Chief Sales Officer, Jill Konrath, a leading-edge sales strategist and business advisor, is a popular speaker at national sales meetings and association events. She helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, speed up their sales cycle and achieve their revenue growth goals.
She's the author of the instant sales classic, Selling to Big Companies, an Amazon Top 25 sales book for 2 years running. As a thought leader in the selling and marketing arena, Jill also publishes an industry-leading newsletter and hosts a widely-read blog.
In 2007, Jill launched the Sales Shebang conference & community to empower women sellers to succeed beyond their wildest imagination. Of equal importance, Sales Shebang spotlights women sales experts to increase their visibility, impact and earning power.
Jill has written hundreds of articles on sales strategies and is frequently quoted in top business media. She's appeared in Entrepreneur, New York Times, Business Journal, Selling Power, Sales & Marketing Management as well as countless online publications and radio shows. Most recently, her expertise & sales wisdom has been cited in the following book:
- Masters of Sales, Ivan Misner & Don Morgan (NY Times #1 Bestseller),
Entrepreneur Media, 2007 - Top Dog Sales Secrets, Michael Dalton, http://SalesDog.com, 2007
- Get Clients Now, C.J. Haydon, Amacon, 2007
- The Girls' Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business, Susan Solovic,
Amacom, 2007
- Play Your Best Hand, Faith Ralson, Adams Media, 2007
- Get Slightly Famous, Steven Van Yoder, 2007
- Why Johnny Can't Sell, Michael Nick & Rober Kantin, Kaplan 2006
- Trust Your Gut, Lynn Robinson, Kaplan 2006
- Lead Generation for the Complex Sale, Brian Carroll, McGraw Hill, 2006
In 2004, Jill was selected as a FAST 50 semi-finalist by FAST Company magazine for creating a web resource for small business owners. Additionally she was selected as a "Women Changemaker of the Year" by the Business Journal of Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Jill's passion for sales was ignited at Xerox Corporation where she was frequently recognized for superior performance as both an account executive and regional sales manager. She then moved into computer sales and immediately became a top performer. Her joy in selling, combined with an innate ability to teach, led her to present countless training programs for colleagues, create a myriad of sales tools, coach dozens of trainees and to work on new product launches - all in her spare time.
This was the impetus for starting her own sales consultancy. Since that time she's worked with numerous giants as IBM, AAA, 3M, GE, General Mills, Medtronic, UnitedHealthcare, Bombardier, Business Journals, RSM McGladrey and Hilton.
Jill and her husband Fred share their home in White Bear Lake, Minnesota with Cali, the cat. Their daughter Katie just finished her Master's program in Innovation and writes a popular creativity blog called Get Fresh Minds. During the fall, they frequently visit their son Ryan who's studying aviation at the University of North Dakota and plays on the football team.
In her spare time, Jill loves do New York Times crossword puzzles, take long walks, read (she suffers from ARD-Addictive Reading Disorder) and write. http://sellingtobigcompanies.com/
Want to take your business to the next level? If so, take these actions. They're guaranteed to make a difference in your sales results.
Want to take your business to the next level? If so, take these actions. They're guaranteed to make a difference in your sales results.
1. Clarify your value proposition
Strong value propositions are essential for getting in to see the corporate buyer. Make sure you can clearly articulate the business outcomes customers get as a result of using your product or service.
Be precise - numbers, percentages and time frames make your value proposition even stronger.
2. Target a specific market segment
Don't chase every available opportunity. Focus. Focus. Focus. Increase your knowledge and expertise in a particular market segment.
Learn as much as you can about their business needs, terminology, issues and marketplace trends. This significantly increases your client desirability.
3. Prepare Ad Infinitum
Today's customers suffer no fools. Unprepared sellers are quickly escorted out the door. Before you meet with any new prospect, research their business.
Read their annual report, check out their website, interview their clients, review analyst's reports. Find out what's important to them, their challenges, goals, and strategic imperatives.
4. Create Seductive Ideas
Use your brain and think for your prospective and existing customers. They're so busy putting out fires, they lack time for problem-solving, strategic thinking, creative alternatives or even reflection.
A seller who consistently brings business ideas to the relationship becomes indispensable - winning contracts with minimal competition and at full dollar value.
5. Slow Down, Lean Back
Don't try to rush sales - even if you're desperate. Customers feel your push and immediately erect a wall of resistance. On first sales calls do NOT lean forward.
To maintain a consultative approach you must LEAN BACK. The minute you lean forward, you're "selling" - trying to get your customer to buy. Lean back. Slow down. And you'll get the business sooner.
6. Pursue Quality, not Quantity
Make fewer sales calls - but much better ones. Focus all your efforts on preparing for the call. Determine the logical next step for each meeting. Then, working backwards, think about what you need to do to make this outcome a reality.
Test every idea you come up with from your customer's perspective. Think: If I said or did this, how would my customer interpret it or react? Only their perception is important - not what you meant. Make your changes before the call to increase your success.
7. Minimize Opportunity Leakage
Unless customers can explicitly state the business value of your offering in concrete terms your opportunity can easily evaporate into thin air - even if they appear highly interested.
To increase your order rate, ask questions such as: Why would this help you? What value would you get from this service? What are the primary benefits you would realize from my product/service? This cements the value in their brain.
8. Make Follow-up Meetings Concrete
Don't ever leave a meeting without scheduling your next one - or you may never catch up with your customer again. They're running from meeting-to-meeting, busy handling way too many projects.
The longer it takes to reschedule, the more their desire for your offering fades. Get the meeting on both your calendars now - even if it's just to talk on the phone.
9. Always Debrief Your Sales Calls
This is the only way you can get better. Ask yourself: a) what went well? b) where did I run into problems? and c) what could I do next time to get even better results?
This is absolutely the only way you will improve. Sales is a grand experiment - customers change, markets change, your offerings change, and so does your knowledge base. Unless you're continually learning, you're losing ground.
10. Reframe Your Attitude
Stop blaming the economy or anything else for your problems. There are many things totally within your control. Approach all tough sales situations with a "what's possible" or "how can I?" mindset. If you're stuck, brainstorm with friends or colleagues.
Accept 100% responsibility for your sales success and continually be on the lookout for creative approaches to take your business to the next level.