A presentation on the "missing" skills that sales people often neglect in trying to convert prospects into buyers.

1. Sales Enablement
Presentation
Identifying the Eagle Within Each
Of Us Through A Familiar
Approach David Zahn
ZAHN Consulting, LLC

2. Agenda
• Why We Are Here
• What Needs To Be Done
• How To Do It
• ZAHN Consulting, LLC

3. What Happened?
WHY WE ARE HERE

4. Pause For Cause
• 80/20 83/17
• Yet, we have:
– Better training
– Improved tools and resources
– Focus on compensation and
incentives
– But we are getting worse!
• Why? What prevents the
company from having even
better success?
• How do you reinforce those
efforts?
• How do you “institutionalize”
successes?

5. “Classic” Organizational
Hurdles
Pragmatic Concerns
 No time nor budget to develop skills – need people to
be productive!
 Training viewed as “X” day(s) program (and done).
 Skills are not reinforced “on the job” (and thus are
extinguished).
 Management does not embrace/coach/
monitor/enforce/ counsel based on trained concepts.
 Performance rarely changes dramatically.
 Varying levels of competence (and selection of
trainees and training initiatives frequently fails to
account for differences).
 Needs are “assumed,” not known.

6. “Classic” Organizational
Hurdles (Continued)
Pragmatic Concerns
 Increased pressure to reduce time away
from field.
 Unsure of how to justify training expense
(but want to ensure “value-received”).
 Shifting responsibilities (cross-
functional/business management/
financial/etc.).
 Greater embedded base of technology
users (laptops, software applications, etc.)
and ever increasing complexity of
applications.

7. But Here Is The Biggest Issue
• We are focused on the WRONG things –
but do them better and better!

8. Not Always Sane In The Brain
Reptilian Brain – Fight or Flight
Limbic System – Emotions
NeoCortex – Thoughts and logic
Thalamus – Gateway to other parts of brain
Amygdala – Regulates emotions and memories

9. So What Do We Do?
• We train our sales force to:
– Penetrate accounts
– Uncover Pain/Opportunities
– Use more facts and logic
• We believe we should:
– Know more than our customers
– Demonstrate strength and cover-up weakness
– Control the sales call
– Follow a scripted process

10. Reap What We Sow
• Who would react well to being probed?
• How would you respond if about to be
interrogated?
• When someone offers “factual” or “logical
proof”, wouldn’t we look to challenge or
refute?
• Don’t you wonder how anyone can really
be that smart?

11. Do different things to get different results
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

12. Back To The Future
• What is a key role of the Sales Person –
manage relationships!
– Do we interrogate people we want to form
relationships with?
– Do we refuse to show our “humanness” to
them?
– Do we act as if we know it all?
• A story as old as time…

13. Have We Forgotten…
• The importance of Trust
– Caring
– Communication
– Competence
– Character
– Commitment
– Clarity
• Removing barriers
• ES = RS * CS

14. Stop, Continue and Start
• Filling out templates • Understanding my • Speak WITH me, not
• Focusing on seller business TO me
needs • Helping buyer solve • Listening to me
• Leading with issues • Share seller mistakes
data/facts/science/ • Appreciating how • Tell me the story
features/ decisions are reached (Harvard uses
• Being overly logical • Following the sales business cases to
cycle (but differently) teach concepts)

15. The importance of connection
HOW TO DO IT

16. The Steps

17. Power of Story
• Once upon a time…
• Caveman drawings
• Music
• Art
• Novels
• Movies

18. Steps of the Story
• The Goal
• The Setting
• The Conflict
• The Crossroad
• The Outcome

19. Vulnerability
• How do you react when someone is smug,
a know-it-all, and seems too perfect?
• How do you react when someone is
imperfect, hurt, or shows “fallibilities?”

20. Aligning Buy Cycle with
Selling Activities
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
Needs Details Consequence
Level of Buyer Interest
Needs
Cost
Solution
Risk
Time

21. Alignment Between Cycles
Buy Cycle Sell Cycle
• Curious • Story on Curious
• Needs • Story on Need Development
• Idea Generation • Story on Brainstorming
• Solution • Story on Solution Creation
• Value • Story on ROI or Evaluation
• Implement • Story on Execution
• Decision • Story on Determination
• Integration • Story on Actions

22. Discussion

23. ZAHN Consulting, LLC
Management Process
Analysis
2. Skill Analysis
3.
l
- Interviews
1. Strategic Direction - Internal Surveys
lIdentify Corporate lIdentify Needs Curriculum Design
Objectives l Prioritize Needs
lTraining Approach l Multi-level
lSales Strategy l Multi-year
8. Evaluation 4. Product Design
lBehavioral
l Objective
Impact
l Program Format
l Identify Next
l Concepts
Steps
7. Follow-Up &
Reinforcement 5. Product Development
lManagement Tools Content Development
l
lJob Aids Content Review
l
lVerify Usage Pilot
l
6. Product Implementation
Product Scheduling
l
Product Execution
l

24. Who is ZAHN Consulting, LLC
• David Zahn
– Instructional Designer
– 20 years corporate and consulting experience (Symbol
Technologies, IRI/Neo, Inc., and now ZAHN Consulting, LLC.)
– Published author of two books (“How To Succeed As An
Independent Consultant” and “The Quintessential Guide To
Using Consultants”), weekly columnist for Connecticut Post
and frequent contributor to trade publications and e-zines
(T&D, Grocery Headquarters, Brandweek, Airline Revenue
News, Kenosia Report, IRI Publications,
http://blog.ctnews.com/zahn/, www.businessweek.com,
www.entrepreneur.com, www.retailwire.com,
www.morningnewsbeat.com) and many others
– Interviewed on many business radio shows addressing CPG
issues, Consulting Skills, and Entrepreneurship
– Co-moderator of Category Management Share Group
– Adjunct faculty member at University of New Haven
• ZAHN Consulting, LLC Consultants
– ZAHN Consulting, LLC maintains relationships with specialists
in Brand Marketing, Retailing, Information Systems, Sales,
Operations and other functional areas.
– Consultants have a combined 110 years of industry experience
across multiple channels, manufacturers, categories and
initiatives.

25. Consulting Experience
• ZAHN Consulting, LLC has experience in meeting the following
needs for clients:
– Employee Development/Training – Workshop360SM
http://www.zahnconsulting.com/workshop.htm
• Needs Assessment
• Sales Skills
• Analytic Skills
• Financial Skills
• Management Skills
• Software Application Skills
– Strategic Planning
• Shopper Marketing
• Business Planning
• Brand/Product Management Plans
– Research
• Surveys
• “Best in Class” Differentiators
– International and Domestic Assignments for multi-national companies.
ZAHN Consulting, LLC helps companies maximize their results by extending
beyond employee knowledge to improved performance.

26. We have collaborated with many of the “tool” providers driving
innovation within the industry to complement our expertise
• Primary source for client training (Data Detective, Category Management, and other
programs)
• Frequently asked to contribute to strategy sessions for new product training, curriculum
development, and training delivery options.
• Combines ZAHN Consulting, LLC’s extensive category management training
expertise with Interactive Edge’s decision support tools to enable Retailers/Mfrs. to
identify opportunities through analysis of price, promotion, assortment, demographic,
clusters, shopper segments, and store specific data variables.
• As many clients have begun to use data to drive more deeply into the purchase
habits of shoppers, our projects have often included the use of and interpretation of
Catalina Marketing data.
• David Zahn is the developer and facilitator for conducting all Apollo Designer
Workstation optimization workshops as part of Aldata Apollo curriculum
• Currently working on a webinar series with Cosmic Solutions to address the needs
of analysts, sales people, brand managers, and others with a need to quickly
assess performance and develop action-oriented insights to build business.

27. Our client experience includes national
and multinational CPG manufacturers

28. Recent Issues We Have Helped
Resolve
• Salespeople miss the “needs” of the buyer/others within
the retailer
• Presentations are too diffuse/not focused; don’t provide
ideas to differentiate against competition
• Lack of awareness of Retailer’s metrics or objectives
• No acknowledgement of RETAILER’s competition, just
other brands
• Salespeople are “parroting” what HQ Marketing or others
provided – but do not understand their own presentation
• Very tactical – no unifying strategy
• What about the SHOPPER!

29. Creating the Vision
• Recognizing WHO is to do the
task
• Identifying the WHAT people
are to do
• Designing the HOW they are to
do it
• Determining the WHEN they
are to do it
• Explaining the WHY it needs to
be done

30. For Additional Information
• ZAHN Consulting, LLC can be reached at
203.269.9290 or at
www.zahnconsulting.com to discuss your
training or other consulting needs