AchieveGlobal's blog

The Fear Factor in B2B Selling

By Sharon Daniels

This is the first of two posts on AchieveGlobal’s study on business-to-business selling during an economic downturn, covered in our report, “Surveying the Sales Landscape: The B2B Response to a Changing Economy.” Be sure to read the complete report.

Think of a difficult time in your life, a period of major change or uncertainty. Now think of the people who mattered or helped you make it through that phase. Chances are those people left a positive imprint with you because they weren’t seeking their own needs; they focused on you and what you needed during that tricky time.

The same should go for the relationship between a sales organization and its customers during difficult times.

The recent economic crisis has affected business on very fundamental levels. It’s almost as though we’ve changed the very lenses through which we see the world. For business-to-business (B2B) sales organizations, sales numbers have changed dramatically in most cases. And that affects how B2B sales companies go about the business of selling.

In a recent study, we checked in with B2B sales professionals to get their feedback on how the economy was affecting their sales and their outlook for the near future. Not surprisingly, most of our participants absolutely agreed that the economy had impacted their sales numbers, and that customer spending behaviors had changed.

When your business focuses on sales, economic change is scary. We found that a large segment of survey participants were using what seemed to be fear-based strategies: responding to customer requests for price concessions and offering shorter-term commitments for their customers.

Not so surprising was the fact that many participating sales professionals seemed to have overlooked the importance of improving customer service, and really focusing on relationship selling.

Study after study reminds us that during economic shrinkage, we need to focus more heavily on providing valuable advice and guidance for customers who themselves are trying to find ways to navigate the change.

It’s important to acknowledge and deal with our own fears, but once you get past that, you need to focus on serving the people who define your existence. What are their fears and what are the realities facing their industry? What are experts in their field saying about thriving during the downturn?

The shift in focus is from “what should we do to survive?” to “how can I help you thrive?”

Sharon Daniels is CEO of AchieveGlobal in Tampa, Florida

The Techno Factor in Blended Workflow Learning

By Sharon Daniels

This is the second of four posts on AchieveGlobal’s study on organizational learning, and our reports “The Rise of Blended Workflow Learning” and “How to Succeed at Blended Workflow Learning.” Be sure to read the complete reports.

Words to the wise: Blended Workflow Learning is a powerful tool, but to do it effectively, you need to blend well, and blend right.

Our conversations about effective learning in organizations usually focus on the teachers and facilitators: Which instructor uses the best techniques; or does this educator really engage learners? But, when it comes to Blended Workflow Learning (BWL), the real facilitator is less of a “Who,” and more of a “What.” 

What a Customer Looks for in a Training Provider

Sharon Daniels, president and chief executive officer for AchieveGlobal and I are exchanging guest posts today on each other's blogs.

Mine is about what a customer (me) looks for in a training provider, and Sharon has written about what a training provider (AchieveGlobal) looks for in a customer posted over at my blog, Great Leadership.

While I don't claim to speak for every training customer, I have managed training departments for over 20 years at 3 companies, and have worked with well over 100 training providers. I've had some awesome "partners", in the true sense of the word, and I've worked with my share of companies that resembled the cast of "The Office". It was real easy (and kinda fun) to sit back and just make a list of the best and worst.

We're inviting training buyers and providers to weigh in and add their 2 cents, to either or both blogs. Hopefully, the dialog will help facilitate better relationships and help both sides achieve mutual success.

Disclosure: My company is not currently a customer of AchieveGlobal, although my former companies were at various times. AchieveGlobal is not a sponsor of my blog. So how did AchieveGlobal stack up against my list? Actually, pretty darn well. Not perfect, but then again, no company is. I had the same account rep for over 10 years, and I loved their products and services. Finally, Sharon and her team are good sports for being willing to do this with me. 

10 Things a Customer Looks for in a Training Provider (in no particular order.......):

1. A perfect trial offer or pilot experience. Look, I know mistakes happen. However, if you know I'm evaluating your product or service, then I would expect nothing less than perfection on the first date. You've only got one shot to prove yourself - don't blow it. Would you go back to a restaurant where you got the wrong order and poor service? Probably not, unless it was your brother-in-law's and you had to. 

Can you improve learning outcomes, while decreasing learning expense?

By Sharon Daniels

This is the first of four posts on AchieveGlobal's study on organizational learning, and our reports "The Rise of Blended Workflow Learning" and "How to Succeed at Blended Workflow Learning." Be sure to read the complete reports.

We used a great metaphor at the beginning of our report, Why Learning Has a New Logic, describing the business world today as a "shifting topography." That description seems even more relevant now with so many news stories of major earthquakes, tremors and even volcanic eruptions across the world. It's the same on the business landscape too.

Businesses face a continuing need to change because of the changes in the economy. But it's also about new technologies and changes in legislation and how those changes are affecting the core of how businesses operate.