Highly skilled Rainmaker sellers and sales managers are worth their weight in gold but are exceedingly scarce. These empathetic sales ninjas possess a unique mix of product expertise, industry savvy, storytelling prowess, strategic sales know-how, and an unwavering dedication to customer success. They know their value as sales professionals and often avoid people management responsibilities as long as they can. Unfortunately, their scarcity has resulted in less-experienced salespeople largely fending for themselves, relying heavily on online training videos that focus almost exclusively on product capabilities. But let’s face it, catchy pitches can only get you so far. It’s time to address the real challenges our salespeople face in terms of customer politics and economics, and that’s where experienced, Rainmaker-level deal coaches come into play.
Closing the Gap: Real-World Dynamics vs. Online Training
Sure, online product training (and even traditional sales training) might be quick and convenient, but it falls flat when it comes to understanding the nitty-gritty of customer dynamics. Customers nowadays do their own research before even speaking with a salesperson. In addition to traditional sales training, sellers need personalized deal coaching to help empower customer sponsors, where the real selling is done. These are the real Rainmakers but don’t buy enterprise solutions every day. Consequently, they often need an experienced sales professional’s help to navigate complex business landscapes, build political capital and learn to tell business-relevant stories that resonate with executives.
The Art of Relationship-Building in Sales
Seasoned sales professionals know that mutually rewarding relationships are more than just transactional exchanges. In a digital age filled with noise, it’s crucial to form authentic connections that go beyond a one-time sale. Effective deal coaching plays a pivotal role in helping sales teams ‘land and expand’ by establishing themselves as trusted advisors, resulting in better customer responsiveness and engagement.
Bridging the Skills Gap in Modern Sellers
The skills gap among many newer sellers can be blamed on factors like the pandemic, lack of Rainmaker-level sales managers and, in some cases, cost-cutting hiring practices. Many have the potential to be Rainmakers but lack real-world experience in ‘pay it forward’ networking, executive relationship-building, business-relevant storytelling, and helping customers overcome internal obstacles. By addressing this gap, sellers can confidently navigate complex deals and help their sponsors secure the necessary approvals from top executives, demonstrating the value of investing their limited capital in their project vs. competing priorities.
Collaboration, Enablement, and Tangible Results
Effective deal coaches work closely with sellers to maximize their potential while reinforcing the use of existing sales tools and methodologies. With a laser focus on cash flow, increased conversions, and annual recurring revenue, effective deal coaching brings urgency, transparency, impartiality, and accurate forecasts into the picture..
Effective deal coaching is not just an option; it’s an absolute must for driving performance and achieving remarkable success. By bridging the gaps left by online training, live deal coaching empowers sellers to build genuine relationships and guide sponsors through the labyrinth of procurement obstacles. Forward-thinking leaders understand that investing in effective deal coaching is the key to unlocking the full potential of their teams and accelerating share.
Mark Phinick is the CEO of Let’s Make It Rain, where he provides effective deal coaching to help B2B sellers and clients alike find exact solutions at a mutually agreeable price. Mark’s career spans nearly four decades of helping scores of emerging B2B companies ‘land and expand’ at global enterprises and hundreds of salespeople surpass their revenue goals, which contributed to billion-dollar brand valuations with seven lucrative company exits.
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