10 step formula for success

As a sales trainer, I'm asked to observe sales meetings and make suggestions on how to run them better. While there are many mistakes I see managers make, one of the most prominent is the inability to take sales success stories (where someone sells something) and relate it to the rest of the team so that it's meaningful.�
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The purpose of this article is to give you a 10-Point Formula of how to execute a Success Story at a sales meeting.�
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The main lesson in this is not to rush through it. Chances are the sales person spent tens of hours on the sales process so why hit only the highlights and have it be of no help to others? We believe that the well-executed Success Story can be extrmely helpful to identify best practices and share it with the team.�
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Count on 30-minutes for this presentation.�
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Narrative:
This should be a quick overview of the deal....how you got there; what the circumstances were that you found when you entered the process.�
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Pain/Economics:
What pain did you uncover with the customer? What were the economic challenges facing the customer? Was this pain they could live with or did you help them see they had to change? Was it there when you first showed up or did you have to guide them? I want to hear the EXACT questions you asked the prospect so I can replicate that.�
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Personalities:
List the various decision makers/influencers with whom you had contact with over the course of the deal. Identify the role they played in the process. What were the various pain points specific to each influencer/decision maker? Outline their level of receptivity from the beginning of the process to the conclusion. The fact is that decisions are made by human beings and to help me navigate� my own clients I'd like to hear how another sales person did it.�
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Sequence of Events:
This should lay out the entire deal...from the first meeting, through follow up meetings/presentations, through the closing of the deal. Every deal you sell is nothing but a sequence of events. There is great value in knowing exactly the steps you went through from beginning to close.�
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Roadblocks:
What kind of roadblocks did you encounter while you were in process with the customer? Every sales process is full of yellow flags and roadblocks. Again, be specific to issues and how you were able to resolve them. If there was a price issue, tell me how you talked about it with the prospect and how you walked them through any new thinking that they had to embrace.�
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Assessment/Recommendations:
What did the assessment process look like? What did you learn from the users that influenced your thinking and/or how you would frame your recommendations. If you don't have an assessment step in your sales process, by all means, get one. It might be the one thing that separates you from your competition.�
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Objections:
Similar to roadblocks above, this area focuses more on how your recommendations were viewed by the customer. What objections did they have and what steps did you take to work through them?�
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Conclusion:
Describe how the deal finally came together. What did the 11th hour look like? Was there negotiation? If so, what did it sound like? Bring in the emails you sent to the prospect so we can see exactly how you did it.�
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Lessons Learned:
Based upon this experience, the top 3 lessons I will take away from this deal are....�
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Lessons from the group:�
Don't let the group get away from the meeting without sharing what they learned and, more importantly, what they will do with what they learned.�
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This 10-step formula will help as you coach your successful sales people to share what they learned from their success.�There is a saying that goes, "We learn nothing from success-only from failure." Don't believe it.�

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