You know, when reps tell me they're having trouble with metrics, it's typically
because the metrics they're talking about aren't resonating with the people they're in conversations with.
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Let's get started. Hi, It's Rachel with the Audible Ready Sales Podcast.
I'm excited to bring you this topic today because it's one that I know many
of you struggle with. Today we're talking about metrics. John Kaplan joins me
today. Hi. John, Hey, good morning, Rachel. I think
this is another great topic, so thanks for bringing it to the top.
I think this is an area that I've seen a lot of reps get tripped
up on, and I think the reason is they're not using this concept in
the right way with their buyers. So we're going to talk a little bit
about that today. Right, that's an important point. It's still an important
concept, but you have to use it in the right way. So let's
start with first defining metrics. So some have the perception that metrics are the
only thing that the buyer cares about. They're important, but they're not the
whole story. So let's talk about kind of what metrics are. Metrics are
the way you measure required capabilities or the requirements for a solution success. You
need some proof in the implementation process that you're doing what you said you could
do. If you're going to run a race, you need some sort of
benchmark to know that you're on the right path. And metrics help us focus
on how we're measuring the capabilities of the solution, measuring the solution capabilities.
And I've heard you say that the feedback you get sometimes is that when reps
use metrics in those conversations, higher ups in the organization don't care about how
they measuring success. But that's really not the case, and it often has
to do with how the reps are using the metrics using that topic in those
sales conversations. Yeah, exactly. So you know, as salespeople, we
have the ability to adopt our conversation as we go up and down in an
organization. One of the ways I've seen reps get tripped up is by focusing
too much of the conversation on metrics. So metrics are important, but it's
how you use metrics. As with anything else in sales, you have to
adapt your conversation to whom you're speaking. You know. Remember we always say
you get delegated to those that you sound like. So metrics help us focus
on how we're measuring the capabilities of the solution. They don't necessarily solve the
positive business outcomes. Your metrics are driving the outcomes, but they're not the
whole story. You know. When reps tell me they're having trouble with metrics,
it's typically because the metrics they're talking about aren't resonating with the people there
in conversations with They're likely focusing too much on the metrics and the sales conversation
because they are often technical in nature, and therefore they won't get you very
far as you work your way up to the executive buyer. That's a good
point. They're often technical in nature, and I know sometimes John, you
use this analogy of the house when making this point, So walk through that
analogy to help the people listening visualize the concept you're talking about. Okay,
So let's say you're having a great conversation with a buyer who's at a lower
level in the organization. So if it were a house, this person would
be in a small room in a lower level. The windows are closed,
the door is shut. You're talking to them without consideration of the rest of
the house. You know, you're so busy with this one person that you
don't have any idea of what's going on in the other rooms. So what
do you do? You know, you really have two choices. Leave that
person behind and go out of the room room and go to the other rooms.
Or the better choice, I believe is to open the door, open
the windows, and connect this buyer to the rest of the house. Right,
and metrics are part of that conversation. But they're not the only way
to take that buyer to the rest of the house. No, they're not.
So you require capabilities in metrics are typically at a technical level, So
you as a rep need to open the windows and translate those bullet points into
the positive business outcomes. You've heard us say many times, you need to
attach to the biggest business issue facing the customer. That's what we mean so
when you take your technical buyer up the stairs with you, the metrics are
important, but they are technical in nature. They aren't typically what a C
level executive is going to care about. It's not that they don't care about
them, it's just that they believe that they have other people in their organization
that should care about them when they're more technical in nature. So therefore,
you can't focus your conversations on the metrics alone. It's about the outcomes,
right, and the outcomes is with the sea level is focused on. You
know, if your solution, for example, let's say, decreases network latency
by X number of milliseconds, that's important, that's in critical. But improving
customer experience is that business outcome that the sea level executive is going to care
about. So this is sort of what you're talking about, is you need
to adjust your sales conversation based on what's top of mind to that particular decision
acre exactly Exactly. You can't assume that the rest of your decision makers are
going to understand the importance of those technical metrics, you know, considering the
house metaphor, Again, they're important to the people in that one room.
They impact the rest of the house, but they aren't the focus of the
people and the rest of the house, you know, like upstairs, they're
looking at the weather, if it's raining, when the temperature is increasing,
and if there's a tornado on the way. Yeah, it's really about a
line to what's important to that particular person. It's all about being audible ready,
and remember it. You know you said at the top you get delegated
to whom you sound like, so you want to make sure that you're focusing
these sales conversations on what's important to that person in the room and then opening
up the doors, opening up the window, and getting to the other levels
of the house. So, John, I kind of summed up some of
your points there. But you're also great at giving a bottom line, and
I'm sure you have one when it comes to metrics. Yeah, so you
know, the bottom line for me is the best sellers I see today know
how to integrate the technical conversation with the business conversation and this is where the
required capabilities, metrics and positive business outcomes come together. And as you said,
you just have to remember you get delegated to those that you sound like.
Make sure the people that you're targeting in a particular conversation, you are
prepared to sound like them. You'll find your answers in the intersection between require
capabilities metric some positive business outcomes there. It is all right. Thank you
all for listening. Thanks John for breaking it down for us today. My
pleasure. At force Management, we're focused on transforming sales organizations into elite teams.
Are proven methodologies, deliver programs that build company alignment and fuel repeatable revenue
growth. Give your teams the ability to execute the growth strategy at the point
of sale. Our strength is our experience. The proof is in our results.
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