Force Management

Communication is a critical component to ensuring your teams stay focused.    For sales leaders, it can be the one thing that separates the best from the rest. If your people understand where they’re going and how they’ll get there, you are one step closer to your revenue goals.    In this episode, John Kaplan covers the concept of a leadership footprint to explains how leaders can:   - Outline their organization’s new mission and explain how they’re planning to get there   - Articulate exactly what they need from their sales teams to succeed    Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Here are some additional resources focused on the leadership footprint:    Leadership Footprint Template https://forc.mx/2UAM0Qr   Blog: “What Your Top Performers are Thinking in Your Sales Kickoff Presentation” https://bit.ly/2N9FbB8

Please note this episode was recorded prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic.   Front-line sales managers typically have one of the toughest jobs in the entire sales organization.    Equipping them effectively takes a concerted effort. In this podcast, John Kaplan runs through best practices for helping them be successful, including:    - How to help them develop an operating rhythm   - How to get beyond measuring success at the deal level   - The type of environment you need to foster   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Additional Resources:  Blog: How to give effective feedback

This episode is just for people who are new to a head of sales role or for those people who are looking to jump ship.    John Kaplan outlines the key areas you need to assess for your success plan, including key questions to ask around:    - The sales message   - Sales execution and qualification   - Sales planning processes and management operating rhythm   - Sales talent   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Additional Resources:  Blog: New to the VP of Sales Role A Conversation on your next sales role with John McMahon, pt 1 A Conversation on your next sales role with John McMahon, pt 2

Why do buyers use tricky tactics in negotiations?    Because they work!    In this podcast, Tim Caito shares how to best prepare yourself (and your teams) for those popular buyer tactics.   He’ll cover:   - The 4 main reasons buyer tactics work and when they originate during the process   - The key 5 tips for managing the negotiation process and preparing for success (to the best of your ability!)   - How to expand the conversation and avoid pain points that narrow the negotiation too early   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Additional Resources: Sales negotiation training resources Sale negotiation balancing act webinar  

Keeping sales teams focused is an area many sales leaders are trying to excel in right now.   In this episode, John Kaplan walks through simple things you can do as a sales leader or manager to keep your teams motivated and disciplined.    He’ll discuss:   - How sales teams can use the ‘purpose, process, payoff’ call agenda to make sales conversations empathetic and relevant for buyers.   - How leaders and managers can work with their reps to make sure they’re prepared for every valuable sales conversation.   - The most critical fundamentals and tactics leaders must focus reps on right now to build pipeline and make revenue numbers.   Here are some additional resources focused on the importance of empathy right now : Purpose Process Payoff | Podcast Episode Top Resources for Maintaining Rep Productivity   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.  

This episode covers how to approach sales conversations right now to mitigate stalled deals and communicate with purpose and empathy.  Many sales professionals and leaders within their organizations are wondering what’s working in sales conversations right, what isn’t, and who’s doing it well.  In this episode, John Kaplan covers how you can focus your sales teams on having purposeful conversations right now, including: How salespeople can focus on the buyer and be effective in their conversations to grab onto interest and opportunities How to use conversations to uncover changing needs and the specific challenges buyers are facing to approach them with viable solutions How to navigate what other organizations are dealing with to mitigate potential stalls and delayed in their deals Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website. Here are some additional resources focused on the importance of empathy right now :  Reframing Your Buyer Message for W

Please note this episode was recorded prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic. It takes a lot of “hands on deck” when trying to close a large opportunity.  Often, it’s up to the salesperson to ensure that he/she has the resources needed to get the deal done.  Whether it’s on one deal or to make your yearly goal, you need a plan in place to ensure everyone knows their role in moving the opportunity forward.  In this episode, John Kaplan talks through how to ensure you get the resources you need to close the deal and make your number.  Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Additional resources:  The Plan to Make the Plan

Growing companies are often challenged with translating the founder’s vision and story into sales conversations that highlight the value and differentiation of the solution.  In many of these companies, no one can sell as well as the founder.  In this podcast, John Kaplan talks through key steps companies take to scale that message and get an entire sales organization equipped to sell as well as the founder, including:  The key questions every person needs to answer the same in your company The test you can run right now in your own company to start building alignment How Force Management ensures they have a great pipeline of proof points.  Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

You know how important Champions can be to your sales process. But, how do you test them?  How do you ensure that your Champions are really able to articulate your value and differentiation?  We define Champions as:  people who actively sell on your behalf have a vested interest in getting the deal done  have power and influence within the company  In this podcast, John Kaplan breaks down key ways to test your Champions, including:  Key things to watch out for that may signal trouble in your deal The three things you need to enable them on How to find the gaps in your Champions understanding of your solution Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Additional Resources;  How to write a Champion letter

NOTE: This episode was recorded prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic. John’s advice is still applicable, but please understand we didn’t have the current context when recording.  In this podcast, John Kaplan talks through key areas to assess in your own organization after a less-than-stellar quarter, including:  How to make sure you have the right people to achieve your yearly goals How to build more accountability into the planning process as you move forward in the year The cadence with which you use to manage your teams   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Additional Resources  Skill/Will Model

Elite leaders make the choice to work at their craft.  In this episode, John Kaplan shares a few lessons he’s learned as a sales leader, the mantra he follows and the one new hire that became an example of what not to do as a sales leader.  Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Our own John Kaplan tells his own story of a time when he had to decide what it meant to be uncommon. It’s the story that brought the often-heard phrase, “Who’s doing this?!” that many of you have heard in our Command of the Message® training. This episode is meant to bring you some motivation and inspiration as you focus on this month, this quarter and this year. Feel free to share with your teams and colleagues. Check out The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Every company needs to have alignment around the answers to the Essential Questions: What problems do you solve? How do you solve those problems? How do you solve them differently and/or better than the competition? And, where have you done it before?  In this episode, John Kaplan talks through how you can use our concept of the Essential Questions to align with your buyer and address your customer’s evolving challenges. He’ll cover how your organization can provide the most value for customers by: Reframing the essential questions based on today’s environment Achieving internal and external alignment around the key problems your offerings solve for your buyer's shifting challenges Preparing sellers with these answers and ways to be purposeful in their delivery Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website. Here are some additional resources on the essential questions:  Maintain Sales Productivity: Five Ways Your Company Can Focus Your Reps on S

Deals are won or lost in discovery. A key part to successful discovery is the salesperson’s ability to articulate what they learned in discovery back to the customer. We call it playing back “What We Heard”. In this podcast, John Kaplan runs through best practices for using this information to your advantage, including: How it helps you overcome seller deficit disorder How to deal with sounding too repetitive How to use your customer to help you play back negative information Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Additional Resources:  A Buyer’s Perspective on Seller Deficit Disorder

We took a break from our typical podcast topics and talked about how salespeople and sales leaders can best use this time, even in the face of unprecedented circumstances.  Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

NOTE: This episode was recorded last month, prior to the Coronavirus shut down. Although the episode provides some good tips that apply to the situation many of us find ourselves in now, please listen with the understanding that Brian's comments were recorded without the current context. There’s not a sales leader out there that doesn’t want to make an immediate impact when they take on a new role.   However, the best sales leaders are also thinking about what they can do to create ongoing and sustainable success. It’s a two-pronged approach.  In this episode, Senior Director Brian Walsh runs through how to play the long game in sales leadership or even in your selling role.   He covers key things you should be thinking through as you map out your own plan for success as well as how to know if you’re in the right company for “the long game.”   Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Even the most veteran sales reps can fall victim to lazy sales practices when they’re selling to someone they know. We think we can skip steps or cut corners in our sales process. These opportunities can fool us into thinking they’re a sure thing. In this episode, John Kaplan breaks down key triggers to watch out for and ways to hold yourself accountable.  We cover: Key steps to take when a former buyer is in a new company and wants to purchase again Red flags to watch out for when you have a “friendly” buyer The situation we find ourselves in frequently when we are selling to Force Management customers.  Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

We’ve all been frustrated by a pipeline full of slow-moving deals. The cause typically goes back to a few key areas where we as salespeople or sales coaches lacked focus. It goes back to basic sales fundamentals, but they’re things even veteran salespeople need to remember.  In this podcast, John Kaplan breaks down three key areas to assess if you have a pipeline full of deals that just won’t close. You’ll learn:  The three reasons your deals are taking too long to close An easy way to execute discovery to ensure you’re going up and down in an organization.  Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.   Additional Resources:  Why you’re struggling with metrics in your sales conversation: https://www.forcemanagement.com/seller-blog/why-youre-struggling-with-metrics-in-the-sales-conversation Asking Bold Discovery Questions: https://www.forcemanagement.com/seller-blog/asking-bold-discovery-questions Webinar: Predicting No Decisions: How to Win

Force Management continues to be a leader in building company alignment and equipping sales teams as we bring listeners an all-new weekly podcast series.  The Audible-Ready Podcast will feature B2B sales leaders and revenue-driving executives, who share their best insights on how a focus on sales effectiveness can help companies increase revenue, improve sales margins and gain market share. We’ll cover topics like: Sales Leadership, Sales Transformation, Sales Initiative Results, Sales performance, Adoption and Reinforcement, making quota, high-tech sales, enterprise sales, and so much more.

John Kaplan talks through best practices for preparing to sell the platform solution to your buyer, getting beyond just selling the smaller point solution.