Sales 2.0

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

In my last post I was ranting about how I hate proposals. My preferred solution to this is not developing proposals at all. I highly recommend not spending your time generating beautiful documents for every person that says, “send me a proposal”. There are various ways to get ChatGPT to write a part of any proposal.

Proposal 150

Proposal Hiring Decision Maker Case Study 150

Cincom Smart Selling

MARCH 9, 2025

Introduction Selling products and delivering sales proposals that create customer value requires buyer and seller understanding of pain points, product and price. That process is quoting and proposing, and sales pros will tell you that knowing when and how to do this effectively is important. What is a Sales Proposal?

Proposal 48

Proposal Lead Rank Lead Scoring Customer 48

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 1, 2025

If you have a pile of files on your desk, a to-do list that is so long it must be scrolled to read, past-due proposals, and an empty pipeline, you are probably not very well organized, don’t manage your time very well, and likely behind on quota.

Sales Leadership 286

Sales Leadership Buying Cycle Coaching Proposal 286

Cincom Smart Selling

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Quote and proposal software has generated a lot of buzz. Postings on social media, commentary from industry analysts, as well as user and vendor blog posts and white papers, all offer advice and information about automating the quote and proposal functions within the enterprise. Price, sophistication, and performance widely vary.

Proposal 48

Proposal Software Software Scale 48

The Pipeline

JULY 7, 2020

An approved proposal, $10 more. There is an immediate opportunity to get a reward for the right demo or proposal. Each of those events was clearly defined, no ambiguity as to what each event looked like, and what it did not look like. Hard to confuse, no room for excuses. The three events were: Initial qualifying appointment.

Incentive 430

Incentive Incentives Commission Sales Qualified Lead 430

Sales 2.0

DECEMBER 3, 2024

Any proposals sent? I’m looking for clues of any accounts where this salesperson made progress. Which accounts did he talk to? Which conversations went anywhere? What meetings were held? Could there be any “low hanging fruit” here–where I can swoop in for a quick close? This salesperson did leave a few clues behind.

Scale 195

Scale Territories Face-to-face Construction 195

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 15, 2025

Do you ever circle back, repurpose slide decks and proposals, become nostalgic, rewatch movies or TV series? When my son was small, he loved watching the same movies and shows over and over again. We watched The Lion King with him around one hundred times and Brother Bear another fifty times.

Sales Process 173

Sales Process Lead Rank Lead Scoring Sales Qualified Lead 173

Sales and Marketing Management

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

When your sales agents don’t have to spend hours creating proposals or prospecting, they can do more in less time. Automating sales and marketing activities lets you focus your human resources elsewhere. The post 5 Ways Sales Automation Will Help Your B2B Company Thrive appeared first on Sales & Marketing Management.

Sales Automation 347

Sales Automation B2B Company Proposal 347

Understanding the Sales Force

FEBRUARY 10, 2025

When you and/or your salespeople improve in the area of listening and asking questions, you’ll realize the following six benefits: Shorter sales cycle Much higher win rate Increase in average deal size Increase in margin Reduction in unqualified proposals and quotes More accurate forecasts All of this depends on your ability to take a consultative (..)

Kana 188

Kana Benefit Margin Sales Qualified Lead 188

Sales 2.0

OCTOBER 25, 2021

The problem of missing decisionmakers most often shows up when companies submit a proposal and never hear anything back. Following a systematic process to identify decisionmakers, understand their interests, and have them “coauthor” proposals, can significantly boost closing ratios. Sales time sucks.

Territories 396

Territories Compensation Scale Decision Maker 396

Understanding the Sales Force

APRIL 16, 2025

First the Discharge KPI’s Week 1 – Before I Could be Discharged 6 minute walk Breath into the spirometer 10x per hour 1 flight of stairs Shower Week 2 – First Week at Home Walk 10 minutes/day Breath into the spirometer 10x per hour Shower every day No lifting, pushing or pulling, not even to help with sitting, standing or reclining (..)

Pipeline 188

Pipeline Follow-up Conversion Outbound 188

Sales 2.0

OCTOBER 9, 2020

I’ve got to put together proposals and update the CRM and make sure my current clients are taken care of and respond to emails from my bosses and other political stuff in my company”. It would be great to be seen as a subject matter expert by my buyers but I don’t have time to do that. Hey, but what if you had a team helping you?

Account 385

Account Social Media Scale Small Business 385

The Pipeline

MARCH 19, 2019

Number of Proposals you have to present to get on Close? The number of prospects who begin Discovery with you, take a real Proposal? Why not, you diarise discovery calls, proposal calls, closing calls, what’s wrong with diarising your most important calls. The required number of Closes per month or quarter?

Prospecting 306

Prospecting Proposal Cold Calling Quota 306

Sales Gravy

JANUARY 14, 2025

Opportunities in Pipeline Opportunities-to-Proposal Ratios Proposal-to-Closed Deals Ratios Upsells, Cross-Sells, and Expansion Deals By mapping out how each step in your funnel converts to the nextcalls to first appointments, first appointments to proposals, proposals to closed dealsyou can see exactly where to focus in the new sales year.

Data 98

Data Tools Intent Data Top of Funnel 98

MTD Sales Training

FEBRUARY 11, 2020

However, when you presented your proposal it seems as though everything became silent, time began to slow down and tension filled the air as you anxiously waited for the prospect’s decision. This question is simple and helps the prospect understand that what you have just proposed is, at worst, reasonable. 3 – “More in the future…OK?”.

Closing 300

Closing Proposal Negotiation Benefit 300

Hubspot Sales

JULY 22, 2024

Types of Business Emails How to Write an Email to a Potential Customer Sample Business Introduction Letter to Prospective Clients Sample Email to Approach New Client Tips for Sending Proposal Emails to Clients What is a business email? They're typically sent following initial conversations, meetings, or proposals (shocking, I know.)

Ideal Customer Profile 111

Ideal Customer Profile Proposal Lead Rank Referrals 111

Sales 2.0

OCTOBER 23, 2023

One of the areas of complex sales that I have seen soak up tons of time from entrepreneurs and senior salespeople over my years is writing proposals. And sad to say, not all these beautiful proposal documents ended up closing big deals. Now that we all have this new “intern” that can help with the proposal writing work.

Proposal 221

Proposal Social Media Media Decision Maker 221

Sales and Marketing Management

MARCH 30, 2020

Are their proposals value based? By probing and actively listening you learn what the other side wants to achieve, what they fear, and what they most value, prior to making your proposal. . Good negotiators move slowly and are always exchanging value during the back and forth phase of the proposal exchange. .

Negotiation 279

Negotiation Margin Proposal Maximizer 279

The Pipeline

JUNE 17, 2021

I am proposing that you make it safe to miss a sales target. What hypothesis I am proposing is this: Ambition is key – investing energy in low balling targets will hurt you in the long run. Yes, you did read that correctly. Hear me out. I have some research that makes this a great debate to have in your sales team right now.

Top of Funnel 352

Top of Funnel Quota Proposal Lead Scoring 352

Sales and Marketing Management

MAY 7, 2021

In the new world of digital selling, it is critical that your request for proposal clearly articulates how your product meets the needs of your customer. The post Customer Expectations Have Risen. Do Your RFPs Rise to the Challenge? appeared first on Sales & Marketing Management.

Customer 270

Customer Proposal Meeting Marketing 270

Understanding the Sales Force

JULY 17, 2019

The first contractor got a proposal to us within a few days, the second contractor got a proposal to us later the same day and the third contractor gave us a price on the spot. On the responsive scale, the third contractor was the best. They may also consider: Trustworthiness.

Scale 239

Scale Proposal Referrals Objections 239

Bernadette McClelland

MAY 22, 2022

Proposal iterations and. When I was a sales rep in Corporate Australia, it was quite common to receive multi 5-figure commissions for selling certain solutions – and most often selling those deals involved a series of detailed stages: Your normal sales discovery calls. Demonstrations. Workflow blue-printing. RFPs were even harder work.

Energy 448

Energy Commission Up-Sell Conference 448

Hubspot Sales

JULY 30, 2024

Offers social proof of the value of the proposed services. Closing Statement 5 Jane, let’s set a time next week to discuss the costs associated with moving forward with my proposal and those related to maintaining the status quo. It also: Clearly states a value statement that the prospect would identify with.

Closing 122

Closing Quota How To Webinar Metrics 122

Sales 2.0

MARCH 12, 2020

Don’t be surprised if more of your proposals go to “Neverland”. Do not be surprised if deals in your pipeline don’t close. Don’t be surprised if prospects associated with these deals don’t respond to your team’s emails or phone calls anymore. Things may be about to get weird. Your prospecting numbers may drop too.

Top of Funnel 378

Top of Funnel Pipeline Follow-up Proposal 378

The Pipeline

AUGUST 4, 2020

“Beating Your Number With Numbers” Execution counts well after the proposal is in. There is no point in starting a journey of a thousand miles if you don’t intend on finishing. Join me and Jon Kronemeyer , Chief Growth Officer at JKrony. We are exploring.

Proposal 427

Proposal Objections Quota Closing 427

The Pipeline

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

The average conversion rate of Proposals to Close. Number of prospects in Discovery that move to Proposal. I am assuming that they know their quota, as it is provided by someone else. They need to know: Average deal size (or annual value of an account). Number of initial meetings that move forward to Discovery.

Closing 292

Closing Quota Proposal Face-to-face 292

The Pipeline

JANUARY 26, 2021

The less proposals you need to generate, or people going through Discovery, the more time you have to focus on improvement initiatives. As we have explored in a different context, the answer is not always more prospects. You can focus on improving other variables of the sale. Churn Is Not All Bad.

Churn 310

Churn Quota Margin Exercises 310

Sales Gravy

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

By helping them present stronger bids or more compelling proposals, you become integral to their success. Track Buying History Look at your records: are there customers or accounts for which you consistently provide proposals and never see a sale? Quick turnaround times and thorough answers showcase that youre a reliable partner.

Customer 82

Customer Licensing Proposal Government 82

Understanding the Sales Force

AUGUST 31, 2024

Here are the first twenty time-wasting tail-chasing things that came to mind and they all reflect some degree of lack of commitment, lack of discipline, lack of consistency and excuse making: Getting Ready to make calls but not actually making calls Making cold calls but not improving with each one Not following a world-class, best-practices sales (..)

Cold Calling 313

Cold Calling Call-back Follow-up Proposal 313

Understanding the Sales Force

AUGUST 16, 2023

Worse, the thing that occurs post presentation is almost always a proposal. But what will you propose?

Sales Process 227

Sales Process Decision Maker Proposal Follow-up 227

Sales Gravy

OCTOBER 15, 2024

. – Continuous Improvement: Moving from a "B+ seller" to an "A+ seller” requires mindset improvements, including overcoming mental blocks, addressing challenges quickly, and refining the approach to proposals and customer interactions.

Outbound 98

Outbound Lead Rank Lead Scoring Conference 98

Understanding the Sales Force

JANUARY 22, 2024

So you ended the call and went to work on your proposal, an hours-long proposition in futility. Most salespeople thank the prospect for sharing and then start on their proposals, thinking about what they must do to differentiate. I mean, they are so in love with you. Last week, I had a conversation like that. He said two.

Closing 220

Closing Proposal Discount Decision Maker 220

No More Cold Calling

JULY 29, 2021

Are salespeople asking the right questions to identify prospects’ problems and propose thoughtful solutions? If your team has trouble closing, go back to the beginning—qualifying prospects—and examine your entire sales process for missing links and ineffective tactics. Ask yourself: How are sales reps sourcing leads?

Closing 409

Closing Sales Qualified Lead Lead Rank Lead Scoring 409

Pipeliner

OCTOBER 25, 2024

They are so surprised by the good nature of the call that they, too, pick up the conversation and often invite a proposal. Most people will not, but I can tell you that doing so throws them off ‘their game.’ It can be awkward, but you can save the moment.

Hiring 126

Hiring Follow-up Proposal Motivation 126