Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 52
SELLINGSKILLS
3 Essential Pillars for
Competitive Selling
■ By Jennifer Dolan, MA, and Gina Giambalvo
W
e've all heard the saying,
"Practice makes perfect."
Nowhere is that more
applicable for a life sciences sales
professional than in preparing for a
competitive sales call. To overcome
competitive challenges, mindset is key
to success.
Training for life sciences sales
professionals oen focuses
predominantly on preparation and
practice, however, there are three
essential pillars that support a
competitive selling mindset:
preparation, practice and presence.
e concept of "presence" is oen
overlooked. But it shouldn't be. Being
fully present for every sales call is
essential for competitive selling, and
to influence customer behavior in
general.
Let's examine the three
pillars one at a time:
Preparation: Gain Mental
Confidence
Preparation, or pre-call planning, is
the first critical step to build specific
call goals, which oen lead to a
successful customer interaction. is
requires performing a comprehensive
situational assessment and
anticipating each customer's concerns
and preferences. A pro tip is to ask:
"How will you apply what you know
to proactively overcome your
customer's concerns?"
Practice: Tap into Your
Instincts
Once mental confidence is gained
52
through preparation, it's necessary to
practice verbalizing to ensure key
information is readily available in
every conversation. Practicing skills
such as asking probing questions and
active listening will allow life sciences
sales professionals to uncover their
customer's hidden concerns. A pro tip
is to visualize success with each
customer, and to focus on how it feels
to be confident.
Presence: Bring Your True Self
Preparation and practice are things
that you do. ey are foundational
activities that build confidence.
Alternatively, presence is a way of
being. Presence increases awareness
and enables a sales professional to
fully show up for each customer
engagement. In her book, Presence:
Bringing your Boldest Self to Your
Biggest Challenges, Amy Cuddy
reminds us that "at some point you
must stop preparing content and start
preparing mindset."
It is difficult to define presence, but
you know it when you feel it. Cuddy
refers to it as "the state of being
attuned to and able to comfortably
express your true thoughts, feelings,
value and potential." Presence is about
finding the balance between what's in
your head, your heart, and your
physical body. When truly present, all
the intelligences - mental, emotional
and physical - are in harmony with
one another and readily available.
According to the Keller Center
Research Report e Emotionally
Intelligent Salesperson, salespeople
who are truly present in customer
conversations are focused as much on
their own personal impact as that of
FOCUS | Winter 2017 | www.L-TEN.org
http://www.L-TEN.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Winter 2017
LTEN Focus on Training Magazine
From the President: Preparing for Change
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Guest Editor: Facilitative Training & Mutual Learning Models
Directions: A Time to Reflect and Plan
Front of the Room: Help! I've Got a Big Audience!
Building Account Management Capabilities
6th Annual Medical Device & Diagnostics Trainers Summit
Training Your Sales Team for Today's Changing Customers
Training Reinforcement 101
Sales Simulation Programs that Drive Performance
5 Persuasive Communication Lessons
Do It Yourself In-House Talent Development
Leveraging Simulation-Based Technology in Training
3 Essential Pillars for Competitive Selling
Virtual How: Learning Innovation & Best Practices
Ad Index
Focus Contacts
Meet Your Incoming LTEN Board President
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Intro
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - LTEN Focus on Training Magazine
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Cover2
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 3
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 4
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - From the President: Preparing for Change
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 6
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Table of Contents
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 8
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Table of Contents
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 10
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Guest Editor: Facilitative Training & Mutual Learning Models
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 12
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Directions: A Time to Reflect and Plan
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 14
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Front of the Room: Help! I've Got a Big Audience!
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 16
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Building Account Management Capabilities
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 18
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 19
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 20
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 21
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 6th Annual Medical Device & Diagnostics Trainers Summit
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 23
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Training Your Sales Team for Today's Changing Customers
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 25
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 26
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 27
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Training Reinforcement 101
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 29
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 30
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 31
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 32
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 33
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Sales Simulation Programs that Drive Performance
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 35
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 36
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 37
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 38
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 39
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 5 Persuasive Communication Lessons
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 41
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 42
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 43
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Do It Yourself In-House Talent Development
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 45
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 46
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 47
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Leveraging Simulation-Based Technology in Training
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 49
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 50
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 51
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 3 Essential Pillars for Competitive Selling
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 53
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 54
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 55
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 56
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Virtual How: Learning Innovation & Best Practices
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 58
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - 59
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Ad Index
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Focus Contacts
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Meet Your Incoming LTEN Board President
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Cover3
Focus Magazine - Winter 2017 - Cover4
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