Strategy and Selling – the winning approach
Strategy and Selling – the winning approach
(Sun Tzu)
Strategy or tactics? We frequently hear this question in sales trainings: "What actually is the difference? In fact: Nothing is mixed so much as these two concepts. And, if you look for these concepts in one of the common search engines on the Internet, the confusion gets rather bigger.
The German Duden universal dictionary declares the concept "Strategy" as the detailed plan of the own procedure to achieve a military, political, psychological or similar goal and calculating all factors which will influence the own approach.
On the other hand "Tactic" is the art of order and preparation due to considerations with regard to usefulness and success.
As often the explanation of these two concepts is simpler at an example from the sports: At golf it is the most important goal to achieve on the green with strikes as few as possible. The way is usually surfaced with obstacles like bunches of trees, bunker or waters there now.
The challenging consideration is now: How do I play the ball as effectively as possible and safe in the direction of the target? So I can decide to play the ball about the trees to choose the shortest way. It is the other, perhaps safer alternative to find a way around the trees. These considerations then lead to my strategy. If this is clear to me now, I must choose the club type corresponding to my strategy. This consideration then leads to my tactics!
It gets more complicated if I am in a tournament (competition). Because I then have to consider that one of my opponent in the choice of strategy and tactics.
To the two topics there is much literature infinitely. The Chinese Sun Tzu has described the bases of the strategic warfare in his book "The Art of War" 2400 years ago. Built up at this work the generals Carl of Clausewitz (Of the War) and Erwin Rommel then have (Rommel and his Art of War) and many others.
The American writer Gary Gagliari has made even the test to translate the thesis of Sun Tzu virtually in a "The way of Sales".
Having most intensively explained himself in the eighties in the U.S.A. Alston Gardner (the former CEO of TMS, Atlanta) and Stephen E. Heiman (chairman of Miller-Heiman) with the strategic meaning of sales processes. Brian Tracy and Jack Carroll are also mentioned here. In the German area it's hard to find literature practically to this topic and in the comparison some rake training offers.
For Miller Heiman the driving force of the strategic sales approach is the support of a non-manipulative sales philosophy. This philosophy is based on the premise that a single order is never enough: The real selling result is based on successes in the repetition business, firm recommendations and relations based on partnership.
The programs of TMS were taken on by Siebel Systems Inc. and since then offered by Siebel MultiChannel Services, Atlanta (today: OnTarget) worldwide. The most common program of Siebel might be TAS - Target account Selling ©. Focus of the Siebel program is the preparation of a strategic sales plan which permits to plan and to carry out the whole sales process in a structured form.
The following points are the basics for selling strategically:
1. Selling strategically required concentration, engagement and professionalism.
2. In complex projects is a good tactical plan only as well as the strategy which led to it. But - the best strategy is of no use, however, without good manual abilities in the sale (tactics).
3. Excellent knowledge over the business of its customer is prerequisite for the acquirement of a strategy . Out of this has to be derived, which driving forces to be forced the customer in the end acted.
4. Winning a "Mentor" prior to the sales project is of decisive importance finding the way in the "organizational relationship labyrinth" of the customer.
5. Critical analysis of own strengths and weaknesses.
6. Recognize and counter the competitor strategy.
7. Steady focus on the customers advantage (creation of a WIN/WIN- situation).
8. Selling strategically is only possible by a structured approach. At first glance time wasting seems this, however, the only safe path is for the success.
9. Target isn't the win of a single project but the recruitment of a loyal customer.
10. Selling strategically means the prerequisite to manage to talk to the right persons about the right topics at the right time.
Success in the sale means the integral analysis of the sales process from the acquirement of a purposeful strategy up to the putting into action of this strategy by suitable tactical measures.
What means then selling tactically?
Like in the example with the golf course is the application of sales tactics or sales techniques nothing else but the choice of the right tools for implementing the fixed strategy. They were described in detail by Heinz Goldmann, in the classic "How to win customers" described and of numerous coaches and writers, differently interprets. Although these sales techniques are offered by hundreds of sales coaches for decades, they have lost nothing of their topicality.
Again and again we recognize this within field coachings where so-called "experienced sales men" know that there are some sales techniques, however they don't use them in practice.
Although the fable of the "born salesman" lasts obstinately, we claim: "Selling is a learnable process".
The translation of corresponding training measures works, however, only when a consistent usage of these techniques then has the corresponding success in the practice. To guarantee this practice transfer it's not enough to deputize sales people two or three days to a seminar believing "something always remains".
Strategy and Selling the winning approach - To learn more about this author, visit Hans-Peter Holzwarth's Website.
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Know yourself, know your enemy, and you need not fear one hundred battles. Know neither yourself nor your enemy, and you shall succumb in every battle.
(Sun Tzu)
Strategy or tactics? We frequently hear this question in sales trainings: "What actually is the difference? In fact: Nothing is mixed so much as these two concepts. And, if you look for these concepts in one of the common search engines on the Internet, the confusion gets rather bigger.
The German Duden universal dictionary declares the concept "Strategy" as the detailed plan of the own procedure to achieve a military, political, psychological or similar goal and calculating all factors which will influence the own approach.
On the other hand "Tactic" is the art of order and preparation due to considerations with regard to usefulness and success.
As often the explanation of these two concepts is simpler at an example from the sports: At golf it is the most important goal to achieve on the green with strikes as few as possible. The way is usually surfaced with obstacles like bunches of trees, bunker or waters there now.
The challenging consideration is now: How do I play the ball as effectively as possible and safe in the direction of the target? So I can decide to play the ball about the trees to choose the shortest way. It is the other, perhaps safer alternative to find a way around the trees. These considerations then lead to my strategy. If this is clear to me now, I must choose the club type corresponding to my strategy. This consideration then leads to my tactics!
It gets more complicated if I am in a tournament (competition). Because I then have to consider that one of my opponent in the choice of strategy and tactics.
To the two topics there is much literature infinitely. The Chinese Sun Tzu has described the bases of the strategic warfare in his book "The Art of War" 2400 years ago. Built up at this work the generals Carl of Clausewitz (Of the War) and Erwin Rommel then have (Rommel and his Art of War) and many others.
The American writer Gary Gagliari has made even the test to translate the thesis of Sun Tzu virtually in a "The way of Sales".
Having most intensively explained himself in the eighties in the U.S.A. Alston Gardner (the former CEO of TMS, Atlanta) and Stephen E. Heiman (chairman of Miller-Heiman) with the strategic meaning of sales processes. Brian Tracy and Jack Carroll are also mentioned here. In the German area it's hard to find literature practically to this topic and in the comparison some rake training offers.
For Miller Heiman the driving force of the strategic sales approach is the support of a non-manipulative sales philosophy. This philosophy is based on the premise that a single order is never enough: The real selling result is based on successes in the repetition business, firm recommendations and relations based on partnership.
The programs of TMS were taken on by Siebel Systems Inc. and since then offered by Siebel MultiChannel Services, Atlanta (today: OnTarget) worldwide. The most common program of Siebel might be TAS - Target account Selling ©. Focus of the Siebel program is the preparation of a strategic sales plan which permits to plan and to carry out the whole sales process in a structured form.
The following points are the basics for selling strategically:
1. Selling strategically required concentration, engagement and professionalism.
2. In complex projects is a good tactical plan only as well as the strategy which led to it. But - the best strategy is of no use, however, without good manual abilities in the sale (tactics).
3. Excellent knowledge over the business of its customer is prerequisite for the acquirement of a strategy . Out of this has to be derived, which driving forces to be forced the customer in the end acted.
4. Winning a "Mentor" prior to the sales project is of decisive importance finding the way in the "organizational relationship labyrinth" of the customer.
5. Critical analysis of own strengths and weaknesses.
6. Recognize and counter the competitor strategy.
7. Steady focus on the customers advantage (creation of a WIN/WIN- situation).
8. Selling strategically is only possible by a structured approach. At first glance time wasting seems this, however, the only safe path is for the success.
9. Target isn't the win of a single project but the recruitment of a loyal customer.
10. Selling strategically means the prerequisite to manage to talk to the right persons about the right topics at the right time.
Success in the sale means the integral analysis of the sales process from the acquirement of a purposeful strategy up to the putting into action of this strategy by suitable tactical measures.
What means then selling tactically?
Like in the example with the golf course is the application of sales tactics or sales techniques nothing else but the choice of the right tools for implementing the fixed strategy. They were described in detail by Heinz Goldmann, in the classic "How to win customers" described and of numerous coaches and writers, differently interprets. Although these sales techniques are offered by hundreds of sales coaches for decades, they have lost nothing of their topicality.
Again and again we recognize this within field coachings where so-called "experienced sales men" know that there are some sales techniques, however they don't use them in practice.
Although the fable of the "born salesman" lasts obstinately, we claim: "Selling is a learnable process".
The translation of corresponding training measures works, however, only when a consistent usage of these techniques then has the corresponding success in the practice. To guarantee this practice transfer it's not enough to deputize sales people two or three days to a seminar believing "something always remains".
Strategy and Selling the winning approach - To learn more about this author, visit Hans-Peter Holzwarth's Website.
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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