Hey there 👋
With all this talk of "back to basics" when it comes to sales, methodologies / playbooks / process have been in the forefront… do you believe the hype?
Personally, I do.
At its best, Sales is both an art and science.
The best leaders support their team with a shared framework & language to consistently win and build strong customer relationships.
(I asked this question on LinkedIn to see what others thought… wasn’t surprised at the results!)
Agree? Disagree? Let me know all your sales methodology hot takes. 🌶️
- Ross
In this newsletter:
- Masterclass on driving elite account planning
- Tactics for building (& enforcing) your methodology
- The #1 mistake sales reps make (according to a CRO)
🎓 Masterclass: Elite Account Planning for B2B Sales Teams
It’s not enough to just show up on calls, go through the motions, and expect to win deals in 2023.
You need rigorous planning & deal strategy on every major account to tilt the odds in your favor… no matter how great your product / pitch might be.
We’re talking:
🔍 Deep research on company priorities
🗺️ Detailed stakeholder mapping
🤝 Strong executive alignment
🎨 Creative plays to set your team up for success!
Join proven revenue leaders from Databricks, Salesforce, & Anthropic for our next masterclass on Elite Account Planning: How Strategic Sales Orgs Win Up-Market! 🎉
We’ll share strategies and tips for how to drive elite account planning & 10/10 execution on every deal, across every rep.
Sign up here to join us live or get the recording (we’ll also share our ultimate account planning guide with all RSVPs 👀). See you there!
✅ What effective sales methodologies have in common
The vast majority of sales leaders agree that having a shared methodology is critical – but they often still find that consistent adoption is poor.
Every team’s process is unique, but there are some common characteristics that are important for ensuring success. The panelists in our recent methodology masterclass covered a few of these traits:
🔁 Consistency. This one is obvious, but critical, and applies to both your external and internal processes – from your customer-facing journey to your internal deal reviews and 1:1s.
Consistent execution is the key to learning what’s working and what’s not, and ultimately building a winning sales team.
🛠️ Customization / flexibility. Your methodology should be executed consistently, but leaders should also allow flexibility if something is not working. Don’t feel the need to follow a specific process (like MEDDPICC, etc) by the book if there are changes that would suit your team better.
Use your guiding principles as a foundation, then tailor the specific steps to each unique customer journey. The more generic a methodology feels, the less elite it tends to be.
🧠 Expertise and empathy. Your sales process should aim to guide buyers toward an informed decision and serve their needs above all else. Going beyond basic product knowledge, top sellers deeply understand their customers’ businesses, common challenges, industry trends, and more.
The ability to engage with customers as strategic partners and act as consultants adds a huge amount of value to the sales process and buyer experience. As Andee Harris, CEO of Challenger, said in the masterclass: “Be a nutritionist, not a waitress.”
📣 Coaching. Effective coaching by sales leaders should be a key part of any process – especially when you’re rolling out a new process.
Great coaching goes beyond individual deal reviews and is embedded into every part of your org, from 1:1s to team meetings and beyond, to help your reps develop their skills, understand the “why” behind your methodology, and achieve their own goals.
Get more sales methodology tips from leaders at Challenger, BioRender, and Lavender!
⛔ The #1 mistake sales reps make
Our CRO, Daryl Mason, recently talked to Jeremy Miller who asked the question: what’s the number one mistake sales reps are making today?
Daryl’s answer? Missing the little things, the basics.
You might have a great discovery call – but then you don’t follow up with a summary and next steps in an email.
Or you don’t give the buyer a journey map that shows them how they’ll go from evaluation to success with your solution.
Or you don’t ask the hard questions and attempt to multi-thread early in the process.
We say it all the time at Accord: the last 10% provides 90% of the value.
Take the time to nail the little things and follow through on sales basics. It’s more important than ever today.
Thanks for reading From Vendorship → Partnership 👋
Ross Rich (CEO and Co-founder)
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