In pulling together the research for Getting Serious About Sales Effectiveness, it struck me how the most effective sales strategies can often be hidden beneath your competitors’ seemingly similar objectives and priorities.
Here’s what I mean…
On the surface, it appears that most B2B sales organizations are focusing on very similar things. Ask about their priorities and you’ll hear about customer retention, account development, customer acquisition, process efficiency, and so on. Of course, all of these things are very worthy objectives and priorities—and they’re all somewhat “standard” across different verticals and sectors.
This just makes sense, right? If you’re selling in B2B there are just certain things that you focus on as a matter of course. After all, B2B selling isn’t something new and over many decades certain areas-of-focus have proven to be more important than others.
So yes, the companies that are “getting serious” about sales effectiveness are focusing on the same things as everyone else. Yes, they have similar priorities and objectives as every other sales organization in B2B. And at first glance, it would be easy to see these surface-level similarities and conclude that you’re competitive in your approach.
But here’s the thing…
While the stated priorities and objectives of these sales teams may indeed be similar, the underlying strategies and approaches for delivering on those priorities and achieving those objectives are very different. In each relatively “standard” area-of-focus, these companies are employing a more effective “twist”—something that you just can’t see until you get below the surface and uncover what they’re really doing.
Not that your competitors will make it easy for you to learn these things, but that’s why we’re here.
