About Luc Vanheule

Luc is dedicated to the art and science of sales and marketing, recognizing their crucial role in contributing to successful organizations. He partners with top-tier sales executives, guiding them and their teams toward a mastery of commercial strategy and excellence. A seasoned expert in Strategic Marketing, Sales Methodologies, Messaging, and Key Account Management, Luc offers a wealth of actionable insights. Beyond his professional acumen, it's his genuine, hands-on approach that makes him a trusted ally in the business landscape. For personalized advice that's rooted in real-world experience, reach out to Luc at luc.vanheule@perpetos.com. He's not just a consultant; he's your co-pilot in achieving lasting commercial triumph.

23
Mar 2025
0

Mastering Customer Expansion: The Science Behind Sustainable Growth

Imagine a world where your sales teams confidently expand within existing accounts, proactively introducing new offerings and systematically

Mastering Customer Expansion: The Science Behind Sustainable Growth

Luc Vanheule Luc Vanheule  |    Commercial Excellence, Sales Performance

Imagine a world where your sales teams confidently expand within existing accounts, proactively introducing new offerings and systematically increasing their share of wallet. Yet, for many organizations, portfolio expansion efforts fail to translate into meaningful revenue growth. Despite significant investments in new solutions, sales teams often struggle to engage customers beyond familiar products. The result? Stagnant growth, missed opportunities, and increasing vulnerability to price competition. 

Why Sales Teams Struggle to Expand Within Existing Accounts 

Sales teams are not intentionally neglecting expansion opportunities. The challenge lies in their approach. Many sellers lack the confidence, knowledge, or time to position new solutions effectively. Customers, in turn, fail to recognize the value of these new offerings, making it difficult to influence their buying decisions. 

This problem manifests in three key ways: 

  • Sales teams default to selling what’s familiar. They stick to core products rather than exploring expansion opportunities. 
  • Customers hesitate to embrace new solutions. Without compelling why-change messaging, they see little reason to shift. 
  • Overburdened sales teams prioritize immediate deals. Packed calendars leave little room for strategic cross-selling and upselling. 

The impact is significant: organizations experience lost cross-selling revenue, eroded competitive differentiation, and an over-reliance on existing products that become vulnerable to commoditization. 

The Science of Customer Expansion: Three Proven Strategies 

The good news? Leading organizations have cracked the code on customer expansion by implementing three core strategies: 

1. The Mindshift Shift – From Product Selling to Selling Value 

Customers don’t buy products—they invest in outcomes. Winning sales teams recognize that influencing buying behavior begins early in the customer journey. Rather than pushing product features, they engage customers in meaningful conversations about business impact. 

Organizations that prioritize why-change messaging and buyer aligned selling drive greater expansion success. This shift requires a different type of conversation—one where sellers guide customers toward new solutions by aligning offerings with their evolving needs. 

Key takeaway: When sales teams master selling value , they create demand for new solutions rather than waiting for customers to express interest. 

2. Systemic Changes – Activating Team Selling and a Common Language 

Revenue expansion isn’t an individual effort—it’s a team sport. High-performing sales organizations eliminate silos by ensuring alignment across different sales roles. A structured team-selling model allows sales reps to collaborate effectively, leveraging shared insights and customer intelligence. 

A common sales language is essential to scaling cross-selling and upselling efforts. When marketing, sales, and customer support teams speak the same dialect of value, they reinforce consistent messaging and drive customer engagement. 

Key takeaway: Sales teams that embrace a structured, collaborative approach to expansion achieve scalable and repeatable revenue growth. 

3. People-Centric Sales Performance Improvements – Customization and Just-in-Time Learning 

Sales performance improvement is no longer about static training programs—it’s about transformation. Traditional one-size-fits-all training models fail to equip sales teams with the skills they need to navigate real-world selling scenarios. Instead, organizations must shift toward adaptive, just-in-time learning that aligns with sellers’ unique needs. 

Personalized learning paths, real-time coaching, combined with tools and methods that empower sellers to apply knowledge where it matters most—in live customer interactions. 

Key takeaway: Sales teams that receive tailored capability training, real-time coaching are more confident, adaptable, and effective in driving customer expansion. 

Mastering Share of Wallet Growth: The Next Step for Sales Leaders 

Sustainable revenue growth isn’t about acquiring more customers—it’s about maximizing the value within existing accounts. Companies that systemize their customer expansion strategies experience increased account penetration, stronger customer loyalty, and a competitive edge in their markets. 

Are your sales teams equipped with the right skills, processes, and strategies to systematically expand within existing accounts? Want to explore how others did?  Get in touch! 

#SalesExpansion #ValueSelling #RevenueGrowth 

22
Nov 2024
0
Unlocking the Untapped Potential of Key Account Development

Unlocking the Untapped Potential of Key Account Development

Key Account programs are designed to drive exceptional growth and value for both organizations and their most important

Unlocking the Untapped Potential of Key Account Development

Luc Vanheule Luc Vanheule  |    Competence Development, Sales Enablement, Sales Performance

Key Account programs are designed to drive exceptional growth and value for both organizations and their most important customers. Yet, despite their strategic significance, many companies fail to realize the full potential of their Key Account initiatives. The problem lies in the approach: most organizations focus on Key Account Management (KAM) rather than Key Account Development (KAD). 

This distinction may seem subtle, but it holds the key to transforming your approach and achieving sustainable, scalable growth. 

When organizations remain focused on reactive Key Account Management, the consequences can be significant: 

  • Missed Opportunities for Growth: Without a proactive approach, Key Account Managers (KAMs) spend most of their time responding to customer requests rather than identifying and pursuing new opportunities for value creation. This stagnates revenue growth and leaves accounts vulnerable to competitors. 
  • Erosion of Program Credibility: Key Account programs that fail to deliver measurable outcomes lose the trust of both sales teams and managers. When KAMs see little value in the process, they disengage, viewing it as a burdensome administrative exercise. 
  • Abandonment of Key Practices: Over time, these ineffective practices lead to the abandonment of the entire Key Account program. This leaves untapped growth potential unrealized and weakens the organization’s ability to leverage its most important accounts—those that often represent 80% of revenue despite comprising only 20% of customers. 

The Need for Key Account Development 

Shifting from Key Account Management to Key Account Development requires more than just intent—it requires a structured, actionable approach that emphasizes: 

  1. Living Account Plans: Dynamic, actionable plans that are continually updated to reflect evolving customer needs, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives. 
  2. White Space Analysis: A structured way to identify gaps—areas where you can provide additional value to your customers and grow the account relationship. 
  3. Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs): Regular review processes that align with the organization’s cadence, focusing on value drivers and removing hurdles to customer success. 

These principles ensure that Key Account strategies drive growth, foster deeper customer relationships, and maximize potential. 

Transform Your Key Account Program 

Implementing a proactive Key Account Development approach enables organizations to: 

  • Focus on value-adding activities that prioritize customer growth potential. 
  • Equip Key Account Managers to have richer, more strategic conversations. 
  • Create accountability through actionable plans and consistent review processes.
Transform Your Key Account Program

The shift from reactive management to proactive development not only unlocks new opportunities but also ensures sustained success by aligning with customer goals and organizational objectives.

Shift Your Perspective—and Your Results 

If your Key Account strategy has stalled, it’s time to ask yourself: 

  • Are you proactively identifying growth opportunities, or merely responding to customer demands? 
  • Are your plans actionable, or are they just another document that no one uses? 
  • Are your Key Account Managers equipped and motivated to succeed, or are they bogged down by inefficiency and frustration? 

The answers to these questions will determine whether your Key Account program becomes a growth driver—or remains a missed opportunity. 

At Perpetos, we specialize in helping organizations unlock the full potential of their Key Accounts by shifting from management to development. Our proven methodologies ensure actionable plans, strategic white space analysis, and streamlined review processes that align with your business objectives. 

Ready to Unlock Your Key Account Potential? 

Transforming your Key Account program begins with a new perspective.

Let’s start the conversation. Contact us today to learn how we can help you turn your Key Accounts into a powerful growth engine for your business. 

22
Oct 2024
0
Mastering the Art of Selling Value: Elevating Sales Beyond Price

Mastering the Art of Selling Value: Elevating Sales Beyond Price

In today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, many sales teams find themselves trapped in a cycle of price-driven conversations.

Mastering the Art of Selling Value: Elevating Sales Beyond Price

Luc Vanheule Luc Vanheule  |    Competence Development, Sales Content, Sales Performance

In today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, many sales teams find themselves trapped in a cycle of price-driven conversations. Customers have more information, more choices, and more power than ever before. This shift has made it increasingly difficult for companies to stand out by simply offering a good product or service. Instead, it’s time to focus on what truly drives purchasing decisions: value. 

But what does it mean to sell value? And how can you shift your sales approach from competing on price to demonstrating the unique benefits your solution brings? In this post, we’ll explore the core elements of selling value, offering practical strategies to transform your sales interactions into value-based partnerships. 

1. Understanding the Customer’s Context: The Foundation of Selling Value 

The first crucial step in selling value is understanding the customer’s context. This goes far beyond knowing the surface-level facts about their industry or business. Instead, it’s about truly grasping the unique challenges, goals, and needs of each customer. 

Sales teams need to come prepared with insights, not just questions. Customers expect salespeople to understand their challenges before the first meeting even begins. Gone are the days when buyers were willing to educate salespeople about their own needs. Today, they expect you to bring solutions to the table, backed by a deep understanding of their specific context. 

Key takeaway: Doing your homework and entering every customer interaction with this contextual understanding not only builds credibility but positions you as a trusted advisor who adds value from the very first interaction. 

Watch an insightful webinar presented by Pascal Persyn and Luc Vanheule
on “Mastering the Art of Selling Value“

2. Breaking the Status Quo: The “Why Change?” Conversation 

One of the biggest hurdles in any sales process is overcoming the status quo. Many customers are hesitant to change because they perceive the risks of doing nothing to be lower than the risks of making a move. This is where the “Why Change?” messaging becomes essential. 

To break the inertia, sales teams must highlight the risks of maintaining the current situation while presenting the opportunities that come with embracing change. This means demonstrating how inaction could lead to missed opportunities, competitive disadvantages, or increasing inefficiencies. Only when the customer acknowledges the need for change can you begin positioning your solution as the best choice. 

Key takeaway: The “Why Change?” message is critical to initiating the decision-making process. It shifts the focus from “What we have works” to “We need something better.” 

Shape

3. Shaping Decision Criteria: Influencing the Customer’s Priorities 

Once you’ve made the case for change, the next step is to shape how the customer evaluates potential solutions. This is where your “Why Us?” messaging becomes crucial. At this stage, customers are looking for solutions that align with their specific needs and goals. Here, your job is to guide the decision-making process by influencing the criteria on which the customer will base their decision. 

To do this effectively, you need to emphasize your unique strengths—the differentiators that set you apart from competitors. Focus on what truly matters to the customer and demonstrate how your offering addresses their highest priorities. By aligning their decision criteria with your solution’s strengths, you increase the likelihood of becoming their preferred choice. 

Key takeaway: Selling value isn’t just about promoting your product’s features; it’s about guiding the customer to see how your solution aligns with their most pressing needs and surpasses what any competitor can offer. 

Shape

4. Timing is Everything: Aligning Sales Activities with Buying Readiness 

Even the most well-crafted message can fall flat if delivered at the wrong time. That’s why timing is a critical component of selling value. The buying journey is not a linear process, and each stakeholder may be at a different stage of readiness. Detecting where your customer is on their buying journey is key to delivering the right message at the right moment. 

For sales teams, this means continuously monitoring and adjusting your approach based on the customer’s readiness. Are they still exploring solutions, or have they narrowed down their choices? Are all stakeholders aligned in their decision-making process, or is there misalignment that needs to be addressed? By identifying these nuances, you can tailor your messaging to move the deal forward at the right pace. 

Understanding the Customer’s Context: The Foundation of Selling Value 

Key takeaway: Ensure your sales activities are aligned with the customer’s buying readiness. Selling value is not about pushing for a sale but guiding the customer through their journey with timely, relevant information. 

Shape

5. Implementation Over Training: The Role of Co-Pilots in Sustained Success 

Traditional training alone is often not enough to drive lasting change. Studies show that the adoption rate after training averages just 24%. To create real impact, it’s essential to focus on implementation rather than just imparting knowledge. This is where the concept of co-pilots comes into play. 

Co-pilots work alongside sales teams, offering guidance, adjusting strategies, and ensuring that the shift to selling value sticks. By continuously adjusting the approach based on real-world interactions and specific challenges, co-pilots help sales teams internalize and apply value-selling techniques in every customer interaction. 

Key takeaway: Sustainable success in selling value comes from implementation, not just training. Co-pilots ensure that strategies are embedded into daily practices, driving real change in how sales teams operate. 

Shape

Ready to take your sales strategy to the next level? Contact us to learn how you can master selling value and create meaningful customer relationships that stand the test of time. 

18
Sep 2024
0
Mastering Negotiations: Shifting the Focus from Price to Value

Mastering Negotiations: Shifting the Focus from Price to Value

In today’s competitive market, sales teams are often caught in a tug-of-war

Mastering Negotiations: Shifting the Focus from Price to Value

Luc Vanheule Luc Vanheule  |    Competence Development, Sales Enablement, Sales Performance

In today’s competitive market, sales teams are often caught in a tug-of-war between management’s demand for increased margins and customers’ insistence on discounts or additional services at the same price. This pressure cooker environment can lead to costly concessions, with salespeople frequently offering discounts or free services instead of firmly defending the value of their solutions. The question is, how can organizations empower their sales teams to navigate these complex negotiations without caving to price pressures? 

The Value of Pre-Negotiation Planning 

Imagine this: 89% of negotiation outcomes are decided before you even step into the negotiation room. This staggering statistic underscores the importance of what happens before the actual negotiation begins, and shortly after. The truth is, the next negotiation starts the moment the previous one ends. 

Successful negotiations aren’t just about the discussions that happen during the meeting; they’re about the groundwork laid beforehand. By focusing on value-driven strategies before the price negotiation begins, salespeople can raise the perceived value of their offer, aligning it with the customer’s mental readiness and needs. This preemptive approach allows sales teams to discuss the right topics at the right time, ensuring that they’re not just defending their price but proving the value they bring to the table. 

Watch an insightful discussion between Pascal Persyn and Professor Deva Rangarajan
on how to “Unlock Strategies for Winning Negotiations“

Our approach is customer-centric by design. It starts by detecting buying readiness at every touchpoint, enabling sales teams to recognize when a customer is open-minded enough to appreciate the added value of their solution. This approach eliminates the frustration of doing the right thing at the wrong time or with the wrong people. By choosing a methodology which emphasizes pre- & post-negotiation strategies, you’re setting your team up for success long before the formal negotiation begins. 

Balancing Power Dynamics: The Key to Confident Negotiations 

One of the major reasons why salespeople often give in too quickly during negotiations is a misinterpretation or incorrect assessment of the balance of power between the negotiating parties. Understanding and leveraging the balance of power is critical to developing effective negotiation strategies and setting realistic expectations. 

Imagine equipping your team with a tactical game plan that helps them accurately assess the balance of power. This tool allows them to identify leverage points, assess the counterparty’s power, and develop strategies that resist price pressures while aiming for mutually beneficial outcomes. By understanding where they stand in the power dynamic, salespeople can approach negotiations with increased confidence, resisting the urge to concede too quickly and instead holding firm on the value they provide. 

Our tactical game plan is designed to help your sales team navigate these power dynamics effectively. By correctly assessing the balance of power, your team can set the stage for a negotiation where they are not just defending their price but actively demonstrating why their solution is worth the investment. 

Negotiations as a Strategic Game: Mastering Emotional Detachment 

Too often, salespeople take negotiations personally, which can lead to reactive decision-making and unnecessary concessions. However, when negotiations are viewed as a strategic game, salespeople can maintain emotional detachment and approach the process with a clear, calculated mindset. 

Think of negotiation as a game of chess, where every move is strategic, and the ultimate goal is to stay two steps ahead. Just like in chess, successful negotiations have an opening move, a middle game, and an endgame. By treating negotiations as a game, salespeople can master the art of give and take, ensuring that each concession they make is strategic rather than reactionary. 

complex negotiation skills

This mindset shift not only boosts confidence but also enhances the effectiveness of the negotiation process. By focusing on the bigger picture rather than getting caught up in the heat of the moment, your sales team can navigate negotiations with greater control, ensuring that they come out on top. 

Our negotiation training emphasizes this strategic approach, equipping your team with the skills to view negotiations as a game where they are always two steps ahead. This approach transforms the negotiation process from a stressful confrontation into a calculated strategy session, leading to better outcomes and stronger customer relationships. 

Bridging the Gap Between Knowing and Doing: Capability Building 

The gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it in the field can only be bridged through effective capability building. This goes beyond simply developing competence; it involves creating a common language, improving messaging, and integrating skills in a way that directly addresses current sales challenges. 

Adoption is the leading indicator of field impact. When skills are not only acquired but also applied in real-world scenarios, the results are immediate and significant. However, during practical application, new skill gaps may emerge, such as conversational fluency or deeper negotiation techniques. Our approach ensures that these gaps are quickly addressed, maximizing the impact of training programs. 

By choosing a negotation training which emphasizes capability building, you ensure that your team is not only learning but also mastering the skills necessary to excel in complex negotiations. This approach provides ample opportunities for practice and mastery, making training relevant and impactful for everyday sales activities. 

Conclusion: Transforming Negotiations into Value-Driven Success 

Complex negotiations are no longer just about defending price—they’re about defending and proving value. By focusing on pre- & post-negotiation strategies, correctly assessing the balance of power, and approaching negotiations as a strategic game, your sales team can navigate even the toughest negotiations with confidence and control. 

At Perpetos, we understand the challenges of complex negotiations, and our approach is designed to equip your team with the tools and mindset needed to succeed. Whether it’s through capability based training or project implementations, we’re here to help you transform challenging negotiations into opportunities for value-driven success. 

Are you ready to empower your sales team to hold firm on value and achieve better outcomes? Let’s start the conversation today.

26
Jun 2024
0
Dynamic account portfolio maximizes sales revenue

Dynamic account portfolio maximizes sales revenue

Perpetos helped a global industry leader in premium label solutions to develop its customer portfolio and optimize it

Dynamic account portfolio maximizes sales revenue

Luc Vanheule Luc Vanheule  |    Sales Performance, Sales Pipeline Management – Forecast

Perpetos helped a global industry leader in premium label solutions to develop its customer portfolio and optimize it in a dynamic way. As a result, the organization was able to maximize its sales results.

The challenge: the right time and effort for every customer

The label solutions company had gone through an impressive growth in recent years. Unfortunately, this had gradually complicated the global organization of sales. Because of multiple acquisitions, sales were no longer organized in a uniform way.

The organization had always classified its customers based on past sales results. However, because of changing market conditions, the share of wallet of customers had become much more dynamic. This made it increasingly difficult for the sales organization to allocate the right amount of time and effort to the right accounts.

The label company also lacked understanding of its customers’ true potential and there was a big variety in the degree in which sales people followed up on their opportunities.

When contacting Perpetos, the sales team was looking to solve the following challenges:

  • How to target the right customers
  • How to spend the right amount of time with customers according to growth potential, without losing turnover from current big accounts
  • How to assign the right customer portfolio to the right sales representative, based on sales skills  
  • How to make sure sales people apply the right mix of tactics to achieve their sales targets
  • How to support sales in their skill development

The solution: dynamic account portfolio

Perpetos implemented a program to help sales develop their customer base and to dynamically optimize their customer portfolio. This would help the organization to maximize revenue per salesperson by spending the right amount of effort to the right accounts.

The label company was looking for a practical approach and implementation without extensive theoretical analysis. The goal was to achieve quick results and to stimulate motivation and readiness for change as much as possible. The organization also wanted to gradually improve its market visibility and identify the highest-potential growth areas by geography, market and solution.

Sales team scan

Perpetos started with a quick scan of the sales team. This was an important step towards making better use of the people in the team to realize the sales goals. The audit uncovered different sales profiles, as well as the team’s strengths and points of improvement. The results of the scan were translated into concrete action points.

Dynamic micro-segmentation

Next, customers were categorized based on their annual purchase amount and revenue of recent years. This resulted in four micro-segments based on share of wallet. For every customer segment, the team determined which activities were needed to maximize the share of wallet.

The team was asked to:

  • Indicate the total addressable market: which portion of the label purchase was not interesting, because the organization’s solutions or price were not a fit?
  • Determine the importance of a customer, based on their realistic potential within three years, on the condition that this customer receives the right amount of attention and service.
  • Analyze the numbers for every sales representative and propose a good enough starting point for the next steps in the program.
Sales team scan

Next, the customer base was divided into four different segments based on growth potential and on the required efforts to realize that potential. This micro-segmentation was dynamic, and enabled the team to make changes immediately visible to the rest of the organization.

The objective of the program was for the sales staff to spend their time on the growth opportunities with the highest chance of success. Support from marketing and customer service was also aligned with the modified approach, so that sales could focus fully on developing growth.

Optimization of sales activities

Based on the micro-segmentation, the individual and team-based sales activities were optimized. The optimization took three elements into consideration:

  1. Is the mix of customers correctly distributed among the salespeople based on their strengths and experience?
  2. Has the team set the right priorities to maximize results together, within available sales time?
  3. Are sales and marketing activities correctly aligned with growth potential, available production capacity and competitive advantages?

The result: clear path for transformation

The success of this transformation program
was the result of:

  1. The integration of the customer’s sales team and the Perpetos staff into one close-knit team, as a result of the Perpetos Customer-Centric program design
  2. A step-wise implementation targeting measurable impact
  3. Closing the gap between knowing and doing, and making it stick with each participant
  4. Close cooperation with sales management
  5. Extra individual mentoring and guidance for sales and their management

Do you also want to maximize your sales revenue? Get in touch

08
May 2024
1
Why CRM Implementations Often Fall Short and How to Address It

Why CRM Implementations Often Fall Short and How to Address It

In a world where customer relationships are the backbone of successful businesses, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is at

Why CRM Implementations Often Fall Short and How to Address It

Luc Vanheule Luc Vanheule  |    Sales Enablement, Sales Performance, Sales Pipeline Management – Forecast

In a world where customer relationships are the backbone of successful businesses, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is at the heart of company strategies. Yet, the stark reality is that many CRM implementations don’t deliver the expected results. CRM implementations often fail due to reliance on standard configurations, a focus on financial rather than sales support, and a narrow view of the sales funnel. To improve outcomes, customize your CRM to reflect your unique sales processes, simplify data entry to enhance adoption, and tailor screens and reports for operational support. Want to learn more? Continue reading. 

Failure of CRM implementations leads to frustration within teams, wasted investments, and ultimately, a disconnect between what sales teams expect and what CRM systems deliver. But why do so many CRM initiatives fail, and more importantly, what can we do to overcome these challenges? 

Core Reasons for CRM Implementation Failures 

1. Standard Configurations vs. Customization 

Many organizations start with a standard CRM configuration that isn’t finetuned to their unique processes and needs. This one-size-fits-all model often overlooks the specific dynamics and requirements of the business, resulting in underutilization of the system.  

2. Focusing on Financial Drivers Over Sales Support 

Another common issue is that CRM systems are primarily set up to feed financial systems, with little consideration for the actual support of sales processes. This creates a gap between what salespeople need and the functionalities of the system. 

3. Limited Focus on the Final Stages of the Funnel 

Many CRM solutions concentrate only on the last steps of the sales funnel, ignoring crucial aspects of the entire customer journey. This leads to an incomplete understanding of the customer experience and missed opportunities for early engagement. 

The result of these missteps is a CRM system that is perceived as more of a burden than a tool, with inaccurate data due to a lack of use by the sales teams. 

Can you avoid this? Yes you can. Read on to find out how. 

Solutions for More Effective CRM Implementations 

Reflect Reality in Your CRM 

It’s crucial that your CRM system is an accurate reflection of how your customers actually buy. This requires a thorough analysis and customization of the system to accurately mirror the unique selling and buying processes of your organization. Is your sales process aligned to the way your customer buys? Does your sales process support the different product/market combinations, or is it too rigid to support these different situations?  For example, you can start applying the Buying Clock® methodology, very easily in your CRM.

Simplify Data Entry 

By limiting data entry to essential information, the CRM system is perceived as a supportive tool rather than an administrative burden. This significantly increases adoption among salespeople and improves data quality. Don’t expect salespeople to document elaborate sales reports in your CRM.  By limiting to those parameters that allow the salesperson as the manager to think strategically about the opportunity, the CRM becomes a strong sales tool and not a necessary admin application. 

Effective CRM Implementations - Customize Screens and Reports 

Customize Screens and Reports 

Make the CRM tool truly valuable for your team by defining screens and reports that support day-to-day operational activities. This ensures that the tool is seen as an integral part of the sales process. 

Conclusion and Call to Action 

A thoughtful, customized approach to CRM can bridge the gap between technology and user, making your investment truly pay off. Different customers already benefit from this approach.

If you recognize these issues and are seeking expert help to refine your CRM strategy and prevent failure, it’s time to take action. 

Is this limited only to those who are implementing a new CRM.  Certainly not, even with existing CRM applications you can create a strong impact on the effective use of your CRM with a minimum of modifications. 

Reach out to experts with deep experience in tailoring CRM systems to the unique needs of businesses. Together, we can chart a course to a CRM solution that not only meets the needs of your financial system but also empowers your sales team and contributes to a seamless, effective customer journey. 

19
Mar 2024
2
Waarom Sales Vergelijkbaar Is met Topsport

Why Sales Is Comparable to Top Sport: A Deep Dive into the Dynamics of Success

In the competitive world of sales, success isn't stumbled upon

Why Sales Is Comparable to Top Sport: A Deep Dive into the Dynamics of Success

Luc Vanheule Luc Vanheule  |    Competence Development, Sales Content, Sales Performance

In the competitive world of sales, success isn’t stumbled upon—it’s crafted, honed, and perfected much like the journey of a top athlete in the realm of sports. This comparison might initially seem far-fetched to some, but upon closer examination, the parallels between excelling in sales and succeeding in top-level sports are strikingly clear. Both arenas require relentless practice, a dedicated coach to guide and refine techniques, and an unwavering commitment to improving performance despite the absence of immediate results. While we wrote before on sales as a team sport, this article focuses more on the individual. It explores the compelling reasons why sales can be compared to top sport and why understanding this analogy is crucial for those looking to excel in their sales careers.

The Importance of Practice

In top-level sports, the saying goes, “practice makes perfect.” This mantra is equally applicable to sales. Just as athletes spend countless hours perfecting their skills, sales professionals must also dedicate themselves to mastering the art of selling. This involves not just understanding the product or service but also developing the ability to read the buying readiness of potential clients, navigate to next objectives, and help the customer to buy. Just like in sports, the practice in sales is continuous, aimed at refining and improving every aspect of the sales process. Having a customer agnostic sales process, that aligns with the buying readiness of the customer, gives you a big advantage creating clarity on what to practice.

The Role of a Coach

The Role of a Coach

Behind every successful athlete is a coach who has guided, mentored, and pushed them to achieve their best. Similarly, in sales, having a mentor or coach can significantly impact a sales professional’s growth and success. A good sales coach provides invaluable feedback, helping to identify areas for improvement and adjust strategies as necessary. They offer an outside perspective that can highlight blind spots and open up new avenues for development that the salesperson might not have considered. Unfortunately, very often, sales managers don’t take up the role as coach because they lack time, because they were never trained to coach or simply lack the capability. On top of that, they hardly get questions from their manager on the coaching results, but get daily or weekly questions on the numbers.

The Challenge of Immediate Results

As sales is percieved as a number game, sales people are biased towards immediate results. One of the biggest challenges both athletes and sales professionals face is exactly this expectation of immediate results. In sports, the impact of a new training regimen or technique might not be evident in the short term. Likewise, in sales, efforts to improve practices or implement new strategies do not always lead to instant success. This delay in seeing results can be discouraging, but it is a critical phase where the foundational elements for future success are laid down.

Traditional Training vs. Continuous Improvement

This expectation of instant gratification is where traditional sales training often falls short. Traditional methods may provide a foundational knowledge of sales techniques and processes, but they fail to account for the individual’s need for continuous improvement and adaptation. Just as athletes must constantly evolve to stay competitive, sales professionals must also continually refine their approach to stay ahead in a dynamic market. Implementing next practices and integrating feedback from a coach are crucial steps that move the needle towards achieving commercial excellence.

Conclusion

The comparison between sales and top sport is not just a metaphor but a reflection of the reality that success in both fields requires the necessary dedication, practice, and the willingness to persist through periods of no apparent progress

Just as top athletes understand that their achievements are the result of continuous effort and guidance from a coach, sales professionals must recognize that their success will also come from a similar commitment to excellence.

Embracing this mindset can transform the way sales is approached, leading to not just improved results but also a more fulfilling career in the competitive world of sales.

Not sure on how to start? Get in touch!.

22
Jan 2024
1

Why VPs of Sales and HR Directors Should Embrace a Capability-Based Sales Academy

The challenge every Sales or HR leader faces when enhancing the effectiveness of their sales teams

Why VPs of Sales and HR Directors Should Embrace a Capability-Based Sales Academy

Luc Vanheule Luc Vanheule  |    Competence Development, Sales Content, Sales Enablement, Sales Performance

The challenge every Sales or HR leader faces when enhancing the effectiveness of their sales teams 

In the ever-changing landscape of sales and marketing, VPs of Sales and HR Directors are continuously seeking ways to enhance the effectiveness of their teams. The key to this lies not just in skill-building but in nurturing broader capabilities. It’s time to consider a shift towards a capability-based Sales Academy, an approach that promises to revolutionize how your sales team operates. 

Why are traditional skill based Sales Academies failing and What can you do about it? 

A critical limitation of traditional skill-based training is its narrow focus, often misaligned with the dynamic roles of sales professionals. In a capability-based Sales Academy, the focus extends to developing comprehensive capabilities that are vital in today’s market. These include discovering untapped potential for pipeline building, developing robust account strategies, and identifying accounts with the highest potential for up- and cross-selling. These are not mere skills; they are strategic capabilities that empower sales professionals to navigate complex market dynamics and drive sustainable growth. 

The traditional approach to sales training is often a short-lived boost in specific skills, that do not cater to the evolving nature of the sales environment. Market trends shift, customer preferences change, and products evolve – a scenario where only continuous learning and adaptability can ensure success. A capability-focused Sales Academy fosters this environment of continuous growth, ensuring your sales force remains agile, innovative, and ahead of the curve. 

Moreover, the transformation from a skill-based to a capability-based training paradigm requires active management engagement. This involves identifying growth areas, integrating real-world applications, and creating opportunities for teams to apply new capabilities in strategic planning and execution. Such involvement not only underscores the training process but also demonstrates a commitment to nurturing a high-potential sales force. 

Implementing a capability-based Sales Academy is more than just a shift in training methodology; it’s a strategic investment in your organization’s future. By focusing on capabilities like untapped pipeline potential discovery, account strategy development, and targeted up- and cross-selling, you’re equipping your sales team not just to meet targets but to exceed them innovatively and consistently. 

As we navigate a market that demands more agility and strategic foresight than ever before, the need for a capable and forward-thinking sales force is paramount. For VPs of Sales and HR Directors, championing a capability-based Sales Academy is not just an innovative step forward; it’s an essential strategy for staying competitive and driving long-term success. By investing in these broader capabilities, you’re paving the way for a more dynamic, proactive, and high-performing sales team. 

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Jan 2024
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How Mastering the new reality of Sales: Navigating Longer Sales Cycles in the Tech Industry

How Mastering the new reality of Sales: Navigating Longer Sales Cycles in the Tech Industry

Sales leaders in the tech industry can detect the challenge of longer sales cycles through a few key

How Mastering the new reality of Sales: Navigating Longer Sales Cycles in the Tech Industry

Luc Vanheule Luc Vanheule  |    Customer Journey, Sales Content, Sales Performance, Sales Pipeline Management – Forecast

Challenge: Identifying Lengthy Sales Cycles 

Sales leaders in the tech industry can detect the challenge of longer sales cycles through a few key indicators within their organizations. This might manifest as an increasing time between initial customer contact and deal closure, a growing number of touchpoints or interactions needed before a sale is secured, or feedback from the sales team about the complexities and delays in customer decision-making processes. It’s often noticeable in the form of elongated negotiations, extended pilot programs, or increased requirements for technical validations. 

Root Causes for Longer Sales Cycles 

Several factors contribute to longer sales cycles in the tech sector: 

  1. Complex Decision-Making Units: Tech purchases often involve a multitude of stakeholders, each with their own set of concerns and requirements. The decision-making unit may include IT professionals, end-users, financial controllers, and senior executives, each needing to be convinced of the problem, why it has to be solved now and how you are unique in solving their challenge.  
  1. Complexity of Customer Problems: Customers are seeking solutions for increasingly complex problems, which require sophisticated and customized tech solutions. Understanding these complexities and tailoring the sales approach to address them specifically can extend the duration of the sales cycle. 
  1. Budget Cycles and Financial Scrutiny: Given the significant investment often associated with technology solutions, purchases may be tied to customers’ fiscal planning cycles and subjected to rigorous financial scrutiny and require having everybody aligned on the necessity of the investment to be done 
  1. Market Saturation and Competition: A crowded marketplace means that customers often have many options to consider, leading to a more extended comparison and evaluation phase. 
  1. Regulatory and Compliance Issues: Especially in industries like healthcare or finance, sales are impacted by various regulatory and compliance requirements, which can further lengthen the sales process as these boxes need to be checked before a deal can progress. 

Strategies to Anticipate and Navigate Longer Sales Cycles 

To anticipate and effectively manage these extended sales cycles, consider the following strategic approaches: 

  1. Align Sales and Marketing with Customer Buying Behaviors: Develop a sales and marketing strategy that is in lockstep with the customer’s buying behavior. This involves creating a common understanding of how your customers buy, what the right conversation should be with the different stakeholders, and which are the key touchpoints. The fact that every customer is unique in his or her behavior, you need a fuzzy logic approach that can align to each different situation.  Creating the capabilities in your team for understanding where the potential customer is in their buying readiness is key.  Utilize data analytics to predict when customers are most likely to engage, allowing sales teams to initiate the right conversations at the right time. Content marketing should be leveraged to educate and nurture leads throughout the buying process, providing them with the information they need when they need it, effectively shortening the sales cycle by aligning with their pace and progress.
  2. Facilitate Buying Committee Alignment: Since tech purchases often involve a committee, it’s essential to align your sales process with the various stages of their buying journey. This means understanding the unique concerns and criteria of each stakeholder and tailoring communication to address these points. Sales representatives should aim to facilitate consensus among the committee by identifying and addressing the specific needs of each member. This might involve creating tailored conversations, aligned messaging and facilitating workshops or demonstrations that address collective and individual concerns. All while maintaining open lines of communication to ensure that all members move through the buying process together. 
  3. Simplify and Intuitize the Sales Approach: A complex sales process can be daunting for both the customer and the sales team. Streamlining the sales methodology to be simple and intuitive is critical. This can be achieved by using a simple metaphor that everybody can understand and that is easy to implement. It ideally outlines each step in the customer buying process, from initial issue awareness to post-sale follow-up.Training programs should focus on reinforcing these methods until they become second nature to the sales team. Additionally, employing tools such as CRM systems that provide prompts and reminders can help ensure that the sales methodology is consistently applied across all interactions.

      By implementing these strategies, sales leaders in the tech industry can better prepare their teams to navigate the challenges of longer sales cycles, ultimately leading to more successful outcomes and sustained business growth. 

      A perfect way to handle these longer sales cycles, is with our Buying Clock®.
      Read customer story.