Sometimes there is an easy solution to a problem. But that doesn’t mean we get to it easily, until we ask the right question.

Sellers are focused at the end of the buying process most of the time.  Marketers create most of their content for the beginning.  What about the prospective customers?  For them, it is a continuous experience.  In this interview, Ardath Albee helps us think about them more clearly. She specializes in what to many of us is a fuzzy idea – content strategy.  She simplifies it to “creating this storyline or narrative for how you get a buyer from problem to solution. What do they need to know? What expertise can you bring to bear? What are the different decisions they have to make along the customer journey?”  That sounds a lot like sales. Ardath helps us see: What a buyer persona is meant to be The risk in leading the witness Times when we may be disconnected from what our customer needs The feedback a prospect is giving us And more.

Drew Locher brings several different perspectives to helping organizations improve.  He began his career in engineering.  He was introduced to quality management in a management development program which later lead to specializing in organizational behavior.  Today, he talks with us about several aspects of making and sustaining change in an organization.  The importance of energy and staying focused until new habits are formed.  The role of measurements, standards and understanding of the broader process to have the context for making adjustments.  And, how to shorten learning curves. Throughout the conversation, we highlight the role of leaders: To communicate a purpose that is meaningful to people To insure plans carry forward to help workers sustain their improvements To follow progress – adding energy to the system and spending time with people And more.

Most people think they are pretty good at listening.  Hey, we’re in sales (or management), we listen to customers and co-workers all the time.  Oscar Trimboli is sure we can do better.  He thought the way he listened was natural until a simple question shifted the focus of a meeting and his career. After studying listening and helping many hundreds of people, he shares: The real job of a listener and a couple of questions to help us be better at it The 125/900 rule impact on someone saying what they are meaning A more productive approach for a “Why did you …?” question And more. Listen now. Mentioned in This Episode:   http://www.Oscartrimboli.com/whitepages                                                 oscartrimboli.com

Respect For People is one of the important themes in working toward Sales Process Excellence.  Often, we think of it in terms of employees, but it also applies to how we approach customers and prospects.  In both cases, it is looking from another person’s perspective. As a senior leader, you can’t be involved in every sales conversation or help develop every marketing campaign.  In this discussion, Brian Carroll shares a way to listen to how our organization is talking about our customers to see how well we are connecting to what the customer cares about.  He calls it empathetic marketing. Brian encourages us to think about: What the customer is really buying What the decision means to the person making it How to recognize when we are saying what we want the customer to do rather than what they want He also shares his experience as a leader introducing his business development team to a different way of thinking about their prospects.  It resulted in a 300% increase in sales accepted leads.  And more. Listen now.

Today’s guest is Cliff Ransom. Cliff holds a unique position between the investment community, corporate management and the lean community. He has spent years following very successful companies and watching executives and front-line folks work. And, is very open with us about several lessons he has learned. In our conversation we talk about: • Examples of the power of lean in very different industries • The importance of asking questions. And asking questions that don’t lead to a preconceived conclusion. • Understanding how managers and leaders add value • Mistakes senior leaders can make, and how to avoid them Plus, Cliff shares the companies he has designated as super achievers and next generation Danahers and why. And more. Listen now

The past few episodes have talked a lot about the importance of mindsets in engaging employees and aligning with customers. Today we are going deeper into how data works in the feedback loop that make the job of sales easier. Before you click to the next email in your inbox, here are a couple of important takeaways: • There is frequently a tipping point in the qualification of a prospect – above it, near certainty it is a good opportunity, below it there is little chance you will land it • Opinions can be quantified Sharing this episode with your process improvement or sales operations people will help them look at how they can use data more effectively for your team. Bill Bentley is a data guy. He is an engineer who became a general manager, then helped salespeople learn to sell to senior managers. He’s led an engineering firm and a software company then started a Six Sigma training company. He brings a well-rounded perspective to the challenges of sales. Listen now Mentioned in This Episode: www.value-train.com

The core of Dr. Deming’s teaching is to continually update and innovate the way we think about work, products and management.  For it to happen effectively, people need to understand the system they are in and to contribute improving it. Today Tripp Babbitt takes us into the philosophy of Dr. Deming and some contrasts with earlier approaches.  He also talks about: The value of a customer in view of the organization Giving people flexibility in finding the best way to achieve an objective The proper role of tools and data in making the sales job easier And more. Listen now Mentioned in This Episode:  www. mindyournoodles.com/overview www.podcast.deming.org www.the95method.com

The purpose of marketing goes beyond creating awareness and stimulating interest. It is also to serve the needs of sales channels and individual salespeople in connecting with their customers. Bud Hyler shares examples of how marketing can get closer to customers and sales. And, the kind of feedback they should be looking for to improve their work. He also talks about: • The parallel to engineering and manufacturing • How knowing less can help with a sales call • An extreme example of feedback that got Bud’s attention And more. Listen now Mentioned in This Episode: www.logmkt.com

What does it takes for a salesperson to be excellent in the eyes of a buyer? And how does it tie back to what research and experience shows about how buyers make a decision? Bob Lambert’s career spans sales and marketing. He has been a salesperson, sales manager, run a marketing agency, sold customer data services and now provides sales training. We also talk about: · Bob’s Law of 20 for networking and finding prospects · Building relationships · How understanding the customer applies to everyone who touches your customers And more. Listen now Mentioned in This Episode: www.samuraibizgrp.com