University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Street Savvy Sales Leader
Book

The Street Savvy Sales Leader

A Guide to Building Teams that Consistently Win New Business

Mark Welch
Figure 1 Publishing, 2018
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Comprehensive
  • Applicable
  • Well Structured

Recommendation

Amid increased competition and commodification of commercial offerings, the only way B2B salespeople and sales managers can succeed is by mastering and executing sales fundamentals. Companies must develop a strong sales organization to support their B2B salespeople. Sales leadership coach Mark Welch explains how to build a top-rated sales department as he helps B2B salespeople get back to basics. The author offers his 25-plus years of experience in sales, along with tips from interviews with more than 100 sales managers, in this useful manual for B2B selling and sales leadership. 

Summary

Meeting your B2B sales targets is a live or die corporate goal.

Companies that fail to meet their B2B sales goals in today’s competitive marketplace often cite three main reasons:

  1. “The buyer’s journey has changed dramatically” – Salespeople can no longer sell to one buyer at a firm; now, they must sell to a large team of buyers. The Gartner Group reports that companies of 100 to 500 employees typically assign seven different people, as a group, to handle B2B purchases. Most buyers have less time to confer with individual salespeople than in the past, and buyers increasingly shun risk. They expect much more from salespeople.
  2. “It is tougher…to differentiate your offering” – Contemporary commercial markets feature more similar products than at any time in the past, so products and services – and those who sell them – have a harder time standing out. Sometimes it seems as if everything is becoming a commodity.
  3. “Sales reps are facing increasingly complex and time-challenging demands” – Companies now require B2B salespeople to submit comprehensive information...

About the Author

Mark Welch, the founder of Street Savvy Sales Leadership, is a sales organization adviser, a sales team developer, and a sales and sales leadership coach.

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