Podcasts about strategic dynamics inc

In this episode, Tom Williams the founder of Strategic Dynamics Inc shares a modern perspective on what is B2B sales and how to create a successful sales process. Strategic Dynamics Inc a firm that helps sales organizations sell more effectively by markedly improving their new hire candidate assessment process, sales productivity, and business acumen. Tom is also the author of "Buyer-Centered Selling: How Modern Sellers Engage & Collaborate with Buyers". Insights he shares include: What is B2B salesHow B2B sales have changed over the past decadeThe reality of changing buyer needsThe framework for buyer-centered sellingWhy Tom incorporates the Jobs To Be Done frameworkHow to take the pulse of your buyers at regular intervalsQuick wins for a buyer centered selling approachThe five commitments of collaborationand much more

My next guest,  is Tom Williams, the founder and Chairman of Strategic Dynamics Inc. The firm helps organisations accelerate revenue generation by improving sales effectiveness. He is the co-author of The Seller's Challenge: How Top Sellers Master 10 Deal Killing Obstacles in B2B Sales and Buyer Centred Selling: How Modern Sellers Engage & Collaborate with Buyers. Talking about the Sellers Challenge the book you wrote with Tom Sane, which focuses on specific 10 Deal Killing Obstacles in B2B salespeople face that aligns the sells process with the buyer’s complex decision making. Tom explains the evolution of the book culmination of discussions with Tom Sane. They were both selling a sales methodology that did a variety of things such as call planning, execution, how to win a complex sale. Clients would ask, can you help me with this specific problem? And they would come up with, a variety of things that were not taught in the typical methodology program. So, we listed about 21 of those challenges, and we covered ten in the first Book Sellers Challenge. And then in the second book, buyer-centred selling. We picked up the rest of those and made buyer centre selling more around looking at not only what's the challenge from the seller's point of view, but what's the buyers' dilemma. In the second book, looks at what is going on with what Tom calls today's modern buyer. Everybody understands buyers have more knowledge today than ever had before. There is a plethora of information on the Web and other areas that buyers can go. Users spend a lot more time in the research phase because they do not want to make a poor decision or a wrong decision. There is a tremendously increasing number of buyers that are involved because again; it is about risking about making a change. What used to be one decision-maker is now often trying to get consensus around a specific transition from one product or solution to another. There is a greater reliance on self-diagnosis, more and more customers come to you sellers today and say, I know what I want. Here is what I want, what your price and we are also faced with an expanding, subscription economy. Things like Netflix have changed the way people buy. We do not need physically own something we can subscribe to it. Uber and Lift are an offshoot of that are what we do not subscribe to it, as we need it purchased. There are larger groups of people who are coming together to make a decision that comes from a wide variety of disciplines. They can be cross-divisions, they can be domestic and international folks in a large multinational company. Lastly, there is a generational shift. We are seeing more, younger people in the middle and senior management roles that have a different philosophy in another way, in which they want to learn or approach, making a change. And then finally, buyers today are looking for trusted sources of information. And when you weigh with how they feel about salespeople often time, and it is extremely low in the pyramid. They were looking for other sources of trusted information with this material that it comes from research analysis from their peers. They are looking for other sources of trusted information until that sales professional has earned their trust and respect. These are some of the trends that we have seen.  Talking about how the sales professional earn the buyer trust in respect. Tom offers, one of the ways to do it is by preparation; he is big on preparing for sales calls; it comes across that you are ready? You are confident, you ask better questions. Preparation is just crucial; no sports team goes and plays a game without preparation. Surgeons that operate on patients in operating rooms walk through a surgical checklist to make sure they got the right patient the right procedure that they are going to do etcetera. Airline pilots walk around the plane before they take off; they also have a checklist that they go through. There are countless numbers of people in professions that have checklists. Tom said sales reps can differentiate themselves and earn trust by the types of questions that they ask.   Tom always says to Salespeople a great question is when somebody says to you; 'Wow, that's a great question' or 'I have to stop and think about that for a minute' or 'nobody's ever asked me that before'. It is those questions that give you pause to say, wait a minute. It says to the buyer, that this individual is thinking about my problem, opportunity, or threat in a different way, and they might be able to help me. That is what we are trying to do to differentiate yourselves from other people. Buyers may see ten or twelve salespeople in a day, depending upon their role, at the end of that day, are you memorable? Did you do something that stood out from everybody else or are you forgettable? And I know when I look back in my early days of, being a manager and a leader in a company, said Tom. There was always one sales rep that I said to my admin, 'every time they come to town, I want to see them'. because they always taught me something. On likeability, Tom said, you want to be respected more than you want to be liked. There is that edginess with great sales professional, that can kind of challenge you in a positive, professional way. You might not want to go out and have a drink with them after work.  One of the things is that we talk about a lot about is insights that educate. Are you providing insights to get people to think differently about their situation? Because for people to change, they must look at what is their situation today? What might it look like in the future if they, did something different? And what is that cost of inaction? Or that gap that is in between the two? Because if it is not big enough to drive a truck through, it is not a priority, said Tom. If there is no priority, there is no need and there is no sale. Can you create insights that educate? It does not just occur at the beginning to get the sale; it is through the buying process to get somebody out of the status quo. Those insights continue through the buying process as you are talking to different stakeholders at different portions of their pathway to decide. I think a good sales rep provides what we call prescriptive guidance. They show what would help the buyer to buy. Often buyers are buying for the very first time. When you think about buying, three things happen. One is, I am replacing or substituting one product for another. In another case, I am buying a product because of the enhancements or improvements has more features, more benefits, etcetera, more value. So, it costs me to change. And the third reason is disruption. And so, by providing that prescriptive guidance to help people decide that they want to go on a process with you. It maps the sales process with how people buy and often people do not know how they are going to buy. They do not know the process in their organisation for a variety of reasons. Good modern sales professionals are spending more time on discovery. They thoroughly understanding all the needs and wants desires of the organisation. And what is going on within it before they offer, potential solutions? They say you must earn the right to talk to you about your product or service because you have done a great discovery. It is around executing the right messaging to the right person at the right time. It is about helping that buyer build consensus around a common problem that they can all engage around. Because they have all got their own individual wants and desires from a personal or emotional point of view. But can you grab their attention and get them to agree on a common goal that makes sense for the organisation. That is how you can affect change, and then mitigating the risk is crucial.  One tried and tested strategy is our collaboration plan mentioned in the book. A document that we have developed, that asked the perspective stakeholder buying influence, to go on process sand says. If we are going to potentially where to work together here, thee things we need to. We need some commitment from you, at certain stages, we need to collaborate, and we need to think about building consensus. We talk the current state, the future state and the cost of inaction. Then we develop a plan of how we are going to work together to solve that problem, opportunity, or threat that they have. We talk upfront, that we were going to use this plan, and if I do not have the right solution for them, we will say but you will have a comprehensive plan for other suppliers. It is helping them think through the process. You also mitigate some of the problems that we talk about the two books.   TWilliams@strategicdynamicsfirm.com Twitter: @SD_Firm http://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasjwilliams  https://www.facebook.com/StrategicDynamicsFirm

Procurement & Sales do not need to be in conflict. Dealing effectivey with the procurement function is often key to success in major accounts. Thomas J. Williams is an expert in dealing with procurement and shares with us strategies he has used and taught for many years. Tom is the founder and CEO of Strategic Dynamics Inc, a firm which helps sales organisations sell more effectively by markedly improving their new hire candidate assessment process, sales productivity and business acumen. He is also the co-author of The Seller’s Challenge: How Top Sellers Master 10 Deal Killing Obstacles in B2B Sales. Think of it as a “tactical field manual” about what top-performing sellers do – how they research, plan and implement activities that maximize their chances of winning. And he recently released another co-authored book, Buyer-Centred Selling, which provides sellers strategies and tactics that help the buyer address eleven dilemmas likely to slow and obstruct the buying process. The reader will discover quickly that buying and selling are inextricably connected in their focus on helping the customer buy. https://strategicdynamicsfirm.com https://www.amazon.com/Buyer-Centered-Selling-Modern-Sellers-Collaborate-ebook/dp/B07X8XW5BS  

Tom is the Founder and Chairman of Strategic Dynamics Inc. The firm helps organizations accelerate revenue generation.  He was Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Marketing & Product Service for a medical products company, the CEO of two specialty hospitals, the Vice President & General Manager of an ancillary services division and the President of a medical services company. Tom is also a co-author of a book entitled “Selling to Hospitals & Healthcare Organizations: A Glossary of Business Acumen & Personnel”, “The Seller’s Challenge: How Top Sellers Master 10 Deal Killing Obstacles in B2B Sales” and a book that will be released next month entitled “Buyer Centered Selling: How Modern Sellers Engage & Collaborate With Buyers.” He resides in Scottsdale, AZ. Join us as we discuss complex sales, working "VPs of Access", talent scouts, and so much more!  Connect with Joyce at her website, JoyceBone.com, sign up for updates so you can stay in touch! Find her on Facebook @JoyceBone or the Anxiety-Free Selling Page and on Instagram @joyce_bone.

Tom Williams shares how companies and individuals can overcome some of the most common deal-killing obstacles sellers encounter in the sales process that can kill an opportunity. Tom is the Chairman & Founder at Strategic Dynamics Inc. a firm that helps organizations accelerate revenue generation. In our discussion, Tom shares concepts from his new book The Seller’s Challenge, How Top Sellers Master 10 Deal Killing Obstacles in B2B Sales. Tom’s current research, best practices, and real-life examples can help you craft an actionable plan to optimize productivity and drive success. You're going to learn a ton from Tom Williams. Listen and Discover > The biggest mistake sellers make when it comes to working with buyers or procurement. > What causes your product or service to be seen as a commodity versus high value. > How a creating a Stakeholder Map can help you figure out who needs to be involved in discussions. > 10 reasons sales calls fail. > The biggest sales skill that gets overlooked. > And much more... Discover more about the Same Side Selling Podcast https://www.ianaltman.com/same-side-selling-podcast/

The barriers to make a sale will be as familiar to Gen Z seller as they will to the wily veterans: price, the gatekeeper, the purchasing agent. While the names haven't changed, the people and circumstances behind them have. That's the message BOTH of our guests today have for the selling world. Tom Williams and Tom Saine are the authors of The Seller's Challenge: How Top Sellers Master 10 Deal Killing Obstacles in B2B Sales. Williams and Saine provide solutions for every type of salesperson that are practical, realistic and based upon the tactics of high performers. Few people study the art and science of sales like these two.  Sales fundamentals remain largely the same but the application of those fundamentals has shifted as more stakeholders get involved and sales cycles lengthen. The status quo is resulting in increased price demands and commoditization. Our guests today are here to give you the tools to battle back against procurement and secure more deals that work for you and your company. This Week Only... Join our $1 7-day trial to the 20/20 Sales Vision Community. Your community for clear, inspirational, and actionable sales ideas. On today's show… 2:50 - Writing a sales book is harder than you think, even if you have a partner 4:36 - Three simple words to get through today's gatekeeper 11:15 - It's not getting past the gatekeeper, it's getting past the status quo 14:03 - Determining the "value currency" for your customer 17:55 - Creating change and the culture of change 20:03 - What percentage of customers are patient enough for the long sale? 23:26 - Different personas for different customers 24:38 - A big mistake salespeople make when dealing with a purchasing agent More on Today’s Guest Tom Williams is a sales strategist, solution architect, speaker, trainer and the Managing Director of Strategic Dynamics. He is also the co-author of a new book entitled The Seller’s Challenge: How Top Sellers Master Ten Deal Killing Obstacles in B2B Sales. Tom Saine is a Senior Consultant with Strategic Dynamics Inc. with a Ph.D. in Communication from Northwestern University.  Tom is a sales enablement specialist who works with senior executives to improve sales productivity and drive revenue.  He is co-author of The Seller’s Challenge. Continue the Conversation Online Jeffrey's Instagram Jen's Instagram

Thomas J. Williams is the founder and CEO of Strategic Dynamics Inc, a firm which helps sales organisations sell more effectively by markedly improving their new hire candidate assessment process, sales productivity and business acumen. He is also the co-author of The Seller's Challenge: How Top Sellers Master 10 Deal Killing Obstacles in B2B Sales. Think of it as a “tactical field manual” about what top-performing sellers do – how they research, plan and implement activities that maximize their chances of winning. We discuss navigating the Buying Committee and Stakeholder Management at length, Tom has great experience and insight in this area. We also dig into dealing with gatekeepers, who Tom calls 'VPs of Access', Tom recommends a professional and respectful approach and gives us some great straightforward tips.

Tom Williams and Tom Saine are the authors of The Seller's Challenge: How Top Sellers Master 10 Deal Killing Obstacles in B2B Sales. Their book covers the top 10 challenges salespeople face today and provides solutions to help shorten sales cycles and close more deals. In this episode, Tom Williams and Tom Saine share deal killing obstacles and how to overcome them.   Here are some of the topics covered in this episode:   Top challenges in B2B sales today Stakeholder mapping How to sell to large groups or committees Getting past the gatekeeper   You can listen to this episode on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play or wherever you get your favorite podcast!   About the Guests: Tom Williams is the Managing Director is Strategic Dynamics Inc. a firm that helps organizations accelerate revenue generation. He was formerly the VP of Worldwide Sales, Marketing and Product Service for an organization that sold high technology medical products and services.   Tom Saine is an associate at Strategic Dynamics Inc. He’s a former senior executive for ARMARK Corporation. In his tenure with ARAMARK, Tom served as Associate VP for Major Account Sales, VP of Client Retention, and VP of Sales. Website: https://strategicdynamicsfirm.com/   LinkedIn - Tom Williams: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasjwilliams/   LinkedIn - Tom Saine: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-saine-7b603a94/   Book: https://www.amazon.com/Sellers-Challenge-Master-Killing-Obstacles/dp/1948974029   Listen to more episodes of the Outside Sales Talk here!