings to reflect individual customer’s needs and
buying processes. CAST helps sales team members communicate and prove the
benefits and value of their product/service offerings; it also helps them
differentiate their product offerings from their competitors’.
CAST Provides Customer-focused Selling and the Margin for Success
The CAST program teaches sales team members how to demonstrate to
prospective customers that the “total value” of their product/service, relative to
price and customer service, far exceeds that of the competition. When
successfully executed, CAST can provide sales team members with the business
skills needed to justify the purchase decision within their customer’s
organization, based on terms that are meaningful to all decision makers in the
process.
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4. Many companies sell based on price, features and friendship. Moving to a
consultative, customer-focused sales approach requires a different set of skills,
messaging and support system. CAST helps build this successful framework by
putting the customer at the center of the selling strategy. This requires
collecting fact-based customer insights to understand what the customer’s
needs are, what steps are involved in the buying processes, and the value that
the customer places on each of these elements.
Calibrate and Manage Sales Opportunities
CAST also helps calibrate and manage the sales opportunity by explaining how
to gather competitor insights to understand the options that a prospective
customer can choose from; this knowledge can serve as a benchmark against
which to evaluate a competitor’s offerings. The training also includes how to
manage sales opportunities by identifying and profiling key customer segments
based on their needs and potential-to-buy. This allows for the creation of a
unique value proposition for each customer segment that details how their
product/service offerings match the customer’s needs. This significantly aids in
communicating the functional, emotional and economic benefits that
prospective customers will realize from their products/services.
CAST Helps Review Your Sales Processes
CAST helps you review your sales processes and define the detailed activities
required for a consultative, customer-focused sales cycle. This ensures their
sales processes reflect the customer’s buying processes. This review also helps
your sales people apply the proper sales tools that align with the correct sales
process to help them be successful in their day-to-day sales activities.
The end result of CAST is the development of a superior and competent sales
force. This sales organization is enabled by constructive performance reviews
that provide coaching and mentoring to ensure the consistent reinforcement of
the CAST concepts.
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5. Conclusion
Companies operating in today’s business environment, have very little choice
when it comes to training and learning as business drivers. They can either
ignore the benefits that ongoing training and knowledge bring and become
stagnant, or they can choose to embrace learning and knowledge and enjoy the
success and growth this strategy generates. Doble Group’s multi-dimensional,
ongoing training programs not only provide the knowledge for success, we take
the process one step further, and help our clients translate that learning into
meaningful action.
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