WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.399 --> 00:00:05.480 Why would we allow ourselves to get stuck talking to one, two, 2 00:00:05.599 --> 00:00:08.400 or maybe three people and not making it our mission 3 00:00:08.439 --> 00:00:11.119 or goal to expand and connect with as many people 4 00:00:11.160 --> 00:00:11.839 as possible. 5 00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:19.199 You're listening to the audible Ready Podcast, the show that 6 00:00:19.239 --> 00:00:23.039 helps you and your teams sell more faster. We'll feature 7 00:00:23.079 --> 00:00:25.559 sales leaders sharing their best insights on how to create 8 00:00:25.559 --> 00:00:28.719 a sales engine that helps you fuel repeatable revenue growth. 9 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:31.800 Presented by the team of Force Management, a leader in 10 00:00:31.879 --> 00:00:34.439 B to B sales effectiveness. Let's get started. 11 00:00:36.840 --> 00:00:39.439 Hello and welcome to the Audible Ready Sales Podcast. I'm 12 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:42.119 Rachel Klett Miller and joining me today is our own 13 00:00:42.159 --> 00:00:44.039 Antonella Oday. Hi Antonella. 14 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:46.399 Hi Rachel, so glad to be back. 15 00:00:46.759 --> 00:00:49.240 I know we're happy to have you back. And this 16 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:53.920 is a really timely and important topic. We're going to 17 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:57.600 talk about trying to create that consensus in a customer account. 18 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:01.159 And I know that you know to be true, Antonello, 19 00:01:01.240 --> 00:01:04.280 when budgets are tight and there's more scrutiny, the more 20 00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:07.280 people you have on your side, the more likely you're 21 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:10.480 going to be able to close that deal. And we 22 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:13.159 often we use a couple terms when it's collective, Yes, 23 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:16.040 and the other one is getting multi threaded in the account. 24 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:19.200 So I want to just level set and start with 25 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:22.400 what we mean by that. What does it mean to 26 00:01:22.599 --> 00:01:25.359 truly be multi threaded? So how about we start there? 27 00:01:25.719 --> 00:01:29.879 Sounds great. When I think about multi threading, I define 28 00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:33.879 it as the level of breath and depth that we 29 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:37.239 have within an account. And when I say breath, I'm 30 00:01:37.319 --> 00:01:41.079 referring to the number of people involved in an opportunity 31 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:44.120 that have a say or way into what the solution 32 00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:47.599 is going to be. And depending on what you're selling, 33 00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:52.079 whether you're selling commercial or an enterprise sphase or the 34 00:01:52.120 --> 00:01:54.799 public sector, when we really think about it, there could 35 00:01:54.799 --> 00:01:59.280 be five, ten, fifteen, twenty people that need to be aligned, 36 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:02.079 or at least they need to be aligned to move forward. 37 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:05.680 And if we know that there are that many people involved, 38 00:02:05.920 --> 00:02:10.039 why would we allow ourselves to get stuck talking to one, two, 39 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:12.919 or maybe three people and not making it our mission 40 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:15.719 or goal to expand and connect with as many people 41 00:02:15.719 --> 00:02:18.840 as possible. But it happens more times than it should. 42 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:23.000 So whether it's the fear of asking, or you're concerned 43 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:25.919 of disrupting the Apple card, or we get comfortable with 44 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:29.199 a couple of stakeholders. We in essence, are putting ourselves 45 00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:31.680 in a huge disadvantage right from the start because we 46 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:34.879 know that there are stakeholders that are part of the 47 00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:37.240 process that have a point of view, and we have 48 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:40.639 no line of sight into that. When I say depth, 49 00:02:41.080 --> 00:02:44.960 it really means understanding the problems and the goals from 50 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:49.840 each individual stakeholder perspective, and then connecting the dots to 51 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:53.199 a bigger, overall initiative. Because getting in front of them 52 00:02:53.240 --> 00:02:55.439 is just part of the battle. They need to believe 53 00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:58.280 that you understand them, that you can actually help them. 54 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:02.039 So it's about getting that data from each and every stakeholder, 55 00:03:02.199 --> 00:03:06.039 analyzing whether you can or can't help them solve their problems, 56 00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:08.680 and then helping them all connect to a bigger initiative 57 00:03:08.680 --> 00:03:11.319 they can all agree on. And when I think about this, 58 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:14.520 I think about it in terms of like an analogy 59 00:03:14.719 --> 00:03:16.879 I'll kind of use to explain this. I live in 60 00:03:16.879 --> 00:03:20.520 North Carolina, so NASCAR is really popular here. It's like 61 00:03:20.599 --> 00:03:23.520 running a NASCAR pit crew trying to win a race. 62 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:26.639 You could have the best possible driver, and I relate 63 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:29.719 the correlate the driver to a champion. In the deal, 64 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:32.879 you can have a strong champion. But if everybody else 65 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:36.080 is not in sync, the pit crew, the tire changers, 66 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:40.879 the fuel guy, the jackman, the crew chiet, there's zero 67 00:03:41.080 --> 00:03:45.360 chants are going to finish first. Every stakeholder in the 68 00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:47.680 deal is like a member of the pit crew. They 69 00:03:47.719 --> 00:03:50.120 all have roles, they all have a point of view. 70 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:54.280 If one of those key players is misaligned, the deal 71 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:57.800 slows down, or maybe it never like maybe falls off 72 00:03:57.840 --> 00:03:59.919 track and it never gets back on track, and therefore 73 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:03.400 and you can't win the race. Right, knowing this is 74 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:05.919 the case, why would we want to try to win 75 00:04:05.960 --> 00:04:08.879 a race relying on only a couple of people and 76 00:04:08.919 --> 00:04:13.080 what's important to them. Winning closing deals, it takes coordination, 77 00:04:13.199 --> 00:04:16.600 It takes timing, it takes strategy, it takes trust, and 78 00:04:16.680 --> 00:04:20.120 it takes getting alignment across the whole entire crew. No 79 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:23.639 multi threading means no real alignment and means no deal. 80 00:04:24.199 --> 00:04:28.519 No deal, no check or flag. There you go. We 81 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:31.600 Actually I want to give a quick shout out to 82 00:04:31.639 --> 00:04:34.319 a podcast I just did with John that is about 83 00:04:34.360 --> 00:04:37.360 getting people to introduce you to other people on account 84 00:04:37.399 --> 00:04:39.759 like just that nuance of like how do you get 85 00:04:39.759 --> 00:04:41.560 the ind how do you get those conversations going, and 86 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:44.360 you mentioned the hesitancy to ask for them. Be sure 87 00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:45.879 to check out that podcast. I've linked it in the 88 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:49.759 show notes, so breadth and depth, and we talk a 89 00:04:49.759 --> 00:04:52.759 lot about what you just kind of went through antonella 90 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:56.240 of really like understanding the points of view of the 91 00:04:56.319 --> 00:05:00.759 variety of stakeholders in the deal once you get that connection, 92 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:03.959 like really seeing what their point of view is. But 93 00:05:04.040 --> 00:05:06.600 we don't talk as much about getting them to agree 94 00:05:06.680 --> 00:05:09.120 on your solution. Right, that's a lot of people. You 95 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:12.040 got to get on the bus and align with what 96 00:05:12.199 --> 00:05:16.720 you need. And in our conversations we can often uncover 97 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:20.439 some internal conflict that you need to come in and 98 00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:23.240 almost correct. So how do you what tips do you 99 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:27.240 have for helping to drive that collective agreement? 100 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:30.879 Your question is kind of timely because I'm actually in 101 00:05:30.920 --> 00:05:35.399 the process of trying to figure out with my extended family, 102 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:39.720 like planning a big family vacation. And you can imagine, 103 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:44.680 like everybody's got an agenda, everybody's got like I'd rather 104 00:05:44.759 --> 00:05:47.040 do this than that, and you put something good on 105 00:05:47.079 --> 00:05:50.800 the table, somebody's gonna have an issue with the details. 106 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:55.040 And so I think about like those types of scenarios 107 00:05:55.120 --> 00:05:59.240 it's not always Alignment doesn't always mean getting everyone to 108 00:05:59.319 --> 00:06:02.439 agree something. People in that process need to just concede 109 00:06:02.839 --> 00:06:05.680 and be willing to come along for the ride. So 110 00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:09.000 when I think about in our world, how do we 111 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:12.480 make this happen? Few things that really stand out, like 112 00:06:12.600 --> 00:06:17.240 Number one, As somebody in a customer facing role, I 113 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:22.439 would charge the political landscape like a roadmap, like who 114 00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:26.959 are the players? Who has influenced, who doesn't, who's got 115 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:31.160 who's ear who likes who? Who is you know, focused 116 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:34.879 on costs, who's focused on? More of the technical aspects 117 00:06:34.920 --> 00:06:39.040 like understanding, like the dynamics of the people involved. I 118 00:06:39.079 --> 00:06:42.319 think has to be the starting point. If you don't 119 00:06:42.399 --> 00:06:46.079 understand who you are working with and what's important to them, 120 00:06:46.519 --> 00:06:49.040 you're just going to be spinning your wheels like pitching 121 00:06:49.079 --> 00:06:51.480 stuff the whole entire time. Like you really need to 122 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:55.399 understand how those dynamics play out. Once you do understand 123 00:06:55.399 --> 00:07:01.040 those dynamics, be a facilitator. You're not the boss in 124 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:05.279 those scenarios, right, We're not, But we can facilitate, And 125 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:10.120 so we know that we need to be multi lingual 126 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:15.920 in every single opportunity. So if I'm talking to certain stakeholders. 127 00:07:16.040 --> 00:07:18.759 I need to know that when I talk to them 128 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:22.160 it's about cost savings. I might talk to somebody else 129 00:07:22.639 --> 00:07:26.959 it could be about like making their everyday job easier. Right, 130 00:07:27.079 --> 00:07:30.839 So I have to hear what each stakeholder is saying 131 00:07:30.879 --> 00:07:34.120 and understand what matters to them and talk in their language, 132 00:07:34.560 --> 00:07:36.920 and then I can set up either one on one 133 00:07:37.040 --> 00:07:41.519 conversations or smaller groups where maybe I'm bridging gap and 134 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:45.439 making sure that I'm getting certain people aligned. Like if 135 00:07:45.480 --> 00:07:48.079 I have a tech team that's really hung up on 136 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:51.519 certain speeds and feeds, like I need to get them 137 00:07:51.560 --> 00:07:54.720 and maybe a separate conversation and connect them to the 138 00:07:54.720 --> 00:07:58.959 bigger overall initiative. But like I need to understand what 139 00:07:59.160 --> 00:08:02.439 matters to who and just be a facilitator to try 140 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:06.120 to gather those people to a yes. I'll also say, 141 00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:10.920 you need to have a really effective influencer. And I 142 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:14.160 know very often we refer to this person as a champion, 143 00:08:14.720 --> 00:08:17.439 and a lot of the times they are hopefully in 144 00:08:17.480 --> 00:08:21.439 our case, but sometimes we can find people who just 145 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:27.279 know like the dynamics really well, who really is kind 146 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:31.040 of seen as the go to persons. They have tremendous credibility, 147 00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:34.240 They care about the outcome and they're willing to help you. 148 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:38.279 Get them on board. If you find this person, develop 149 00:08:38.360 --> 00:08:43.159 them into a champion whenever possible, and give them what 150 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:47.480 they need to really make the impact, whether it's a 151 00:08:47.600 --> 00:08:51.240 one pager or like a script of sorts, give them 152 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:55.600 what they need to pitch your case internally. I remember 153 00:08:55.919 --> 00:08:59.039 seeing like a REP who was coaching like a mid 154 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:03.200 level manager to like really stand out in an upcoming meeting. 155 00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:08.039 And it was that individual who got that VP as 156 00:09:08.039 --> 00:09:11.440 well as the IT team to stop like fighting over 157 00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:16.039 certain things by just getting them like focus on like 158 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:18.639 one big issue that they're trying to solve as a whole. 159 00:09:19.240 --> 00:09:21.639 And so those people could be critical because so much 160 00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:24.240 is happening behind the scenes that were not privy to. 161 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:28.200 So you need that influencer internally to help you out. 162 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:31.240 And then I'll say last thing, like try to keep 163 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:34.200 the trade on the tracks as best as possible, Like 164 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:38.960 it's very easy for a deal to stall over the 165 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:44.080 most ridiculous things like what a solution can or cannot do, 166 00:09:44.279 --> 00:09:49.039 like keep people focus on the overall initiative versus like 167 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:53.320 little things that could be very easily like end up 168 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:58.080 being blockers or can detract from what the overall goal is. 169 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:01.759 Just keep taking people back to the overall problem that 170 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:05.039 you're solving versus like all the mini problems that you're 171 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:05.919 trying to solve for. 172 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:10.000 Yeah, those are some great tips there, and there's really 173 00:10:10.200 --> 00:10:13.759 understanding what the needs of the person, but then also 174 00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:15.960 making sure your message is tailored to that. I'll just 175 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:19.120 this was happening this morning for those of you listening. 176 00:10:19.159 --> 00:10:22.440 We typically force management when we're marketing or selling, we 177 00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:26.960 sell to that chief revenue officer persona like the sales leader, 178 00:10:27.519 --> 00:10:32.320 maybe the COEO, but just really that sales persona. And 179 00:10:32.519 --> 00:10:35.519 we just launched this campaign and we had some great 180 00:10:35.559 --> 00:10:38.639 companies and some great sea level executives, but who came 181 00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:44.159 back with was CMOS Chief Marketing Officers. CIOs was like, 182 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:47.039 who are these personas? We're still trying to figure out 183 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:50.600 what resonated with them with a campaign and you know, 184 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:54.240 we had our sequence and our teed up to follow 185 00:10:54.360 --> 00:10:55.799 up with them and it was all ready to go, 186 00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:57.879 and we had to turn it off because I was like, 187 00:10:57.919 --> 00:11:01.200 these messages do not hit what these people care about 188 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:04.080 at all, like that, it's just not the same interest. 189 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:06.200 So we have to rework the whole thing, and it's 190 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:09.759 the same thing what you're talking about here in those conversations. 191 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:12.440 And I love the tip you talked about of equipping 192 00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:15.919 them to do an internal cell right, give them the 193 00:11:15.919 --> 00:11:18.399 one sheet, give them the walk around deck aligned to 194 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:22.240 what they need. The slides that the CIO might need 195 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:25.399 are different than the CFO, and you've got to make 196 00:11:25.399 --> 00:11:29.360 sure you're tailoring your message appropriately you and your assets 197 00:11:29.440 --> 00:11:31.559 as well. I think you kind of hit on this 198 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:34.120 a little bit, but I wanted to bring it up again, 199 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:37.240 maybe hit it at a different angle, because you're saying 200 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:40.679 like deals can stall for like the simplest of reasons, 201 00:11:40.679 --> 00:11:43.799 and when you're trying to get people to agree, you 202 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:46.279 might uncover some internal conflict. 203 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:47.720 That you don't want to be in, right. You don't 204 00:11:47.720 --> 00:11:50.080 want to get in the weeds of why people don't agree. 205 00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:53.960 So it's really important to focus on the business issues 206 00:11:53.960 --> 00:11:56.000 in case there's some other stuff going on. How do 207 00:11:56.039 --> 00:11:58.159 you manage that? As an outside person? 208 00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:01.840 I think you know we have the ability to get 209 00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:05.679 the team focus on the big outcome, as I mentioned before, 210 00:12:06.039 --> 00:12:09.000 and one of the ways we can do that is 211 00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:14.759 to kick off every customer interaction and reset everyone on 212 00:12:14.919 --> 00:12:17.879 what that big issue is that you're attempting to solve, 213 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:22.559 So not getting into what everyone's little weeds are, but really, 214 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:25.919 like that big tree like that's planted in the ground, 215 00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:29.919 this is the purpose of this meeting. This is what 216 00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:33.840 we're trying to resolve. Because if you can get everybody 217 00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:36.039 to agree with that, it's much easier to get the 218 00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:39.120 smaller things taken care of. One of the things that 219 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:43.240 I notice is sometimes we assume that because we've heard 220 00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:47.559 it before, that they'll remember it. Or I don't want 221 00:12:47.559 --> 00:12:50.279 to be redundant in my meetings, and so I don't 222 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:53.559 want to start off with the same like here's the purpose, 223 00:12:53.759 --> 00:12:57.240 Like here's what we're trying to resolve, because at the 224 00:12:57.320 --> 00:12:59.960 end of the day, it is something everybody can rally around, 225 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:03.320 and so you're trying to get everybody aligne. You need 226 00:13:03.559 --> 00:13:06.919 something that you can rally everyone around. So if you 227 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:09.480 want to talk about things like, oh, reducing costs by 228 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:13.639 twenty percent or increasing arr right, I remember a rep 229 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:17.759 that worked with me stop like a tech debate by asking, Okay, 230 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:21.159 well how much are you losing when you actually get 231 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:23.799 those orders stuck? Like taking it back to what's most 232 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:27.679 important in terms of the overall initiative, like we're losing 233 00:13:27.720 --> 00:13:31.600 money here. That's not something that we're trying to accomplish. 234 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:35.919 So it focused the conversation back on revenue and revenue generation, 235 00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:41.000 and it squashed the whole conversation around technology. So when 236 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:44.519 you're in these conversations, reset right around the big topic 237 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:49.279 and then use examples to steal that opportunity. Share quick wins, 238 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:53.320 how other companies use your solution to drive that revenue 239 00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:58.200 or reduce the cost. People tend to really latch onto stories, 240 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:02.440 they don't match onto speeds, and so if those technical 241 00:14:02.519 --> 00:14:05.600 questions are those weeds start to creep in, tie it 242 00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:10.000 back to impact. Always point to the prize right, increasing revenue, 243 00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:14.759 reducing costs, mitigating risk. Last, let the business leader drive 244 00:14:15.200 --> 00:14:20.320 the conversation. If the economic buyer or the champion right, 245 00:14:20.360 --> 00:14:24.559 people who are all about results can start the conversation. 246 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:28.559 They tend to set the tone when they're upfront and 247 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:32.159 speaking aligned with you. Tech folks have a tendency of 248 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:35.120 toning it down in those types of meetings, and so 249 00:14:35.559 --> 00:14:37.919 it's much easier to focus on the goals of the 250 00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:41.240 business versus some of the weeds that might present themselves 251 00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:42.759 normally during the sales cycle. 252 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:45.039 Yeah, and I think the other things you remember too. 253 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:48.159 If there is a conflict, right, if you're in the 254 00:14:48.200 --> 00:14:50.480 weeds or and you know about it, right, you're doing 255 00:14:50.519 --> 00:14:52.759 a good job of penetrating the account as opposed to 256 00:14:52.799 --> 00:14:55.759 not even knowing it's going on. And I know that 257 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:58.200 champion is always an asset. How do you use your 258 00:14:58.279 --> 00:15:00.919 champion in this specific inst I. 259 00:15:00.879 --> 00:15:03.799 Would say they probably help in three really big ways. 260 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:07.879 They obviously can let you know what's happening behind the scenes, 261 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:11.120 so you can strategize. Maybe you have a CFO who's 262 00:15:11.159 --> 00:15:14.360 worried about costs while you have you know, people on 263 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:17.679 the ops team who are more concerned about change. They 264 00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:22.279 can give you the explanation of maybe why certain parties 265 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:27.159 are in conflict, what's happening, what's driving it. I remember 266 00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:32.240 one time I had a seller who's champion let them 267 00:15:32.279 --> 00:15:37.159 know that the CFO was blocking the opportunity, not over 268 00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:41.080 the numbers, but over a personal grudge, so that intel 269 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:44.759 allowed them to strategize and pivot to address, you know, 270 00:15:44.840 --> 00:15:47.480 the real issue, and help getting those people on the 271 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:52.320 same page. The second thing I would say is leverage 272 00:15:52.360 --> 00:15:55.960 your champion to rally the team. They've got skin in 273 00:15:55.960 --> 00:16:01.039 the game, they've got credibility that's on the line. They 274 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:05.399 can obviously took up your solution inside, so you leverage 275 00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:08.200 them as much as possible, give them the tools to 276 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:12.000 crush it internally when you're not there, they'll make your case. 277 00:16:12.519 --> 00:16:17.080 I've seen many champions like take reps ROI or their 278 00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:22.360 pitch deck and really leverage those types of things to 279 00:16:22.440 --> 00:16:26.919 gain alignment from teams that they don't typically play with 280 00:16:27.080 --> 00:16:31.960 often like finance or IT and just using them to 281 00:16:32.120 --> 00:16:37.519 be the voice of reason and also connection and alignment internally. 282 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:40.840 And then I'll say the last thing is use them 283 00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:46.279 to bridge the gaps. Conflict is inevitable sometimes and very 284 00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:49.200 often it comes from people not really listening to each 285 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:53.759 other internally, so they very often can be the glue 286 00:16:53.799 --> 00:16:57.679 that you need to pull people together. So if they 287 00:16:57.720 --> 00:17:02.000 have the ability to put potentially huddle certain groups up 288 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:06.240 or giving you inside of what else other teams might need, 289 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:10.039 you can resolve some of those conflicts internally. And once 290 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:14.519 you have somebody internally to run interference when you're not there, 291 00:17:15.119 --> 00:17:18.519 it really can help become a win not only for 292 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:22.160 you but also for them internally, and really to demonstrate 293 00:17:22.200 --> 00:17:24.200 how they can shine and be a value to the 294 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:27.079 organization all and all, Like you want to treat your 295 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:30.359 champion like a partner, keep them in the loop, ask 296 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:34.880 their advice, make them look good. If they are shining internally, 297 00:17:34.920 --> 00:17:38.359 they'll work harder to help you settle any conflict and 298 00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:39.799 make sure that your deal gets through. 299 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:43.039 Great tips about the champion their internel Are there any 300 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:45.640 key things you want people to walk away with from 301 00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:48.160 this podcast that you want to share before we wrap up? 302 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:52.440 I would say, like the best starting point here is 303 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:56.880 just trying to challenge yourself to continuously go deeper and wider. 304 00:17:57.319 --> 00:17:59.839 I'll share one quick best practice and I'll leave that 305 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:03.319 out like my tip. I was talking to a seller 306 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:07.279 once who said, like her goal is in every meeting 307 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:12.680 there is one new stakeholder that's involved, Like that's her goal, 308 00:18:13.240 --> 00:18:17.519 and so each and every meeting she asks for an 309 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:21.440 introduction or that somebody else gets drafted in, and it 310 00:18:21.519 --> 00:18:25.079 says she was saying, like it helps keep her grounded 311 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:31.799 in the importance of trying to interact, engage and understand 312 00:18:32.160 --> 00:18:36.599 what each stakeholders investment is and what in it for them, 313 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:40.039 And it just has helped her close more deals, bigger 314 00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:44.359 deals because she's able to better align the greater group 315 00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:46.279 around her solutions. 316 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:51.119 That's awesome. Thank you so much, Antonella. Thanks for having me, Rachel, 317 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:54.359 great goals to have for your sales conversations this week. 318 00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:56.400 Thank you to all of you for listening to the 319 00:18:56.440 --> 00:18:58.039 Audible Ready Sales podcast. 320 00:18:59.400 --> 00:19:03.359 At Force Management, we're focused on transforming sales organizations into 321 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:07.960 elite teams. Our proven methodologies deliver programs that build company 322 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:12.160 alignment and fuel repeatable revenue growth. Give your teams the 323 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:15.720 ability to execute the growth strategy at the point of sale. 324 00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:19.759 Our strength is our experience. The proof is in our results. 325 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:23.920 Let's get started. Visit us at forcemanagement dot com. 326 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:27.039 You've been listening to the Audible Ready podcast. To not 327 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:29.920 miss an episode, subscribe to the show in your favorite 328 00:19:29.920 --> 00:19:31.759 podcast player Until next time.