Does your sales team spend more time negotiating with you than with the customer? Do they struggle to achieve pricing targets? How well-equipped are they to accomplish the objectives they are given?

As an avid DIY’er, I enjoy tackling various home renovation projects. I recently took on a larger project, so I enlisted the help of a friend who works as a professional contractor. As I struggled to complete some of the necessary tasks he would say, “You know they have a tool for that.” He would then retrieve a specialized tool from his well-equipped toolbox that allowed me to accomplish the task in a fraction of the time with better results. Wonder and awe filled my eyes and I added that tool to my wish list.

Working with salespeople during Negotiating with Backbone workshops over the years, I have been impressed listening to what they have accomplished with only a sales sheet and a 10% discount approval. I watch them struggle when I recommend they avoid the discounting tool to defend price. Then I watch their eyes fill with wonder as I say, “We have another tool for that.”

Here are some of the exciting tools in the professional salesperson’s toolbox:

• List of effective qualifying questions that uncover true motives
• Needs assessment beyond listening to what the purchaser tells you
• Buying center identification beyond single point of contact
• Tiered offering structure
• Give-Gets
• Quantified financial impact versus the competition

Not only do professionals have the right tools, they have developed a proficiency with that tool, knowing when and how it is used.

As this year comes to a close and you begin setting targets for 2018, pause for a moment and consider, what tools do my salespeople currently have? Are they proficient in their application? What specialized tools might we need to drive our company’s growth goals? A well-equipped tool belt is key to the success of every professional. For you, that means enabling sales to achieve those coveted price targets.