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SALES PERFORMANCE AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INSIGHTS FROM AMY FRANKO
Strategic Selling Series: Master 4 Four Skills to Grow Client Base
If you’re in professional services or selling into complex B2B environments, you’re very likely balancing three key responsibilities: solution delivery, client experience, and also cultivating new business. Cultivating new business might be selling into an existing client, or it might be landing a brand-new client for your firm. In my experience as both a B2B seller and now a consultant, it takes a strategic selling mindset and skillset to succeed. For my definition of strategic selling, watch this short video. There are four elements I see as critical to earning new business and growing your client base: Strong business intelligence about the client. Relationships at the right levels, with consistent access. The ability to propose ideas and solutions that compel change. The ability to earn commitments all throughout your sales process. This blog series will dive into each one in more depth and provide...
Keep Your Firm Agile During Challenging Times
If you're a business developer in an accounting firm, where can you start if you feel like you are stuck moving forward with your client list? THRIVEcast, the monthly podcast of THRIVEal, is a place where CPAs build Community, Collaborate, focus on Technology and Innovate for the future of the CPA industry. In Episode 112, Jason Blumer and Greg Kyte welcomed Amy Franko on the show to share her tips for keeping your firm agile during times where pivoting is a must. Some highlights from the episode: Even in the pandemic, pockets of the industry are thriving. As entrepreneurs, sales/business development professionals, and accounting professionals, our job to find those pockets and, and continue to grow them. This is where skills like strategic speed and agility come into play. (37.30) A modern business developer is holistic. On any given day, we have a finite amount of time, energy, motivation, and...
Introducing the Strategic Selling Online Sales Training Program
There's an evolution that's been happening for sellers and business developers. You're no longer selling a product, service, or expertise. You're now needing to strategically help your clients to solve their biggest challenges and leverage opportunities. There's a need for modern, strategic approaches that A) help your clients excel, and B) help your organization (and you!) to also succeed. That was the catalyst behind our signature program, Strategic Selling for Professional Services. We've taken hundreds of professional services providers and B2B sales professionals through the in-person version of this program. I'm excited to announce that the program is now fully digital! If you're in professional services, or selling complex solutions into B2B environments, this program is ideal for both individuals and teams. The vision is to provide a platform and experience, where you can learn and apply these...
Don’t Forget About These Sales Opportunities
3 things modern seller can do differently to make sure they are optimizing all of the sales opportunities that can be qualified and then added to your pipelines:
5 Ways to Improve Virtual Relationship Building (and Sales Results)
Even with many of us returning to the office in some form, the virtual world seems here to stay. Successful sales leaders and professionals adapt. This article shares best practices to build sales relationships and move opportunities through their pipelines to wins. A significant shift has taken place in the workplace in the way we conduct relationship building and sales development activities. While many have returned to the office, at least in a hybrid approach, it's clear that elements of virtual relationship building are here to stay. We still need to use technology for ad hoc relationship building, discovering new problems to solve, and observing clients in action. According to the 2023 Sales Trends Report from Hubspot, salespeople are almost evenly divided about where they plan to work this. A third plan to work remote, while another third plan to work hybrid. It is crucial to embrace best practices...
Why This Bias Should Matter to the Modern Seller
What’s the last thing you read or watched today? It may impact your sales success and the success you create with your clients more than you think. Carmine Gallo writes about a bias we all need to be aware of, the availability bias. He defines availability bias as using the information most readily available to us to inform our views of the world and of the future. That video you just watched, the article you read, or the last person you were around (virtually of course), makes a difference. What tangible impact does this bias have on our sales success and that of our clients? If we’re taking in information that’s only curated to our preferences and beliefs, versus seeking out diverse (and trusted) sources of information and opinions, we’re at risk of not seeing different perspectives. We risk not being able to create and share fresh ideas with our prospects and clients. If we’re on a steady diet of...
How to Keep Going in Times of Crisis
Selling Speeches Under Fire How can you keep going in times of crisis? I joined my friend Jane Atikson on the popular Wealthy Speaker podcast to share tips for my fellow keynote speakers on how to sell speeches under fire. Some highlights from the episode: How to keep moving, even in emergencies. [11:15] Don’t be afraid to hire help when you need it. [15:15] Staying present when you’d rather be somewhere else. [20:00] Tips to keep the engine running when you’re off course. [23:45] Cut yourself some slack. [28:45] You can listen on SpeakerLauncher.com, Apple, Stitcher and Spotify.
6 Sales Mindsets to Master in a Hybrid World
I’ve asked several of my clients when they last saw their clients in person. A very (very) few of them have had recent in-person visits. The vast majority have had no in-person visits. From early sales conversations to client delivery, every part of the process is now virtual. For most, this is an entirely new way of operating, and it’s not going back anytime soon. In fact, I think there is much good that will come out of the way we have been shaken up. I envision a hybrid model well into the future. Where much of our sales process can be done virtually, and some of our sales process and client delivery can be accomplished in person. As one of my clients has said, “the go-to moves are no longer available to us. We have to think and operate differently.” Many sellers and business developers are living with the discomfort of having to think and operate differently. Of needing to quickly learn and apply new...
How to Engage Your Prospect as a Modern Seller
As modern sellers, we seek to engage and bring value to our prospects. In the Engaged Prospect podcast, Dan Hersh interviews experts on topics such as sales training, conferences, company culture, entrepreneurship, customer experience and all things growth. In this episode, Dan sits down with Amy Franko. Amy shares with us these five traits, and discusses how each of them can help us become better professionals and higher performing salespeople. Agile - If you're agile, you're a fluid thinker, a continuous learner, one who deals well with ambiguity and who has a growth mindset. Entrepreneurial - Modern sellers aren’t just employees. They’re the founders and CEOs of their books of business. That’s an entirely different level of ownership, and the mindset of being in a startup. Holistic - Holistic refers to investing your finite time, energy, and discipline in the best way to impact your results directly....
Modern Business Development Through Disruption
We're all experiencing disruption. But business development and sales leaders must find ways to move forward-- even when everything has changed. I was pleased to join Doug Houser of REA & Associates on the Unsuitable podcast to discuss business development during disruption, how to organize your pipeline, how to stay in front of clients and rise above the noise, and how to help your customers prioritize what’s most important right now. Listen to this episode of unsuitable to learn: The importance of our mindsets as business developers during this period of time How to stay in front of clients and rise above the noise Thinking beyond the current crisis (without ignoring it) For more strategies for thriving during the disruption, check out my other recent podcast appearances.
Our Strategic Selling signature sales training program is now available online. This online sales learning program is ideal for professional services and B2B sales. Get started with 2 free lessons.
