The Sales Accelerator (In-House)

Day one – Activity

This first module introduces the Sales Accelerator model. The goal here is to show participants how to increase their pro-active activity levels by around 10%. It covers all aspects of creating new business opportunities, from existing customers and non-customers alike, and is linked to personal activity improvement goals.

Main elements

• Improve the productivity, accuracy and effectiveness of your business approach by using new and unique models and techniques.
• Different methods of creating and generating new business opportunities in the short, medium and long term. This includes sourcing new business, up-selling, cross-selling, warm calling and gaining referrals.
• Using organised persistence to track and build new customer revenue.
• Managing your sales time effectively.

Key learning points

• Sales productivity – understand the dynamics of increasing the combination of activity levels, deal value and conversion rate of proposals/quotations to orders and implement an improvement plan.
• Sales goal setting: setting business development objectives for quantity and quality – plus tips and tricks of top performers.
• Maintain a peak activity level, on a consistent basis using ‘organised persistence’ and structured business development tracking methodology.
• How to prioritise opportunities and manage your time when sourcing new business.
• Identify potential new customers – and particularly the decision-makers and influencers – with greater accuracy.
• Make outbound business or appointment calls with improved confidence, control and results.

Day two – Value

To be able to better anticipate, identify, create, and develop business opportunities using a customer / client-focused communication-based business model and consultative skills.

Main elements

• How to develop sales more effectively from new and existing customers; and managing the first appointment with a new customer.
• Use structured and assertive drawing-out skills to identify, develop and formalise business opportunities and to gain commitment.
• How to better position your company and your products and services against your main competitors.
• Create and deliver persuasive business messages based on specific need areas, criteria and value.

Key learning points

• Advanced consultative selling – use a variety of structured and advanced questioning techniques to confidently and efficiently uncover opportunities, need areas and business criteria – confidently and efficiently.
• Involve the customer/client at all times, and to a far greater degree, and keep better control of business development process.
• Value message – differentiate your solutions clearly and accurately with customer/client-matched value statements.
• Presenting the right USPs, features and benefits and making them relevant and real to the customer.

Qualification and reading buying signals.

Day three (held around four weeks after the first module) – Conversion

This module looks at how to improve the final qualification, progression and conversion of opportunities in your sales pipeline. Also includes price negotiation, overcoming objections and obstacles to gaining agreement. The module begins with a learning review, sharing participants’ experiences over the last four weeks in applying the new techniques and skills acquired during the first two modules. This is an opportunity to revisit particularly challenging areas as well as to share and celebrate successes.

Main elements

• Structuring and preparing for negotiating a deal and knowing when and how to move into the ‘end-game’ mode.
• Anticipate and answer customer objections and questions more confidently.
• Build more credibility and proof into your business process to reduce ‘buyer’s remorse’ and speed-up decision-making.
• Being more assertive and developing better instincts and strategic thinking in progressing quotations and proposals.

Key learning points

• Smart ways to position price, emphasise value and be a strong player without being the cheapest.
• Becoming more assertive in closing deals, and the importance of organised follow-up on the telephone.
• Qualify pipeline opportunities with more accuracy, using a proven check-list.
• Use an ‘option generator’ to simplify complex proposals, increase business value and close business faster.
• Writing more effective sales proposal documents and quotations.
• How best to draw-out, understand, isolate and answer customer objections, negotiate points and concerns.
• Practical methods of asking for agreement and closing a sale