Maximizing Sales Success with Rick Johnson

The Distribution & Sales Summit was quite a success! Dr. Rick Johnson, founder of CEO Strategist, kicked off the morning session with a presentation called: "It's About Time to Maximize our Sales Effectiveness." He took attendees on a step-by-step journey, which made them re-examine every aspect of success with their customers, vendor partners and customer's customers.

Rick broke this morning session down into three categories for success in maximizing sales effectiveness:

• Heeding the Call

• Thinking Like Dr. Phil

• Bringing a Gun to a Knife Fight

These categories have simple titles with complex meanings that hit home with every attendee. Heeding the call was all about how sales have gone through an evolution in our industry; and there is no "magic purple pill" that will increase sales, maximize profitability and increase market share. Rick went on to explain there is a sales effectiveness process built on a platform of focus, process, discipline and accountability utilizing best practices that can become a formula for success.

That formula includes "Thinking Like Dr. Phil" and searching for the customer's pain. Distributors must become total solution providers to enable their customers to create the ultimate customer experience for their clients. A point Rick emphasized over and over was the fact it's not about what we are selling, but more importantly, it's about our ability to figure out exactly what the customer is buying. Identify their pain, their needs and define the different value propositions each of us and each of our companies bring into play.

"Bringing a Gun to a Knife Fight" was all about the ability to create a competitive advantage. Rick emphasized a customer's perceived value drives their expectations of us as a supplier. According to Rick, "the higher we raise their perception of our value, the closer we come to creating competitive advantage in the market place."

Rick closed the morning session by discussing the key characteristics of the professional sales person and the habits that create success and the ability to "Maximize Sales Effectiveness."

Dr. Rick Johnson
CEO Strategist
Distribution & Sales Summit Keynote