Our main takeaways are what we consider available for immediate action. There are plenty of additional insightful takeaways that can benefit Kaplan with time and resources.
In order to survive and thrive, WE MUST PRIORITIZE CHANGE
Continue to define and share the path forward so we do not revert to the norm
Charge everyone (Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Leaders, and more) to USE new strategies and tools (train, practice, reflect)
Hold everyone Accountable and ensure there is support to help everyone adapt and grow
Change what it means to be “Busy” Vs. “Productive”
Make time available for reflection of change to see the effect it has. Continued conversation of the good, bad, and everything else.
The Future of Sales is collaborative.
Break down Silos from all teams (Sales, marketing, Customer Service and More)
Open communication & collaboration where all teams are in the same “room” (Ex. Marketing in Sales Training, Sales in Marketing Strategy sessions)
Transparency and alignment to embrace TAYA/HubSpot integration as a company.
Recognizing Wins & Collaboration. If we only focus on the negative we do not reinforce what the team is doing well.
Every Role must prioritize the buyer
Shared consistent messaging to buyers from all parts of their journey.
Align Team Goals of where we are at to have clear progress on the same objectives.
Never forget the progress made and celebrate those important victories.
Accountability & Coaching - (Train the Trainers)
Regional Sales Managers need to be given the time without affecting their sales to lead their teams and share their expertise by:
Staying connected and engaged
Coaching and driving results
Setting expectations utilizing HubSpot Data supported by Sales Enablement.
Role Playing
Drive growth in Sales team and Revenue
Provide opportunities for regional collaboration to learn and support each other.
Managers have to be involved and held accountable to the process
Growth Takes Time and we have to stay open to continuously and consistently support their teams. How can Kaplan make Coaching sustainable when we continue to have to put out day to day fires. If we don’t invest the time to give time, this will never last.
Big three
What’s our why, how do we solve problems before providing solutions.
Walls between sales and marketing
Train the trainers - Give the sales managers time
Key Ideas to Explore:
Sales Support for Regional Managers
Support for them is support for their team is support for their region
Challenge to watch sales calls, since much is in person with our current reps, while sales support can have more engaged calls.
Training
Sales Training isn’t just for salespeople
Sales training is communication training
Sales training is growth training
Sales training is for EVERYONE!
Marketing in assignment selling classes
Every role must prioritize the Buyer
Social media templates for the sales team, that they can view/ modify
Meet me at the conference!
Truck delivery
We let the day to day get ahead of the biggest initiatives.
Recognizing Wins & Collaboration
If we don’t recognize wins, we forget about them
Celebrate team efforts
Share success stories
Reward collaborative initiatives.
Don’t have to get more leads- but have educate people better
Talking about the stuff the clients care about leads to results for sales
TAYA Positions that is the core aligned team
Owners/CEOs set direction
Sales Leaders drive results
Sales & Marketing should be talking frequently (in some cases daily)
Content creators educate - we cannot educate our buyers without them.
Salespeople build relationships
Service delivery fulfill promises
✍️ Call Recording, Reviewing, and Roleplaying
Transition from listening to respond to listening to understand
Benefits of call recording
Gain first hand insights
Understand pain points
Refine strategies
Benefits of Call reviews
Leaders gain insights
Content creators find inspiration
Sales People refine techniques
Service refines techniques and is prepared to deliver.
Why we don’t do this
Feel like we’re micro-managing our people.
Assume out buyers/customers won’t let us record
By default, in today’s Zoom-Centric society, we always approve a recording anytime we jump in a call. Its second-hand nature for most people at this stage.
✍️ Content Intro Framework - How to start video or content
(Recommended by Marcus)
Overview Question - Do you think X is worth it?
Overview Question - Do you think its a good value?
Promise- Value of the article - at Kaplan this is how we handle this, we will help explain this with our expertise.
What you will get out of it - Preview - In this article, what we are going to explain is the pros and cons, honest and by the end you’ll have a clear stance on why this is good for you.
\uD83D\uDCD8 Takeaways for Sales
Do not practice on your customers - practice on yourselves!
Assignment selling utilizing this language in outreach - “Can you make a promise you will read this before our next conversation?”
Expand use of Local Rep Pages for Regional/Localized content.
Can we automate messaging for Sales to get a notification when a new article is published and then added to the spreadsheet through a form/workflow? (Ben Objective)
Recording Calls & Call Review
\uD83D\uDCCB Takeaways for Marketing
n
Before we write - Who are we talking to? What are we writing for?
The Big 5 - Problems should really be considered Fears.
In some cases, address who things are not right for, so the content is showing why something may be the right fit for their needs.
Short Form Video (under 2 minutes) is an opportunity to utilize more frequently.
Content should be intentional and by publishing the content, we are removing barriers so the buyer can access all we have to offer.
Marketing goal example - how many appointments per rep per week.
How to work on a new opportunity
Problem or opportunity
Explain why its important and how it aligns with the company’s goals
Hypothesis
State your hypothesis and
Success Metrics
How do we measure success
Experiment Plan
Detail your plan for the experiment with AI or plan, the duration and the data to collect.
Budget
Potential Impact
Detailed budget for the experiment with AI tool and resources need
Feasibility and Scalability
Potential to scale this out
Innovation
How does the experiment explore new ways to support innovation