Sales Methodology or Sales Process?

Sales Methodology or Sales Process?

When someone asks me "which sales methodology are you using?" - my favorite answer is “all of them”. In truth, there is no silver bullet in sales methodology. However, before choosing a sales methodology you probably need to clearly define your sales process.

A documented sales process serves as a guideline to help sales reps determine proper next steps to bring prospect through the buyer’s journey to that final sale.

Unlike a sales process, a sales methodology isn't applied to the entire sales cycle; rather, it focuses in one area of a sales process and builds unique approaches based on a business’s goals, culture, and values. It’s more of a strategy.

When it comes to sales methodologies, there are 9 most popular methodologies companies use: 

•  The Challenger Sale
•  SPIN Selling
•  N.E.A.T. Selling
•  The Sandler System
•  Solution Selling
•  Inbound Selling
•  MEDDIC
•  Conceptual Selling
•  SNAP Selling

Many of the sales training methodologies started with a specific focus. For example, SPIN Selling started with a focus on the discovery and a questioning methodology to understand and probe into customer problems. Miller Heiman’s Large Account Selling originally focused on expanding share and growing presence in large accounts.

Some methodologies tend to be focused more heavily on a certain part of the sales process. For example, Challenger focuses more on the very front end of the process, providing insights that motivate the customer to take action and change. Some methodologies focus on negotiation which occurs at the end of the sales process.

My strategy is to take the best from several methodologies, creating my own unique methodology. I know a number of companies that have purposefully leveraged a number of methodologies -- one year they might learn one, two years later another, two years later yet another. They then incorporate the best pieces into what works for them.

Sales process or methodology?

So do we need a sales process or a sales methodology? The definitive answer is, “Yes, we need both.” Make sure to invest the time in understanding and defining your own sales process. It’s the cornerstone to your success and differentiation. 

Overlay that, and sharpen the execution of your sales process with a great sales methodology. But make sure the methodology is integrated into your sales process. 

Don’t forget, you sustain your investment in any sales training by integrating it into your systems, processes, tools, and most importantly, coaching strategies."

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Channel Partner Program to Succeed in the new world of Digital Transformation

The Channel Partner Program to Succeed in the new world of Digital Transformation

Let’s face it, the digital revolution is redefining business models, go-to-market strategies, sales tactics and much more across every industry and vertical.

With growing complexities in the technology stack, businesses in every vertical are unsure of what they need and how to evolve their businesses to stay competitive in the digital-first era.

Priorities and goals are constantly shifting, leaving technology up for debate at each stage.

The channel team I am managing has collaborated with our sales, business development and engineering teams to see the complete picture and determine how we can best set our partners up for success and help them drive impact for whatever is next in a customer’s agenda.

Our partner program has been adapted to equip our partners with the tools, training and support needed to create critical long-term value for their customers who want to thrive in this digital revolution.

Our ecosystem of partners is structured in two tiers: At the top are our most strategic partners. This level gains access to resources that provide strategic support needed for partners to incorporate our solution into their digital story so that our mutual customers can achieve maximum value:

·  Sales and Pre-sales Enablement: Through customized, in-person    training and enablement programs we’ll build sales and pre-sales champions within our partners and drive a deeper understanding of our solution. These advanced level “Masters” training courses will ensure that we’re delivering optimal value to our joint customers as they undergo their digital transformations.

· Services Implementation Training: Completion of this hands-on practical training will enable our partners to build advanced consulting services and have a more direct relationship with our customers. Once certified through this program, our partners will be able to work directly with our customers to drive more differentiated offerings based on customers’ unique needs.

· Dedicated Sales Engineering and Field Channel Manager   Support: We’re heavily investing in growing specialized teams that offer support at every stage of our partnerships – from laying the foundation of each partnership and aligning with channel sales resources to dedicated channel SE teams that will work hand in hand with partner’s technical teams to develop joint offerings.

·   Exclusive Rebate Program: Our partners will receive an agreed rebate to enable additional investments into building a long-term, strategic solution practice.

In addition to the benefits listed above, partners will have access to following resources that are available to all our partners:

·  Online Training: All partners are eligible for our “Kick Starter” online courses, which provide an ideal introduction to our solutions. Both sales and pre-sales partner teams will have access to this 101-level content for a strong start with mutual customers and an accelerated path to profitability.

· Margin Guaranteed: Unlike most deal registration programs, we guarantee our margins by paying our partners an agreed percentage of the Total Contract Value. This results in greater predictability in joint opportunities.

·   Sales and Pre-sales Support: Our sales and pre-sales teams will work closely with our partners and mutual customers to assist with proof of concept, Business Value Adds (BVAs) and joint planning.

Philippe
 Lignac sales director MDSL at Procurecon Amsterdam

We are constantly improving our partner program to response to the technical complexities and hurdles our customers are facing in the digital revolution. Working more collaboratively with our top partners and sharpening alignment with their technical talent will establish a strong network of global technology leaders our customers can call upon to help realize their digital transformation visions. 

Now if we look across other companies,

What the Best SaaS Partner Programs Have in Common

• All companies offer co-marketing support for their partners.

• All companies offer a partner portal to help manage their partner relationships.

• Most programs are free to join. Only a few large enterprise programs (Salesforce, HubSpot, and PayPal) have partner fees.

• Two-thirds of partner programs pay partners for referrals, although frequently this is only offered to higher-tier partners. Partner programs that don’t offer compensation for referrals are usually smaller companies.

• Likewise, two-thirds of SaaS companies list their partners publicly, although once again this benefit is frequently only offered to higher-tier partners.

• All but a handful of SaaS partner programs provide some form of sales training, although only half provide hands-on sales support.

Looking over the list of the best SaaS partner programs, a few common themes jump out:

Overall, each of the partner programs offered a mix of services for partners, while utilizing the strengths and weaknesses of both parties involved.

Philippe Lignac sales director MDSL with Eli Lilly

Philippe Lignac sales director MDSL

Philippe Lignac sales director MDSL talking at Procurecon Amsterdam

Some great examples, I picked up from looking at their websites

1. Atlassian’s Solutions Partner Program
2- Slack’s Communication Platform Partner Program
3- Zendesk Customer Service and Engagement Platform
4- Optimizely’s Conversion Rate Optimization Software

1-Atlassian makes collaboration tools for teams of all sizes, including the popular issue management tool Jira and knowledge base tool Confluence. Atlassian offers a tiered Solution Partner Program—all tiers include partner portal access, access to certification and training programs, a listing on Atlassian’s partner directory, and free access to Atlassian products for internal use. Higher tiers also include referral bonuses, product discounts, and a dedicated channel manager. Partners can graduate to higher tiers by meeting sales goals and completing Atlassian’s training programs.

Key Takeaway: Creating tiers based on performance means that you can reward partners based on their contributions to your business.

2-Slack provides a well-run integrations program for partners, working with over 1,000 SaaS products to help users be more efficient and productive in their communications. Their partner list includes some big names, like Salesforce and Google, so partners can be sure the program is well run.

Slack’s partner program isn’t open to just anyone – to join the program, potential partners must submit a complete application and be accepted into the partner program. The benefits for integration partners are huge, with access to 9 million weekly active users and a listing in the public Slack apps directory to help users find the functionality they’re looking for. To help support app developers, Slack provides partners with detailed documentation on their API and platform.

Key Takeaway: Partner applications help ensure customers can rely on your partners, especially for mission-critical products.

3- Zendesk’s Customer Service and Engagement Platform

Zendesk helps companies turn interactions into lasting relationships through their integrated platform of customer support, knowledge base, and live chat tools.

Zendesk’s partner program ticks a lot of boxes, offering benefits across three different tiers: Referral Partner, Solution Provider, and Business Service Provider. Technology partners can build apps to integrate with Zendesk as well. All partners receive access to online sales training, commissions for referrals, a dedicated partner manager, and more. Higher tiers are eligible for instructor-led product training, marketing funds, and joint business planning. Zendesk also maintains a public directory of Zendesk client services & partners.

Key Takeaway: Clear documentation on your partner programs can help partners understand how they will benefit, especially when you offer multiple different programs.

4- Optimizely’s A/B testing software allows SaaS companies to take the guesswork out of product development and marketing, making it easy to run and manage A/B tests to optimize conversions and product experience.

Partnering with Optimizely includes comprehensive developer support and enablement, a custom sandbox for experimentation, and access to Optimizely’s partner community and certifications through Optimizely Academy. Co-marketing resources are provided for partners along with a dedicated partner manager and joint sales collateral to help with sales enablement. All partners are listed in a public directory of Optimizely partners, and Optimizely will pay a 10-20% commission on the first year of customer revenue.

Key Takeaway: Offering a certification program can help increase your partners increase trust with their own customers.

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Negotiation skills - "start with no" Review

Philippe-Lignac: Negotiation skill - "Start with No"

Negotiation management skills are perhaps the most important professional competency for any executive. Unfortunately, they are also the most widely neglected. Why is that? Fear, particularly the fear of failure and rejection, convinces all of us to behave and perform at suboptimal levels. 

Instead of maximizing results, we often times make poor decisions leading to unnecessary compromise. 

Section 1: Mindset

Contrary to the status quo, the Camp System of negotiation does not hold stock in the theory of “win-win”. Known as the contrarian perspective, this section asks you to consider, what is truly “REQUIRED” in order for a negotiation to take place? Is compromise required? Are power and leverage, what really gives you the authority in negotiation? How can you reduce your feelings of vulnerability no matter who you’re negotiating with?

Picture of Philippe Lignac MDSL sales director in Orlando

Philippe Lignac in Orlando

Section 2: Mission and Purpose

Most negotiators are so concerned about their own interests, they miss the opportunity to spend time answering the questions, “what are we going to provide the other party, and how will we provide it?” Or even worse, we make the assumption it goes without saying and never ask for confirmation and validation. Mission and Purpose empower us to ask for every decision throughout the life of the engagement. Without it, we’re guessing and potentially leaving money on the table.

Interview of Philippe Lignac Sales director MDSL at EEM London.
Mobile event for a large corporation.

Philippe Lignac at EMM London

Philippe Lignac with Durvin Sandiford at London event



Section 3: Behaviors

How do you identify what to say, and how to say it? The negotiator's ability to communicate effectively, even in the most contentious or high stakes negotiation, can make all the difference in the world. The behavioral skill sets in this section are designed to keep you safe while uncovering the motivations and challenges the other party wishes to solve. How to ask the right question at the right time is habitual amongst the finest negotiators in the world.

Philippe Lignac Interview for TV

TV Interview with Philippe Lignac Sales director MDSL


Section 4: System Structure

In this section of the book, they bring everything together and help you master the discipline of preparing, executing, and debriefing using the Camp System’s proprietary Checklist and Log process. Depending on what we already know, or more importantly don’t know, there are ways of identifying and setting the right agenda. The negotiator’s ability to identify what we want from each engagement is both critical and necessary to reach optimal outcomes.

Philippe Lignac in Tokyo - Sales director MDSL

Philippe Lignac in Tokyo

Philippe Lignac Sales Director MDSL in Tokyo for the customer's meetings

Philippe Lignac Sales Director MDSL with team

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Sales Techniques - The Challenger Sales Adaptation

The Challenger Sale: Five Steps To Implementing Commercial Teaching in Your Sales Presentation

After extensive research across a whole range of industries, CEB discovered that successful salespeople challenge their customers by not simply responding to their needs but actually redefining them. A good challenger provides insight, helps a customer avoid pitfalls, and offers products and services that the client doesn’t even know exist. This technique is called “Commercial Teaching,” and any teacher will tell you, it’s all about your presentation. 

Philippe Lignac has been in the business of building engaging presentations and other marketing/sales collateral for over three decades. He believes that companies can achieve better results with well-constructed and well-designed presentations. Applying the lessons of The Challenger Sale and Commercial Teaching to your presentation can add additional levels of insight and persuasiveness and is another step toward more memorable presentations.

Here are some tips you can use to build content for each step of the presentation.

Step 1 – The Warmer

“I understand what you’re going through.”

Philippe Lignac Sales Director MDSL Procurcon Amsterdam

Most presenters love to start by talking about who they are and what they do. Unfortunately, leading off with talking about yourself doesn’t work any better in a client meeting than it does on a first date. If you show your audience you understand them, they will start to pay attention.

Here’s how you actually want to break the ice (no promises any of this will help your dating life):

• Establish relevance. Address some typical problems they might be dealing with to show you understand where they’re coming from.
• Demonstrate expertise. Show that you have the experience to understand what they’re dealing with and convey it with polished and professional visuals.
• Create curiosity. Keep the slide content sparse to encourage open discourse, and build suspense.
• Use interactivity. Interactive content is a great way to get the audience to start talking because they can decide what pain points they want to talk about.

Right now, the Commercial Teaching approach might not feel as comfortable as leading with your company’s highlight reel, but if you set the tone with thoughtful conversation instead of self-promotion, and it will pay off later.

Philippe Lignac Sales Director MDSL Procurecon Amsterdam

Step 2 – The Reframe

"The problem behind your problem."

Now that your audience is all warmed up, don’t just respond to their needs, redefine them. Time to break the news that their problems will not be solved with the solution they’ve imagined.

• Stay relevant. Address the concerns they found most relevant during the warmer.
• Be surprising. Make their heads spin with your new point-of-view focused on the true source of their problem.
• Show excitement. Use bold graphics and animation to add drama.
• Deliver with poise. Practice in the mirror. This is the most dramatic part of your presentation and also the riskiest because it is meant to shock. Make sure sticks quickly like a good punchline.

If all goes well, your audience will advance from mild curiosity to a strong emotional connection. Now they should be paying attention

Philippe Lignac Sales Director MDSL Procurecon Amsterdam

Step 3 – Rational Drowning

"Not just shocking, also true."

The Rational Drowning stage is all about backing up your Reframe with solid data. It’s very easy to get this far and want to immediately want start promoting your Product. Why not just get to the good part? Just because you laid it out brilliantly, doesn’t mean you have buy-in yet.

That’s why you need to hold off on the self-promotion a little longer and make sure they are completely sold on the problem by giving them the facts that back you up.

• Make clear connections. Play off the visuals from the Warmer and the Reframe to leave no doubt.
• Visualize data. Use visual metaphors to represent the information in a memorable way (avoid complex tables and charts).
• Check for understanding. Make sure they get it before you move on. It’s ok to go back and review again.
• Keep it rational. Build trust by engaging the left side of their brains. Every visual should serve a purpose here. No artistic flourishes. Just visual representations of data.

If you did it right, you proved your point with data and gave a clear display of expertise. By presenting information in a visual and engaging format, they will value your insight and how it makes them better at their job.

Philippe Lignac Sales Director MDSL 

 Step 4 – Emotional Impact

"Objects in mirror appear different now."

During a successful Emotional Impact step, your audience will feel personally connected to your presentation because you’re giving them a scenario that resembles their own situation. Once your client sees that connection, they will conclude it’s no longer an option to continue to do things the same old way.

• Relate to pain. The emotional impact will come from your ability to connect your story to the pain they feel, so make sure the visuals help you do that.
• Do your homework. The research will allow you to anticipate the customer’s challenges and create an appropriately stressful glimpse into the future.
• Tell a story. The best way to impart a lesson is to tell a story. Tell the story of ignoring what they just learned.
• Use infographics. Customers remember images long after the words fade. When they think about not calling you back, this is the visual they should see in their head.

You’ve challenged and changed the way your audience thinks, and they agree they can’t continue down the same path. For them, this is the darkest point of the presentation, and they are ready for new ideas.

Philippe Lignac Sales Director MDSL - Interview at EMM London

Philippe Lignac Sales Director MDSL 

Step 5 – A New Way

"What they've all been waiting for."

With this step, you will feel an immediate release of tension in the room. The audience sees things will get better. You may be tempted to start promoting your product or service right away. Hold off just a little bit longer. You want them fully on board with the solution before introducing anything you’re selling.

• Don’t get promotional (yet). Relate the visuals from previous sections to the solution, not to your product.
• Alternate ending. You just created Emotional Impact by telling a story with an unhappy ending. Now revise the same visuals to glimpse into a better future if they decide to take action.
• It’s still about them. The reaction you want is, “That’s how we should be doing it!”
• Repurpose infographics. Since this step is an alternative version of your previous story, think about how you can update the same infographic accordingly.
• Take your time. You’re not here to entertain them. You’re here to explain how they can do things better. Wait until they get it before moving on.

Your goal is to educate the audience. Unlike other sales presentations they sit through, this time they will have a better perspective on their problems. You are helping them do their jobs better, and this makes you much more valuable than simply having a good relationship or offering the lowest price

 Philippe Lignac Sales Director MDSL - Interview at PEMM London

Philippe Lignac Sales Director MDSL 

Step 6 – Your Solution

"We have the tools you need to solve your problem."

Now that you’ve gone through the process of the The Challenger Sale and built your Commercial Teaching presentation, this last part should come easy. If you followed the previous steps correctly, your product will be the perfect fit. Your approach to providing a solution greatly depends on what type of product you offer. A tech company might need a software demo, a financial firm might need a strategy diagram, and a logistics company might need an interactive map. These should be designed well, using the technology that’s the best fit. Whether that’s PowerPoint, an iPad app, or something else, make sure your salespeople have the right tools and know how to use them.

 Philippe Lignac Sales Director MDSL - Interview at EMM London

Philippe Lignac Sales Director MDSL 

Philippe joined MDSL 10 years ago to launch their Smart TEM solution, and has successfully been helping large organizations in proposing the right solution to better manage their costs, reduce their spend and optimize the way they procure telecom. Prior to this, Philippe enjoyed a flourishing career spanning 20 years, delivering high-tech solutions to large organizations. Since 2005, world leaders like Adidas, Volvo, Unilever, Nokia Networks, Facebook and many others have benefited from the services delivered by MDSL. Philippe continues to be at the forefront of MDSL’s steady growth of 20% per year, which is entirely based on organic development. Philippe is viewed as a thought leader in the Telecom Expense Management (TEM) market and is committed to delivering the right solution to customers and providing technology insight and proficiency.

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Press Release - Asentinel Hires Philippe Lignac As Global Head of Sales

PRESS RELEASE - DECEMBER 21, 2016 5:13PM EST

Asentinel Hires Philippe Lignac As Global Head of Sales

December 21, 2016 (Newswire.com) - Asentinel, a leading provider of lifecycle and expense management solutions for Telecom, Mobility, and Cloud services, today announced that industry executive Philippe Lignachas joined the company as a chief sales officer. He brings substantial international experience and deep sector expertise to the role, as Asentinel continues to expand operations around the world to serve the needs of large multinational corporations.

"The market has entered a major refresh cycle where many companies are reassessing their legacy Telecom Expense Management vendors. As confirmed by industry analysts, this presents a compelling opportunity for an innovative, up-and-coming market leader like Asentinel," said Lignac.

Asentinel has grown rapidly over the past three years, both organically and through the strategic acquisitions of eMOBUS and Anatole. With operations across North America and Europe, the company serves a rapidly growing base of highly referenceable, blue-chip multinational clients and channel partners.

Lignac joins a group of experienced global executives including chief executive officer Tim Whitehorn who has led Asentinel since 2012; chief financial officer Chris Taylor, previously with Fiserv as general manager for a global payments business; and chief marketing officer Mark Ledbetter, previously with FedEx as marketing leader of a $6B line of business across 220 countries.

"Asentinel's global capabilities have continued to expand since our acquisition of Anatole," said Tim Whitehorn. "For this new chief sales officer role, it was imperative to find an executive having extensive experience serving the needs of clients around the world. With Philippe, we continue to cement our position as the safe choice in this period of uncertainty within the current worldwide TEM market."

About Asentinel:
Asentinel is a premier, global provider of lifecycle and expense management solutions for Telecom, Mobility, and Cloud services. Our customer-focused cloud solution enables Global 2000, Fortune 1000, and other multinational entities to quickly reduce spend, automate processes, manage inventory, and access actionable business intelligence, while our unparalleled subject matter experts ensure the ongoing success of our clients. For more information, please visit www.asentinel.com.

https://www.pressrelease.com/news/asentinel-hires-philippe-lignac-as-global-head-of-sales-78009

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