Force Management

With the extensive attention from leadership directed toward the planning of sales kickoffs, the need to focus on what’s to follow too often gets lost. Today, John Kaplan joins Rachel for a discussion on the incumbency of managers leading SKOs to dispense the knowledge, skills and cultural spirit to spark enthusiasm and a drive for success amongst employees in attendance. In the process, he also insists upon the need for sales reps to have a gameplan, as he puts it, “after the hoopla” of the SKO.Speaking of John Kaplan, you don’t want to miss our upcoming live Ascender Insights special, “The Plan to Make the Plan”, hosted by the man himself! Join us on January 23, 2025, from 10 to 11 AM Eastern Standard Time to hear John’s practical and time-tested advice on putting together a plan to improve your sales execution in no time.And that’s not even the best part—get this: All quota-carrying reps and first-line managers who register for the discussion are automatically entered into a raffle to win a free, one-on-on

There often comes a point in deals when it’s best for all parties to go their separate ways. Today, Antonella O’Day joins Rachel to discuss the key indicators that you should walk away from a deal and how to do so tactfully. She talks about:Evaluating whether or not you can be successful in solving the customer’s problems.The number one reason why deals stall.The importance of tangible Customer Verifiable Outcomes to indicate the customer’s interest throughout the deal.Using the letters of MEDDICC to gauge your progress in a deal.Walking away from a deal on terms that leave the door open for future engagements.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Lead Qualification | Ascender CourseGetting to the Economic Buyer | Ascender CourseExecuting Your Discovery Strategy | Ascender CourseUncovering Hidden Pain Points | Ascender ArticleHow to Convince Your Customer to Take Action in Your Sales Process | Ascender ArticleCreating Urgency with Your Customer | Ascender VideoThe Coat of Pain |

Are you set up for success this year? Antonella O’Day walks through some key areas of focus as you come up with your own plan to make your plan this year. She covers ways to: Analyze trends from the past year and the competitive landscape.Set personal targets for 2025 based on data and personal experiences from 2024.Identify ideal customers and new growth opportunities.Reflect on past mistakes and successes to inform future strategies.Upcoming Webinar: Join John Kaplan for a webinar on "The Plan to Make the Plan" on Thursday, January 23rd. One lucky attendee will win a one-on-one coaching session with John. Register now to secure your spot: https://forcemanagement.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cb4xS0-zSjKA-eozmAA7RQ#/registrationThank you for listening!Visit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here

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.Visit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparison

A short word of thanks from the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast. Visit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparison

It’s crunch time as you work to get those last-minute deals in by the end of the year. In this short episode, John Kaplan gives you some words of advice as you finish strong. Visit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/Subscribe here: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/PlanComparison

As we approach the end of the year, it is time to reflect on what’s gone well and what can be improved going forward. An important part of your year-end reflection is evaluating whether or not you’re at the right place to apply your skills. Today, John Kaplan gives you the tools to assess if you’re at the right company and breaks it down to three key considerations: what, how and why you sell.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Essential Questions to Help You Become a Better Salesperson | Ascender ArticleThe Currency of Value | Ascender ArticleMaking Sure the Customer Understands Your Differentiation | Ascender VideoAttaching to the Biggest Business Problem | PodcastFinding the Next Sales Job | PodcastVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platform here: https://my.asce

Join John Kaplan this Thursday for a conversation on equipping new hires to ramp faster. He'll be joined by the Shift Group's JR Butler. They'll cover key ways you can improve that onboarding process. It's a great conversation for anyone who manages a team. Register here: https://www.forcemanagement.com/know-your-people

Discovery can be a demanding process, and finding the right questions to ask requires intensive listening and thoughtful preparation. Fortunately, there are a few questions that are relevant to every deal and can help you get the ball rolling. These include:“Can you walk me through your current process?”“What’s working well in your current process?”“What struggles are you currently facing?”In today’s episode, John Kaplan goes into detail about the standard questions to ask in every discovery process and explains how to use the answers to dig deeper and ignite a sense of urgency within the buyer.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Executing Your Discovery Strategy | Ascender CourseDeepen Your Discovery | Ascender CourseKey Questions to Ask in Your Sales Discovery Conversations | Ascender ArticleUncovering Hidden Pain Points | Ascender ArticleHow to Convince Your Customer to Take Action in Your Sales Process | Ascender ArticleCreating Urgency with Your Customer | Ascender VideoT

The ultimate goal of every rep is to close deals, and in today’s episode, John Kaplan outlines the necessary steps for sellers to maximize their odds of landing the big one. He discusses:Prioritizing pipeline generation.Voracious qualification, the most critical factor for closing deals.Aligning your value proposition with the priorities of the buying company.Implicating the customer’s pain.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Plan to Make Your Plan | Ascender CourseHow MEDDICC Helps You Sell Better | Ascender ArticleValue Pyramids in Sales | Ascender ArticleUncovering Hidden Pain Points | Ascender ArticleOur Best Content on Decision Criteria | Ascender ArticleFrom Features to Value: Shifting Your Sales Approach to Close Larger Deals | Ascender ArticleReassess Your Pipeline Opportunities | Ascender ArticleBuilding Your Pipeline | Ascender VideoBuilding a Rhythm Around Pipeline Generation | PodcastVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you

In this episode, we cover one of our most popular topics among our listeners: metrics. And its popularity is well warranted, as it remains a major stumbling block for many reps. John Boney joins us to give pointers on leveraging metrics to strengthen deals while steering clear of the common pitfalls. He discusses:The different types of metrics and what matters to whom.Why reps tend to struggle with higher-level metrics.Asking the right questions to align with the customer’s metrics.Turning metrics into proof points.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Achieving a Collective Yes | Ascender CourseExecuting Your Discovery Strategy | Ascender CourseNavigating the Political Landscape | Ascender CourseAscender’s Best Content on Value-Based Selling | Ascender ArticleHow Big is the Pain: Identifying Pain with MEDDICC | Ascender ArticleA Perspective on Metrics in MEDDICC | Ascender VideoFreezing Up With Metrics and PBOs | PodcastUsing Metrics Effectively in Your Sales Conversations | Po

Have you checked out Ascender yet? Our online platform to help reps with the daily grind of sales. Don't miss our upcoming events: Webinar: Selling to Experienced Buyers with Antonella O'Day - Register here: https://hubs.la/Q02XTCl_0Visit the Ascender Platform: https://my.ascender.co/Ascender/ExploreCheck out Ascender's Community: https://community.ascender.co/

As we approach the end of 2024, many companies are in the process of setting their priorities for the new year. In today’s episode, John Kaplan talks about aligning your solution with the corporate priorities of your customers as opposed to simply a department. He discusses:The need to talk to those with access to discretionary funds.Understanding the problems that you solve and the implications of those problems.Questions that will reveal the initiatives the Economic Buyer prioritizes.Obtaining a comprehensive view of the buying organization and being able to traverse it fluidly.Advice on selling to the CFO.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Getting to the Economic Buyer | Ascender CourseHow to Get Higher in Your Prospect’s Organization | Ascender ArticleEngaging the CFO | Ascender ArticleOur Best Content on Selling to the C-Suite | Ascender ArticleRise Above the Noise | Ascender VideoSelling to More Decision Makers | Force Management Article Broadening Your Sales Conversati

Maintaining contact with accounts provides many benefits for an organization, and salespeople play a huge role in setting the foundation for a long-term relationship between two companies. Today, Brian Walsh draws on his wealth of experience to explain what reps must do to keep their organization tethered to accounts. Topics of discussion include:Having a mindset of long-term growth and lifetime value.Laying the necessary pre-sale groundwork to remain tethered to an account post-sale.Positioning yourself to be able to ask the buyer for access.Avoiding mistakes reps often make when trying to stay tethered to accounts.Additional strategies to stay in touch with customers.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Getting to the Economic Buyer | Ascender CourseHow to Add More Value to the Sales Process | Ascender ArticleBuilding Up Your Referral Business | Ascender VideoTime to Value | PodcastWhat the Best Salespeople Do | PodcastVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeopl

Staying in control of a deal is all about qualification. Today, John Kaplan gives advice on being proactive, not reactive, in ensuring that the deal progresses in your favor and with urgency. He talks about:Being prepared for and adjusting to unforeseen changes.Dealing with the entrance of a new competitor.Qualifying proactively with MEDDICC.The importance of meeting the buyer where they are.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Validating Champions | Ascender CourseAdapt and Deliver: Positioning Value During Changes | Ascender ArticleOur Best Content on Decision Criteria | Ascender ArticleBeing Audible-Ready to Change Tracks in Sales Conversations | Ascender ArticleKey Steps for Qualifying Your Deals | Ascender VideoWhen Leadership Changes in Your Prospect Account | PodcastMaking MEDDICC Work for You as a Rep | PodcastVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out

If you’re a seller, you already know that rejection is a way of life. Unfortunately, a negative mindset about rejection remains the barrier that prevents many salespeople from reaching their fullest potential. In this episode, John Kaplan explains how to handle rejection in a way that sets you up for success down the road. He discusses:Viewing rejection as a learning opportunity instead of a failure.Taking yourself out of it and becoming unoffendable.Leaving the door open for conversations down the road.The importance of resilience in sales.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Objection Handling | Ascender CourseTraining the Seller’s Brain for Positivity | Ascender ArticleBuilding Your Pipeline | Ascender VideoBuilding a Rhythm Around Pipeline Generation | PodcastRoger Federer’s Commencement Address at DartmouthVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content

Sellers must understand the more detail-oriented technical pains as well as the wider-ranging business pains of a customer’s organization. Elite salespeople are able to balance both worlds. You should be able to speak with those involved with the operational aspects of a company, learn their pain through effective discovery, and then move up and tie those technical pains with business issues that will catch the attention of C-level executives. In this episode, John Kaplan explains in depth the differences between technical and business pains, how elite sellers connect the two, and the importance of getting customers to put on their coat of pain.Here are some additional resourcesEnable Your Salespeople to Help Buyers Stand in the Moment of Painhttps://bit.ly/2ZEoRgIFinding the Business Pain w/ John Kaplan | Podcasthttps://apple.co/3IjzrRbCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Your customer may raise an objection at any point during the sales process, and there is an infinite number of objections a customer may propose. In this episode, Antonella O’Day discusses the mindset salespeople need to handle objections, and she explains three tactics sellers can apply to successfully deal with them. These tactics are:Showing the customer that you hear their objection.Understanding the customer’s why.Reframing the customer’s objection.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Objection Handling | Ascender CourseDeepen Your Discovery | Ascender CourseKey Ways to Prepare for Customer Anchors in Sales NegotiationsTurn Skepticism Into Opportunity | Ascender ArticleHesitant Buyers and Price Objections | Ascender VideoVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content every day with insights to help you level up in your sales career.Check out the platfo

In today’s episode, Rachel and John discuss the ever-pertinent need for sellers to identify and attach to the customer’s biggest business problem. John shares the mindset and the steps necessary for reps to make the right connections and get the information they need to do so successfully. He talks about:Tying technical requirements to business outcomes.Navigating the political landscape of the customer organization with savvy.The need to get the customer to stand in their moment of pain.Deepening your discovery to implicate the customer’s pain.Here are some additional resources:Get MEDDICC Certified on Ascender!Navigating the Political Landscape | Ascender CourseDeepen Your Discovery | Ascender CourseObjection Handling | Ascender CourseThe Importance of Multi-Threaded Selling | Ascender ArticleThe Coat of Pain | Ascender VideoVisit Ascender, a platform designed solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content every day with

Don’t miss these upcoming Force Management Webinars: Your SKO: Common Mistakes You Can’t Afford to MakePlanning a hashtag is a big undertaking. Even more difficult is executing an event that focuses on execution. Force Management’s Tim Caito joins Rachel Clapp Miller for a discussion on how to get beyond the “event” of the SKO and make it a driver of your revenue goals. Sign up here: https://hubs.li/Q02PdLJ10 Building Consensus with MetricsIf you’re struggling with how to talk metrics with your customer, this webinar is for you. If you’re a manager and your teams aren’t really grasping this skill, make sure to share it with them. We’ll dig into how you should be approaching these conversations with key buyer personas. Sign up here: https://hubs.la/Q02PG1Cf0If you can’t make it, register anyway! We’ll send you the recording.