SALES MATH IS BS - MATH IS FACTS NOT OPINIONS
A sales leader discusses how traditional win rate calculations are fundamentally flawed because they rely on subjective definitions of what constitutes a 'loss.' The speaker argues that focusing on revenue growth and deal winnability is more productive than manipulating win rate metrics.
Summary
The speaker recounts a conversation with a sales leader who requested help improving win rates, defined traditionally as wins versus losses. The speaker challenges this metric by pointing out its fundamental flaw: while wins are clearly defined, losses are subjectively determined based on what deals the salesperson 'wanted to win.' This creates an easily manipulated metric where win rates can be artificially improved by simply reducing the number of deals classified as 'want to wins' rather than addressing underlying sales performance issues. The speaker argues that this approach misses the real objective, which is increasing revenue. Instead of focusing on win rate optimization, the discussion should center on why revenue isn't growing and why salespeople are working on deals that are either unwinnable or beyond their capability to win. The speaker advocates for a more strategic approach that focuses on identifying winnable deals and developing concrete plans to win them, concluding that while anyone can appear busy with sales activity, actual selling success requires more strategic thinking.
About this episode
https://www.b2bRevenue.com - Brutal Truth About Sales & Selling Podcast Selling in a New Market Space: http://www.amazon.com/Selling-New-Market-Space-ebook/dp/B002V3RWZA FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Maverick-Method/234345506651411 WEBSITE: https://www.B2Brevenue.com LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianburns TWITTER: briangburnsb2b EMAIL: [email protected] - Sales mistakes and the top mistakes that many salespeople make. We all make mistakes but if we learn from those mistakes we will grow as salespeople. Thank you for watching my sales and selling videos. Please check my other videos on my channel. I have several on a wide array of sales and selling topics. They include "sales strategies" "sales prospecting" "lead generation" "b2b sales" "b2b sales selling". Regardless of your selling approach be it "spin selling", "snap selling", "solution selling" "strategic selling" or "customer centric selling". You will found several videos on all of these topics the simple sale, complex sale, sales training, sales workshops, sales closing, challenger sales and selling. We will also cover large sales, sales blog, cold calling, every major sales skill, sales techniques, sales jobs, motivation, b2b sales and selling. We provide highly customized training for all levels of skill. Please contact us with any questions.
Key Insights
- The speaker argues that traditional win rate calculations are fundamentally flawed because while wins are clearly defined, losses depend entirely on subjective decisions about what deals were 'wanted to win'
- The speaker claims that win rates can be artificially improved by simply reducing the number of deals classified as 'want to wins' rather than actually improving sales performance
- The speaker contends that salespeople often work on deals that are either unwinnable or beyond their ability to win them, which undermines revenue growth
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] I was talking to this sales leader the other day and he goes, "Brian, can you come in and help us with our win rate?" I go, "Well, talk to me about that. How do you define your win rate?" And he goes, "You know, the way everybody does, the number of wins versus losses." And I go, "Well, you know, that's a completely madeup equation. Certainly, you know what you want. That's easy. There's no getting around that. But how do you tell or you didn't [0:32] win? And what do you count as deals that you didn't win? Is it everything in the CRM? Everything in the world? Oh, don't be ridiculous. Well, tell me then. Well,…
Full transcript available for MurmurCast members
Sign Up to AccessMore from The Brutal Truth about Sales Podcast - b2bREVENUE
ARE YOU A SERVICE CLERK OR A SALES PERSON???
The speaker compares learning sales to learning to drive, arguing that following natural instincts in sales makes you act like a service clerk rather than an effective salesperson. They emphasize that successful selling requires working against intuitive responses and learning specific techniques from more effective salespeople.
SALES VS. FINANCE - WHO IS RIGHT???
A satirical conversation depicting the tension between sales and finance teams during the deal booking process. The sales representative expresses frustration with bureaucratic requirements while trying to close a deal with the US government.
YOU MAY KNOW HOW TO SELL - BUT THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO BUY
A sales rep learned from a successful colleague that customers don't inherently know how to make purchasing decisions. The key insight was that instead of asking customers what they want to do next, successful salespeople assertively guide the decision-making process.
ANYONE CAN BE BUSY BUT FEW CAN SELL - WHICH ARE YOU???
The speaker argues that modern sales reps mistake busyness for productivity, engaging in high activity without focusing deeply on accounts. They advocate for a proven process that requires time investment but delivers actual results rather than just the appearance of effort.
ARE YOU A SERVICE CLERK OR A SALES PERSON???
The speaker argues against the idea that modern sales should focus on being service-oriented, claiming that true sales professionals must push back on clients and guide them to the right solutions. They distinguish between sales roles that require challenging clients and service roles that simply accommodate client requests.