The Audible-Ready Sales Podcast

In this episode, we cover key steps to make sure you hold to your committed forecast. Force Management Senior Partner Paul DeMore has conversations with sales leaders nearly every week around enabling salespeople to hold to their committed forecasts. He joins us to share what’s top-of-mind right now for sales leaders looking to reduce slipped deals and improve win rates. He also shares actionable tips your managers and reps can use to improve outcomes and speed up their deals.Here are some additional resources on sales planning:A Conversation with John McMahon How to Hold to Your Committed Forecast How to Reignite Stalled Deals Book: The Qualified Sales Leader Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Front-line sales managers this one’s for you! Your job is difficult. Often top sellers, who were promoted to managers, can find it challenging to coach the skills they excelled at. Being a great player of the game doesn’t directly translate into being a great coach of the game. The coaching skill set is completely different. If you find yourself often taking over deals for your reps, or are unsure of how to best support each individual on your team — tune in. John Kaplan shares his advice for front-line sales managers who want to have a bigger impact on their team’s growth and revenue numbers. Here are some additional resources on sales planning:Execute the Skill/Will Coaching Approach Our Top Resources For Giving Effective Feedback Five Ways to Give Better Feedback to Your Sales Teams  Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Our podcast series “Lessons Learned in Sales” continues this week as John Kaplan talks with Force Management’s new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Kamonte McCray. They discuss: How feeling too comfortable in a big account put his company in a dangerous position, costing him the dealA deal negotiation that involved a language barrier and a lesson he’ll never forgetA tricky negotiation tactic that reiterated the importance of staying calm and reiterating value during pricing conversations Here are some additional resources:Lessons Learned in Sales w/ Kamonte McCray https://bit.ly/3xElCaBKamonte McCray Bio https://bit.ly/3AUeqr3Sales Leadership & Accountability Webinar  https://bit.ly/2Z3Q8gUCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Ever advance a deal too quickly, only to find out you need to back up the sales process? John Kaplan joins us to discuss how to step back and work with your customer to ensure you’ve got all of the information you need to reassess and progress your deal. He walks through examples of how to back up your deals and get your customer to demand your help with solving an urgent business problem.Here are some additional resources on sales planning:Reassess Your Deals Helping Buyers Reach Their Own Conclusions How to Ensure You're Audible-Ready in Your B2B Sales Conversations How to Ask the Right Questions in Your Sales Conversation  Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

As the end of the year approaches, how are you going to make your plan next year? What do you want to deliver? If the answer is on-time-earnings and beyond tune in. Maybe you’ve had your best year yet and are wondering how to repeat that success or you’re looking for ways to improve next year. Whatever your goals are, now is the time to put in the work and ask for what you need to make it happen. John Kaplan joins us to share three areas you can focus on.Here are some additional resources on sales planning:The Plan to Make the Plan Set A Results-Driven Sales Planning Mindset How to Ask for Help on Your Deals [Podcast]  Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

High-performing sales organizations don’t just know why deals are won and lost. These teams have a systematic way to leverage those insights to impact and improve future sales opportunities. In this episode, Force Management Facilitator and Senior Partner Tim Caito shares how to pull insight on lost deals into future sales activities to create more wins and less late-stage losses. He covers the common mistakes sales organizations make when compiling and sharing win loss data and a three-step approach you can use to better take advantage of those insights. Key Questions to ask on every deal:What are the business issues driving a compelling event related to this target opportunity?Who do these business issues impact the most?How will the customer make a decision?How does our solution align with the decision criteria?Who are we competing against?What are our strengths? Where are our gaps?What is our strategy moving forward?What are our most critical next steps?Here are some additional resources on win-loss reviewsWhy Your Sales Organization is Losing and What to Do About It Enable Managers to Make an Impact on Future Deals Using Win/Loss Insights Questions for Managers to Ask on Every Opportunity Review Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website .

Sales is a game of inches. How you make your approach stand out from the competition (including do-nothing or do-it-internally options) can set you far ahead, or behind. There is as much differentiation in how you sell as there is in what you sell. But how exactly do you differentiate your approach? Tune in to hear five key steps you can take to make yourself stand out from the competition and bring value to your buyers. Here are some additional resourcesThe Seller Deficit Disorder https://bit.ly/2X9PbTrHelping Buyers Reach Their Own Conclusions [Podcast] https://apple.co/2XbWZ7rStacking Customer Requirements in Your Favor [Podcast]  https://apple.co/3nlxnjhCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify , or our website .

You know the deals you need help on, but how do you get the help you need? John Kaplan shares the best practices for getting the help you need on every deal. If you’re in a tight spot or find yourself needing similar support from deal to deal, this is a must-listen episode. Hear the best practices you can use to get the support you need and improve outcomes on future opportunities.Here are some additional resources:MEDDICC Resources https://bit.ly/3tmhnydFinding the Business Pain [Podcast] https://bit.ly/3E5fzyOTraining For Managers: Providing The "How" To Improve Sales Performance  https://bit.ly/2YEcmGhCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify , or our website .

Our podcast series “Lessons Learned in Sales” continues this week as John Kaplan talks with Force Management Facilitator Dale Monnin. They discuss: When Dale learned just how critical it is to always be audible-ready.What led him to dramatically pivot the way he sold and the success he drove because of that shifted approach.An incident where fire dancing went awry. Here are some additional resources based on the conversations with Dale:Meet the Facilitator: Dale Monnin https://bit.ly/3E0s8ewGood to Great to Elite [Podcast]  https://bit.ly/3yVuF5SCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or our website .

Get back to the basic sales fundamentals that help ensure great sales conversations and improved win rates. John Kaplan provides five things to execute after your next prospect call to own and improve your next steps.Here are some additional resources:5 Things to Do Before Your Next Sales Conversation https://apple.co/3ajqZB8Overcoming Sales Challenges: A Buyer Focus on Seller Deficit Disorder https://bit.ly/3n7SjKfAlign with the Buying Process: The Power of the Mantra https://bit.ly/2X1ARvSCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or our website .