The document emphasizes the evolution of sales from traditional methods based on information scarcity to a more collaborative approach defined by transparency and mutual exploration. Salespeople are encouraged to focus on understanding customer pain points and developing tailored solutions, rather than simply quoting prices. The future of sales prioritizes emotional intelligence, creativity, and coaching, requiring sales professionals to engage deeply with customers to identify and align on issues and opportunities.

1. Sales 101
Developing a professional sales
organization culture
Jeremiah Fellows | Director, Sales and
Marketing

2. A History of Sales
From bad to better then back to bad
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3. Traditional Sales
Sales behaviors are based on information scarcity
Sales are made by selectively releasing and
withholding information to create misconceptions
and dependencies.
As information becomes ubiquitous it is easier for
the buyer to compete.
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4. Solution Selling
As customers have increasing access to
information sales is becoming better at listening.
Sales are made by listening for “pain points” and
crafting a solution to address those pain points.
There is little differentiation between sales people
and the products and services they sell.
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5. The Present
Customers can identify their own pain points and
solve complex problems on their own.
Sophisticated buyers make salespeople quote
generators competing on price.
Salespeople respond by reverting to hoarding and
manipulating information.
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6. The Future of sales
It’s about the right skills and the right customer
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7. There is no sales.
Sales is dead.
Sales is being replaced by collaborative discovery.
Sales people are looking more like film producers.
Collaborative sales is defined by
transparency, candor and mutual exploration.
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8. The Skills
This is no longer an issue of introverted versus
extroverted.
Collaborative salespeople have emotional
intelligence. They are smart, not clever. They have
an intense curiosity.
The future is salesperson is defined by creativity
and improvisation.
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9. Targeting
Find the customers willing to mutually explore the
issues and collaborate on a solution.
This is more work than issuing an RFP and treating
vendors as commodities.
These customers are harder find. These customers
are not average. These customers exist in the
fringes.
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10. Qualifying
The solution and the customer issues must be in
alignment.
Understand the issues. Know the impact of
solving the problem or capitalizing on the
opportunity. Define success.
You are not the star. Learn to coach.
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11. Issues
A request for a solution does not define the
problem.
Dig deep. Use the Five Why’s. Understand the
issue ecosystem. Understand the priorities.
Be willing to walk away.
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12. Impact
Quantify the result of solving the problem or
capitalizing on an opportunity.
Understand the measure of success. Define it in
dollars where possible.
Not every problem is worth solving.
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13. Decision
Understand who, when and why of the decision
process. There may be many processes.
Why will they say yes? Why will they say no? Who
should be in the discussion? How do they measure
success?
Don’t guess. Ask.
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14. Coach
You developed the solution together. Let them be the
hero.
They might have the right access. They might pitch it
better. Coach others to make your case for you.
Coaching happens with people. Sales happens to
people.
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15. Case Studies
What I have done right (and wrong).
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16. Case Study: Impact
A client asked us to develop an online form with an integration to a back end
system. This project was to reduce the time employees spent doing data entry.
As part of developing a proposal and estimate we dug into the clients process. We
determined they spend an average of 40 hours a year doing the data entry.
We estimated it would cost around $150K to develop the software necessary to
automate the data entry.
We could have gone for the win and taken the opportunity at face value. Because
we asked a lot of “Why’s” we escaped proposing a project that would take 150
years to realize ROI.
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17. Resources
Brilliant people and what they have to say.
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18. Links & Books
• The End of Solution Sales
• Provoking your customers
• Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship
• To Sell is Human
• This is Service Design Thinking
• This book has great information about Personas and customer journeys told from the
perspective of a service designer. Sales is a service. This information especially relevant.
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19. Jeremiah Fellows
Director, Sales and Marketing
Aspenware
J.Fellows@aspenware.com
LinkedIn
@JwFellows