How do you set in place a proactive sales process that ensures better alignment between marketing associates and salespeople, in order to drive more business value? Bart van Eijck, Associate at ValueSelling highlights a few tips in this chat: _______ As a Dutch native, I’ve worked in B2B sales in technology and consulting with Gartner, Expedia, and GlobalData in EMEA. I have also lived in UK. Now, I’m the founder of tech startup and an Associate at ValueSelling. You need to keep your eye on the ball. Individual buyers may change; however, their motivations remain the same. Most buyers strive for personal growth and wealth, which follow from business success. If you help them achieve this, you will do well in a digital-first sales environment. Personal relationship building is still key as well. Prospecting is about instant credibility and building trust quickly. Use your social media channels to build your personal brand as well as the companies’. And remember, a phone call is still a very effective way to build opportunities – keep calling! See this article in the Wall Street Journal, citing ValueSelling Associates’ research, on why it’s important not to give up on the humble phone call. Read More: SaleTechStar Interview with Maria Graham, Director of Sales, Nuspire There are several, including: Most importantly, is that you have a sales process and method that you follow consistently across your business from marketing to specialist to business development to account management and so on. It pays off to prepare well. Split your prospects into “keep in touch” and focus accounts, and then work the focus accounts with multiple contacts, sharing news and events that are relevant to your solution. Aim high and make sure your story resonates with the C-level contacts (address their pain), and make sure you have the business acumen to speak to executives using their language. Leverage all channels – use mail, social media, meetings, events, and calling in sequence – we see a huge difference in performance when multiple channels are used to get in touch. It’s also important to use a common language across all of these channels to address client needs and drive more alignment across marketing, sales, and delivery. I’m currently working with some of the leading brands in the industry to develop a strong sales process for their sales teams. I typically spend 2 hours prospecting daily, and 2-4 hours in client Zoom meetings. I may deliver a sales training workshop; for that, I interview clients of clients to better understand their world and apply our coaching to it. I may also build collateral or support PR (like today), and I participate in interviews/podcasts/videos with relevant channels. We are involved in webinars as well as events on social media and hopefully soon in person for networking. I feel that it’s critical to build a team brand; ensure that you surround yourself with great people and set common goals and objectives. Create a joint value framework and align your incentive and recognition program around this. Implement a strong and proven sales method like ValueSelling Associates’ ValueSelling Framework to drive consistency and commonality, but above all speed to market. Be available and ensure you have a clear communications plan in place, that aligns with the rhythm of your business, to explain what is happening and give people a voice. It is also so important to recognize excellent behaviors constantly. Read More: SalesTechStar Interview With Ran Goldi, CEO At First DAG ValueSelling Associates, a leading global sales training company, offers a practical methodology for selling on value, not price. The ValueSelling Framework® is a proven formula that simplifies the complex B2B sale, and the Vortex Prospecting™ program provides a repeatable process. Bart van Eijck brings 25 years in sales and sales management experience as a growth and change management strategist to his role at ValueSelling Associates. Bart helps C-Suite and executive leaders achieve aggressive revenue targets and drive team success by implementing the proven ValueSelling Framework® methodology. ValueSelling Associates is consistently recognized as a best-in-class sales training provider. Gartner has positioned the company as a Leader in the 2021 Magic Quadrant for Sales Training Service Providers and ValueSelling Associates is ranked as a top sales training company by Selling Power and Training Industry as well.
Hi Bart, welcome to this chat! Tell us about your journey through the years…
As someone who has held a series of sales management positions in the past, what are some of your biggest sales learnings that you feel today’s millennial and GenZ salespeople need to be focusing more on?
Take us through some of the sales technologies that you’ve often relied on to help drive outcomes and sales processes?
A few best practices when it comes to crafting relevant sales messaging strategies and tactics and a few challenges you still see teams in tech struggle with?
We’d love to hear about your role at ValueSelling Associates? A dive into a typical day at work…
A few thoughts on what you feel today’s sales leaders need to do to motivate, train and uplift their teams to optimize business and sales performance?
How do sales and marketing leaders combine different marketing technologies and sales methodologies to lead effectively through these trying times? Catch more from these latest podcasts!