Data-driven sales strategy consulting to create massive sales growth.

As a data-driven sales strategy consultant, Marc Wayshak has enabled organizations around the world to build championship sales teams on the cutting-edge of modern selling, across dozens of industries.

Marc draws from hard-hitting sales research to craft custom science-based sales strategies for each client organization. Then, he implements a rock-solid sales infrastructure that holds every single team member accountable—while crushing their sales goals.

Here are 13 key ideas that guide Marc's approach to sales strategy consulting:

1. Sell to the top.

Most salespeople waste countless hours on mid-level managers who have neither the power nor the budget to invest in even the most valuable offerings. Successful salespeople, on the other hand, take this powerful sales strategy consultant tip to heart, and only sell to the top—think CEOs and VPs of big organizations. Top-performing salespeople all recognize the value of their time and know that selling to non-decision makers only costs them money in the end.

2. Learn to close big sales.

Over the years as a sales strategy consultant, Marc Wayshak has discovered the key difference between average salespeople and those who are top-earners in their companies and industries—and it’s not the number of sales they’re closing. Instead, successful salespeople are far more concerned with their average sale size than the number of sales they close. It takes hardly any extra work on the part of the salesperson to follow this sales strategy consultant tip and learn to close big sales. But the payoff on a large close can be exponentially greater than that of the average sale.

 

3. Identify the tasks that make money.

The tasks salespeople do on a daily basis can be divided into two simple categories: those that make money and those that don’t. Expert sales strategy consultants know that the key to success in sales is identifying which tasks make money, and then only doing those tasks. Once salespeople identify which tasks make money, they should outsource everything else—from customer service to order fulfillment—to someone else’s desk. Only then will they have time to devote to the most important objectives such as prospecting, setting sales meetings, and face-to-face interactions with critical customers.

 

4. Leverage sales into more opportunities.

Here’s what average salespeople do after they close a sale: They pat themselves on the back, text their spouses the good news, and then go on with their day. It’s impossible to become a top-performing salesperson with this bad habit. It’s time to implement the critical sales strategy consultant approach of leveraging each new sale into more opportunities. New customers are valuable sources for introductions to other highly qualified prospects, so salespeople must learn to leverage each customer relationship into an opportunity to close the next sale. Any time a sale is closed or a meeting is held with a satisfied customer, there is a valuable chance to ask for introductions to anyone they know who could benefit from the product or service being sold.

 

5. Scrap the to-do list.

Old-school sales strategy consultants often teach that a to-do list is the key to staying focused and succeeding in sales. Unfortunately, most salespeople who follow that advice fill their days with tasks that won’t make them any richer. In fact, if salespeople are focused on checking off a list of to-dos, they’re likely neglecting the more important “big picture” outcomes that actually make money. To follow this sales strategy consultant tip, salespeople should replace their to-do list with a list of outcomes they’d like to achieve—like developing new relationships with key prospects, closing larger sales, or renewing existing counts. When salespeople prioritize those above all else, success is sure to follow.

6. Think like a doctor.

Salespeople focus on selling their product or service. Doctors focus on understanding and diagnosing a problem. That’s why the most effective sales strategy consultants often remind salespeople to think less like salespeople and more like doctors. Before presenting a solution, salespeople must first take the time to ask thoughtful questions and fully understand the prospect’s key challenges. This sales strategy consultant tip will help salespeople present a solution that truly meets the prospect’s needs and helps them earn respect as an expert in their field.

 

7. Stop pitching.

Salespeople who are looking for any opportunity to pitch their product or service come across as self-centered. Marc Wayshak has seen this time and time again in his experience as a sales strategy consultant. As soon as a prospect says, “You see, I’m facing this challenge where…” the salesperson quickly interjects, “Oh, we actually have the solution to that challenge!” This mindset tells prospects that the salesperson is focused only on closing the sale rather than truly understanding their deep frustrations. Instead of pitching a product, salespeople should focus on digging into those key challenges and determining if their offering is truly a fit for the prospect’s needs.

 

8. You don’t need the sale.

Of course, salespeople need to close sales in order to succeed in sales. But there’s nothing worse than a desperate salesperson who clearly needs to close the sale to pay the bills. Even if they’re in a place where they really do need a sale in order to pay the bills, salespeople should never show it. What’s more, the most successful salespeople out there actually convince themselves that they don’t need the sale—even if they do—and thereby they increase their chances of closing the sale. By changing their mindset, those top-performing salespeople are better prepared to disqualify a bad fit or dig into a qualified prospect’s challenges with confidence. As a result, prospects view them as financially independent experts rather than needy salespeople.

9. Disqualify early.

An experienced sales strategy consultant will tell you that at least 50% of the prospects in any given sales pipeline won’t be a good fit. However, many salespeople waste hours trying to close these prospects who either don’t have the budget, aren’t decision makers, or simply don’t have the types of problems their product or service can solve. As a sales strategy consultant, Marc Wayshak teaches his clients how to identify those bad fits early on, in order to disqualify them and move on to prospects who actually need, want, and can afford the solution at hand.

10. Remember the 15% rule.

Many salespeople think they’re good listeners—only to work with a sales strategy consultant and discover they’re still talking too much. As a rule, salespeople should never be the one talking for more than 15% of a sales meeting. When it comes to demonstrating expertise, it’s better to show than tell. How can salespeople do this? By asking thoughtful questions, listening carefully to the answers, and seeking to understand the prospect’s key challenges and motivations.

 

11. Know your personal “why.”

Every salesperson has hard days—days where they’re hung up on, stood up, or rejected. If salespeople aren’t clear on their personal “why,” they’re likely to check out or just go through the motions when the going gets tough. As a sales strategy consultant, Marc Wayshak teaches salespeople how to go deeper than saying, “I sell because I want to be successful.” It’s critical to really dig into the personal factors that will drive them to overcome obstacles and rise to the top. By following this sales strategy consultant tip and knowing their “why,” salespeople will always be motivated to make the next call, show up for the next meeting, and ask for the next introduction.

12. Say “no” to tire kickers and time wasters.

It can be tempting to say “yes” whenever a tire kicker expresses mild interest in a solution or a coworker asks a favor, but successful salespeople learn to say “no” constantly. Anytime salespeople say “yes” to tire kickers and time wasters, they’re automatically saying “no” to the tasks they should be doing instead—tasks that would lead to more sales. Sales strategy consultants love to talk about the importance of time management, because jealously guarding time is the key to success in a world where distractions pop up each and every day.

13. Don’t be afraid of pissing people off.

When invited to speak as a sales strategy consultant, Marc Wayshak often shares the story of a CEO who actually kicked him out of the office after Marc wasn’t afraid to challenge him. When salespeople are focused on making friends, this kind of interaction can ruin their entire day. Marc, on the other hand, laughed it off and then slept like a baby. Why? Because he understood his job was to challenge his prospects, not make friends. While no sales strategy consultant would advise you to be rude, asking provocative questions and digging into a prospect’s challenges is key to being viewed as an expert and closing more sales.

Now that you’ve learned the top 13 fundamentals of Marc’s sales strategy consulting approach, it’s time to connect with Marc about implementing a data-driven sales strategy at your organization. Fill out the form below to get started!