NOTE: Please enjoy this article from LionShark’s special guest contributor Jeff Goldstein of SalesLeadersOnly.com
What impact would winning just ONE additional Big Deal per rep each quarter have on your sales results, forecast accuracy and income?
Adding more FOCUS to your big deal pipeline seems simple and straightforward, yet most sales leaders just don’t do it!
In my experience, 95% of all sales leaders do NOT have an Intentional and Deliberate process to:
- INSPECT their big deal pipeline… this quarter and next.
- ASSESS the quality of their teams’ large sales campaigns early in the forecast process.
- COACH their teams to help accelerate and win their Big Deals.
And I completely understand why. Sales leaders have never been taught how to do it and don’t have the time to invent a system of their own.
Instinct and experience. YES. Intentional and deliberate… not so much!
One Simple Change to Win More Big Deals
Making one simple change to your sales process by becoming more Intentional and Deliberate around your big deal pipeline will completely change how many big deals you win each quarter.
More focus = more success, especially when it comes to large sales campaign execution (the six and seven-figure deals that move the forecast needle).
Most sales leaders are stuck doing things the same old way. Most sales leaders try to inspect and access their reps’ big deals on the forecast call. But the forecast call never has enough time to go deep and really determine if the deal has been ruthlessly qualified for:
- Budget
- Authority
- Needs or Business Outcomes
- Timing
The Big Problem Holding MSPs Back From Winning Big Deals
So, the big problem is, how can you move from the Same Old Way you manage your big deals and pipeline to a New Strategy?
One that is more intentional and deliberate and generates much more consistent results?
Once you move to the new strategy, you’ll get laser-focused on the top 10 – 20 deals that move your business forward and help your team develop action plans they can actually execute this quarter and next.
The New Strategy to Win More Big Deals
The New Strategy is simple to execute once you understand the moving parts:
1. Identify Your Top 10-20 Big Deals This Quarter and Next
Start each new quarter by identifying the Top 10 – 20 big deals in the pipeline you need to win this quarter and next quarter and include these deals on a simple spreadsheet.
Then, take your list of deals from and schedule a Rapid Assessment Review – a 15-minute phone call with just you and your sales rep.
2. Probe For Budget, Authority, Need, and Timing
The goal of this call is to probe deeply to see if the deal is well qualified for Budget, Authority, Need and Timing to see if the deal should be in the forecast in the first place.
3. Schedule a Sales Strategy Review
Once you’ve confirmed the opportunity is well qualified, schedule a longer, 45-minute Sales Strategy Review with the sales rep AND the team members who can contribute to winning the deal.
Go deeper with the structured Sales Strategy Review to ensure the team doesn’t miss any steps or stakeholders that could sink their deals.
4. Carve Out 10% of Your Time
Carve out 10% of your time to implement the entire process (steps 1 – 3) each quarter, then rinse and repeat, measuring how many deals are won, lost, deferred or end with no decision.
Conclusion
Looking at the deferred and no decision metrics will shock you, I guarantee it. I‘ll bet over 50% of the big deals that were in your forecast at the start of the quarter will be deferred or end in no decision…. 50% or more!
When you think about it, where else in your business could you invest just 10% of your time and get a bigger return than winning your unfair share of Big Deals?
What impact would winning just one additional Big Deal per rep each quarter have on your sales results, forecast accuracy and income?
For more great advice on how to win more big deals using this methodology, watch this video.
