The Audible-Ready Sales Podcast

In this episode, we’re taking a step back to cover the most frequently asked questions we get from our customers, the sellers we train, and our listeners. From warming up cold calls and building pipeline to asking trap setting discovery questions, and getting to the economic buyer, John Kaplan covers it all.   Here are a few key insights you’ll want to tune in to hear:   - How sellers can nail their differentiation in discovery and win against tough competition   - How to prepare for your sales calls to warm up cold opportunities   - How to use empathy in sales conversations when asking challenging (or seemingly negative) discovery questions   - How to leverage your champion to earn the approval of the economic buyer   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on    - Getting into an Opportunity Podcast https://apple.co/34n8Y3o - Approaching Your Sales Conversations with Empathy Podcast https://apple.co/2YDHX8b - Playing Back Sales Discovery Sessions Podcast https://apple.co/2E4HFQD - Coaches vs. Champions Podcast https://apple.co/3hhDqQ1 - How to Test Your Champions Podcast https://apple.co/2BJNul4

Proof points should tell a story of how your solutions effectively solved your customer’s problems and achieved measurable results.   Elite sellers know the story behind their proof points so they can better tie them to their live opportunities in a way that’s relevant and meaningful to their prospects. Elite sales organizations have a process for gathering these proof points so their sellers can use them to drive high-value deals forward.    In this podcast, John Kaplan walks us through:   - How to develop a process for gathering impactful proof points and who should own this role in your organization   - When and how to use proof points in the most effective way, including how to enable your champions to articulate the stories behind your proof points   - How to make proof points as relatable as possible to live opportunities and sales conversations   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on proof points:    Methods to Increase Sales: Nailing Your Proof Points https://bit.ly/3kt2ZPU Successful Sales Strategies: Leverage Your Customer Testimonials https://bit.ly/2XKDDDx Metrics in Sales Conversations Podcast https://apple.co/3fV0tPb

Many sales leaders want to add MEDDICC into their sales organizations to improve sales qualification, mitigating losses and the number of deals in the pipeline that just aren’t progressing effectively.   Spoiler -  just adding the tool to your sales process won’t drive results. You as a sales leader, and your sales teams have to put in the work to make it work.   In this episode, Managing Director of Facilitation and Delivery, Brian Walsh talks through how to enable your sales teams to drive results using MEDDICC. He’ll cover:   - The three sales qualification questions MEDDICC can help companies solve   - How you can make MEDDICC successful, specifically for your organization   - How leaders, managers, sales reps impact the success of MEDDICC in different ways   - Personal experiences on how managers can help reps move deals forward in a way that drives results   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on implementing MEDDICC:    - An Overview of MEDDICC  https://bit.ly/31uSNxz - Make MEDDICC Work for Your Sales Organization https://bit.ly/2CaI8zG - How Sales Messaging & Qualification Work Together to Drive Scalable Growth https://bit.ly/3kix1pH

You know that champions can be a critical component of moving your deals forward.   However, identifying them isn’t always easy.   Do you really have a champion or just a coach? If you’re a manager, how are you helping your reps find, develop, and test their champions?   In this episode, John Kaplan will cover:   - Questions to help you identify a champion or coach   - How to know if your champion is actively selling on your behalf and if they have a vested interest in your success   - If you should move forward without a champion or hold and build a champion   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on coaches and champions:    Testing Your Champions Podcast https://apple.co/2BJNul4 Resources to Help Your Salespeople Enable Champions https://bit.ly/316EZsV Building up Your Champions Podcast https://bit.ly/3k5wSG3

Many sales leaders are moving forward with their sales transformation initiatives, virtually. They’ve come to an understanding that they don’t have time to wait.   We sat down with Force Management's Chief Operating Officer Dave Davies and Brian Walsh, Managing Director of Facilitation and Delivery, to discuss how sales organizations are moving forward right now in a remote environment. They cover:     The benefits of moving forward with your initiative virtually    The process that drives the most impact virtually   The results they’ve seen companies have from moving forward   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on virtual sales initiatives:    Our Virtual Delivery Offering https://bit.ly/2DbTVxC How to achieve results with virtual sales training https://bit.ly/338RNSx How we achieve results for our clients, virtually https://bit.ly/3jHUrEz

Moving opportunities forward and maintaining a healthy pipeline in this environment — are two critical areas sales organizations are struggling with right now.   In this episode John Kaplan talks through the three things you need in every deal, minimizing no decisions, discounts and other risks to their pipelines. He’ll discuss:   - How to determine your PBOS, Required Capabilities and Metrics   - How to change a deal at risk into a high-value opportunity   - What’s needed for salespeople to become more relevant to their buyers right now   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on PBOS, required capabilities and metrics:    - Predicting No Decisions On-Demand Webinar https://bit.ly/2D0dxFa - How to Ask the Right Questions in Your Sales Conversation https://bit.ly/2E8TRiS - 6 Questions That Will Help Your Sales Team Produce More Revenue https://bit.ly/32MuH3I - Why Sales Reps Struggle with Metrics in the Sales Conversation https://bit.ly/2ZQFYOM

This topic is so important we named our podcast after it.    In this episode, John Kaplan explains what it means to have an ‘audible-ready’ sales organization. He covers the five power plays of an audible-ready sales team and how sales leaders can equip their teams tools that enable them to keep the focus on their buyer.   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on being audible ready:    - How to Ensure You're Audible-Ready in Your B2B Sales Conversations; https://bit.ly/3eOOdA1   - What’s the Meaning of Command of the Message; https://bit.ly/31gD5rD

We’re using this episode to run through the most frequently asked questions we hear about sales negotiation.  Listen as Tim Caito discusses best practices managers and sales reps can instill into their negotiation process to ensure their business and procurement buyers view their solutions as valuable.  He’ll cover: How to navigate relationships with both buyer contacts and procurement professionals to improve the buying process and provide value for all stakeholders, including yourself. How sales reps can influence required capabilities early on, to show their solutions are the best fit for the buyer’s requirements, while minimizing discounts. Three things managers can do to continually coach on rep negotiation skills and drive seller behavior away from discounting.   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website. Here are some additional resources on the negotiation and procurement :  Sales Procurement On-demand Webinar with Tim Caito Tools & Resources for Building an Elite Sales Negotiation Process On-demand Webinar | Selling and Negotiating on Value

Salespeople, even veteran sellers, can struggle with warming up cold sales conversations and turning LinkedIn connections into active opportunities.    An avid listener recently asked that we cover how to get into opportunities and become immediately relevant to a prospect.    In this episode, John Kaplan explains how salespeople can be uncommon in their call preparation and conversations, so they can successfully earn the right to move their prospects into active opportunities.   Please note this episode was recorded prior to Covid-19. Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on getting into an opportunity:    - Purpose Process Payoff Podcast; https://apple.co/3hPFGOV   - Starting Strong With New Prospects Blog; https://bit.ly/2zVG51b   - Internal Negotiation Process Webinar: https://bit.ly/2ZgiEZj

Communication is a critical component to ensuring your teams stay focused.    For sales leaders, it can be the one thing that separates the best from the rest. If your people understand where they’re going and how they’ll get there, you are one step closer to your revenue goals.    In this episode, John Kaplan covers the concept of a leadership footprint to explains how leaders can:   - Outline their organization’s new mission and explain how they’re planning to get there   - Articulate exactly what they need from their sales teams to succeed    Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on the leadership footprint:    Leadership Footprint Template https://forc.mx/2UAM0Qr   Blog: “What Your Top Performers are Thinking in Your Sales Kickoff Presentation” https://bit.ly/2N9FbB8