Kansas City, MO (Dec. 13, 2017) — At 11 a.m. Central on Jan. 22, 2018, the Business Technology Association (BTA) and Growth Achievement Partners (GAP) will begin the next BTA Strategic Sales Semester. The first session of this web-based educational offering, taught by Mitch Morgan and Chris Ryne of GAP, had more than 100 sales rep participants. The BTA Strategic Sales Semester will walk attendees through the Strategic Methodology Framework (SMF) — a step-by-step sales process designed for the office technology industry that contemplates transactional and strategic sales. (A free informational webinar that will outline the course and provide for Q&A will be held at 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Register here.
The BTA Strategic Sales Semester addresses the reality that selling in the office technology industry is shifting from transactional to strategic. Transactional sales are characterized by an equipment focus, selling a payment, replacement of the base and mid-level buyers. Strategic sales require probing for pain, aligning solutions to a prospect’s business goals, determining and getting to the right level in the organization, and justifying incremental spend. Determining which accounts and opportunities require a transactional approach and which require a strategic approach is a skill that is now required to be successful today and into the future. Do all of your sales reps have the skills necessary to excel in today’s market? If not, this program will teach them the skills they need.
The training program consists of 13 online sessions held every other week over a six-month period. The sessions, which will be 45 to 60 minutes in length and geared to specific parts of the sales process, include opportunities for polls and interactive Q&A. Each module includes skill-building exercises and field-based activities reps will be asked to complete. The first session will be a pre-workshop session with the dealership’s sales leaders that will educate them on the content, concepts and flow of the class.
The program will also include collaboration through Yammer, an enterprise social network; sales manager materials; monthly open-forum sessions; an initial assessment; ongoing evaluations; and an app that will allow participants to listen to training anytime, anywhere, and repeat sessions or establish a library for future use. GAP will also be available to do on-site classes when needed, whether to kick off the program or to get a deeper dive into strategic concepts and skill building.
Attendees have had great things to say about the BTA Strategic Sales Semester:
- “We are so thankful that we enrolled in the BTA Strategic Sales Semester, run by Mitch and Chris of Growth Achievement Partners! We are thrilled to have a strategy for moving away from ‘speeds-and-feeds’-based selling and, instead, positioning ourselves as strategic business partners and consultants for our customers and prospects. The fact the training is tailored to our industry makes it all the more relevant and beneficial. We would highly recommend this training to any organization looking to grow their business through consultative selling as opposed to competing on hardware costs and fractions of a penny on managed print services.” — Elizabeth Ross, Laser Logic Inc., Lawrence, Kansas
- “One of the best training programs to date. This has helped my new hires and my senior reps develop or sharpen their sales skills and really develop account management skills.” — Jason Rheinlaender, Knight Office Solutions, San Antonio, Texas
Morgan, a partner at GAP, founded the Connectivity Dealer Program at NIA in 1991. After his business was acquired by IKON Office Solutions in 1996, he led its Technology Services division. In 2001, he formed the Professional Services division for IKON. Morgan has been consulting with CEOs on strategy, operations, organizational development and sales since 2005.
Ryne, also a partner at GAP, brings significant experience in driving growth and profitability, possessing a comprehensive understanding of the industry that includes traditional and emerging markets from both a sales and operations perspective. His tenure includes 10 years with IKON, where he built and led a successful professional services business unit from startup to a well-integrated team.
BTA member tuition for the BTA Strategic Sales Semester is as follows:
- Dealerships with one to five participating sales reps: $250 per month for the entire team;
- Dealerships with six to 10 participating sales reps: $500 per month for the entire team;
- Dealerships with more than 10 participating sales reps: Call Mitch Morgan for pricing at (913) 269-7255.
BTA members may apply their $150 educational discount received with their membership toward this workshop. If selected upon checkout, BTA will apply the discount to the final payment or the full amount if paid upfront.
For non-members, the first payment requires an extra $430. Non-member tuition includes a one-year BTA dealer membership. Completion of all sessions is required for the one-year membership to remain in effect.
To learn more about the BTA Strategic Sales Semester, register here for a FREE informational webinar to be held at 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Dec. 19.
Click here for more information or to register for the BTA Strategic Sales Semester.
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About the Business Technology Association
Founded in 1926, the Business Technology Association serves office technology dealerships, resellers, manufacturers, distributors and service companies. Its core members — office technology dealerships — consult, sell and service hardware, software and supplies with the goal of helping businesses maximize their investment in devices and technology. Through the association’s various educational programs, information, research, legal services, publications and guidance, BTA member dealerships are positioned to be the premier source of the office technology used by businesses throughout the United States every day.
