Force Management

Force Management has launched our new product: Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your sales career.Join our Founders Circle here: https://www.ascender.co/We often speak about MEDDICC on this show, and for good reason. It’s used by several different sales companies, and if you’re selling software, you’re almost certainly at least somewhat familiar with it—perhaps your company uses it! But MEDDICC is just as valuable as an individual toolset for reps. We are joined today by our special guest, Force Management Senior Director of Facilitation Brian Walsh, to discuss ways you can get MEDDICC to work for you. We discuss:What MEDDICC is and what it is not.The need to be a voracious qualifier as a seller.The importance of spending your time on high-value selling activities and how MEDDICC qualification helps you to

Who couldn't use more qualified leads in the pipeline?John Kaplan joins Jason Bay, CEO of Outbound Squad for a discussion on How to turn Account Executives into prospecting machines (backed by 3+ decades of experience)THIS WEDNESDAY - October 26th | 1pm ET | 10am PTRegister Here: https://forc.mx/3VXCLrp

Force Management has launched our new product: Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your sales career.Join our Founders Circle here: https://www.ascender.co/Outbound sales is in a state of rapid change. Many companies and reps struggle to keep up with the whirlwind of technological advancements to figure out how best to conduct outbound in the current market. Joining us for today’s episode is Outbound Squad founder and CEO Jason Bay to discuss how to position yourself for success. He talks about:Current industry trendsNovelty weariness and getting back to the basics.Structuring outbound efforts as a small team seeking traction.The benefit in hiring people specifically for outbound.Prioritizing the prospect’s priorities over the value of your solution.  Outbound Squad is a company that teaches reps how to effect

Force Management has launched our new product: Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your sales career.Join our Founders Circle here: https://www.ascender.co/Reps like you are always looking for ways to break into a new account. Trying to get into a new account can be stressful for many, but in today’s episode, John Kaplan shares valuable insight about how to do so with confidence. He speaks in-depth about:Common mistakes sellers make when pursuing new accounts.The need to question the “why” and “who” when it comes to a prospective company.Using the three Ps—Purpose, Process and Payoff—to persuade the prospect.The value of building your referral network.Here are some additional resources:Your Most Critical Accounts: 4 Questions to Ask Develop Proof Points That Make an Impact Building Your Referral Network | Podc

Force Management has launched our new product: Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your sales career.Join our Founders Circle here: https://www.ascender.co/How do you prepare for your next role, be it in your current sales organization or a different one? This is a question that sales professionals face throughout their careers. In this episode, John Kaplan explains how to be purposeful as you prepare for your next step. He gives advice about:Making the transition to management.Going from a BDR or SDR to an account executive.Preparing for an interview for a job that you haven’t done before.Additional steps you can take to progress your career in sales.Here are some additional resources:Essential Questions for Your Next Job Search | Ascender Course  How to Use Your Sales Skills in Your Next Job InterviewCheck

No one can be everywhere at once and sometimes you can’t be in the room where decisions are being made. That’s why it’s so important that your buyer understands the benefits of your solution. In today’s episode, John Kaplan explains how to empower your buyer to be the hero of your sales story. This episode touches on a number of topics, including:Starting your sales story with the end in mind so your buyer is excited for the desired outcome.Attaching the sale to the issue you’re trying to solve.Equipping your buyer to sell your solution to others in their organization.Here are some additional resources:How to Tell Impactful Stories The Audible-Ready Sales Podcast | Podcast Finding the Business Pain w/ John Kaplan | Podcast Force Management has launched our new product: Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your

Force Management has launched our new product: Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your sales career.Join our Founders Circle here: https://www.ascender.co/People with confidence and conviction truly believe that what they do matters, no matter their line of work. For that confidence to translate into success, there must be passion and a sense of purpose for what you do. John Kaplan explains why sellers like you need to tap into the belief that your job matters, and he shares what you can do to have the confidence and conviction to be elite.Here are some additional resources:Sales Best Practices: Attach to the Biggest Business ProblemOvercoming Sales Challenges: Change the Decision CriteriaHow to Improve Qualification in Your Sales OrganizationCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at A

Force Management has launched our new product: Ascender. It is a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. If you enjoy the Audible-Ready Sales Podcast, Ascender is perfect for you! We put out content of a similar nature every day with insights that will help you to level up in your sales career.Join our Founders Circle here: https://www.ascender.co/When it comes to sales planning, we encourage reps to take on what we call the sales franchise mindset. You have to view your territory as your own business. Take accountability for and ownership of your franchise. In this episode, John Kaplan explains the importance of taking on the franchise mindset and how to do so.Here are some additional resources:Three Steps for Your Sales Plan | PodcastThe Mindset You Need to Hit Your Number w/ John Kaplan | Podcast Set A Results-Driven Sales Planning MindsetCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Solution requirements are a critical component of every deal you sell. These are things that must be in place in order for a buyer to achieve their desired outcomes, and they exist with or without your solution. In today’s episode, John Kaplan explains the importance of recognizing your customer’s solution requirements and what to do with that knowledge. You will learn how to:Bridge the customer’s current state to their desired future state.Position your value in a way that influences the customer’s requirements.Ask great discovery questions that show your customer how your solution is needed to solve their business issues.Here are some additional resources:How to Stack Customer Requirements in Your FavorThe Missing Link Between Your Differentiation and Your Buyers Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

We’ve done a number of episodes about what to do in a tightening economy and how to overcome economic headwinds. In this episode, we focus specifically on the need to position value early on in the sales process and how doing so can help you in more challenging sales cycles where companies are increasingly reluctant to spend. Force Management Senior Partner Tim Caito gives several helpful pointers on how to reframe your value, particularly during periods of economic turbulence. Tim’s advice covers:The importance of viewing difficult economic times from the perspective of customersEmphasizing the value of your expertise rather than that of your solutionUncovering a buyer’s strategic priorities and reframing your solution’s value accordinglyFour critical questions about the customer’s decision process to ask yourself as you move deals forwardHere are some additional resources:Reframing Your Buyer Message for What’s Happening Right NowThe Most Powerful Tool for Your Sales Organization: What is a Value Framework?

With the distractions present in today’s world, making an effort to maintain buyer focus is more important than ever. Keeping your customers engaged is particularly crucial during economic downturns, when businesses and individuals alike are hesitant to spend the way they normally would. In this episode, John Kaplan sheds light on how to keep your customers focused when they may be wavering. John shares insight about:The importance of having an outside-in mentalityArticulating your solution’s value in alignment with your customer’s needsGetting your customer emotionally connected to their mission-critical problemsReengaging a prospect after they’ve gone darkHere are some additional resources:Keep the Focus on Your Buyer in Your Sales ProcessStrike A Balance – Align to the Buyer Without Losing Control of Your Deal Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

There is a motor that all great salespeople possess. It comes down to the tenacity they have to do the job well, a focus on their customer’s success and an overall accountability. The great thing about sales is it’s something you can work at. With sales as a profession, we’re often only limited by the amount of work we are able to put in. That’s why Force Management is launching our new product - a platform solely for salespeople who own a quota. Anyone can subscribe. In this episode, John Kaplan and Rachel Clapp Miller talk through Force’s new product. Get on the waitlist to join our Founders Circle: https://www.ascender.co Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Maybe you’ve hit a bit of a slump. Perhaps you’ve been down on your luck lately. You are not alone—as sellers, it’s disheartening when nothing seems to be going our way. It comes with the territory. How do you counteract a slide in fortune? John Kaplan shares some spirit and insight regarding steps to take to get out of a slump.Here are some additional resourcesHow to Determine Where Your Sales Team is Struggling the MostOvercoming Sales Challenges: Change the Decision CriteriaCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

There is always the possibility of a recession or financial downturn. During such times, companies are inclined to tighten their budgets, which may make salespeople like you nervous, to say the least. How do you sell effectively when your customers are focused on minimizing unnecessary costs and reevaluating their current budget line items? Get customer focused. People buy for three reasons: your solution will increase revenue, decrease cost, or mitigate risks. In this episode, John Kaplan shares how to align your solution with big business issues that will drive urgency from buyers.Here are some additional resourcesKey Ways to Gain Executive Buy-in and More Budget for Your Sales InitiativeGet Busy: Advice for Salespeople w/ John Kaplan | PodcastCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

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.

All sellers occasionally go through rough periods. Maybe you’ve had some bad breaks or customer shake-ups. John Kaplan explains why you might be losing and offers suggestions for how to move forward after low periods, including attaching to the prospect’s biggest business issues, influencing decision criteria with your differentiation, and having reliable Champions and Coaches to support your opportunities.Here are some additional resourcesEnable Managers to Make an Impact on Future Deals Using Win/Loss Insights Sales Best Practices: Attach to the Biggest Business Problem Overcoming Sales Challenges: Change the Decision Criteria Beyond the Win/Loss Data with Tim Caito | Video  Check out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Both sellers and buyers today recognize the power of testimonials when it comes to influencing customers to purchase a product or service—it’s ingrained in our society. However, it may be difficult for reps to determine where exactly they fit in when it comes to testimonials. What is your role? John Kaplan explains how to effectively leverage testimonials in a sales process to maximize the success and size of your deals.Here are some additional resourcesFour Ways to Use Customer Testimonials in Your Sales ProcessMaximize the Effectiveness of Proof Points in Your Sales ConversationsDevelop Proof Points That Make an ImpactMethods to Increase Sales: Nailing Your Proof Points Maximize the Effectiveness of Proof Points w/ John Kaplan | PodcastCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website .

We’ve all worked for someone who we didn’t think was that great as a manager. How do you, a seller, handle the scenario in which you’re working for a bad manager but aren’t quite ready to leave? John Kaplan shares some advice on how to improve your work experience when in such a situation and what to look for in your next company.Here are some additional resourcesHow to Ensure You're Selling For A Great CompanySigns You're Working for a Company That's Staged for GrowthCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Hear the practices that the most elite salespeople exhibit. John Kaplan joins us to highlight must-execute action steps for sellers including: expanding your referral networks, defining buyer metrics, influencing decision criteria, getting multi-threaded in your sales approach, and asking for help. Take your sales career to the next level. Use these action steps.Here are some additional resourcesWhy Sales Reps Struggle with Metrics in the Sales ConversationYour Most Critical Accounts: 4 Questions to AskSales Best Practices: 5 Ways to Prepare for Your Next Sales MeetingCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

When you work for someone else, much of your day to day can be out of your control and power. So, how do you take ownership of that which you can control? In this episode, John Kaplan explains the importance of owning your success and shares tips on how to put yourself in a position to succeed as a sales rep.Plus, as promised, here is the definition of a floppy disk for our younger listeners: a thin plastic disk coated with magnetic material on which data for a computer can be stored (Merriam-Webster).If you have any ideas for future episodes, send them to Rachel at rclapp@forcemanagement.com.Here are some additional resourcesHow to Ensure You're Selling for a Great Company (forcemanagement.com)How to Make Sure You're Working for Great Companies | PodcastBuilding an Accountable Culture | PodcastCheck out this and other episodes of The Audible-Ready Podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.