I’ve always been impressed with people who are outliers, and I think they relate perfectly to successful sales executives in the imaging channel. I’m also a fan of and motivated by quotes from successful outliers.
As we prepare for 2023, technology sales outliers (TSO) must address the obstacles of supply chain issues, chip scarcity and the new challenges of connecting with remote working prospects, all while exceeding quota every month. My definition of a sales outlier is someone who enjoys the challenge, is good at the task and has accumulated 10,000 hours of experience (or working towards that goal) selling technology.
Keeping with this theme, I’ve pulled some quotes and direction from outliers in many industries, and I believe they can have a positive impact on a TSO.
“Great Things Are Done by a Series of Small Things Done Together.”
—Vincent van Gogh
A consistent series of small prospecting activities done consistently can help win a prospect’s attention and increase the opportunity of scheduling a meeting. These activities could include:
- Researching the prospect and their company so you can customize your prospecting pitch.
- Sending prospecting emails to more than one person (COO, CFO, CIO, CMO, but not office or purchasing manager) at each company, as it enhances the chances of being opened and read.
- Using calls and texts in your prospecting efforts.
- Marketing to top prospects for three weeks and then asking for a meeting. This gives you time to bolster your brand awareness and credibility, enhancing the possibility of a meeting.
A TSO understands that it’s great to close a deal, but remembers that is takes “three small sales” in order to gain a new client. First, you must sell a net-new meeting (the focus at The Kingston Training Group). During that meeting, you must make your second sale—convincing the prospect to allow you to conduct discovery, demos and assessments. The third sale is convincing the client that your technology recommendations are the right choice, thereby coverting them into a client.
“Do What You Can, with What You’ve Got, Where You Are.”
—Teddy Roosevelt
It’s certainly been challenging to sell technology since the pandemic began. During the past year, supply chain issues have impacted many of the dealerships I train.
Recognizing that a specific product might not be available, TSOs must still find ways to sell and exceed quota every month. Non-chip selling opportunities make sense for two reasons. First, you can only sell what’s available, so focusing on what can be installed right away (and what we can be paid commissions for) keeps everyone in the black.
Second, it forces TSOs to lean into full-solution selling. A TSO’s mindset must now include the fact that the copier rep is a dying breed. However, the business technology sales executive who understands that compliance, cybersecurity, remote accessibility, and profitability needs to be aligned with any technology hardware or software acquisition will continue to thrive.
The Great Resignation impacted the imaging channel in almost every department, including sales. One of the best qualities to look for when hiring a TSO is a competitiveness for winning. In 2023, competition will continue to rise as we watch our industry change, especially with small dealerships selling to larger ones and more competition in each territory. A great TSO loves the chase and the win of a net-new sale.
“Winning Isn’t Everything, but Wanting to Win Is.”
—Vince Lombardi
Every year, dealerships must push their sales teams to gain new profitable market share. That’s done by hiring and supporting TSOs who are hungry and aren’t satisfied with merely meeting quota. Those TSOs understand that quota is the bare minimum expectation for the month, not the goal, and they’re driven to succeed by exceeding that. They win at scheduling net-new meetings, gaining more demos and assessments, and taking down a new prospect with robust solution-focused proposals.
“You Just Can’t Beat the Person Who Never Gives Up.”
—Babe Ruth
TSOs get better by working at their craft every day and understand that, as Doug Pitassi, president of POA says, “You get hired to prospect and get paid to close.”
A TSO must strive for 150 prospecting touches a week (at the rate of 15 to 18 prospecting touches per hour) in order to secure at least six net-new, C-level decision maker meetings every week. This must be done by prospecting every day, every week (including closing week) and every month.
Your TSOs can use the following guide to calendarize their activity each week so they have no open time. This guarantees that more work is done, more customers are served, more prospects are engaged and more commissions are earned.
Customer Care
- Which customers do you need to contact to schedule partnership reviews?
- For which customers do you need a consultative touchpoint (send an article, leave a voicemail, highlight an innovative idea, etc.)?
- For which customers do you have to prepare partnership reviews?
- Have you prepared for all installs?
- Which customers need training scheduled for their new technology?
- For which customers do you need to create or finalize proposals?
Administrative Care
Salary for activity and commission for results—this should be our motto in the business technology imaging community. You’re paid a salary for completing your administrative responsibilities including the following:
- What notes do you have to finish putting into your CRM?
- What prep work do you need to finish for any internal meetings (manager one-on-ones, company-wide sales meetings, internal training, etc.)?
Prospecting
Do you have 40 prospects researched and ready to go as a territory sales executive? That research should include:
- Understanding who your point people are.
- Knowing exactly how that company makes money.
- Being knowledgeable about their specific compliances.
- Familiarity with their document management needs and workflow so that you can create customized communications.
- Innovation your dealership can bring to this industry through your selling solutions.
- Knowing if cybersecurity affect this industry.
“Success Isn’t Overnight. It’s When Every Day You Get a Little Better than the Day Before. It All Adds Up.”
—Dwayne Johnson
The game of technology sales is the same as any other game—there are winners and there are losers. Look at the success rate of basketball’s highest performers: Michael Jordan’s shooting percentage during his NBA career was 49.7%, while fellow stalwart Kobe Bryant shot at 45.4%.
When you review the industry percentage of proposals to closes in technology sales, the average is one in four (25%). Relative to the NBA success rate of the highest performers, the average TSO is playing their game of proposals-to-closes half as good as the best basketball players of all time. Pretty good odds.
A good TSO can’t guarantee which proposals will close but they know success comes from continuing every day, every week. They must focus on delivering real value, helping clients get more work done with the same (or a diminished) employee count through technology innovation, digitalization and enhancement of their business processes.
“Make More Meetings, Make More Money!”
—Kate Kingston
This has been my motto for the past 24 years and will continue to be. TSOs know their success comes from prospecting to net-new opportunities, which is paramount to exceeding quota every month, and also by keeping their territories profitable and controlling the competition’s impact on their territory.
