WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:04.679 Pipeline is more than an activity, it's a strategy. So 2 00:00:04.759 --> 00:00:08.000 it's not an event, that's a process, and you want 3 00:00:08.039 --> 00:00:11.279 to be prepared. You want to be purposeful, and you 4 00:00:11.320 --> 00:00:14.199 want to be ready to qualify and disqualify. 5 00:00:18.359 --> 00:00:21.239 You're listening to the Audible Ready podcast. The show that 6 00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:25.079 helps you and your teams sell more Faster. Will feature 7 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:27.600 sales leaders sharing their best insights on how to create 8 00:00:27.600 --> 00:00:30.719 a sales engine that helps you fuel repeatable revenue growth. 9 00:00:31.079 --> 00:00:33.840 Presented by the team at Force Management, a leader in 10 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:36.479 B to B sales effectiveness. Let's get started. 11 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:41.280 Hello and welcome to the Audible Ready Sales Podcast. I'm 12 00:00:41.320 --> 00:00:45.039 Rachel clap Miller. Today we are diving into one of 13 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:47.240 the most critical things that you can do as a 14 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:51.200 sales rep, and that is how to build pipeline. We 15 00:00:51.240 --> 00:00:53.119 know we need pipeline. We talk about it a lot 16 00:00:53.159 --> 00:00:58.119 here on the podcast. Without enough opportunities, right, you're scrambling. 17 00:00:58.159 --> 00:01:02.039 It creates a whole of problems. But today we want 18 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:05.359 to talk about building pipeline with purpose. And you want 19 00:01:05.359 --> 00:01:08.920 to avoid just having a bunch of names installed deals. 20 00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:11.120 If you have that, you really don't have great pipeline. 21 00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:15.879 You're just busy. So John Kaplan joining me today. Hi John, Rachel, 22 00:01:15.920 --> 00:01:17.519 how are you good? 23 00:01:17.760 --> 00:01:18.159 Good. 24 00:01:18.959 --> 00:01:22.439 Let's just start with some of your opening thoughts about pipeline. 25 00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:27.719 John, Well, this is always an interesting topic. I'm just 26 00:01:27.799 --> 00:01:31.000 going to go beyond that. Might hit it again later 27 00:01:31.079 --> 00:01:33.879 in this but you know, this is not an option. 28 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:38.760 The basic truth is pipeline is not just a number. 29 00:01:39.159 --> 00:01:42.760 It's got to be a strategy. And if you're chasing 30 00:01:42.799 --> 00:01:47.319 a target number the number of leads per week, per months, 31 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:49.760 that's all great, that's what we should be doing. But 32 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:53.120 volume alone is not going to get you to the 33 00:01:53.159 --> 00:01:55.640 promised land. You need to have a you know, like 34 00:01:55.680 --> 00:02:01.120 a repeatable system to qualify opportunities against clear what we 35 00:02:01.239 --> 00:02:02.480 call value framework. 36 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:06.599 Right, all pipeline is not created equal. What are some 37 00:02:06.680 --> 00:02:10.560 mistakes you've seen common mistakes you see reps make when 38 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:15.560 they're generating pipeline that may hurt their chances of actually 39 00:02:15.639 --> 00:02:16.439 making their quota. 40 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:19.520 I think this is a really good question because what 41 00:02:19.639 --> 00:02:25.400 I see is that many times people confuse activity with progress, 42 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:29.840 and so if you're filling the pipeline with the wrong 43 00:02:29.960 --> 00:02:34.039 types of opportunities, then you're going to be in a 44 00:02:34.039 --> 00:02:36.560 big jam. And we should talk about that and then 45 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:40.840 also in your reach out, if you're too generic in 46 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:43.759 your reach out, you don't get any traction. You're not 47 00:02:43.879 --> 00:02:46.840 adding anything at the top of funnel because nobody's responding. 48 00:02:47.280 --> 00:02:50.159 So I think these are kind of three major problems. 49 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:53.560 Yeah, I love that word generic here because you know, 50 00:02:53.560 --> 00:02:55.719 when you're too generic. We see it in marketing content 51 00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:57.680 all the time. Right, if you're too generic, you're not 52 00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:01.039 really saying anything, right for everything to ever, everybody or nothing. 53 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:04.000 So let's talk about let's shift into how you ensure 54 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:07.360 as a rep you aren't falling into those traps. If 55 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:09.919 you don't have enough, you have to ask yourself the 56 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:12.360 who right are you targeting the right companies? 57 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:16.879 Well, yeah, and I think this is a joint responsibility. 58 00:03:17.520 --> 00:03:21.360 You've heard me talk about this before, where I say companies, Oh, 59 00:03:21.800 --> 00:03:25.960 the go to market function some basic truths. One of 60 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:30.680 the basic truths is what is the ideal customer profile? 61 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:34.719 Who are we targeting? And inside of that profile, what 62 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:39.560 is the persona? And underneath that persona we call it 63 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:43.759 what are the essential questions of value? What problems do 64 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:48.520 I solve for that customer, that persona, that ideal customer profile? 65 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:52.919 What problems do I solve number two, how specifically do 66 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:56.759 I solve those? Number three? How do I solve them 67 00:03:56.800 --> 00:04:00.400 differently or better than anybody else? And number four or 68 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:03.919 where have I done it before? Proof points, case studies, 69 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:09.280 testimonials of where we've solved those problems. For me, that's 70 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:12.759 the beginning, and it's a combination. If you're listening to 71 00:04:12.840 --> 00:04:15.560 this right now and you don't have the answers to 72 00:04:15.599 --> 00:04:18.720 what I just said, you don't know what your ideal 73 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:22.360 customer profile is, you don't know who you're targeting, You 74 00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:25.560 don't know how to qualify or disqualify those based upon 75 00:04:25.639 --> 00:04:28.920 an ideal customer profile. You don't have the answers to 76 00:04:28.959 --> 00:04:31.680 the essential questions. You've got to go back to your 77 00:04:31.680 --> 00:04:36.079 company and say, fundamentally, I need help with this. And companies, 78 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:38.800 if you're listening and you're not providing, or if you're 79 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:41.759 a leader listening to this and you're not providing your 80 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:45.199 go to my market organization with an aligned answer to 81 00:04:45.240 --> 00:04:49.000 these four essential questions, then you are going to be 82 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:52.000 in big, big trouble with not only your pipeline, but 83 00:04:52.120 --> 00:04:53.399 just basic execution. 84 00:04:54.279 --> 00:04:57.279 Right they provide the foundation for a lot of sales 85 00:04:57.319 --> 00:05:00.920 execution and the motion to make all the go in 86 00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:04.600 the right direction. If you look at who you're targeting 87 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:07.319 and you're like, well, this is ideal customer profile, this 88 00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:11.120 hits it. Another place to look at is that point 89 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:13.759 you make about solving the problem? 90 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:19.240 Yeah? For me, it's simply does this account have a 91 00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:22.959 big enough business problem that I can solve? So not 92 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:26.480 only is it a targeted account, but does it have 93 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:29.600 the business problem? And do they realize that they have 94 00:05:29.720 --> 00:05:33.160 the business problem that I can solve. Can I articulate 95 00:05:33.199 --> 00:05:36.240 that problem in terms that they're going to care about 96 00:05:36.319 --> 00:05:40.839 in things like cost and revenue and risk and strategic priorities, 97 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:45.720 So I can use their words and their experiences to 98 00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:47.879 be able to build the case that this is a 99 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:52.240 problem that I potentially have the ability to solve that's 100 00:05:52.279 --> 00:05:55.639 big enough for them to have urgency, critical enough for 101 00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:58.519 them to have urgency. And if you don't know the answer, 102 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:03.000 it's not pipe line. It's a guessing game. And I 103 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:05.639 always like to say when I pick up the phone morning, 104 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:07.600 I wake up in the morning, I have this written 105 00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:11.040 on my notes, I have it on plaques in my office. 106 00:06:11.879 --> 00:06:16.360 No business issue, No business If you are not waking 107 00:06:16.439 --> 00:06:18.959 up in the morning and saying I need to attach 108 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:23.040 myself to the biggest business issue facing these customers. You 109 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:27.279 are at risk of just going through activities and being very, 110 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:29.519 very frustrated because you're not going to hit the mark 111 00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:32.000 and you're not going to be building any qualified pipeline. 112 00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:35.480 Yeah, looking at the problem you're solving. If you take 113 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:37.920 it a step beyond that, it's are you making sure 114 00:06:37.959 --> 00:06:40.600 you're solving the right problem? But it's also are you 115 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:44.199 articulating what you do in the right way? Right? 116 00:06:44.519 --> 00:06:45.319 We say it all the time. 117 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:48.199 You need to make sure that you're focused on the outcome, 118 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:52.680 increasing revenue, decreasing costs, mitigating risks, and you're not focused 119 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:56.360 on those features and functions. We've been saying this for years, right, 120 00:06:56.360 --> 00:06:58.439 but right now this is a trap that a lot 121 00:06:58.519 --> 00:06:59.759 of these AI companies are. 122 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:03.879 Yeah. I think it's fundamental. I mean, if you're going 123 00:07:03.959 --> 00:07:07.199 to talk about the focus on value, it has always 124 00:07:07.240 --> 00:07:13.199 been about connecting technical requirements to business outcomes and making 125 00:07:13.240 --> 00:07:17.079 sure that as a seller that I do that from 126 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:22.199 the customer's point of view, using their words, their experiences, 127 00:07:22.279 --> 00:07:26.040 with their pain, you know, of not solving these problems. 128 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:29.319 That's the basis of what we're talking about. Come to 129 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:34.839 those conversations with only features and functions, and you are 130 00:07:34.879 --> 00:07:39.079 going to fall into a trap that I mean the 131 00:07:39.079 --> 00:07:41.879 majority of people. We talk about seller deficit disorder all 132 00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:45.160 the time, and what that means is when we get 133 00:07:45.199 --> 00:07:47.759 people on the phone and we try to get them engaged, 134 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:50.959 when we're trying to generate pipeline reach out to them, 135 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:54.600 and social media reach out to them and emails, what 136 00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:59.040 have you, If we are not making ourselves relevant by 137 00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:02.560 understanding from an outside end point of view the problems 138 00:08:02.600 --> 00:08:06.240 they're experiencing that we're relevant for, and then, as you said, 139 00:08:06.759 --> 00:08:13.000 being audible ready to articulate how specifically we have the 140 00:08:13.040 --> 00:08:15.480 ability to help them with those problems, how to help 141 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:19.199 them differently or better than others out there, and then 142 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:22.839 have examples of where we've done it before. This is 143 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:27.560 not only understanding that customers have problems, but being audible 144 00:08:27.639 --> 00:08:30.879 ready to be able to talk about how you solve them. 145 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:33.639 That's it, as you talk about it, right, it may 146 00:08:33.679 --> 00:08:35.639 be really clear how you're going to solve the problems, 147 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:37.240 because that's what you do for a living, right. You 148 00:08:37.279 --> 00:08:39.399 see these issues so all the time, but it might 149 00:08:39.440 --> 00:08:41.480 not be clear for them. So you need to make 150 00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:44.600 sure that they are understanding that and making the link 151 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:46.639 use their words not yours. 152 00:08:46.919 --> 00:08:49.000 Yeah, you got to make them stand in their own 153 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:51.720 I mean this is a great skill, Rachel, that you know, 154 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:54.679 it's an art and a skill, right, it'st in a 155 00:08:54.759 --> 00:08:58.320 science And basically you have to get the customer to 156 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:01.240 stand in their moment of pain. First of all, you 157 00:09:01.320 --> 00:09:03.320 have to have a high confidence that there's a high 158 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:06.240 probability that they have this pain. And then you have 159 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:10.480 to have discovery skills which are good enough to be 160 00:09:10.519 --> 00:09:13.159 able to get a customer to stand in that moment 161 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:17.879 of pain by you asking questions that allows them to 162 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:21.519 go there safely, and then for them to be safely 163 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:25.440 explaining those pains, and then for you to be relevant 164 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:27.399 to it. So I didn't want to skip over that 165 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:31.399 because there's a lot of art and skill, but it's 166 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:35.840 the basics of discovery. These are basics that we have 167 00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:37.159 to get mastery level on. 168 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:41.679 And the other foundational methodology that you can use here 169 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:44.759 is medic Right, So let's talk about a little bit 170 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:47.279 about medic as it relates to pipeline and how it 171 00:09:47.279 --> 00:09:51.600 can help you with qualification, particularly early in the sales process. 172 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:54.960 Yeah, it's a great point. I mean you should use 173 00:09:55.200 --> 00:09:59.480 MEDIC to qualify and disqualify quickly. You don't want to 174 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:02.320 waste your TI, you don't want to waste the customer's time. 175 00:10:02.960 --> 00:10:06.279 And all of that has to do with what's going 176 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:10.519 on at the customer level, who's involved politically, what types 177 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:13.200 of problems are you trying to solve, how big are 178 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:16.519 those problems, what's the decision criteria. All of that is 179 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:20.600 a great tie in to the greatest qualification attributes and 180 00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:24.519 the history of sales, which is MEDIC or medpick. You 181 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:26.679 want to be able to use your champion You want 182 00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:29.360 to be able to use your champions early. You want 183 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:34.279 to be able to use qualification to research potential champions 184 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:37.440 early to qualify them in and out, so as fast 185 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:40.759 as you can connect to the pain points in a 186 00:10:40.799 --> 00:10:44.320 way that will help you understand how you can influence 187 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:48.759 the decision criteria with your differentiation. It's like, look for me, 188 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:53.279 when I look at I'm having conversations with potential customers, 189 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:57.799 I'm using a couple of top level qualification things. Can 190 00:10:57.840 --> 00:11:00.559 I attach myself to the biggest business issue facing this 191 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:05.200 customer and can I influence the decision criteria the customer's 192 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:11.159 decision criteria. Can I influence it with my differentiation which 193 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:14.320 makes it not only great for the customer in the 194 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:18.679 customer's words, but also great for us. Those are two 195 00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:23.080 things in qualification that I'm looking to do every single day, 196 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:30.519 every single conversation, every single pipeline generation activity, strategy, event, 197 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:33.480 phone call, everything I'm doing, I have those two main 198 00:11:33.559 --> 00:11:34.840 things in my mind. 199 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:38.720 Yeah, that's it. There's a lot at work through here. 200 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:41.240 But if you're struggling with pipeline, or if you feel 201 00:11:41.240 --> 00:11:43.759 like you have enough and it's not closing, this conversation 202 00:11:43.799 --> 00:11:45.799 should give you some things to look at. If you 203 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:48.559 don't have enough pipeline, work back from what you want 204 00:11:48.720 --> 00:11:51.799 right and then work back to those essential questions ideal 205 00:11:51.840 --> 00:11:55.039 customer profile. And if you need help, I would say 206 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:57.039 ask for it. And I know you have a great 207 00:11:57.080 --> 00:11:59.679 bottom line to wrap us up with here today, John. 208 00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:02.279 I think that you started it with one of them. 209 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:05.600 You started it with like, pipeline is more than an activity, 210 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:09.360 it's a strategy, So it's not an event, it's a process. 211 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:13.240 And you want to be prepared, you want to be purposeful, 212 00:12:13.759 --> 00:12:16.919 and you want to be ready to qualify and disqualify 213 00:12:17.320 --> 00:12:22.480 early in pipeline generation. For me, it's a skill and 214 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:29.679 a mindset that every capitalize, every seller should own, regardless 215 00:12:30.120 --> 00:12:34.399 of what your company's lead generation processes are. Rachel, I 216 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:38.039 think you know this. I can't stand hearing from reps. 217 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:42.000 I need more leads. If I just could get more leads, 218 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:45.000 I could do X, Y, and Z. Now. I understand 219 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:48.600 companies are set up differently on how leads come in, 220 00:12:49.240 --> 00:12:53.399 but I'm telling you, long after I'm gone, the excuse 221 00:12:53.440 --> 00:12:57.240 Department's going to be closed. You always are going to 222 00:12:57.279 --> 00:12:59.759 have to participate in your own rescue. I don't care 223 00:12:59.799 --> 00:13:04.159 if we have the greatest lead generation mechanics on the planet, 224 00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:09.360 having an ICP, having a conviction to attach to the 225 00:13:09.399 --> 00:13:14.799 biggest business issues facing that ICP, articulating how you do 226 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:17.600 that they're solved their problems, how you do it differently 227 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:20.240 or better than anybody else, and where you've done it before. 228 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:24.240 Those who participate in their own rescue on these topics, 229 00:13:24.840 --> 00:13:30.159 regardless of where the leads come from, are always going 230 00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:31.840 to be the most elite performers. 231 00:13:32.600 --> 00:13:33.960 That's it. Thank you, John. 232 00:13:33.840 --> 00:13:35.679 Kaplan, you got it, Go get them. 233 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:38.240 Thank you to all of you for listening to the 234 00:13:38.279 --> 00:13:39.840 Audible Ready Sales Podcast. 235 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:44.720 At Force Management, we're focused on transforming sales organizations into 236 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:49.279 elite teams. Our proven methodologies deliver programs that build company 237 00:13:49.279 --> 00:13:53.480 alignment and fuel repeatable revenue growth. Give your teams the 238 00:13:53.519 --> 00:13:56.679 ability to execute the growth strategy at the point of sale. 239 00:13:57.120 --> 00:14:01.080 Our strength is our experience. The proof is in our results. 240 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:05.480 Let's get started. Visit us at forestmanagement dot com. 241 00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:08.360 You've been listening to the audible Ready podcast. To not 242 00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:11.240 miss an episode, subscribe to the show in your favorite 243 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:13.039 podcast player until next time.