Episode 291: Jeff Bajorek
Meet
Jeff Bajorek
Jeff Bajorek helps B2B sales teams maximize performance by reframing their approach, their selling skills, and their mindset around their purpose. He helps them rethink the way they sell by reminding them of what needs to be done, showing them how to do it, and then making them believe they can. When he’s not at work, you can find him on a golf course, or cooking something delicious for his family.
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
Jeff Bajorek believes that salespeople underrate territory sales planning because it’s boring—and they lack a growth mindset. But if you’re a full-cycle sales rep, you need to know where your revenue is coming from. So you need a good grasp of your territory, the players in it, and who’s moving in and out of it. You need a handle on price increases and must know your products inside and out. It’s not all buying dinners and playing golf with prospects. Territory sales planning is where many people could make up ground if they do the work.
Outline of This Episode
- [0:59] Why salespeople underrate territory sales planning
- [2:08] How territory sales planning can lessen reactivity
- [3:52] The ingredients for the ideal territory sales plan
- [7:34] The attributes that make a salesperson successful
- [9:25] Tools, tactics, or strategies to improve territory sales planning
- [11:12] Jeff’s top “do”: Embrace the buddy system
- [15:12] Jeff’s simply and effective territory planning strategy
How territory sales planning can lessen reactivity
Do you want to be at the whim of your territory? Or do you want to have an impact and influence on what your territory produces (from a revenue perspective)? If you’re waiting for a customer to wave their arms in the air, you’ll be waiting a long time—and doing activities that won’t move the needle. Can your calendar be used against you in a court of law to convict you of being a salesperson?
Do you have time blocked to prospect? Do you have time blocked to contact your regular customers? Do you have time blocked to research and develop accounts in your territory? Or are you completely winging it? Are you taking control—or waiting for things to happen? Jeff points out that you know what the right answer is but you’re probably still not doing enough of it.
The ideal territory sales plan is focused on a growth mindset
Who are the players in your territory? Who is growable? There are a lot of companies talking about fresh opportunities but “new” versus “old” is the wrong paradigm. Growable versus not growable is what you need to focus on and accessibility is the issue. Jeff breaks things down into quadrants: growability and accessibility.
- Quadrant one is those that are growable and accessible. These are new or existing accounts with room to pick up wallet share.
- Quadrant two is growable but not accessible. These are dream clients you have to work to gain access to.
- Quadrant three is not growable but accessible. These are the clients that shake your hand, slap you on the back, and say “It’s good to see ya” but there’s no room to grow.
You feel productive when you gain the attention of quadrant three. If you can’t grow them, they’re the best source for referrals or introductions. Use them for market research to help you gain access to clients in quadrant two.
But people spend so much time in quadrant three. They could spend half the amount of time maintaining business and spend it gaining access to new accounts. Where are you spending your time? Spend it all in quadrant one if you can. Once you fill that demand, you’ll have a void. You need to make inaccessible opportunities in quadrant two more accessible. Then, use your best customers to understand what it takes to gain access—whether introductions or referrals. Now you’re selling.
Tools, tactics, or strategies to improve territory sales planning
Every year, you start from square one. Your company likely asks for 7%. Every January, Jeff went to a national sales meeting. They’d get information about fee increases, new products, line extensions, etc. Jeff had his notebook open and a pen in his hand. He took diligent notes and knew exactly who he’d call on with new products. By the time he left that weekend, he’d have his territory sales plan sketched out. He knew who to call, who would be a great target, who would buy, who was already using similar products and how much they were using, and the value of each customer. He left those meetings fired up and set appointments for the next week.
Jeff points out that pen and paper is an under-utilized tool. You don’t need fancy technology to plan your territory—you just need to set aside time to do the work. Opportunities won’t fall in your lap. Where do you have good access and growability? Write it down. Who are your dream clients? Who are a great fit and you just don’t know? Write it down. How do you plan to reach them? Who are your rockstar clients? Write it down. That can translate to introductions and referrals. You need to understand the players in your territory before you can do anything else.
Jeff’s territory sales planning do: Embrace the buddy system
Find a buddy. Jeff worked with another salesperson and they got together once a quarter. They met in the middle and planned for the next quarter. They held each other accountable. Every quarter, they presented what they accomplished, what their revenue looked like, how they executed against their plan, and how successful they were. It’s tremendously beneficial. If you don’t have leadership that will hold you accountable, find a buddy—in or outside of your organization.
The bottom line is that sales is a verb. You have to act on your plan. You can’t afford to sit and wait for sales to happen. Create opportunities, steward them to close business, and maintain those relationships to earn referrals.
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Connect with Jeff Bajorek
- Connect on LinkedIn
- Email Jeff at JF(at)JeffBajorek.com
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