Next Level Selling Read online

  Copyright © 2019 Tom Fedro

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Leaders Press.

  www.leaderspress.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system — except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper — without permission in writing from the publisher.

  ISBN 978-1-943386-52-9 (pbk)

  ISBN 978-1-943386-51-2 (ebook)

  ISBN 978-1-943386-53-6 (hardcover)

  Praise for Next Level Selling

  This book is different from others in the way it establishes a brilliant and easy-to-follow method to sniff out a sale (or not) and close it. If you’re tired of wasting time with deals that don’t close, you need this book.

  – Rocky Foroutan | CEO, LenderHomePage.com

  Next Level Selling is a fast, fun and educating read. Tech insiders and anyone who believes in compacting the sales process will delight in this book.

  – Greg Elliott | President, Anderson Howard

  This engaging, hands-on book is the guide you need to break into the million-dollar sales club and make it happen.

  – Kent Savage | Co-Founder & CEO,

  Icon.me and Director, Centric Brands

  This is a key read for a great foundational sales approach and a straight-forward method for identifying and landing the deal.

  – Jade Runnells | CEO, Firstimpulse

  This book is an indispensable roadmap for approaching your clients, and its informative content will consistently provide reading anticipation.

  – Bob Carlson | CEO, The Carlson Company

  Next Level Selling is a tantalizing journey into high-level sales and the challenges and triumphs you’ll encounter. Fedro’s humility and unwavering honesty is a refreshing voice in an industry dominated by more ‘how to’ books than probably any other. This book is not only highly informative, but it also restores faith in the tenacity, resilience and humanity of today’s salespeople.

  – Christopher Catranis | Founder of Babylon Telecommunications and bestselling author of Disruptive Leadership

  This book enables so many others to benefit from Tom Fedro’s successful sales experience and knowledge. It demystifies why he has been so consistently successful, leading a team of diverse sales professionals, and helping create multiple, exceptionally profitable businesses. He distills his approach to sales leadership into eight steps that you need to know, supported throughout the book by anecdotes and stories to bring them to life. This is a great book for CEOs, as well salespeople, looking to get to the next level in generating profitable revenue.

  – Ted Larkins | bestselling author of Get To Be Happy

  As a CEO tasked with helping my salespeople build healthy habits to bring in the big whales of our industry, Next Level Selling is the playbook I have been searching for. Not only does the book offer actionable items I can teach my sales team, but I can also refer them to read and implement the ideas themselves. The format is powerful and simple. This should be taught in all business schools.

  – Jess Hartmann | CEO, ProMAX Systems

  I’ve read a lot to maintain my edge in business and have a strong bias for concise books with actionable information. Next Level Selling presents information in sensible chapters that end with a case study and lessons learned. The stories make the lessons very memorable.

  – Brian Hoshiko | Director of SaaS Operations, CalAmp/LoJack

  Tom Fedro provides a methodology and detailed approach that can guide newer and seasoned sales professionals to close large deals and expand client relationships. His case studies provide real-life examples to achieve sales success.

  – Jayson Yardley | CEO, AvadyneHealth

  As a sales entrepreneur myself, who has been on a similar path to the author, I was skeptical of the value that I’d derive from the book. I’m happy that didn’t stop me from reading — there are a lot of insights, perspectives and tactics I hadn’t considered before that I hope to adapt and put to use in my own ventures.

  – David Fuess | CEO, Catapult Systems and bestselling author of Why They Buy

  As one who does marketing for a living, I’ve read my fair share of books on marketing and sales leadership and most are full of lengthy stories that fill the pages but provide very little substance (kind of like that sales person we all know who talks too much!) That’s the exact opposite of what you will find in Next Level Selling. I found not only a unique perspective on leadership, but most importantly I found a sense of genuineness that is missing from many so-called leaders these days.

  – Beverly Lages | President, Lages & Associates

  The tips are great and reflect true wisdom. Tom explains how he discovered all the commonalities to his top sales and admits areas where he learned to do things differently. Makes for a good and enlightening read, especially the case studies.

  – Mark Nureddine | CEO, Bull Outdoor Products and bestselling author of Pocket Mentor

  This book covers everything you need to know about selling high-value deals. The key is to have a clearly-defined process and to follow it religiously. It is all in this book, set out in a logical and readable form. Being in the same business myself, I will use it to enhance our own processes. It will definitely also become required reading for our salespeople.

  – Tony White | CEO and Founder, enChoice, Inc.

  The biggest thing I have learned from Tom Fedro’s Next Level Selling is when to walk away from a sale — and yes, there are times when you should do so. For example, instead of courting a client that isn’t going to buy (or invest in my case), cut your losses early by using Tom’s analysis and go seek a sure thing. Developing this kind of ground-level vision is sure to save a lot of time and make the playing field much more profitable.

  – Daniel P. Culler | CEO, Avistone

  I shared the book with my sales team before I even finished it! Next Level Selling is more streamlined than the Sandler system and it’s more focused on closing big deals. It clarifies the relationship between marketing and sales well, and is perfectly timed for the next phase or our team’s growth.

  – Mark Wagner | CEO, EdTechTeam

  Next Level Selling provides lots of great advice for anyone in the sales profession. Whether you close high-ticket deals or mid-ticket deals, you’ll benefit enormously from this new sales bible.

  –Ali Razi | Founder & CEO, Banc Certified Merchant Services

  Tom Fedro explains how he closes big sales in the technology space. As one working in this space, allow me to say two things. First, it’s really hard work. Second, having known Tom for a few years, I know when he sets a goal, he gets it done. As such, I’d recommend this book, especially to those working in senior management and sales and marketing roles in small to medium technology companies.

  – Martyn Fricker | General Manager, Emida International

  Next Level Selling is a very practical handbook for individuals and sales teams, establishing meaningful concepts that help you to stay focused on what can make the difference for selling and achieve success. It explains with real examples the basics of these ideas, giving you a clearer picture of what you have ahead and help you make an easy to follow roadmap for sales.

  – Hugo Teixeira | CEO, Farmodiética USA

  This special book will change how you approach any sales opportunity you encounter. There are so many sales books out there, but this book gives you real-life insight into a practical approach of making a deal. There is no hard selling here; it completely aligns your offering with your customers’ needs.

  – Greg Albertyn |
President, Pacific Power Reps

  As a senior-level IT-professional for the past 30 years, I’ve come across more salespeople than most software engineers typically do. Time and again, I witnessed first-hand what separated the best salesperson from the rest which directly resulted in the success of the company. Tom Fedro’s book captures that very essence of a successful salesperson, one that sees and seizes the opportunity.

  – Peter Matuchniak | CTO, Maxxess Systems Inc.

  Next Level Selling is a great book for anyone who is frustrated with their current sales process and close rates. Fedro offers some excellent tips and real world case studies to help any organization improve their win column.

  – Shane Belovsky | COO, Emida Technologies

  The main takeaway for me from Next Level Selling is the no-nonsense, real-world examples that Tom Fedro uses to illustrate his easy and quick assessment, PAM (Pain, Authority and Money) — if you don’t have it, there’s no sale. It doesn’t get any simpler than that, and without it, you will never close million-dollar transactions!

  – Ken Schmitt | Founder & CEO, TurningPoint Executive Search

  I highly recommend reading this book, but more importantly, following Tom’s process to analyze the viability of any sale — which is an acronym he cleverly calls PAM.

  – Paula Johns | CEO, Paula Johns Communications

  Next Level Selling is a superior road-map of how PAM will escort you to the highest economic levels by helping you find the Pain, Authority and Money to win the high-end transactions. Selling multi-million dollar deals isn’t easy; however, Tom shows you how to accomplish it with logic, respect, integrity and authority.

  – Jack Finnell | CEO, Growth Accelerators and author of Do You Want to Be a Leader or a Manager?

  Fedro makes it clear that if you can’t find pain, authority and money in a potential customer, then hit the road. Fedro makes a compelling argument that in the case of sales, you shouldn’t be wasting anyone’s time — yours or the client.

  – Dennis Andrews | Divisional President, Xerox

  This is a practical book and a valuable resource, highly recommended for those ready to accelerate their performance!

  – Tom Prosia | Founder & President, BeMarketDo

  In Next Level Selling, Fedro will show you how to change your tactics to encourage success in high value deals, and make time for new (and better) habits. Excellent, and well worth the read.

  - Tim Marshall | President, Neudesic Services

  For Dad —

  loving father, husband and son,

  extraordinary USAF fighter pilot,

  architect and teacher;

  a true example of what a man should be

  FREE SUPPLEMENT!

  Are you searching for the key to staying healthy and setting yourself up for success?

  You need to take your MEDS! I created my own personal system that helps me achieve peak performance on a daily basis and I want to share it with you.

  Go to www.tomfedro.com and download your free copy of Take Your MEDS to see how you can apply and benefit from some of the same ideas that have worked so well for me.

  CONTENTS

  Introduction

  1. Meet PAM

  2. A Million-Dollar Framework

  3. The Role of Marketing

  4. The Role of Sales

  5. The Domino Effect

  6. Other Infrastructure

  7. Major Obstacles

  8. Major Mistakes

  9. Keeping Up with the Competition

  Conclusion

  Acknowledgements

  Recommended Reading

  INTRODUCTION

  The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

  – attributed to Mark Twain

  Who the heck wants to read another book on sales and marketing?

  That’s a fair question. If you’re anything like me, you already have some seriously packed bookshelves lined with all those other books. You know the kind; those books that promised to teach you how to sell to the Moby Dick in your particular industry. So why would I write another book on sales and marketing when so many already glut the market?

  Because I’m going to introduce you to my secret weapon — a brilliant gal I know named PAM. When you meet her, you’ll see why the method described in the following pages has been my key to selling more than 200 million software licenses worldwide, and closing deals with many of the world’s largest, most respected companies and brands — all of which led to generating hundreds of millions of dollars in sales revenue.

  What can you expect in these pages that you can’t find anywhere else?

  I’m going to toss over the keys for small technology companies to win big, million-dollar-plus transactions in a predictable way by building the right approach and infrastructure. You won’t find all the jargon and superfluous speeches here, but you will find the tools necessary to be successful in the complex multilevel sales processes required for large deals. Step by step, you’ll learn all about my proven method — one that happens to be quite easy to understand and replicate in your field.

  Your new friend PAM is going to teach you precisely how to find the pain, establish the authority and confirm the money before you approach a single sale. PAM is the key to every deal and if you don’t have all three of her crucial elements in a potential sale, she will tell you not to waste your time or anyone else’s. You’ll learn each step in the PAM framework, and read some compelling examples of how each step in the process works. Even a small company can effectively compete with the big dogs by establishing the kind of working sales methodology I’m going to lay out for you.

  Marketing and business development can be some of the priciest parts of running a business, and in these pages, you’ll learn how to trim the fat and get the most for your money in these strategic areas. You’ll learn how to build an ideal customer profile (ICP), and discover how to teach your salespeople to close deals using a variety of tactics, including the “Domino Effect.” I’m going to show you how to leverage just one domino to open new and more accessible markets for your services. As you know, salespeople aren’t all the same, so you’ll learn my recommended mix for the different types of salespeople to hire — and you’ll meet the Maverick.

  Of course, we’ll also discuss the significant obstacles and mistakes you’re going to make (just as I did). I’ll fill you in on some of the more common ones, and share my hard-won experience earned by taking down some hairy beasts and turning them into big wins. Lastly, I’ll share how to keep up with the competition by using the new toolbox we’re building together.

  Make a customer, not a sale. – Katherine Barchetti

  So, who am I and why should you listen to me? I’m just a guy fortunate to have done this many times before — so often that I have discerned a clear process that I can articulate and share with you. My job has always been to ‘bring in the big one’. My career arc spans the corporate gamut. First, I served as a bag-carrying salesperson, before moving up the ranks into a VP Sales and Marketing position, and finally, landing the president and CEO role. My perspective and personal experience encompass the entire scope of the sales, marketing and executive management ecosystem.

  I’m not going to share theories or 50,000-foot-level tips and tricks. Instead, we’re in the trenches here and this is hand-to-hand combat; you’re in a knife fight as the little guy going up against the biggest, most resourceful competitors on the planet. Let’s look at an example — a deal I did with American Airlines, one of the world’s largest airlines — which was no small feat. We had the kind of competition that would make an Inuit shiver, as we were just a small company of less than one hundredth of the size of our rivals. (I’m sure you’re familiar with a few of their names — Acer, ASUS, Dell, IBM and Toshiba.) Reeling in this airline’s mobile workforce project was the deal of the century at the time, and everyone in the business knew it, so all the major players were hunting down this transaction; big company representatives seemed to be pa
rachuting into the parking lot daily.

  At my company, GRiD Systems, we were a small brand with a small footprint, but a mighty heart, so we took off in pursuit of PAM and treated the airline deal the same as any other.

  First, we went in and confirmed the pain. Why did the prospect need this technology purchase for their mobile teams? How much did it hurt not to have new systems in place?

  Secondly, we discovered the authority (who was going to make the decision). We learned that the decision came down to the technical influencers who were evaluating these devices.

  Third, even though this was a multi-billion dollar company, we dug deep to confirm that the budget (money) for the project was in place and ready to be spent on the right partner.

  All things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to those people they know, like, and trust. – Bob Burg

  My task for this deal was to work with our potential client’s people and get to know them personally at a deep level. I’m sure you are aware that sales is a people business, and especially for significant purchases, we tend to buy from people we like. I had to understand their pain, discover exactly what they were looking for, and uncover their personal goals and desires. Beyond talking with the senior executives involved, I spent time with the top system evaluators. I learned how they wanted to move up within the ranks of the company and what it would take. I spent my time building relationships with those key influencers and then took those relationships to a more personal level.

  For example, we spent time together visiting my company headquarters. I played basketball with a few of the guys. I took them out on the golf course to get to know them and discover what was going on behind the scenes, and that helped me understand the political landscape that was in play. What ultimately won the deal was getting the chief IT evaluator out on the links in Monterrey, California, as that allowed us to spend quality time in a relaxed environment. The scene was set for me to let him know I fully understood how risky it was for him to choose to go with us, and also to convince him that the rewards were significant enough to make that decision in our favor. He did, and we won the deal, which was well in excess of seven figures to start.