Why Sales Methodologies are Important
When I worked at Experian I had some very talented colleagues and benefited from reporting to some leaders that were seasoned and knew how to manage me in order to get my best. One of those leaders is now Vice President of Sales and Service at CarGurus and is named Matt McGarry. I mention Matt specifically because I’ll never forget a “one on one” meeting that we had in my first year as an individual contributor on his team where the importance of a sales methodology slapped me across the face. I had never used a sales methodology until I worked at Experian and Matt had this really fantastic way of driving lessons into me while also keeping me inspired to do more and be better. I walked into this meeting pretty proud of myself for having a 6 figure deal in pipeline which included the newest product we were taking to market. I saw the deal as later stage and went into the meeting ready to discuss whether or not I could forecast it as a topic to discuss with Matt.
I explained the in’s and out’s of the deal with fairly unflappable confidence with emphasis on deal size, products we were selling, and how excited the people I were talking to were. Spoiler alert-those are the exact wrong things to be speaking about in a deal review. Matt just sort of looked at me with an investigative stare and told me to “STRONGMAN” (this is the sales methodology we used and you’ll hear me talk about in a bit) the deal on the whiteboard. I grabbed the closest sharpie and sprinted head first into my own demise. STRONGMAN is an acronym for 9 words that are critical components of achieving a sale. When I tried to fill in how my deal tied into those words (for instance what the customer/personal NEED was or if they were in an active REVIEW process or who the decision making AUTHORITY was) I got nowhere fast. This 1 on 1 taught me (thanks Matt!) that I knew nothing about how organizations bought technology and I needed to change my mindset and approach quickly.
Hopefully that story convinces you for the need of a sales methodology! If not, I’ll provide some more details on why I use STRONGMAN and how I believe it has helped me personally and the benefits I’ve witnessed it creating in sales organizations I’ve been a part of.
I’m not going to spend this entire blog explaining STRONGMAN. Perhaps in a future blog but for now, I encourage you to reach out to me so I can put you in touch with the author Ed Wal who created it and wrote the book so you can read it. That said for this post I want to emphasize how gaining command of STRONGMAN changed the way I processed and discussed deals. The direct output was that I was a far superior sales individual because I knew the information to seek out during my meetings and discussions. Also, my selling was much more predictable which translated to more accurate forecasts as both an IC and a leader while making my customers experiences with me much more enjoyable. The reason being is that STRONGMAN in a lot of ways is equal parts a puzzle to complete and a language to speak that will drive the right habits into a sales evaluation. Below, I’ll outline what STRONGMAN stands for and then the benefits using a methodology like this brings and try to connect the two together. Please note, just understanding the letters of STRONGMAN isn’t nearly enough. There is a ton more detail that goes into “NEED” (personal need, technical need, organizational need, etc. How do I identify it, how do I create it, etc) then what I will explain here so if this interests you I strongly encourage taking the next step and reading/learning about it in more detail.
Solution,Timelines,Review,Options,Negotiation,Galvanization,Money,Authority,Need…….STRONGMAN!
Benefits of STRONGMAN to individual contributors:
Once you understand this methodology, you’ll be much more comfortable with the motivations and requirements behind an organization that is going to buy. That will make you a much more effective and impactful sales person. For example, if you can have a discussion centered around what problems (needs) an organization has and the impact of us solving them both organizationally and personally then you’ll be in a much better position to execute a partnership then if you spend your time reciting product features/functionality.
You will be WILDLY more efficient with your time. My first year starting to understand this methodology compared to my second year having command of it my sales metrics were completely different. My meeting to opportunity to conversion ratios improved dramatically. The reason being, I understood how to have discussions with organizations to determine if they were in a research or review mode. This made our engagements much more pleasant on both ends. Also, understanding authority accelerates timelines and control.
You can discuss deals with leadership more efficiently and with a universal language that is understood and shines a spotlight on the gaps that exist. If you can’t highlight why this customer is galvanized, what options they have, why there is a timeline in place, or what authority is needed to gain final approval then there are risks to the deal. Speaking this universal language helps to either remove those risks or reevaluate the actual health of a pipeline.
Your interactions with customers and prospects will become significantly more meaningful. Each interaction will have purpose with this methodology serving as your north star. This will be well received and will increase win rate.
Back to the example shared on myself. I had zero control of that deal and no way to prove to my boss that I knew what the path to partnership was on my deal. The prospect/customer was in full control of that and I had to hope the people I was speaking with could figure it out. I offered no value to them. Offering value to your champions is one of the most critical skills that successful sales people have. When you don’t understand how the customer/prospect purchases technology (or if they’re even interested!!) then you can’t offer value.
Benefits of STRONGMAN to sales leaders:
You can eliminate the element of “feel” amongst team members as they discuss deals. Deal reviews that are general discussions aren’t beneficial for anyone. Deal reviews that discuss what the need is, confirmation we’re in a review process, command of the authority dynamic, and what solutions we’re putting forward can drive tighter alignment around forecasting and best coaching to next steps.
Often times individual contributors can’t differentiate between organizations simply seeking out information (research) versus organizations reviewing solutions with an intention to potentially buy (review). If deal reviews and pipeline discussions are grounded in opportunities that strictly fall into the “review” bucket, they will become much less frustrating and more consistently progress towards sale. This is a massive development transition for individual contributors.
It’s challenging at times for sales people to accurately forecast when a contract will be executed because they don’t understand the authority behind the decision making for a customer. Once they have command for this, it’ll be much easier to have predictability and accurate discussions with your team members around forecast. Your team will forecast better and you will more quickly understand how to accurately forecast on behalf of your team.
There is credibility internally and externally that comes with speaking through evaluations in a methodical way. Your team will have more respect for you and so won’t your peers. Your clients will better understand why you’re asking certain questions and feel like their team is being used in a meaningful way.
A methodology changed the way I sell and will for you too, you can't afford to not being using structure around progression and reporting of pipeline. I’d encourage anyone looking to make a career in technology growth to seek out how to become an expert in a sales methodology like STRONGMAN and see what kind of impact it has on your development and performance!