They find themselves now more than ever in high-stakes, complex sales conversations in which they must be mindful of everything involved in the communication such as, tone, emotions, words, written cues, facial expressions, and behaviors. Salespeople still have to talk about value, pricing, and service, but they must now leverage technology, be able to manage multiple stakeholders, and develop relationships quickly, even over purely virtual interactions. The days of being a personable salesperson have changed. They are given the “what to do” – even integrated within their CRM systems such as SalesForce, Dynamics, Zoho, and Hubspot – but not the “how to do it”, which is about how their salespeople are making first impressions, asking questions, tailoring pitches, succinctly and persuasively communicating value, and overcoming objections.

While these are all successful organizations providing proven sales processes that usually satisfy clients, we find that soon after-sales organizations wish to provide their team with additional tools and habits which drive better performance within that sales framework. SNI has a long track record of working with sales organizations after they have implemented a sales methodology from a company such as Miller-Heiman, Sandler, Corporate Visions, or the Challenger Sale from Gartner. The only consistent finding is that organizations are always looking for a competitive edge in the market – and this desire has been magnified due to the rapid changes to the ways people communicate. In others, their sales methodology is outdated or simply not being used, but with no guarantees that a new methodology will work, they seek other alternatives. In some cases, it is working well but organizations are looking to layer on additional skills. At SNI, we are discovering that most companies don’t need (or want) to abandon their investment in their sales methodologies to forge ahead in this new world. In today’s fast-changing world of virtual meetings, savvy professional procurement buyers, and emerging needs in the marketplace, it is critical to find new ways to approach customers and prospects and offer a unique buying experience.

Miller heiman blue sheet definitions