Posts

The Best Partner Programs Don’t Just Reward Revenue — They Improve Execution

Image
A lot of companies think partner programs are mainly about incentives. Discounts. Rebates. MDF. Tiers. Deal registration. Certifications. Those things matter. But on their own, they do not make a partner program strong. The best partner programs do not just reward revenue. They improve execution. That is the difference. A weak partner program may create activity. A strong partner program helps create better partner behavior, better alignment, and better customer outcomes. Too many organizations build partner programs around what is easy to administer rather than what actually helps partners succeed in the market. The result is often predictable: a lot of internal program structure, but not enough real field impact. Partners do not become more effective just because a vendor adds another tier, another incentive, or another portal. They become more effective when the program makes it easier to understand where to focus, how to position, when to engage, and how to win. That is where the b...
Post a Comment
Read more

AI Won’t Fix a Weak Go-to-Market Strategy

Image
AI is an amplifier. It amplifies clarity, but it also amplifies confusion. There is a lot of excitement right now around how AI can improve sales, marketing, customer engagement, and operational efficiency. Much of that excitement is justified. Used well, it can improve content creation, accelerate research, support prospecting, strengthen workflows, and make good teams more productive and responsive. But there is a growing mistake I see in the market. Too many organizations treat AI like a strategy, when it is really an accelerator. AI amplifies what is already there. If your go-to-market strategy is strong, AI can help you move faster and more effectively. If it is weak, AI can help you spread confusion more efficiently. 1. Unclear differentiation If your company cannot clearly explain why a customer should choose you over another option, AI will not solve that problem. It may help you produce more messaging, more emails, or more campaign variations, but more output is no...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Differentiation Still Matters in Complex B2B Sales

Image
Why Differentiation Still Matters in Complex B2B Sales Most companies think differentiation starts with the product. It doesn’t. Differentiation starts with what the customer has been taught to value. Most companies believe that if they explain their offering clearly enough, buyers will naturally understand why it is better. But in crowded markets, that is rarely how decisions get made. When multiple providers look similar, customers do not automatically reward the company with the most capabilities. They often default to price, familiarity, or perceived risk. In other words, the market rarely rewards the company with the most strengths. It rewards the company that most clearly teaches which strengths matter. That is where many teams break down. Marketing may create messaging around broad value claims. Sales may lead with discovery, product information, or pricing pressure. Leadership may assume the market already understands where the company wins. But if those groups are ...
Post a Comment
Read more

How well does your B2B marketing team play with your sales team?

Image
by Robb Woolsey How well does your B2B marketing team play with your sales team? It is commonly referred to as the Sales and Marketing organization, however in many organizations today we have siloed the two organizations rendering both less effective. In today's world of complex solutions, products and sales cycles, does your company's marketing team understand the challenges that the sales teams are facing. Do they fully understand the product or solution being offered, as well as, the key differentiators between your companies offering and the competition? How well are we arming our sales people with those key differentiators? What are our "unique" strengths? I recently read a post by Laura Lake , Vice President of Interactive and Client Services, for Entrepreneur Advertising Group in Kansas City. She had just attended a sales seminar by Jeffrey Gitomer author of The Sales Bible and The Sale Re-defined. "one thing I noticed in the session was th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Differentiate or Die

Image
By Robb Woolsey What Set's you Apart? reidhoffman - startup-of-you      
Post a Comment
Read more

Why should your customer's buy from you over anyone else?

Image
by Robb Woolsey How are customers supposed to choose between suppliers that they perceive to be more or less undifferentiated? Simple...They choose based on price! Do you find yourself or your reps, if you are a manager, constantly going back to price in order to win business? Or worse, you discover an issue and teach the customer how it can be done better. Then the customer puts out an RFQ on your solution, making you a free consultant. What do you as a company do better than anyone else? What are your "unique" strengths? In today's increasingly complex world of Solution Sales, most reps do as they have been taught. They follow the system of discovery. They teach their customers how they could do something differently, bring in an ROI model, achieve buy in from the customer for their solution, and attempt to close the sale. The Challenger Sale, Teaching for Differentiation Rule #1 - "Teach to Your Unique Strengths...
Post a Comment
Read more

"The Challenger Sale" a Quick Summary

Image
by Robb Woolsey I am a Challenger, now I am not saying that I am challenging, though my colleagues might disagree. I have used this process to be successful in my entrepreneurial ventures and my sales career. Challengers are the debaters on the team. They have a deep understanding of the customer’s business and use that understanding to push the customer’s thinking and teach them something new about how they can compete more effectively. They are not afraid to share their views, even when they are different and potentially controversial. Challengers are assertive and tend to press customers both on thinking and price. I am in the process of working through the book "The Challenger Sale Taking Control of the Conversation"; below is a quick summary. In a world of hesitant, risk-averse, empowered customers, where research and product is but a mouse click away, what sales approach consistently wins? To find out, CEB surveyed over 6000 sales reps across geographies and i...
Post a Comment
Read more