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Business Acumen for Sales - The Course Work

For decades, at least since the 70's, sales reps have been posing their products as "solutions to problems".  From Wiki:

"Frank Watts developed the sales process dubbed "solution selling" in 1975. Watts perfected his method at Wang Laboratories. He began teaching solution selling as an independent consultant in 1982."

This was big through the '80s, 90's and still stands today.  Yet, "Solution sales" has become little more than a slogan.  Closer to the truth, "Solution Sales: As long as the solution is my product or services." 

Don't get me wrong, solution selling was a great advancement in the field of B2B sales.  Solution selling is foundational in professional selling.  Billions of dollars have traded hands based on this approach.  Anything I promote rests on the shoulders of people greater than I.

Evolution happens.  I believe an enhancement to solution selling is Business Acumen Selling. (BAS)

BAS is not about working leads through the selling cycle, understanding your leasing strategies, building good cases and presentations.  It does not refer to a salesperson's ability to demonstrate a device or piece of software nor does BAS have anything to do with how well you update the CRM or forecast the next 90 days.

Business Acumen for Selling is: 

1. Understanding - Recognizing the business model your prospects work within, understanding if you have and exactly where your place in their model resides, and the impact of your presence.  
2. Comparative Analysis - Consistently acquiring knowledge, building acumen across commercial industries, vertical markets, and niches, and utilizing that knowledge.
3. Deep Conversations - Conveying your understanding of the existing environment and articulating your value within their ecosystem.

Most seasoned professionals have a sense of BAS honed through years of fieldwork and thousands of appointments.   My goal is to formalize and shorten the timeline required to learn and apply BAS; especially for the new sales representative.

Our courses are designed to give selling professionals the tools necessary to gain knowledge, distill knowledge into acumen and articulate both an understanding of prospects' environment and the impact of adding the sales reps offering into the client's business model.

#WorkFromAnywhere is a Culture

One of the arguments for a "back-to-the-cube" is corporate culture will be negatively affected when employees are not in close physical proximity.

This is false and manipulative.  

Corporate Culture supports company ideals, values, and mission.  I have yet to see a mission statement that includes "a place where all employees can work together under one roof, for 12 hours a day"

Instead of vilifying the work from anyway movement, better organizations will renegotiate property leases, redesign the promotion process, 

Organizations with a #WFH culture will CERTAINLY create ways to 'promote' and build careers within the organization.

But wait...perhaps we're thinking of this completely wrong. 

#WFH changes everything. 

Perhaps the 'new' career path is yet to be created yet. Maybe, we don't know how the new culture will evolve.

"hybrid" and corporate culture claims are lies and trojan horses. The establishment, the old skool, the status quo, will cease to exist when #WFH becomes the norm.

If you don't want to work in a cube, report to an office at 7:30 AM after a 45-minute commute, sit in on empty meetings, listen to know-nothing middle managers pontificate company dogma, engage in another commute home at 6:00 PM to cold dinners, and missed Little League games, seek out organizations who feel the same way.  Find companies that understand office space leases are not as important as employee wellbeing.  

Be patient, don't let your current bosses know you're looking, tow the corporate line, feign loyalty (like they have for decades) and keep your eyes open.  

The New Way of Work is still evolving. Look for them better organizations to rise, slowly, above the fray.

#WorkFromHome or #WorkInACube: The Choice is Yours

Do you know how much the corporate BBQ, Christmas parties, and other events cost your company?  

Sure, it's nice to go see a baseball game or get to sit in the corporate suite for a basketball game...yet...consider this: 

Would you rather get dressed up, hear a band, eat good food and listen to an executive pontificate with a bunch of co-workers or receive a check for the amount your company paid for the event? (divided among employees) Maybe use that money to take your significant other out on a date.

Does your company sponsor a minor league baseball team? Why?  

Do you see your company's logo all over your "free" swag? How many copiers do you need to sell, in order to buy 14,000 logo'd coffee mugs?  Sure, vendors kick down funds in support - what's in it for them?

We've been trained to believe these events are acts of kindness or perks from our benevolent employers, and for the most part, we're all appreciative.  

But that was the old model, the pre-Fear of Covid way. Today is different.  Today, you are different.

I dare you to ask for the company's internal "entertainment" budget.

The point is this: you are a 'Resource'(go ask Human Resources) and resources are meant to be used to the maximum for minimum cost.  

There is nothing wrong with this model, it is revenue-cost=profit and what we sign up for when we work to support somebody else's dream. (No shame)

It's just that now we can recognize the manipulation - this is a "Red Pill, Blue Pill" situation. 

Blue Pill: Buying into the dogma and believing the narrative you’ve been lead to believe is the truth.

The Red Pill: The Truth

The choice is yours.