Selling to the C-Suite - Book Now Available!
Listen to an audio excerpt of an interview the authors did SalesRepRadio by clicking this link
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Our new book - Selling to the C-Suite - which I co-authored with Nic Read has been published by McGraw Hill is now on bookshelves and can also be ordered at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and borders.com.
Selling to the C-Suite is written from a combined 60 years of experience selling on corporate frontlines around the world. It is not only a comprehensive report of US-centric executive buying behaviors, but is the only truly global study of its kind for selling around the world.
Also - check out the new website that is totally dedicated to this new book -
www.sellingtothec-suite.com
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Order now at these sites:
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Here's what Neil Rackham, author of SPIN SELLING, said about Selling to the C-Suite: "The business world is drowning in a flood of sales books. The trouble is that most of these books are about how to sell, without a clue about how customers buy, and so they do more harm than good. This book is different. It is firmly rooted in how people buy and so it works. And an added bonus that particularly appeals to me; the book is based on research which makes it rare and welcome."
As a result of reading this book, one of the key concepts salespeople will learn is how to identify the Relevant Executive™ for the sales opportunity. We define the Relevant Executive as the executive who stands to gain the most or lose the most as a result of the application or project associated with the current sales opportunity. Salespeople will also discover that the Relevant Executive can often exert their influence or power in the decision-making process associated with a sales opportunity. Aligning with the Relevant Executive can often determine whether the deal is won or lost!
People who have read the book have told us that understanding that one key concept is worth the price of the book!
Thousands of sales professionals have already field-tested these concepts. Nic and I decided the best way to test the research was to turn it into a training workshop and have salespeople around the world put it to the test, which they have done since 2002. As a result, this book is a distillation of sales best practices tested in the real world.
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SellXL Workshop – Based on the Book Selling to the C-Suite
The SellXL workshop was created approximately five years ago and seems to be getting increased focus by clients around the world. Clients are finding that the skill of selling at the executive level is essential in these economic times.
Many of the workshop concepts are now contained in the new book, Selling to the C-Suite – which I authored with Nic Read.
Selling at the Executive Level (SellXL) is a one-day, fast-paced interactive workshop that focuses on helping professional salespeople create, maintain and leverage relationships at executive levels in client organizations.
Steps in Establishing a Relationship with a Relevant Executive
The SellXL methodology is basically a five-step process:
- Identify the Relevant Executive™ for the sales opportunity
- Determine how best to approach that executive
- Perform the appropriate research prior to an initial meeting with the executive
- Demonstrate integrity and capability over the long-term, so as to be perceived as a trusted advisor by the executive
- Consistently communicate value to the executive
Learning is supported by a compelling business case about a global manufacturer (JKEA International), how its market positioning is driving new corporate initiatives and the competing agendas behind the scenes. Participants study and review the case study as part of the pre-course assignment and then apply activities against the case study during the workshop.
Study and review of the case study are both instrumental to the success of the workshop. One of the reasons that the workshop is able to be delivered in one day is that all the participants are "on the same page" with respect to their knowledge and understanding of the case. Robust discussions about the case take place throughout the workshop.
An integral part of the workshop's success is the credibility of the facilitator. Each SellXL workshop is delivered by an experienced facilitator with significant business-to-business sales experience. The workshop requires facilitators to apply their expertise throughout the day. Inevitably, sales issues not covered by the workshop content arise and each facilitator must rely on his or her sales or sales management experience to address those key issues. As a result, the workshop is very facilitator dependent and, for that reason, SellXL facilitators are carefully selected, trained and certified to ensure their ability to address questions and problems that arise throughout the day.
The concepts and models used in SellXL are, in part, based on the results of interviews and surveys with CXO-level executives to learn what it takes for salespeople to stand out from a sea of look-alike competitors. The developer of the SellXL workshop has participated in original research over a ten-year period with the assistance of Hewlett-Packard Company, the Kenan Flagler Business School of the University of North Carolina and the Center for Business and Industrial Marketing at Georgia State University.
The research described in the paragraph above is an integral part of the book I co-authored with Nic Read - called Selling to the C-Suite. Salespeople who experience the SellXL workshop will find out what CXO-level executives told us about what professional salespeople had to do to establish long-term relationships with them. For more information on the SellXL workshop, click on this link: /sellxl
Link to Audio Client Testimonial on SellXL
Hear what a client executive, Steve Tafaro - VP of Sales for Cybershift says about the SellXL workshop! To hear his comments, go to this link: http://www.sellxl.com/media/SellXL_testimonial.mp3
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Free Download – Selling to Executives Study Summary
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In the last Newsletter, the download link did not work properly - so I have re-printed this article in this issue - with a download link that should now work!.
Click on the thumbnail to the right to download a free summary of studies that examined how client executives view their relationships with professional salespeople.
More information about those studies is also contained in our new book, Selling to the C-Suite.
In addition, the SellXL® workshop content uses many of these summary findings as the basis for content and activities.
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Steve to Speak at This Year's Professional Society of Sales and Marketing Training 2009 Annual Conference
Enroll Now – October 14-16, 2009 - @ www.smt.org
Renaissance Orlando Resort @ Seaworld – Orlando, Florida
There's an organization that exists today for Corporate Sales Trainers, Sales Training Consultants and Academics involved in the profession of selling. It's called the Professional Society of Sales and Marketing Training and its website is www.smt.org.
Steve is speaking at this year's conference on Thursday, October 15 on Cultivating Client Loyalty through Executive Selling. He will also participate in a book signing event for his new book - Selling to the C-Suite - during the conference.
The 2009 Annual Conference will take place in Orlando Florida, from October 14-16. I encourage you to attend this conference and experience the unique value it will deliver to you, personally as well as your organization. Check out the SMT website (www.smt.org) for additional information on the conference.
If you have any questions about SMT, give me a call at (404) 256-1801. I'd enjoy the opportunity to tell you more about this unique organization that is directed specifically at those of us engaged in the wonderful field of sales and marketing training.
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About Steve Bistritz
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Steve Bistritz is founder and president of Learning Solutions International, an Atlanta-based sales training and consulting company that helps professional salespeople do a better job of creating, maintaining and leveraging relationships with senior-level client executives.
Steve also has a powerful opportunity management workshop offering that has been described as "the next generation in opportunity management".
Steve is available as a speaker for sales meetings and client conferences around the globe. He speaks on a variety of topics including the following:
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- Selling at the Executive Level
- Establishing Credibility with Client Executives and Becoming a Trusted Advisor
- Developing Alignment with Key Client Executives
- Effectively Assessing Sales Opportunities
Steve has recently co-authored a book called Selling to the C-Suite that was published by McGraw Hill in 2009. According to Neil Rackham: "This is one of the few books that demonstrates an understanding of selling in a global environment. This book is timely and essential reading."
Click here to see video clips of Steve delivering his presentation on Selling at the Executive Level.
You can contact Steve by calling him in Atlanta (eastern time zone in the US) at (404) 256-1801 or sending him an email using steveb@sellxl.com
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