B2B sales has always been hard. The question is have you taken time to recognize the six dramatic shifts that have impacted B2B sales since 2009. I recognized them - in some cases the hard way - and share them on this episode.

If you’ve been in sales over the last ten years you’ve heard the statement that the balance of power in sales has shifted from the seller to the buyer. It’s one way of attempting to explain why sales has gotten more difficult. Is this statement true? Is there more going on?

Sales has changed. Got it. Let’s adapt to this new reality. We’re going to be exploring three areas where we need to “get better” - hat tip to Jim Rohn - to continue to be effective sales leaders. I’m excited to be sharing this content with you as we learn together how to adapt and succeed in modern sales.

The cold approach to finding new clients can be hazardous today. Be careful!

To succeed in the world of modern selling you need to focus on professional development, not more sales training. In this episode I share some of the topics I recommend you consider. I’ll add to the list and make more information available on each topic to help you learn about and explore each.

Traditional sales tactics aren’t as effective today because the prospective client is better educated about your product or service and just isn’t as likely to respond favorably to these tactics. In fact, you may end up turning them off if you’re still using them. In this episode I discuss why leadership development is more appropriate to succeed in modern sales.

While a lot has changed about modern sales. Some aspects of sales haven’t changed. In fact, some things are now more important than ever if you intend to be an effective and successful sales leader.

Brian Tracy once said to be successful figure out our what the six most important things in your business are and focus on them daily. That was 20-some years ago. Today, you must focus on one thing.

As our industry changes we sales leaders need to be aware of new resources which can help us stay relevant to our companies and/or clients. Two new resources I encourage you to investigate are SalesTribe and SwarmSales. Each are focused on helping you operate effectively at the leading edge of sales.

The Sandler Sales System was developed in 1967 by David Sandler. 50 years later, with millions trained, the Sandler system is still very effective. What is unique about Sandler its emphasis on the qualification stage rather than the closing stage. And, if done correctly, the prospect will close themselves and move the transaction forward.

On this episode I share my thoughts on SPIN Selling. The premise of SPIN Selling is questions persuade more powerfully than any other form of verbal behavior. The SPIN sequence was developed after the researchers watched more than 30,000 sales calls. They noticed the successful sellers didn’t just ask random questions but that there was a distinct pattern to the questions they asked. Have a listen then grab a copy of this sales classic.

The first sales methodology I’ll review is SNAP Selling by Jill Konrath, first published in 2010. SNAP Selling is first about understanding how the frazzled customer thinks. They are overwhelmed and have limited time. SNAP Selling is a framework to begin understanding how the buyer thinks, how to put them in the right frame of mind to be receptive to learning about your offering and how to gain insights that will help put you in the best position to win the business.

Each day over the next 14 days I’ll analyze one of 10 popular sales methodologies. Then I’ll share which I believe are the top three and why. Finally, I’ll reveal which one I believe is foundational and why. It will be fun and informative. Thank you for listening!

Cover a lot in this episode. Last week at Funnel Hacking Live was a terrific introduction into increasing conversions using sales funnels. In coming weeks I’ll be breaking down the Top 10 Sales Methodologies in use today. Also - and always - exploring Leadership as a way to become a sales leader.

If you’ve been in sales for 10 or more years you’ve seen how dramatically B2B sales has changed in that time. Interruption sales tactics ie. “ambushing” the prospect by cold calling is no longer effective. Sending cold email is almost as bad as prospects receive in many cases hundreds of emails per day and aggressive filters have you in junk mail more often than not. You’ve got to find other ways to schedule time with your prospect and of course you need to make a great first impression but also need to know how to manage the call. There is a lot to this. Focusing on your professional development is a key part in becoming an effective B2B sales representative today.

I offer part-time sales management and sales person development services for business owners of small to medium-sized companies. On the podcast we’ll explore the ideas and tactics to grow sales and develop the effectiveness of your sales people.

I’m having success converting leads which had been marked as “not interested” in our CRM app. There are several reasons why someone may decline your proposal. But if enough has passed it may be worthwhile to circle back and see if they’re in a different frame of mind. You may secure the sale!

Situational Leadership is a framework which guides leaders in selecting the correct behavior to influence followers based on their readiness to complete a task. When applied to leading sales teams Situational Leadership can be used to incrementally improve the performance of the middle performers of your sales team.

Asking good questions during a sales meeting is a very persuasive form of communication. It is important to understand your sales cycles and call objectives to develop effective questions and questioning skill.

How you are perceived by the buyer and the effect on selling success is different in small sales versus large sale. Working on your professional presence and demeanor is critical to sales performance.

In this episode I discuss two types of questions; questions that open doors and questions that close sales. The two scenarios Are smaller, one call close sales and complex, larger sales. There are different questions to ask for each scenario.

Above and beyond the sales training you’ve received throughout your career, where would you like to improve in the area of leadership education that you believe would most improve your sales results?

Today the question is for salespeople and sales managers. Who Are You talking to? One of the most effective things you can do to improve your sales results or the sales results of your B and C players is to make sure to speak to the person who can say “yes” to your proposal.

As salespeople we know we need to follow a sales process to be efficient and successful. The real value to following a process is that it minimizes anxiety, putting you in a better frame of mind when you’re with the customer. And the customer senses this, helping make them more receptive to your message.

Are you familiar with the 80/20 Rule, also known as the Pareto Principle? The 80/20 states that 20% or salespeople produce 80% of the results. Is this true in your company sales environment? In this episode I break down the steps required to be in the 20% of salespeople.

The best sales advice I ever received was good advice when I received but, better yet, it’s easier today than it’s ever been to put this advice into action.

Today I share my thinking on why I believe Sales leaders must have a business development mindset and be strategic in their thinking for long term sales success.

In this episode I ask sales leaders in what one or two areas would you most like to improve in professionally and personally over the next 12 months?

Why did you take a job in sales? How has your thinking about a career in sales changed over the years as a “practicing” sales leader? In this episode I share my own experiences on how I got into sales, the types of roles I’ve had and why I believe sales leaders have an opportunity to create a lifestyle which provides for control over your time and income.

There are the traditional tactics such as cold calling and cold emailing, asking for referrals, etc. But today, when decision makers are overwhelmed with sales proposals what are some creative tactics your using to get in front of your ideal prospect?

In this episode I ask the question, is there a market for fractional sales management?

To be successful in sales you must show up every day. The only way past the challenges, frustrations, roadblocks and frequent No’s is to show up at every opportunity you get. You never know which one is going to turn out to be a great opportunity.

In today’s episode I pose the question which compensation model do you prefer as a sales leader, base plus or commission only? I shared my story of making the “leap” to commission only. But what that process was really about was being courageous and seeking excitement! Have a listen. Let me know what you think.

In this episode I share a topic I’d like to explore more thoroughly on the podcast. I’m curious to hear from sales leaders how leadership education - separate from sales-specific training - has helped them become better salespeople and more effective leaders.

Too many job postings for sales roles today list cold calling at the top of the list as one of the job requirements. I wonder if these companies understand the reality in sales today which is if cold calling is the primary way your new salespeople are going to bring in new business they are going to spend the majority of they’re time cold calling - and being unproductive - instead of actually selling which is what they were hired to do. Today’s sales leaders bring a business mindset to the role. I discuss this in today’s episode.

In this episode I consider the differences in people development resources at Fortune 500 versus mid-market or smaller firms. The F500 have all sorts of resources that an HR leader at a smaller firm can only dream of. I consider an idea that may help smaller firms get actionable ideas.

Always Be Closing, or “ABC” as it’s been known forever, is dead. For those who want to be successful in sales the new acronym is ABQ&L. Always Be Questioning and Listening.

In this episode I provide an overview of Paul’s outstanding program titled, Moving From Management to Leadership - The Key to Your Success. I’ve hosted Paul on two occasions. Terrific educator who for over 25 years has personally studied successful businesses and the people who lead them.

In this episode I share what I learned from Peter Krembs during his seminar titled, Transitioning to Management. Great program taught by Peter. The main take away for me was the time we spent learning how to reflect on our leadership character.

In this episode I share a list of the top eight educators I recommend for any company in need of experts to help develop their leaders. The list could have easily been a top 12, 20 or 30 list but I narrowed it to my top eight primarily based on area of expertise as it relates to what the majority of companies are indicating they need in the area of leader development.

In this episode I share what I took away from thus program taught by Dr. Terry Paulson. Two things I learned have served me well through the years with both co-workers and my kids. How to disarm anger and how to ask great leaders learn to ask good questions.

Dr Anthony Catanach from Villanova University consolidated an MBA program into one day! We covered MBA 101, 201, 301 and 401 in six hours. Fantastic instruction particularly for the non-financial managers in the room.

In this episode I discuss what I learned from hosting a seminar taught by Marshall Goldsmith. Marshall taught his coaching for behavioral change process. The process can be duplicated by anyone. In fact, Marshall states there is no reason that internal coaches cannot be as effective - or even more effective - than external coaches! The process has several requirements which must be met before a client will be accepted. Marshall has a “pay for performance” guarantee which means if the client doesn’t get better, Marshall doesn’t get paid. Key stakeholders determine whether or not improvement has occurred.

Over the next 79 episodes I’ll share something I learned from each of the 79 leadership education seminars I had the opportunity to host over the last several years. It will be a lot of work but I am looking forward to revisiting the learning and hopefully presenting it in a way which will be helpful for you as well.

In this episode I discuss some of the best topics that were presented while I was hosting live seminars and how the information I will be sharing across the Next Big Thinker platform will be designed to disrupt the traditional speaker’s bureau model.

In this episode I share my thoughts on the value of the live learning model. It’s tougher to get people into the room so there are a few things you need to make sure you’re offering to bring the people.

In this episode I ask you to consider what is your best piece of content to showcase you and your expert thinking. I am working on a compilation eBook. It is a compilation of essays on leadership and management. If you were to submit an essay, what would it be?

In this episode I share a great way to monetize a podcast. I heard Paul Colligan from The Podcast Report share this concept on an episode of #funnelhacker RADIO hosted by Dave Woodward. My goal is to help you get exposure for your knowledge and research. In this episode you’ll learn how I can help you do that by being featured on an episode of #nextbigthinker podcast.

After facilitating 80+ live, expert-led learning experiences and personally receiving 400+ hours of executive education as part of being there I can personally attest to how personally and professionally transformative this type of learning can be.

In this episode I share the backstory behind the creation of the Next Big Thinker “Business Development FasTrak Program” to help you get exposure and share your knowledge and expertise quickly.

In this episode I share some of the ways I would help promote you and your thinking to the world. Let me know what you think in the comments.

How Good is Your Content? How many years have you been publishing and which platforms have you used? Blog, video, podcast, newsletter, research papers? All of this content can be re-purposed and used to generate new interest in your business if you are interested in growth.

In today’s episode I share two ways I can help you in a business development role promote your name, your brand and your expertise. Also, if you have a new book release I share an idea for that as well.

In this episode I share how I “discovered” a top-notch management and leadership expert at Wake Forest University Business School and secured some speaking engagements for him which led to him being hired to work with emerging leaders and senior executives from several local Fortune 500 companies. I’d like to do the same for you!

Where are you now in terms of your business? And where do you want your business to take you? What is needed in order for you to get there? What problems will be created once you begin making changes and implementing new technology?

In this episode I share the program I am building to help you grow your speaking, corporate training and executive coaching business. There are a number of high value services I will be offering to help you achieve your business goals. Please share your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!

What has worked best for you as a lead magnet? In this episode I share two ideas I’m excited about. I’d love to know what you think.

In his outstanding book, Dotcom Secrets, author Russell Brunson reveals the “secret formula” for growing your company online. The secret formula consists of a set of four questions you need to answer before developing your product or service offering. Question one is, who is your dream client? When you think about it, it makes sense to start there, doesn’t it? The other three questions are revealed in the podcast.

You’ve heard of endorsements on LinkedIn and reviews on Facebook as a way to obtain social proof from people who know, like and trust you. The way to make those endorsements really stand out is to ask your best clients to do a short video endorsement with their phone. You can post it to your website and social sites for highly visible - and real - social proof.

As an executive coach you have a website. But so does everyone else! What are you doing to drive people to your website and begin a conversation? If all you’re offering is an opt-in to “sign up for my newsletter” that isn’t enough.

Today I share a few ideas on how you can re-package existing content to draw people to your online presence and move them up your value ladder. This is especially a great strategy if you’re trying to cut back on “platform time” and move more of your business online. The best part is, you’ve already created the content!

In this episode I discuss how licensing content in the form of complications - so you don’t have to write a book - can be used as a very attractive lead magnet. I also share how the existing many authors/educators/coaches have can be repackaged and sold in various points of a sales funnel.

As an author, educator and executive coach do you have an automated system to acquire new clients? Learn how to take your existing content to generate leads.

When the quality of your core offering begins to decline as change ripples through the industry things get interesting fast. What can be done to stay ahead of trends to maintain relevance?

The back story on why I started the Next Big Thinker podcast and how it led to a new business idea.

My Internal Motivation. What is your internal motivation for doing something that interests you? For example, my internal motivation for going to the gym is to be a better cyclist. I’d get bored if I was simply going to the gym to lift weights or whatever. So in this episode I share my internal motivation for building a business. Usually, if you dig deep, your reasons for doing something go beyond the first couple reasons which come to mind.

I thought I wanted to be a hero for the company where I worked. But in the process I realized that what I really wanted was to build my own business.