The Evolution of Value Proposition
The Warm and Fuzzy Value Proposition People love the term value proposition, so user friendly, none threatening, cute, warm, and safe You are no longer relying on Palm Pilot, going to Blockbuster for your
Welcome to the Sales Gravy blog, where salespeople and sales leaders get better every week. We publish new sales training articles and podcast episodes three times a week, covering prospecting, cold calling, objections, negotiation, and leadership, written by Jeb Blount and the Sales Gravy trainer team.
The Warm and Fuzzy Value Proposition People love the term value proposition, so user friendly, none threatening, cute, warm, and safe You are no longer relying on Palm Pilot, going to Blockbuster for your
If I get into a game, I play to win. What nobility is there is playing like a slacker? What virtue is purposeful mediocrity? None! I live my life to be a winner. Have
Do you long for a life lived in high gear? One that is filled with joy and achievement? It is possible! How would you like to kick your life into high gear? I can
When you are winning deals, it’s easy to slip into a euphoric mindset and completely forget about the process that got you there in the first place. Out of all the sales rules, there
What would happen to your business results if you just said “no” a little more often? Building business demands that you, as the solo professional, wear many hats. In wearing all of these hats,
Hark back to who you were on interview day. We promised to deliver above and beyond. Chances are, we gave it our all for a while, settled into a groove and have gotten lazy
Working smarter with people entails three key activities: assigning the right number of people, identifying roles and planning compensation strategically. Sure-fire Ways to Work Smarter with People Your sales force is defined by the
Data can do more than tell you facts about your own business. It also can reveal important information about what’s going on with your competitors in the marketplace. How to Be Data Savvy In
Finding The Right Time To Prospect The best part of weekend warrior prospecting is that prospects tend to be more relaxed without distractions. Here’s why you should set aside a block of time on
Lessons In Sales Negotiation I built the confidence to never get rattled and to always ask for what I want. The worst thing that could happen is that a buyer walks away without putting
Prospecting is More Than a Cold Call There are six steps to more effective prospecting campaigns will help you reduce pure cold calling and engage highly qualified prospects. “Why won’t salespeople prospect? All they
The 5 Essential Elements Of Personal Prospecting Emails Breaking new ground with prospects is the initial hurdle you need to climb over on your path to a sales call or meeting. Before you start
The Virtual Selling Book Club Guide Mastering virtual selling techniques gives you a massive competitive advantage because it allows you to engage more prospects & customers, in less time, at a lower cost, while
How to Stand Out in Virtual Meetings Virtual selling is the new normal. Here are three tips for preparing yourself for a successful transition onto the virtual sales stage and for making a good
Tips for Effective Pipeline Reviews Avoid standing in front of the board next month and telling your reps that you missed the target… AGAIN. A pipeline review gives you and your reps an opportunity
How to Reach Your Prospect With Email If you want your prospect to open, read, and act upon your emails, start using these three actionable steps and instantly increase your email response rate. We
Just Send Your Material Here you’ll find five new scripts to help you separate the real buyers from those prospects who will just end up wasting your time. One of the biggest traps sales
Get rid of old beliefs and outdated sales techniques. The new economy demands a new approach and philosophy in sales. The self-help gurus are the best at teaching, “You are what you believe. Your
In the context of selling, a blind spot is something you commonly do within your sales interactions that potentially threatens your success. And here comes the kicker… you’re not aware of it. I’m a
Successful salespeople craft a sales strategy and then periodically pause and reassess – modifying as need be. Recently I was talking with a sales manager who shared an interesting story about sales strategy reviews.
What one reads is different than the words written. Quite often the message we wish to send people isn’t actually the message that is received. What was meant to come across as good sometimes
All companies want to thrive. No company just wants to just “exist”. It’s “business nature” to want to grow, to become better…..to thrive. We wrote about Rising channels (see the previous blog) and discussed
This year, the company I had been using for the last several years was unresponsive when I tried to schedule service. Coincidentally, I received an email from one of their competitors offering the same
Why do sales professionals who become aware of their sales approach not working continue to plunge ahead? An unfounded “expectation of success” appears to play a significant role in such cases. Recently, I finished
Simplicity equates to clarity.Simple will always beat out complicated. Have you ever researched a new purchase only to find that there are too many options? What did you do? Sometimes people delay the purchase
Baseball players and sales professionals don’t have much in common. However, Elite athletes and Ultra-High Performing sales professionals know their numbers because that’s where the MONEY is. In this video, Jeb Blount addresses the
The best way to measure sales productivity is with leading indicators—the KPIs and metrics that predict future revenue and let you fix problems before sales dry up.
Most sales team meetings fail because they aren’t actually about selling. Mike Weinberg says the fix is simple: stop running status updates and start running meetings that make your team more aligned, more energized,
Jumping in to save a rep’s deal feels like leadership, but it trains your team to call you instead of solving problems themselves. Real sales leadership means coaching the rep, not closing the deal
If you want to know how to scale a sales team, document your sales process and prove your close rate before you add headcount, then decide whether your next hire is a leader or
Most sales forecasts fail for a reason no CRM can fix. Sellers stop telling their leaders the truth the moment honesty starts costing them something.
Summary The most effective sales compensation strategy for getting a small team focused on high-value complex deals is to layer a significantly higher reward on those deals without reducing incentives on transactional ones. Pair
Summary When the market shifts, your salespeople are not going to figure it out on their own. That’s your job. As a sales leader, your responsibility is to see the change coming, get ahead
Summary: Most sales managers confuse empathy with sympathy and pay for it in team performance. Jeb Blount breaks down the real difference, why listening first is the most powerful coaching move you have, and
Summary: Q1 is feedback, not failure. Top-performing sales teams use a Q1 sales strategy review to assess whether they have an execution problem or a focus problem, then make targeted adjustments heading into Q2.