MARKETING TIP #076
Your Top 5 Challenges in 2007

2007 - It’ll be a challenging year, but also filled with many opportunities. The organizations that deal successfully with these five challenges will be the winners:

  1. Differentiation - without an answer to the question “Why should I buy from you?” your company will continue to be seen as a commodity provider. It doesn’t matter if you think you have better quality, service or products – it only matters if your buyer does.
  2. Price - there are only two antidotes to the price challenge: your brand and your sales team. Research shows that your sales team is a 75% representation of your brand; the “face” of your brand, so they had better be masters of the game. Spend some money this year to make sure they are.
  3. Access to the prospect - technology has helped all of us but it’s also helped the C-suite (CEO, CFO, COO) to build a wide moat that most sales people don’t know how to navigate. It’s a necessary skill that your sales team needs to learn. Spend some money this year making sure they know.
  4. ROI - the “spend” for your product or service has to have a return or it won’t happen. The winning sales team can monetize the sale, connecting the solution to ROI and key customer initiatives.
  5. Managing the cycle - More people involved, more agendas, less accessibility and a required ROI mean a sales cycle that is more complex and needs more time. Your sales team has to learn to navigate and negotiate in these political back waters to get to the sale. Spend some money this year to teach them.

So, here’s to 2007! It will be a year of opportunity and challenge.  Call us – we can help.

Talk to you soon,

Kae Groshong Wagner

CEO, Founder — North Star Marketing
Award-winning Author, Speaker
Brand Consultant
CEO Advisor for Sales & Marketing

P.S. If you are interested in a powerful way of developing your sales team's skills click here to learn more about The Sales & Marketing Forum.

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