As sales professionals in today’s competitive market, our customers and prospects demand more from you than ever before. You’re expected to bring something to the table—to be an adviser and consultant with relevant solutions for their business. This requires in-depth knowledge on your company’s products and services.

1. Think Like An Executive:
The Business of Knowing Their Business
Presented by Julie Thomas
President & CEO, ValueSelling Associates
Complimentary Webinar
July 17, 2018
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without specific written authorization of ValueSelling Associates is strictly forbidden.

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3. “There are no secrets to success.
It is the result of preparation, hard
work, and learning from failure.”
-Colin Powell

4. • Why business acumen is important
• How to engage in a business
conversation
• The relationship between business
issues and justifying the sale
• How to be a better business
professional
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
Today’s topics

5. My industry
My problems
My business objectives
My uniqueness
FOCUS: Customer is “buying” versus
Salesperson is “selling”
Show me that
you know me.
Solve my
problems.
Don’t push!
What
Customers
Expect from
True Partners

6. Engage –
What won’t
work!
• They don’t listen
• They talk too much
• They don’t know anything about me
• They don’t follow up
• They don’t tell the truth
• They don’t understand what I need
• They are overly aggressive

7. Business
Acumen
Keenness
Quickness
Good Judgment
Quick Decisions

8. Knowledge and
Understanding of:
- Finance
- Accounting
- Marketing
- Operations
Business
Literacy

9. Engage Executive
Decision Makers
with these steps
Investigate Predict Prepare

10. Gaining
Knowledge
and Insight

11. Investigate
Industry
information
– Associations
– Trade Press
– Lists
Company
Information
– Financial Statements
– Executive Messages
– Analyst Reports
Local
information
– Business
Journals

12. Research about
them and the
company/agency
Look for trends
in key financial
metrics
How does this
company describe,
manage,
and measure their
business health?
Company/
agency
website
Earnings
report
(if public)
Investigate

13. Predict Business
Executives
Business
Goals
Business
Objective
Business
Strategies
Business
Initiatives

14. Problem
Combination of people, process,
and technology challenges
Business
Issue
What customers need to
address and resolve to
achieve business objectives
Value created
by resolving
business
issues
Business
Objective
What customer needs to
accomplish to maintain or
grow their business

15. The only thing that matters is
customer's perception of the
value of being able to resolve
their business issues; always a
combination of tangible and
intangible components
Capabilities any vendor needs
to supply to enable customer
to properly address their
business issues
Value is
created by
solving
business
issues
Solution
Value

16. Characteristics
of a business
issue
• Has a direct and measurable
business impact
• Will align to a business objective
• Is timebound
• Has a cost and a
corresponding value
• Buyer’s perspective or articulation
may vary depending on their level
within an organization

17. Justifying the sale
Tangible Business Value:
Measurable or quantifiable positive
impact on the business issue.
Value
Benefit
Cost

18. Prepare

19. .
Engaging messaging to gain access
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
What value can you add to the process?
What is the likely #1 priority or challenge?
What stands in their way of contributing to your
company’s objective?
Correlate the research to the individual

20. Credibility
“Credibility is a
basic survival skill.”
-Rebecca Solnit
Believable
and
Convincing

21. The Relationship
Knowledge Relevance
Credibility

22. What can you
do today?
• Commit to staying current and
relevant
• Learn your buyer’s industry
• Strengthen your financial literacy
• Gather specific company knowledge
• Identify key executives to access
“Knowledge is of no
value unless you put
it into practice.”
-Anton Chekhov

23. Summary
© 2018 ValueSelling Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.
• We must become business
professionals first, sales professionals
second
• Business executives expect peer-
level value-added relationships
• Investigate, predict, prepare –
all three steps are key to execution,
gaining access and creating
opportunities!
• Be credible: believable and
convincing

24. © 2017 ValueSelling Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2017. All rights
reserved.
Questions?
24© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.

25. © 2017 ValueSelling Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
At the end of
today’s webinar
Go to valueselling.com > resources > webinars
to download today’s slides
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.

26. © 2017 ValueSelling Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
7/17/2018© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2017-2018. All rights reserved.26
Save the date!
Creating Attention Grabbing Stories to
Establish Your Credibility
August 22, 2018 | 10:00 AM Pacific
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.

27. Follow and engage with us!
ValueSelling-
Associates
ValueSellingAssoc ValueSelling
Associates
@Valuselling
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.

28. Thank you!
Julie Thomas
julie@valueselling.com
+ 1 858 759 7954
© ValueSelling Associates, Inc. 2018. All rights reserved.