Are you looking for the best way to engage with customers, boost team performance, and close more deals? By adopting the right sales methodology, you can unlock your sales team’s full potential. We have highlighted the four most popular and proven sales methodologies that sales teams around the world have implemented with great success.
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What is a Sales Methodology?
A sales methodology is a framework or set of principles that guides your sales reps to close deals. It’s a systematic approach to sales that defines the steps and processes used to maximize selling potential and helps salespeople understand how to effectively engage with customers and prospects, uncover customer needs, and close deals. Basically, a sales methodology outlines the steps a salesperson should take to identify and qualify leads, win customers, and close deals, so the salesperson can be more successful in their sales efforts and achieve higher sales results.
Let’s review the four methodologies (in a non-prioritized order):
MEDDIC and MEDDPICC
The MEDDIC/MEDDPICC sales qualification process is a B2B sales methodology. It was first developed in the 1990s for software sales and is used extensively throughout some of the most elite sales organizations across the world. The MEDDIC sales methodology is well-suited for enterprise sales organizations that need extensive qualification as enterprise sales (almost always) require 1) engagement from numerous stakeholders, and 2) a complex solution to meet their needs. And for this, MEDDIC is ideally suited as a sales qualification process.
MEDDIC is an acronym, i.e., an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word. It stands for Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain, and Champion. By assessing your customer based on these six steps, MEDDIC helps you determine if it’s worth your efforts getting a specific customer into your sales funnel. Learn more about each step in the MEDDIC qualification process.
From MEDDIC to MEDDPICC
The first variation of MEDDIC saw the light of day back in 1995. Since then, technology has evolved rapidly and brought some more strict requirements into the relationship between vendor and customer, including privacy, security, and service level agreements. That’s why – along with the technological development – a variation of MEDDIC has evolved to include two extra letters: MEDDPICC – and thus two additional dimensions to consider when you qualify a prospect or potential buyer.
MEDDIC in Salesforce with ARPEDIO
If your sales methodology is based on MEDDIC/MEDDICC/MEDDPICC, or if you want it to be, we’ve integrated MEDDIC’s qualification steps directly into our Opportunity Management software to make your opportunity assessments a whole lot easier. Now, what exactly does this mean? It means that you have the MEDDIC framework available right at your fingertips for qualifying your accounts/opportunities directly in Salesforce. ARPEDIO’s Opportunity Management tool gives you the possibility to break complex sales cycles down into tangible guides, questions, and tasks – based on the popular MEDDIC framework. As you learn more about your prospecting customer, you’ll quickly be able to determine whether they are worth your time and resources. And this will ultimately help you forecast more accurately as you won’t be wasting anymore time on unfit leads you’ll never close.
Ultimately, the MEDDIC methodology has stood the test of time and is considered one of the most useful sales tools because it’s adaptable and open for sales leaders to implement it in whichever way they see fit in order to boost sales velocity.
A disadvantage of this methodology is that it’s primarily used for qualifying deals and ensuring that the sales rep have gone through the necessary steps. Some companies have MEDDIC as a qualification framework and then use an approach like challenger sales to effectively communicate and position their solutions.
SAMA 7-step Strategic Account Management Process
In collaboration, SAMA and ARPEDIO have embedded the SAMA world-renowned 7-step strategic account management process into ARPEDIO’s powerful account-based selling platform.
Powered by SAMA’s proven I.P., ARPEDIO brings the alignment, transparency, speed and consistency that is crucial to customer-facing teams. The implementation enables the process of managing large, complex strategic relationships in a simple and actionable manner directly and natively in Salesforce – making it easily accessible and deeply rooted in professional B2B sales organizations and strategic account management teams.
A world-class tool powered by a proven framework
By enabling you to adhere to SAMA’s value 7-step co-creation process, ARPEDIO provides an anchored, repeatable foundation for success in:
(1) Managing sales processes for individual account managers,
(2) Supporting global sales organizations in managing all their relationships, and
(3) Giving account executives insight into – and oversight of – all customer relationships and active sales opportunities by:
- Planning winning sales and customer-retention strategies.
- Executing and communicating sales plans effectively and successfully.
- Elevating sales competencies by making “best practices” available to all.
- Retaining more customers and winning more/new business.
- Creating an empowering sales environment where the individual is motivated to excel.
SAMA 7-step in Salesforce with ARPEDIO
The simple process of progressing through the 7-step process acts as a powerful tool to create alignment across the entire account team. Going through every stage of the 7-step process within the ARPEDIO solution in Salesforce is as simple as moving through a checklist and marking boxes labeled “Completed”, “In Progress”, or “Not started”. This helps the SAM to stop and reflect on the state of his or her progress in understanding the customer’s business and connecting it back to the supplier company’s unique capabilities.
Every step of the process has linked associated questions that need to be assessed. The answers being provided in the assessment trigger a series of concrete steps of action – or, as we like to think of it, a personal account coach ready to dispense instant, actionable advice on the next steps to the entire account team.
Completing each step inside the ARPEDIO solution will yield a score that paints a holistic picture of overall account health. This score is dynamic, so as you take new actions to improve the customer relationship, the score will change. And as the tool becomes integrated across customers, you can compare scores across the portfolio and make informed, objective decisions about where to focus your attention and resources.
Your team needs more information than a simple checklist to understand the real-time status of a customer relationship or specific customer opportunity. To prepare for complex, high-stakes negotiations, especially ones involving long- term, strategic customers, it is critical to know the context around the relationship in order to adequately formulate a strategy. These perspectives are easily shared across the team, as each step in the ARPEDIO Solution contains an area for comments or reflections. Nuance is critical!
Challenger Sale
The Challenger Sale Methodology is an approach to sales developed by Matt Dixon and Brent Adamson that emphasizes pushing customers to rethink their current business processes.
The Challenger Sales research revealed that every B2B sales rep falls into five different profiles:
The Hard Worker is someone who focuses on obtaining the best value from the sales process. They are analytical and highly driven to make decisions based on data and facts.
The Relationship Builder is someone who values relationships and trust above all else. They are more likely to make decisions based on the relationship they have with a salesperson or company.
The Lone Wolf is someone who is more independent and self-sufficient. They are often reluctant to engage in conversations with sales people and prefer to make decisions on their own.
The Reactive Problem Solver is someone who is looking for a solution to an existing problem. They are often looking for quick resolution and may lack the time to consider other solutions.
The Challenger is characterized by a consultative approach that challenges the customer's current thinking and assumptions, and educates them on new and innovative solutions. This persona is often seen as a teacher or coach, and is focused on helping the customer find the best solution for their needs.
According to the research, salespeople are almost evenly distributed among these profiles. However, the authors’ study found that the most successful group was the challengers, who held a large lead over the others – in fact, this group accounted for 40% of the top-performing reps. The reason that Challenger Persona is so effective at selling can be found in their approach to sales that focuses on teaching, tailoring, and taking control:
- Teach: The first step in the process is to teach the customer about the products or services being offered. This could include presenting the customer with data, research, and insights to demonstrate why the product or service is beneficial and how it could solve a problem.
- Tailor: The second step is to tailor the sales pitch to the customer’s specific needs. This involves understanding the customer’s objectives, challenges, and requirements and then customizing the solution to meet their needs.
- Take Control: The final step is to take control of the sales process and move it towards a successful conclusion. This could involve setting realistic deadlines, tracking progress, and ensuring that the customer is satisfied with the product or service.
The methodology implies that salespeople should be active challengers of customers’ current approaches, rather than passive problem solvers with the goal of producing more successful sales outcomes through active engagement and problem solving.
Challenger Sale in Salesforce with ARPEDIO
Whether you already use the Challenger Sale Methodology in your sales approach, or if you’d like to start using it, it can easily be integrated directly into your Salesforce platform through ARPEDIO’s Opportunity Management tool. With this integration, you’ll have access to the Challenger framework’s key principles, insights, and techniques right at your fingertips.
The Opportunity Planning tool breaks down complex sales cycles into simple and actionable guides, questions, and tasks that align with the Challenger Sale Methodology. This allows you to quickly assess potential customers and determine whether you are following the challenger sales approach to progress the deal forward.
By using Challenger Sale in Salesforce with ARPEDIO, you can provide valuable insights to potential customers that challenge their assumptions and teach them about their business and industry. This approach can help you build credibility and trust with your customers, ultimately leading to more successful sales.
Overall, integrating the Challenger Sale Methodology into the Opportunity Planning tool can help you improve your sales approach, increase your credibility with customers, and ultimately close more deals. With the Challenger Sale Methodology at your fingertips, you can confidently engage with potential customers and guide them towards success.
SPIN Selling
Spin Selling is a sales methodology developed by Neil Rackham in the 1980s that focuses on understanding the customer’s needs and situation before suggesting solutions.
SPIN Selling is a technique that encourages salespeople to focus on the customer’s needs and to think about the customer’s problem from their point of view. It involves developing a deep understanding of the customer’s situation, exploring the problem in detail, and then helping the customer understand the implications of not solving the problem.
Finally, the salesperson helps the customer understand the need-payoff of solving the problem. SPIN Selling helps salespeople increase their success rate by making sure that the customer is truly engaged in the sales process.
SPIN stands for Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-Payoff and are topics that a sales rep should inquire about when talking to prospects. These questions will help to discover the customer’s pain points and helps sellers build a stronger connection with their customers:
S: Situation: Ask the customer to explain their current situation.
P: Problem: Ask probing questions to help the customer identify their problem.
I: Implication: Ask questions to help the customer understand the implications of their problem.
N: Need-payoff: Ask questions to help the customer understand the benefit of solving the problem.
Thus, the SPIN Selling methodology is based on the idea that customers are more likely to buy a product or service if they feel like they have been presented with a solution tailored to their specific needs.
SPIN Selling in Salesforce with ARPEDIO
If you use SPIN Selling in your sales approach (or if you’d like to use it), ARPEDIO’s Opportunity Management software can help you integrate it directly into your Salesforce platform. With this integration, you’ll have access to the key principles, techniques, and tools of SPIN Selling right within your Salesforce environment.
This integration can help you forecast more accurately by providing you with a structured process for assessing opportunities that aligns with the principles of SPIN Selling. By using SPIN Selling in Salesforce with ARPEDIO, you can ask targeted questions, understand customer pain points, and position your product or service as the solution. This can help you build stronger relationships with potential customers, increase your chances of closing deals, and ultimately drive more revenue for your business.
Implement and Anchor Your Preferred Sales Methodology With ARPEDIO
The focus of any sales agreement should be the customer’s satisfaction; all sales transactions should be geared towards helping a buyer to achieve their objectives, solve issues, or meet their needs. Establishing a sales methodology that achieves these goals is paramount in developing strong, successful relationships with loyal customers.
While sales methodologies are a great starting point for assessing your sales approach, it’s important to bear in mind that sales methodologies are not a one-size-fits all. To determine the most effective sales practices for your company, it’s crucial to mix sales methodologies with experience, ultimately leading to the determination of a customized best practice for your specific company.
Now, what if we were to tell you that you can get your preferred best in class sales methodology directly anchored in ARPEDIO’s account-based selling solution – completely frictionless?
With ARPEDIO’s software, it’s easy to customize your sales process, giving you the ability to tailor it to fit your team’s needs. From customizing deal stages and developing a sales process, to optimizing outreach and leveraging data, ARPEDIO provides the tools you need to implement a successful sales methodology.
ARPEDIO strives to streamline the complex opportunity management processes and help sales and account professionals qualify and forecast with more precision directly in Salesforce. By seamlessly integrating with Salesforce and offering a comprehensive sales methodology, ARPEDIO empowers your organization to maximize your sales team’s efficiency and success by seeing more accurate forecasts and higher close rates.
