From cold to close®

Digitalization has drastically changed how potential customers search, decide and buy. It presents companies and sales teams with major challenges, but also offers sales teams a wide range of opportunities for acquiring new customers and existing customer business. In B2B, however, digitalization is not the sole savior. Only the synergy of digitalized processes for lead management, cross/up selling or account-based selling with personal sales activities is the key to modern sales – “from-cold-to-close®”.

The basis for modern sales is a transformation in marketing and sales. Modern marketing optimally supports sales with processes for sales preparation (pre-sales automation). Nurturing processes in marketing automation platforms with the right content and the right approach generate more leads and reactivate existing customers. They develop leads to sales maturity (MQL marketing qualified lead) and existing customers to maturity for repurchase, cross-selling or up-selling (MQN marketing qualified need). The leads are then transferred to sales and the CRM system. The existing customer data is supplemented or updated in the CRM system. Marketing and sales lay the foundation for this process together by creating buyer persona profiles, analyzing the customer journey and defining the approach, content and structure of the processes.

Modern sales (from cold to close) uses the information from the conception phase and the automated processes to optimally prepare for the sales contact. It combines proven methods and models with the potential of digitalization.

Benefit:

• More turnover and efficiency in sales
• Better efficiency in existing customer business
  • Repurchase
  • Cross/up-selling
  • Key account management
• More qualified leads
• Better cooperation between marketing and sales

Our model is based on 30 years of experience in B2B sales. It combines proven methods and approaches with the possibilities of digital transformation in sales. We have advised hundreds of B2B companies and made sales organizations more successful.

We offer our clients:

• Impulses, presentation of methods and exchange
• Counseling
• Training
• Implementation support
• Workshops, online meetings, support, group and individual coaching
• A scalable, tried-and-tested model

This module is the basis for all training courses.

In this module, we talk about your goals. What would you like to achieve and which sales scenarios would you like to optimize.

Your sales targets

We recommend the following approach to help you define, implement and achieve your goals in the various areas.

Workshops focusing on the sales targets you have defined:

• Marketing of a dedicated offer (product, service)
• Growth approach: lead management and new customer acquisition
• Value approach: sales with existing customers
  • Repurchase
  • Cross-selling
  • Up-selling
• Reaching and penetrating target customers Key account management / ABM account-based marketing / selling
• B and C customer care
• Prevent customer churn
• Optimization of indirect channels (distributors, dealers, partners)
• …

We talk about your challenges in current B2B sales and present opportunities for digital transformation in marketing and sales. Theory and presentation of the methodical approach alternate with questions and exchange. We will introduce you to the from-cold-to-close® model, our method kit and the approach.

Procedure / Topics:

• Introduction: Modern sales
• What has digitalization changed in sales?
• The new B2B customer buying process
• Digitalization – new possibilities and new opportunities
• Requirements for exploiting the potential
• Where can digitalization help in the sales process?
• The combination of digital and personal processes
• Digital options in combination with traditional options in the various sales scenarios

It is important that everyone involved knows the method, the processes, the possibilities and the possible leverage of digitalization in order to make target-oriented decisions.

Inventory

For example, we recommend taking these aspects into account as part of an inventory:

• Procedure and processes for:
  • Growth approach: Lead management and new customer acquisition
  • Value approach: Sales with existing customers
• What are your biggest challenges so far?
• What would your ideal situation look like? What goals should be achieved?
• GAP analysis and roadmap.
• What is your current customer structure?
• What is your lead situation?
• How large is your database?
• What condition is your data in? (duplicates, opt-in, etc.)
• Who needs to be involved in the project?
• How are marketing and sales working together?
• How do you position yourself on the market?
• What is the competitive situation?
• Which systems are currently in use?

Here you will find the other topics and modules that we are happy to combine according to your objectives in order to orchestrate the measures.

Detailed lead / existing customer profiles are the basis for automated processes (nurturing processes), social selling, relevant content modules and communication in sales.
Procedure:

• Selection / definition of relevant leads / existing customers
• Introduction to the process and methodology
• Division of the working groups. We recommend a maximum of 3 working groups per consultant and workshop day
• Profiling in the working groups
• Profile data and additional information
• Behavioral preferences
• Benefit analysis / value proposition

Initial contact with “strangers” is difficult for many people in sales. These concerns or fears often mean that potential customers (leads) are approached late or not at all and the sales potential cannot be leveraged.

It is much easier if there is a reference for the contact and the sales team has a model for the approach. We are happy to support your team in establishing references and developing an approach model.

Making the right contact with leads / MQLs sets the course for the further sales process and sales success.

He who asks, leads – and gathers information in order to optimize customer communication. Together, we design and train the optimal questioning technique for your sales targets in order to find out what your (potential) customers need and to optimize the next sales steps.

The aim of this module is to present the benefits of your own offer in the best possible way. Together we work out the benefits of the offer for the respective contacts in the acquisition process. We create a benefit analysis with a corresponding poster and card set. In the “Advanced Benefit Analysis”, we will decode the benefits for the various behavioral preferences according to the INSIGHTS MDI® model. The participants then formulate the benefit/value proposition in their own words and practise using it in practice.

Really put your prospects and customers at the center of your sales presentations. Avoid “EGO posting” (“We have…, We can…, We are…”) and a list of features. Your presentations must reach and convince your customers. They should be optimized for the various desired leads/customers, members in the buying center and behavioral preferences. We are happy to support you in optimizing your presentation and train the presentation in practice.

You have done it. A prospective customer has become a sales opportunity. But how do you now act optimally with your sales opportunities? In B2B and sales of complex solutions, purchasing processes are usually very long and long phases have to be bridged by sales. Whether coordination rounds in your customer’s buying center are time-consuming or the creation of specifications / requirements catalogs drag out the sales process, your sales department must always act and react at the right time. We are happy to support you in optimizing your opportunity management.

Are you satisfied with your lead situation? Are you generating enough qualified leads and are you satisfied with the conversion to customers and orders? We would be happy to support you in optimizing your lead management.

In this phase model, we proceed as follows.  We…:

• plan your new customer waterhole with the Waterhole Strategy
• define and profile your ideal prospects
• design lead magnets and discuss the lead generation measures (outbound / inbound, offline / online)
• design the lead development process (lead nurturing / pre-sales automation), which develops the leads to sales maturity (MQL = marketing qualified leads)
• define the transfer of leads to sales
• train your sales team to optimally develop the leads through to closing

How do you use your CRM system optimally to accompany leads through to the initial closing and your existing customers to the next closing?

Based on your customer processes, we define together how you can best use these areas in the CRM system for your sales success.

For sales management, strategic CRM is an important tool for sales management. The focus here is not on the individual customer, but on transparency:

• Leads
• Existing customers
• Activities
• Conversions
• Opportunities
• Resubmissions
• Reports and evaluations
• etc.

and the sales management based on this.

How does your sales department make optimum use of the structures and processes in the CRM system in the sales process?

Together we illuminate and define the use of the areas:

• Master data
• Customer classification
• Customer activities
• Resubmissions
• Sales opportunities
• Evaluations / Reporting

How do you organize your existing customer business? Do you generate repurchase, cross-selling and up-selling sales in a planned and scalable manner? We would be happy to support you in optimizing this sales area.

In this phase model R/U/C-Selling we proceed as follows.  We…:

• use the Waterhole Strategy® to plan your existing customer waterhole
• talk about the customer clusters in your data/systems
• create your repeat / up- and cross-selling matrix
• plan your R/U/C selling detector
• profile the contact persons and the buying center for R/U/C selling with your existing customers
• analyze the customer journey of your existing customers for R/U/C selling
• design the development processes for the pre-sales automation phase in R/U/C selling
• train your sales team for the personal development of your existing customers for R/U/C selling

How do you reach your target customers and penetrate them optimally? Account-based marketing/selling in combination with key account management provides you with optimum support in achieving your sales targets with dedicated target customers.

Social selling with LinkedIn can provide excellent support for sales activities. Together we will examine whether and how LinkedIn is relevant for your sales and how you can best use this medium to achieve your sales goals.

Topics:

• Goals and process models in LinkedIn
• The optimal LinkedIn profile
• Addressing leads and existing customers
• The LinkedIn algorithm
• Building a network
• Commenting to gain reach
• Posting on LinkedIn / The editorial plan
• From LinkedIn to personal sales contact

A corporate ambassador is an ambassador for their company. Their task is to represent the company and its offering in the market and draw attention to it. LinkedIn is ideal for building and maintaining an appropriate profile and becoming active and visible.

Topics of our offer are:

• Development of a corporate ambassador strategy
• Goals and self-image
• Combination of online and offline activities
• Content strategy
• Editorial plan
• Establishing contacts / networking
• Values and beliefs
• Competencies
• Roles and tasks
• Positioning
• Cooperation with marketing, sales, service, product management, etc.

Sales signals help your sales team to react at the right time with the optimal measures. These can be personal actions such as calls or emails or automated processes (nurturing processes) from an automation platform. We are happy to support you in defining and detecting sales signals and initiating the optimal actions.

INSIGHTS MDI® is a behavioral typology instrument for promoting social and personality skills. The aim of an INSIGHTS MDI® analysis is to recognize and realize your own potential. INSIGHTS MDI® is quick and intuitive to understand as it uses color association theory and combines the four colors red, yellow, green and blue with Jung’s behavioral dimensions.

Especially in sales, it is helpful to know your own “knitting pattern”, to recognize the behavioural preferences of prospects / customers and to adapt your communication accordingly. We are trained INSIGHTS MDI® consultants and trainers and offer you:

• Profiling your sales team
• Explanation and recommendations for action based on the profile
• Training and coaching – the right sales strategy for every personality profile

Sales is a complex and challenging task. That has always been the case.

Sales must:

• organize themselves.
• understand the needs, pain points and goals of (potential) customers.
• ask the right questions, listen and choose the appropriate approach and argumentation.
• endure “loneliness” (especially in the field) and absolute measurability in the sales process.
• deal with rejections and defeats and motivate yourself again and again.

The digital transformation has added even more challenges. Corona has also plunged many sales teams into a crisis of meaning, as the job title of “field sales” could no longer be lived. All of this demands a new self-image from sales and the courage to change. Top athletes have a mental coach to help them master their mental focus and deal with setbacks. As a trained business mental coach, I am happy to support and accompany your sales team with mental tools and coaching.