Roberts, Wallace To Help (CONT’D FROM PAGE 28)
We also must focus on ways to improve how salespeo- ple and sales managers understand the language of busi- ness. For as long as I’ve been in business, there’s always been two things buyers complain about: salespeople don’t listen and they don’t understand how I make money, so I can’t have a business conversation with them. Author and
Roberts: When AICC first put information about this train- ing program out on the web site, some of the things that were mentioned was how to build strategic business re- lationships. After the word “relationship” I would add the word “virtual” How to develop a value proposition that res- onates with your buyers today. One of the big struggles that I see as a coach is people are using the value propo- sitions that might have worked before COVID. You cannot still talk to customers about truckload prices, as was done in the past, because nobody wants a truckload now. They all are watching their cash. So, you need to adjust your value proposition based on what your customers want and need today. BCN: How do you grow current accounts? Roberts: In my training, I advise people now is the time to double and triple down on your key accounts. And we are going to coach them on how to do that. Who is your ideal customer profile? Sales people are growing in their frus- tration because they are very busy and they are not see- ing much traction today. It’s very difficult, for example, to prospect virtually unless you target the right accounts that value what you offer the most. Your close rate improves, your profit per sale improves and actually your overall mo- tivation improves because you are having meaningful con- versations.
co-leader of this AICC course, Ed Wallace, often says in his training that buyers want sales people who are business consultants masquerading as sales people. But they can’t do that if they don’t understand business acumen. So, we are just going to give them a very succinct and foundational
Ed Wallace
understanding in terms like EBIT, income, costs. What are business drivers and what are business costs? And that way, as people sell, they can actually build meaningful business cases. BCN: Becoming a business consultant requires them to learn a new skill set. They have to learn another part of the business. Are they receptive to that? Roberts: Salespeople are the best of the best. I have my assessment tool and I can tell you what the best of the best have and one of those things is what we call the “fig- ure it out factor” or resilience. They are agile. And if the
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