Episode 167: George Brontén
Meet
George Brontén
George Brontén is the founder of Membrain. George’s life motto is “Don’t settle for mainstream” and his team is challenging the big CRM players, Salesforce and Microsoft, with the award-winning CRM + Sales Enablement software, purpose-built to increase effectiveness in complex b2b sales. George’s also shares his thoughts on the blog “Art & Science of Complex Sales,” focusing in topics related to sales effectiveness.
Our Mission Is To Change The Negative Perception Of Sales People
Our Vision Is A World Where Selling Is A Profession To Be Proud Of
Productivity can be defined as efficiency multiplied by effectiveness. It’s about doing things right and doing the right thing. Too often, salespeople only focus on efficiency. You can do many things efficiently—but still be ineffective. So what’s the key? Listen to this episode of Sales Reinvented with guest George Brontén to find out!
George is the founder of Membrain, a multiple award-winning Sales Enablement CRM. He specializes in helping to train sales professionals to become more effective. The goal is to bridge the gap between sales strategy and execution. His expertise is a welcome addition in this episode.
Outline of This Episode
- [0:30] What is productivity?
- [1:30] Faulty assumptions about sales professionals
- [3:10] Steps to take to improve day-to-day productivity
- [4:35] Attributes that make a great salesperson
- [5:45] Tools, tactics, strategies
- [6:40] Top three Do’s and Don’ts
- [9:50] How Paul defines efficiency
- [10:35] George’s favorite productivity story
Salespeople are not born—they are taught
There’s a faulty assumption in the sales industry that anyone in sales was born with a special knack for the industry. In some cases, those people do possess the traits that naturally make them a good salesperson. But George believes it’s a process that can be taught and learned.
You can’t just hand someone a goal and expect them to reach it.
You must train them and give them the guidance and resources needed to be efficient, effective and productive. A sales professional must be allowed to grow and learn just as in any other profession. Give your team the tools they need to reach success.
What is important to the potential client?
Sales isn’t only about selling. To sell well, you need to understand your potential clients and their needs. You need to be able to pinpoint what is important to them and actually engage with them.
Most people can recognize when they’re being sold.
But if you take the time to understand the customer’s needs and connect with them on a deeper level you will be more likely to make a sale.
What does the productivity formula in action look like?
George points out that you need to know your craft well. Know the product or service you’re selling inside and out. He shares one of his favorite stories in which a sales team was always falling short of closing. He finally realized that they were afraid to talk to the tech people and didn’t know how to engage them.
They had to learn to speak their language.
They had to learn the problems that needed to be solved and be able to communicate that they could solve the problem. Their software would resolve an issue that was forcing the tech force to work overtime every single week. Once they figured that out, they tripled their success rate.
Problem-solve and systematize
George recommends seeking out the friction points in the sales process. Where is the ball being dropped? At what exact point is the sale lost? More importantly—has your best salesperson already solved the problem? Those who are struggling with the sales process can learn and benefit from other peers and managers.
Once you identify the friction points and solve the issues, you can then systematize the process. This is what leads to efficiency, effectiveness, and therefore productivity. It allows your business to train sales professionals properly and not simply expect success. You begin to create it.
Resources & People Mentioned
Connect with George Brontén
Connect With Paul Watts
Audio Production and Show notes by
PODCAST FAST TRACK
https://www.podcastfasttrack.com
More About George Brontén
What was the last book you read?
The last sales book was Anthony Iannarinno’s “The Lost art of Closing,”
which I highly recommend!
Who / What inspires you?
Authenticity inspires me. Challenging the status quo inspires me. Growth inspires me, both personal growth and business growth.
Are there any aspects of your own productivity skills that you are working on improving at the moment?
Yes, I’m currently working on how to create social media videos faster and more consistently.
Hobbies, Interests?
My main interest is to learn, so I read a lot. And I write a lot, to get my thoughts out to the world and to further improve my learning. I love software and design and spend time thinking about ideas on how to improve Membrain’s software to help elevate the sales profession.
Share This Episode, Choose Your Platform!