Everybody says they have a process, but if you ask them to write it down, nobody on the team writes the same thing. A lot of companies do pieces of it very well and few companies do all of it well.
I have explored the emerging science of sales psychology for over 15 years to develop new approaches, which ultimately became the Wheel Selling System℠ I currently deploy.
The current solution sales methodologies out in the market are failing to keep up with the fact that most businessesbuying technology are more educated than previously, and are no longer buying disruptive technologies. The language and approach had to change. Therefore, I developed a Pain-Based Selling Methodology to meet these new needs and improve the old.
The challenge is always the complexity of implementing sales methodologies. I created a simple framework that uses a “wheel” metaphor to help salespeople more quickly grasp and implement the methodology and process.
Solution selling methods focus on helping the customer to build a solution, and now in the new technology (Internet) environment, customers come to the sale with the solution already in mind or built, and simply seeking vendors to fulfill that solution. The Pain-Based Sales approach is designed to interrupt the customer’s buying process (patterned way of thinking) by uncovering un-recognized needs, and position the seller as the best resource to fulfill those needs.
Regardless of the methodology debate, every sales leader agrees that the marketplace continues to change, and an effective sales process is critical to every sales organization’s success.
The “Wheel” is a practical, repeatable sales methodology process that breaks complex situations down into small, manageable chunks, or “Implied Pains”. It focuses on interrupting the customer’s thinking process by establishing un-recognized implied pains and helps uncover and prioritize them.
The use of “pain” in selling is a particularly good fit for organizations with complex sales cycles, and can be used by entrepreneurial organizations looking to compete with larger brands, as well as large organizations looking to fill gaps in their sales process.
Pain-Based Selling is a particularly good fit for complex sales in any B2B vertical market. It also performs particularly well in high-volume commodities markets – transactional selling.
The approach has been continuously refined and improved, in response to changing market conditions and ongoing research into what top-performing sellers do differently.
The approach is used by entrepreneurial organizations looking to compete with larger brands, as well as large organizations looking to fill gaps in their sales process.
The Pain-Based Framework simplifies sales methodology to make it easier for salespeople to learn and master. This is mission critical and most often where training fails to produce any output of value.
Sales Training Challenge Today:
- Process
- Implementation
- Reinforcement
- The role of technology
The premier challenge facing the sales industry today is the difficulty of getting salespeople to buy into complex sales methodologies. My Pain-Based Selling uses the metaphor of a wheel to divide sales into “spokes” that represents stages of the sales process. Also, incorporating the science behind the methodology is provided with graphic illustrations and real-world scenarios.
Historically it’s been thought that sales methodology is best suited for complex sales. However, with the science of decision-making becoming so abundantly clear, sales methodologies are now implemented successfully in high transaction volume organizations.
Process vs. Methodology
Process is a step-by-step structure, with milestones and stages, while methodology is a way of interacting with the customer to move them from stage to stage.
Process as the “what” and methodology as the “how.” A third category of “skills and activities” is separate from the methodology.
The difference between the three (process, methodology, and skills) most vividly with a football analogy. The sales process helps you identify where you are on the football field and how close you are to getting into the end zone,” she explains. “Sales methodology is what has to happen to move you from the 40-yard-line to the 30-yard-line. Skills and tactics are the playbook.
Why are sales processes ineffective?
- The company is more focused on the reporting into the CRM from the process activity rather than on the customer’s decision-making process which leads to a verifiable outcome
- Focus on product-based training rather than product application and business outcomes
What’s needed?
- Dynamic, buyer-aligned strategic process tied to positive predictable outcomes.
In order to accomplish this, sales team leaders, account management leaders and executives must look at the organization holistically to align training, compensation, roles, and reinforcement.
The primary solution for sales success in today’s business?
- Buy-in of Sales Methodology & Process
- Free management time
- Make top of mind
- Implementation
- Behavioral Reinforcement
- Preventing trained sales employees returning to old behaviors after the newness of the methodology and process wears off
- Sales managers and leaders must be involved and congruent. Coaches and leaders should be trained in process and methodology either ahead of, or concurrently with, the sales team.
- Rewards and recognition should be tied to implementing process and methodology rather than strictly to wins.
- Skills and behaviors must be reinforced on a regular basis.
- Embedding sales process and methods within CRM systems, and linking each stage to content assets (available on mobile devices) that support the salesperson in using the methodology’s tools and skills.
Effective coaching and technology are critical elements of effective reinforcement. This is mission critical and where most programs fail.
You have to ensure that the learning is reinforced so sellers don’t forget what they learned. And track actions in the CRM and observe sellers live to know what they are doing. Then make sure coaches and managers are available to help sellers work through problems they’re having.
As of late…
I have been able to deploy Salesforce.com by inserting our sales methodology, specifically it’s process into the CRM tool. Now we have begun to build the 3 Pillars of Sales, Sales Operations and Training by establishing 1) a common model, 2) a common language and 3) a common process.
Additionally, we have supported our success efforts by installing complimentary tools such as IS.com’s Dialer. And we have adopted a communication tool called ClearSlide.
Ultimately, we drill, qualify and operationalize our methodology and process into our 80s. This is coaching people up. It takes a solid coaching platform and process to ensure any sales and sales training program will succeed.
Keith Fleming
