Such general examples of tech stacks that


ValueSelling Associates’ team cites as possibly aiding in smart sales onboarding and methodology include: • Slack, thanks to its 2021 acquisition by Salesforce, makes it easier to add notes in a thread to a colleague. No one has to go searching for that tidbit of info before they make a call.


• Gong analyzes interactions with customers (phone, email, or through the Web) to determine if the sales team is asking the kinds of open-ended questions you’ve identified as essential for their success and yours.


• Highspot and other sales enablement platforms identify which marketing and supplemental materials are available to aid sellers during calls.


WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO WITH TECH It’s important to note that none of these technology solutions are replacing the work of the sales team. Instead, these solutions monitor, evaluate, and map the work of the sales team so they can be more efficient and successful when they have those human-to-human interactions. “It takes somebody who has a learning mindset to connect the dots,” Maluso says. You don’t want your sales reps to merely ask more questions; this quickly starts to feel like an interrogation. Chorus.ai found that high-performing salespeople ask fewer questions. The trick is, they ask the right questions – like thought-provoking open- ended questions – and then listen to the answers. “There’s a lot of bad implementation of tech


stacks,” Maluso says. “Companies are going to have to be agile in order to learn new technology and train their staff to use it.” Sanderson uses a personal example to show


what he means by properly using information provided by tech. If someone selling something comes to him and says, “Hey, I know you are a bourbon guy who likes Harleys,” Sanderson might, understandably, feel uncomfortable, as if his privacy has been invaded. But if a salesperson says, “As a small business owner, I understand you are dealing with supply chain issues,” then Sanderson will feel like the salesperson has mastery of the industry and therefore can make appropriate useful recommendations. It is the difference between


having information customized to his role and having it customized to him personally. Julie Thomas, president and CEO of ValueSelling


Associates, says the firm has found that top performers tend to ask fewer questions of prospective customers. However, they formulate them as open-ended questions so they get robust answers…and then really listen to what those answers are. AI can’t do that. After all, if your team hasn’t learned effective questioning techniques, tracking the number and types of questions isn’t very useful. Sanderson encourages training to be targeted to


a cross-functional audience. For example, the entire team – from graphic designers to new executives – needs to have a common language so everyone, not just the sales team, is focused on solving problems and finding value for clients, in the same way. Getting people to think differently is no easy task.


It hinges on developing that mental agility Maluso mentioned and helping everyone understand what the organizational objectives are. “We need individuals to buy in and have this different mindset to selling,” Sanderson says. The ValueSelling training is tailored to each unique


client and typically structured in four consecutive half-days. This allows people to immediately try some of the concepts they are learning in a real-world environment and report back with their results the next day. The schedule also prevents people’s eyes and brains from glazing over after too many days of sitting and listening. In fact, the training is structured so learners do a new task every two to four minutes – preventing folks from multitasking, checking emails, or otherwise disengaging. The trainings and materials are completely bespoke for each organization. In an uncertain economy, buyers may opt for a solution they don’t necessarily think is best just because the initial investment is less. And sometimes that leads to an off-the-shelf tech solution that is initially affordable but not customized. Customers need help navigating through cognitive overload to make sense of the information available to them through technology and to make the best long-term decisions for their businesses. As Thomas says: “Technology only adds value if it impacts the business outcomes.” 


SELLING POWER VALUESELLING ASSOCIATES SPECIAL EDITION 2022 | 19 © 2022 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24