Sales Process Management

If you don't have a Champion, then you can't qualify the Decision Process. If you can't qualify the Decision Process then you can't qualify the deal. And if you can't qualify the deal, then you can't justify investing your time and resources into it (let alone putting it anywhere near a forecast 😬). This is just one of the reasons why we say #NAMIE (Not All MEDDIC Is Equal). So many sellers consider the Decision Process in isolation from other letters. 🚨 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 🚨 The Decision Process 𝗜𝗦𝗡'𝗧 the process of 𝗧𝗛𝗘 decision to buy your solution or not. It's the customers' process of making 𝗠𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗜𝗣𝗟𝗘 decisions throughout an engagement: • Whether to evaluate a solution in the first place? • Which vendors to involve? • Which stakeholders to involve? • What should be in the Decision Criteria? (𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭, 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭, 𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱) • How will the vendors be evaluated?  (𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘰? 𝘙𝘍𝘐/𝘗? 𝘗𝘖𝘊? 𝘗𝘖𝘝? 𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴?) • What are the steps for technical approval? • What are the steps for business approval? • How will the business case be constructed?  (𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘳? 3𝘳𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺? 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺?) • What are the formal steps?  (𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭, 𝘦𝘵𝘤.) • What are the steps from Business and Technical approval to signature? And so so many more... And every company and engagement will be different... 𝗛𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆: The Decision Process needs a 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻 to advise, confirm, and support its progress. The Decision Process must connect to the value elements of 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀, and 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 to ensure consensus on the unique value your solution can bring to EVERY stakeholder and ensure urgency remains. The Decision Process must connect to the 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Not just the rival solutions but competing initiatives, so your deal doesn't get de-prioritized. The Decision Process must include the 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗕𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿's sponsorship. The Decision Process must align with the 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁, ideally the customer's or, at worst, an event you have created based upon customer value (𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦). And, of course, the Decision Process and 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 are like two best friends that should go everywhere together in step 🤝. The best bit of all? Your Champion is highly unlikely to be a professional buyer. They won't know the best approach to buying a solution like yours. This creates an opportunity for professional sellers to position themselves as trusted advisors by helping curate and map out the Decision Process with their customers. Did I miss anything? 🤔 What are your tips for building a solid and collaborative Decision Process? #MEDDIC #MEDDICC #MEDDPICC #DecisionProcess #Sales  

In large deals, the real competition is rarely another product. It is inertia. The most effective large deals are often shaped early. When the business user begins exploring a problem, and the right conversations start happening at that stage, the deal gradually evolves into a sole-sourced decision rather than a late-stage RFP comparison. Because once a deal reaches a formal RFP stage, many vendors appear to be at the finish line. In reality, the direction of the deal was usually influenced much earlier. Many deals look healthy for months. The champion is engaged. The demos land well. The value is understood. And then, close to the finish line, the deal slows down… or quietly becomes “No Decision.” More often than not, the issue is not price or product. The deal simply never travelled far enough inside the organisation. Large buying decisions are rarely made by one person. They are shaped by a group. The business user evaluates usability. IT looks at integration. Security looks at risk. Finance looks at cost. Leadership looks at long-term impact. Each of them is solving a different problem. If the conversation is only happening with one or two people, the deal remains fragile. This is where relationship mapping becomes one of the most important disciplines in selling large deals. Not just knowing your champion, but understanding the ecosystem around the deal. Who influences whom? Who signs. Who can block progress quietly? Who needs confidence before the decision moves forward? Building that map takes time. It means asking better questions. • Who else will review this internally?  • Who will be responsible for implementation?  • Who owns the budget?  • Who needs to see this before we move ahead? As more people across the organisation understand the value, the deal becomes stronger. It stops being one person’s initiative and starts becoming a shared decision. And shared decisions move forward with far less resistance. The best sellers know that closing large deals is not just about presenting a solution well. It is about shaping the deal early and building alignment across people, priorities, and perspectives. #LargeDeals #Enterprises #SST

Here are 3 simple frameworks to guide your next sales convo. Broken out by (1) first discovery call, (2) demo, and (3) follow-up call. With 5 goals for each call. Are they the "ultimate" scorecards? Not really. I'm sure most sales leaders have different versions. But the goal behind the 5 points in each is to get the buying team talking in way that gives you higher quality inputs for your business case after. _______ → Discovery Call Scorecard ← (1) Introduced a non-obvious or market-driven insight. (2) Problem impact uncovered beyond a workflow/process level. (3) Prospect shared longer stories and internal dynamics. (4) Identified a compelling event / reason for changing now. (5) Specific next steps to expand our reach committed to. _______ → Demo Scorecard ← (1) Problem statements shared to create context before showing product. (2) Conversation alternated between problem > feature > outcome. (3) Product experience created visible emotion with buying team. (4) Story started with most impactful, worked down priority list. (5) Specific next steps to expand reach committed to. _______ → Follow-Up Call Scorecard ← (1) Recap of key problems & what we've heard to start. (2) Points of group conflict discussed openly, and thoughtfully. (3) Multiple buying roles and POV's factored in to drive consensus. (4) Active listening & rephrasing connects convo back to earlier points. (5) Specific next steps to expand reach committed to. _______ If you want these in a Google Sheets version you can edit / make your own, check 'em out here: https://lnkd.in/g-FXRh6b

Here's a lesson I learned the hard way in my own sales career. Not all stakeholders carry equal weight and some have hidden agendas. A skeptical CFO can quietly torpedo a deal, while a procurement team can delay approval indefinitely. Being single, or even multi-threaded, in a complex sales cycle can be terminal. I used to say that business to business (b2b) sales is a fallacy. Because the reality is that businesses don't buy from each other, people do. But increasingly what I've realised is you’re not actually selling to a person - you’re actually selling to a committee (full of lots of different people, often with competing agendas) Except you rarely get access to the whole committee. And that’s where most deals fall over. It’s not just one “yes” you need. It’s six. Sometimes ten. And every one of them has the power to say “no.” Here’s what we’re seeing in the data: ❌ 70% of lost enterprise deals involve stakeholders with conflicting priorities ❌ One skeptical CIO can derail a deal from the shadows ❌ No internal champion = no internal momentum And yet, too many sales reps still sell to one person and hope for the best. If you're seeing deal slippage, ghosting, or late-stage “no decisions”… this is probably why. In my latest blog, I break down how to: ✅ Map the full buying group ✅ Build consensus with tailored messaging ✅ Equip champions to sell internally (when you're not in the room) Read the full post here: 👉 https://lnkd.in/et8vSZNR

I once worked with a SaaS company where every system spoke a different language. Salesforce said revenue was $1.2M. Zohobooks said $1.05M. The MIS report said $1.3M. And the founder was furious - not because one was wrong, but because all three were right in their own way. Salesforce counted bookings. Zoho counted invoicing. MIS counted recognition. Each number made sense in isolation. But together - they made chaos. This is what I call information disunity. It’s when systems are technically correct, but strategically useless. If Finance, Sales, and Operations can’t speak the same data language, every meeting becomes a debate instead of a decision. And when decisions slow down - growth dies quietly. Information unity is not about having one software. It’s about having one version of truth. That means: - Defining what “revenue” means across the org (booked vs billed vs collected). - Ensuring CRM, Accounting, and MIS sync around the same cut-off points. - Building a single reconciliation layer before reports hit the founder’s desk. The best companies I’ve worked with have one golden rule: If two systems show two numbers - the system is wrong, not the people. Because until your information speaks one language, your business never truly will. #FractionalCFO #Finance #Information #Data

Your CRM thinks that deal is closing. Your buyer isn't even thinking about you. Monday morning pipeline review. Your rep says "500K deal, proposal stage, 80% probability." Three weeks later? Radio silence. Deal hasn't moved. Buyer isn't responding. Now you're scrambling to replace that revenue. I don’t know if you didn’t know but…  Your CRM stages measure what YOU'RE doing, not what the BUYER is thinking. That's exactly why your forecast accuracy is like flipping a coin. As a former #1 sales director who managed 110 reps, delivered $190 million annually in new business. I've seen this problem destroy quarterly forecasts, kill sales momentum, and get really good sales leaders completely fired. But I've also seen the fix. When organizations implement the ADVANCED method, their forecast accuracy jumps from 60% to 95% plus within the first quarter. ADVANCED tracks buyer progression, not seller activity: A - Acknowledged Problem (10%) Documented acknowledgment of a specific costly problem. "This security breach cost us $2 million and we need to prevent it." D - Documented Issue (15%) Written evidence. Email, internal memo, project brief. Something tangible that says this problem is real and needs solving. V - Validated by Team (25%) Multiple stakeholders agree this problem impacts executive-level metrics. Not one person complaining. A - Authorized by Executive (40%) An executive officially sponsors solving this problem. They've mandated their team to evaluate solutions. N - Narrowed to External (60%) They've decided they can't solve this internally. They're committed to buying from an external vendor. C - Chosen as Vendor (75%) You're the preferred vendor. They've stopped talking to competitors. The scope reflects all stakeholder input. E - Established Timeline (85%) Implementation timelines based on business outcomes. Not arbitrary dates. Timeline driven by business need, not sales pressure. D - Deal Terms Finalized (95%) Commercial terms agreed. Pricing approved. Contract in legal review. All decision makers confirmed. I was working with a $50 million e-health company. They had $30 million in pipeline in "proposal stage." When we applied ADVANCED? A very small percentage was actually at closing stage. Most hadn't gotten execs involved. Most didn't have multiple stakeholders. Most didn't have documented issues. They were sending proposals thinking deals would close. But they were creating false forecasts and fooling themselves. Your pipeline is either built on buyer reality or seller fantasy. There's no middle ground. — Sales Leaders, think you’re leaking revenue somewhere? You might want to check this out: https://lnkd.in/g8M-ah5s

What's the point of running a sale, if it doesn't deliver scale? This particular client came to us frustrated with their existing growth partner, a very well-known large independent agency. Their previous sales always started slow - missing that crucial first-day momentum when everyone's actually ready to buy.  The partner prior to us would just throw more budget at launch day.  We took a different approach. Our pre-sale strategy led to a 76% increase in total sales, and here's exactly how we did it. The setup (during the day before launch): • Increased their evergreen campaign budgets • Created 3 aggressive sale-specific campaigns • Warmed up audiences instead of starting cold • Set up intra-day scaling rules based on performance    The execution: Sale day hit and we were already in full swing. We had momentum from hour one. Everything was optimized and ready to capitalize on peak demand. The results: ✅ 69% jump in orders ✅ 107% more orders fulfilled ✅ Maintained healthy ROAS throughout ✅ 76% increase in total sales vs their previous sale You can't manufacture demand, but you can position yourself to capture it when it hits. Smart preparation, strategic timing, and the ability to scale when opportunity strikes. TL;DR: If you want your next sale to break records, be thoughtfully prepared and know how to build momentum before the starting gun fires. #adquadrant  

"Deal's looking good. I'm in with the CMO." A colleague shared his excitement. I rolled my little eyeballs. "What?" he asked, confused. "Single-threaded deals die," I replied. Three weeks later: "CMO went on leave. Deal's stalled." I wasn't surprised. The average B2B purchase now involves 11+ stakeholders. Yet most reps are still playing the "one relationship" game. Old playbook: Find one champion. Let them "sell internally" for you. Hope for the best. Failure rate? About 80%. A recent client win taught me the better approach: Initial call with the VP of Sales. Great fit, but I asked: "Who else needs to be comfortable with this decision?" The list: - CRO (economic buyer) - IT Director (technical approval) - Sales Enablement (implementation) - 2 Regional VPs (end users) That's 6 people. Each with different: - Priorities - Objections - Questions Rather than pestering my champion to coordinate everything... I created a single digital room with: - Role-specific sections for each stakeholder - Tailored ROI calculations for the CRO - Security documentation for IT - Implementation timeline for Enablement - Quick-start guides for the Regional VPs My champion shared the link. The magic happened silently: Analytics showed the CRO viewed the ROI calculator 5 times. The IT Director spent 15 minutes on security docs. Both Regional VPs watched the training videos. I hadn't spoken to any of them directly. But they were all selling themselves. When we finally had the "decision call," everyone was already aligned. No last-minute objections. No mysterious "other stakeholders." No surprises. Here's what changed: Old approach: Pray your champion effectively represents you to people you never meet. New approach: Give every stakeholder what they need, even without direct access. Multi-threading isn't about scheduling more calls. It's about making yourself irrelevant to the process. The best deals close when stakeholders convince themselves...without you in the room. Are you still gambling on single-threaded relationships? Or building networks that sell for you? Agree?

The "single champion" approach to enterprise sales is officially dead. I recently analyzed 20+ stalled enterprise deals and discovered that 76% of them died for the exact same reason: failure to engage with multiple stakeholders effectively. When 11+ people are involved in every buying decision, relying on one champion to carry your deal across the finish line is sales suicide. You're not dealing with a buyer, you're dealing with TWO separate teams that need completely different things: >>>The End User Team Needs to love your product's functionality and user experience >>>The Buying Team Needs to see concrete ROI and business justification Most sellers focus exclusively on one team while completely neglecting the other. Then they get the dreaded "we've decided to go in a different direction" email after months of work. In my newest episode of Innovative Seller, I break down my exact system for orchestrating multiple stakeholder groups simultaneously: 👉 The "web-building" follow-up strategy that creates multiple champions 👉 How to map different messaging to different stakeholders (with examples) 👉 The consensus-building framework that prevents deals from stalling 👉 Digital tools that let you scale your influence across all decision makers → Watch the full episode for the step-by-step playbook that's helping top enterprise sellers close bigger deals in half the time.

As a Sales Leader, structuring a repeatable top-of-funnel process is crucial for sustainable growth. Here’s a 9-step checklist you can use to build a durable sales funnel that not only fills the pipeline but ensures its longevity and effectiveness. 👇 1. Identifying and Understanding Your Ideal Customer Start with a clear picture of who you’re targeting. Analyze market data and customer feedback to define your ideal customer profile (ICP). This understanding directs all other sales efforts, ensuring they’re focused and effective. 2. Crafting and Communicating Your Value Proposition Your value proposition should resonate deeply with your ICP. It’s about clarity and relevance—make sure it addresses the specific needs and pain points of your target audience. 3. Developing a Targeted Outbound Strategy Tailor your outreach to the preferences and behaviors of your ICP. A targeted strategy ensures that your efforts are concentrated on the most promising leads. 4. Writing Sales Copy That Generates Pipeline Effective sales copy is clear, compelling, and directly speaks to your ICP’s needs.  Ensure your messaging consistently aligns with your value proposition and appeals to your audience. 5. Optimizing and Managing Outreach Channels Choose your channels based on where your ICP is most active. Regularly review and optimize these channels to maintain engagement and improve response rates. 6. Building and Maintaining Effective Sales Sequences Develop sequences that nurture leads at every step of the funnel. Automated workflows can help maintain timely follow-ups and consistent engagement. 7. Mastering Objections with Curiosity and Confidence Equip your team to handle objections by fostering a mindset of curiosity and confidence. This approach not only addresses concerns but also opens up opportunities for deeper engagement. 8. Conducting Discovery Meetings and Building Relationships Discovery meetings are crucial for understanding the prospect’s needs in-depth. Focus on building relationships rather than just selling, fostering trust and collaboration. 9. Creating Repeatable Processes to Ensure Durable Growth Systematize successful strategies to create a scalable and repeatable sales process. Continuous training, regular audits, and adaptability to market changes are key to sustaining success. ✨ Leadership Takeaway - Implementing these steps requires more than just strategic planning; it demands a commitment to continuous improvement and adaptation. Focus on these fundamentals to build a robust sales funnel that drives sustainable growth. Need a helping hand? Shoot me a DM and we can chat 1:1. #GTMAdvisor #SalesConsultant #SalesTraining #SalesProcess