It’s no secret that sales and sales operations are among the functions that can benefit from TakeTurns’ structured, asynchronous and collaborative approach. (It’s something you can experience by starting your free trial today).
To gain more insight, we reached out to Ken Brown, founder of MarxBrown Consulting and an expert in enterprise software sales, for advice on where and how TakeTurns improves sales effectiveness. Here’s what he had to say.
Sales ops is challenging
Are your sales teams struggling to collaborate effectively with prospects, obtaining their verifiable agreement while navigating the sales process? Do legal turns and unstructured negotiations during the procurement process obfuscate and even stall your deals? In the fast-paced world of sales, these challenges can hinder your growth and success.
A new approach promises to change the game – Say hello to TakeTurns!
Empowering sales teams for success
Modern sales processes demand collaboration and engagement between sales teams and prospect organizations. Various sales methodologies employ evaluation documents, or collaborative planning documents such as Go-Live Plans, Mutual Action Plans (MAPs), Joint Engagement Plans (JEPs), and Mutual Success Plans (MSPs) [1], all of which aim to establish a shared understanding of requirements, evaluation steps, scope, and success criteria. But therein lies three common problems.
- Salespeople often hesitate to engage in these collaborations to create these documents. They seem pushy. They seem invasive. They require a preliminary commitment from the prospect (i.e., “close” effort) that can be arduous.
- Because of the get-the-deal-done focus of most sales teams, prospects typically view these efforts as mere sales tactics, adding no value or even attempting to corner them into uncomfortable positions.
- Finally, most sales teams already spend a considerable amount of time interacting with their prospects through email. Using email to coordinate the co-creation of these documents adds significant administrivia to the seller’s schedule.
Enter TakeTurns, a revolutionary approach that shifts the perspective from selling a product to helping prospects find a problem’s solution.
The power of asynchronous collaboration
TakeTurns enables sales professionals to work more effectively with their prospects and customers aiding them in becoming trusted advisors. Instead of emailing evaluation documents (like those referenced above) to prospects for sign-off, TakeTurns facilitates the co-development of those documents with the customer.
It does this by creating one place for prospect engagement— a virtual or digital sales room—where you engage with your prospect or customer at each step in the sales process from qualification to requirements gathering, success definition to proof steps, and even contract negotiation.
With TakeTurns, sales teams focus less on administering the sales process and communication flow , and more on establishing trust, confidence, buy-in with prospects, and ultimately closing more business.
Engaging prospects in the process of building these documents, grants them ownership of the content for their use and internal justifications, easing their job and mitigating their risk .
Perhaps ironically, the sales team gains the same benefits. Collaborative documents become essential working materials for both teams, increasing your solution’s attachment to the prospect's pain points and building trust
It’s been proven that when prospects actively participate in defining success and its metrics, they feel more vested in the solution. This not only boosts your chances of closing deals but also builds stronger and more authentic relationships between your sales teams and potential clients. How can that outcome be at all troublesome to your sales teams?
Streamlining legal processes
Product evaluations are not the only area that can benefit from structured asynchronous collaboration – so too will the ensuing procurement processes. TakeTurns is an excellent fit for handling the steps necessary for negotiating Software License Agreements, Master Services Agreements, and SOWs. By fostering collaboration between account teams and your prospect's procurement teams, you can introduce clear efficiencies simply through structured and transparent communication.
How often do deals disappear into the abyss during a prospect’s procurement/legal phase? With TakeTurns, leadership gains full visibility into the progress of legal collaborations with each prospect. No more guessing games on at-risk negotiations – you'll have the insights needed to take proactive actions and keep opportunities on track.
The TakeTurns advantage
Embracing TakeTurns brings a myriad of advantages to your sales operations and legal processes:
- Improved Sales Efficacy: Engaging prospects in the buying process boosts solution attachment to their pain points, increasing the likelihood of successful campaigns.
- Authentic Relationships: Collaborative selling fosters authentic relationships and trust-building with prospects, helping you stand out in a crowded market.
- Streamlined Legal Processes: Structured communication ensures legal negotiations don't become bottlenecks, keeping campaigns moving forward smoothly.
- Enhanced Visibility: Leaders gain unparalleled visibility into each prospect's progress, making it easier to prioritize efforts and close transactions faster.
Conclusion
TakeTurns is the game-changer your sales operations and legal processes have been waiting for. By shifting the focus to collaborative selling and structured communication, this innovative approach empowers prospects and sales teams alike. No more hesitations, no more bottlenecks – just streamlined, efficient, and successful sales and legal processes. Embrace the future of sales ops and witness increased sales efficacy and a more streamlined approach to legal turns with TakeTurns.
About Ken Brown
Ken is the founder of MarxBrown Consulting, a specialized firm providing Fractional Sales leadership. He is known for his expertise in implementing effective sales processes and has achieved remarkable results for his clients. Ken is a seasoned professional with a strong background in sales and marketing, specifically in the enterprise software space with a focus on Business Intelligence and Data Management technologies. Throughout his career, he has held key positions at well-known companies such as Information Builders, Informix, Business Objects, Semarchy, and Orchestra Networks.
Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Ken has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in information systems from Eastern Kentucky University and a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from Xavier University.
With a genuine passion for business and a deep understanding of enterprise software, Ken continues to leave a significant impact in the sales and marketing domain, consistently striving for success and innovation.
[1] Go-Live Plans, Mutual Action Plans (MAPs), Joint Engagement Plans (JEPs), Joint Success Plans (JSP), and Mutual Success Plans (MSPs) are all variations of the same idea; a way to work with your prospects to determine what each side needs to execute the transaction. Collaborating with prospects to develop this document ensures both parties are on the same page while simultaneously building trust. Throughout my career, I’ve seen many situations where salespeople don’t collaborate and instead, spring their version of the MAP or JEP on their prospect asking for a signature. As you would suspect, this does not go over very well.
[2] Several analysts, notably Hank Barnes at Gartner, have pointed out a top reason for loss is a prospect's changing priorities⸺the team you’re working with loses their budget ending your opportunity. Working with your prospect to develop a Go-live Plan or Mutual Success Plan, enabling them to reuse that plan in their organization, helps your prospect's team sell internally, justifying their prioritization in the budgeting process. Not to mention, these plans also generate incremental personal wins for your champions/coaches within their respective organizations.
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