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What An MBA Didn’t Teach You About Sales

The sales profession is challenging. You need to work hard at it to succeed. You need to learn from the best. You need to improve your skills continuously. If you think you can sell since you are a hit at parties and have a lot of friends, you may soon find that you are a failure as a salesperson. Blunt truth:

because the sales profession is so hard, you have to focus on doing everything in sales very well, or you will be considered a failure.

I call this blog, Skinned Knees because I try to relate all of the learning that I have done over the past 4+ decades (while skinning my knees in the learning process).

I hope that you learn from my mistakes so that your business will grow!

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Building a Sales Powerhouse—The 3 Most Underrated Skills with Jeff Parris – Episode 143

Sales isn’t about persuasion but service, resilience, and growth. In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, co-hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey welcome sales leader and former professional athlete Jeff Parris to explore the fundamental skills that separate elite salespeople from the rest. Drawing on decades of experience, Jeff shares three often-overlooked yet foundational competencies that drive sales success, and they’re not what you’d expect. Whether you’re a VP of Sales building a… 

Navigating the Sales Maze: Overcoming Missed Steps in Your Sales Process

The challenges for a salesperson or a sales manager are numerous. One such challenge that often arises during the sales process is the realization that a crucial step has been skipped. This situation is not uncommon and is faced by many salespeople. However, it’s not a moment for reprimanding or pulling out an accountability chart. Instead, it’s a moment of realization and an opportunity to rectify the error to avoid ending up in the ‘no decision lane.’

I have written about the importance of skipping stages of the sales process elsewhere on this site, most recently in “The Key to Profitable Sales Organizations: Understanding and Adhering to the Sales Process,” where I remind you that, according to the Harvard Business Review, 28% of companies that master at least three stages of their sales process will see an increase in revenue growth.

When you recognize you’ve missed a step in your sales process, it resembles backing up a train. You’ve got a lot of cars put together, but one is out on its own. Addressing this situation requires a specific style and approach. As a sales leader, your focus should be on the next step in the process. Have you covered this step from a question in the sales meeting? It’s important to ask questions like, “What is next? What is missing? What is now?” 

As a salesperson, if you realize you’ve missed a step, address it head-on. This approach allows you to rectify your error and builds trust with your prospect by demonstrating transparency and accountability. 

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Validation Events: The Unsung Hero of Sales Process Discipline

In the complex world of B2B selling, trust is built in stages. The challenge in all sales campaigns is ensuring the prospect trusts they are making the best decision for their business.

  1. Do they trust that the salesperson is giving them all of the information?
  2. Do they trust that the company will support them after the sale?
  3. Do they trust that the product will perform as they expect it to perform?

As I have explained in my book, Eliminate Your Competition, as well as the blog for that book and in this blog, the prospect needs to trust all three elements the salesperson is selling:

  1. They need to trust the product.
  2. They need to trust the company behind the product.
  3. They need to trust the salesperson.

Prospects listen to your sales message, review your materials, and hear your claims, but none of that guarantees belief or trust. Trust is validated when your claims are validated. That’s why validation events are crucial to any rigorous sales process.

In The Qualified Sales Leader, John McMahon stresses the importance of customer-driven validation. He cautions sales leaders against relying on internal optimism or anecdotal “good signals” from prospects. Instead, McMahon emphasizes observable proof—real buyer behavior that confirms alignment, commitment, and value. Validation events are when the customer takes action to validate that what you’ve promised is accurate and valuable.

An excellent sample sale process flow looks like this:

  1. Discover
  2. Scoping
  3. Economic Buyer Meeting
  4. Validation Event
  5. Business Case and Final Proposal
  6. Negotiate and Close

As you can see, the Validation Event is the last step before creating the final business case, which will be bundled with your final proposal.

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Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Beyond the Basics: Elevating Sales Training with Effective Coaching – E101

Join Kevin and Sean as they dissect the common pitfalls of sales training and explore effective strategies to make learning stick. They share invaluable advice on how sales leaders can profoundly influence their teams’ performance through intentional coaching and robust training frameworks. This episode is a must-listen for sales professionals eager to elevate their game and harness the full potential of their training experiences.

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Scoring Big in Sales: Lessons from March Madness – E79

In this sports-oriented episode of “Two Tall Guys Talking Sales,” hosts Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey dive into the fascinating parallels between March Madness NCAA basketball tournaments and sales strategies. Kevin and Sean take this opportunity to explore how the tournament’s structure and the season leading up to it offer valuable lessons for developing winning sales strategies. Key Topics Discussed: Key Quotes: Additional Resources: MEDDPICCC for sales strategy and the importance of opportunity qualification –… 

Unlocking Sales Potential with MEDDPICCC: A Comprehensive Guide

Elite sellers are the linchpin of any successful sales organization. These high-performing individuals are often the highest-paid employees within a company—and for a good reason. Their skills in identifying, qualifying, and closing opportunities bring in significant revenue and provide a competitive edge in the marketplace. So, how can you groom an average salesperson into an elite seller? Enter MEDDPICCC, an advanced sales qualification methodology that serves as a roadmap for understanding every component of a… 

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales Podcast – Mastering the Sales Recovery: Engaging Champions and Requalifying Deals – Episode 53

Welcome to another episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, hosted by Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey. This episode is a must-listen for sales professionals, managers, and business leaders who want to understand how to recover when they’ve skipped a step in the sales process. Kevin and Sean delve into the nuances of backing up, requalifying deals, and how to engage your champions effectively. Whether you’re dealing with large corporations or small family-owned businesses, this… 

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Champions & Coaches: Understanding Key Players in Your B2B Sales Strategy

In the intricate and often unpredictable world of B2B sales, two terms frequently arise: “Champions” and “Coaches.” While somewhat similar, these labels correspond to entirely distinct roles in the sales process. Each plays a vital part, yet misinterpreting or misusing these roles can lead to the loss of your sales opportunity. Many experts believe that believing you have a Champion when you only have a Coach is the biggest problem in long-running sales campaigns.

This article aims to delve deeper into the specific role of the Champion, introduce an innovative strategy known as “Champion Chess,” and illustrate how these elements can transform your B2B sales approach for the better.

Coaches and Champions are both part of the Opportunity Qualification system known as MEDDPICCC. MEDDPICCC stands for

  • M – Metrics
  • E – Economic Buyer
  • D – Decision Criteria
  • D – Decision Process
  • P – Paperwork Process
  • I – Identification of Goal
  • C – Coach
  • C – Champion
  • C – Competition

Deep Dive into the Role of Champions

In the sales universe, a Champion isn’t merely a supporter of your business or service; they actively advocate for your product or service within their organization. Champions usually occupy a strategic position within their company, influencing decision-making processes that can make or break your sales success.

The power of a Champion in the sales process is remarkable. They can effectively expedite sales cycles by persuading their organization of your product’s value, thus overcoming internal objections and resistance. Their advocacy of your solution goes beyond the superficial – they believe in your product’s merit and fight for its adoption and success within their organization. These qualities make Champions an invaluable asset and integral to any successful B2B sales strategy.

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Influence and Advocacy in Sales: The Impact of Coaches and Champions

Every successful sales process relies on a deep understanding of the many moving parts within the targeted organization. Key among these are the internal influencers who can significantly shape the trajectory of your sales campaign. In the realm of sales, two roles stand out: ‘Coaches’ and ‘Champions.’ Both can impact your process differently, so a firm grasp on who they are, what they do, and how to engage with them can be pivotal for your sales success.

MEDDPICCC is an evolution of the MEDDIC sales qualification methodology that’s proven to be particularly effective for B2B enterprise sales organizations. At its core, the MEDDPICCC methodology aids organizations in ensuring they are working on the right deals and concentrating their efforts effectively to secure wins​.

MEDDPICCC extends the MEDDIC acronym to include an additional ‘P’ for Paper Process, ‘C’ for Competition, and ‘C’ for Coach. The inclusion of the ‘Paper Process’ reflects the increased complexity in technology purchasing compared to the past. Factors such as the shift from perpetual licenses to subscription agreements and enhanced data security and privacy requirements have intensified the contractual obligations between vendor and customer. Consequently, the ‘Paper Process’ has emerged as a significant factor influencing sellers’ forecasts, warranting its inclusion in the methodology​.

The second addition, ‘Competition,’ acknowledges the intensified competitive landscape in the current era. Competition can come from various sources: new companies emerging rapidly with the help of modern technology, other vendors vying for the same budget and resources, potential in-house solutions, or the choice to maintain the status quo. Understanding and navigating these competitive elements are critical to a seller’s forecast accuracy and deal success, thus necessitating the inclusion of ‘Competition’ in MEDDPICC​C​.

The third addition to MEDDPICCC is ‘Coach,’ and it is added to understand that there are frequently those people in an organization that will give you knowledge and advice about the sales opportunity, but they do not rise to the level of a Champion. One of the biggest mistakes a salesperson can make is confusing a Coach with a Champion. They may be your advocate and are pushing your product or service to other influencers in the account, but don’t let that confuse you. Without true power and the ability to sway the final decision with the Economic Buyer, you merely have an influencer. Let’s make no mistake; a Coach is also very important in a deal. They are a “guide” that you typically have more access to and can generate imperative touchpoints that help keep the deal moving forward.

In essence, MEDDPICCC is a comprehensive, strategic framework that equips sales teams with the necessary tools and insights to identify and pursue the most promising opportunities effectively, navigate the intricate contractual landscape, and outperform the competition. By adopting and mastering the MEDDPICCC methodology, less experienced salespeople can enhance their sales performance and contribute significantly to their organization’s success.

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