---
title: Professional Sales Teams Thrive with the Right Tools
description: Professional Sales Teams Thrive with the Right Tools
---

[Weekly Blog for Holden Advisors](https://blog.holdenadvisors.com)

# [Professional Sales Teams Thrive with the Right Tools](https://blog.holdenadvisors.com/sales-teams-tools-thrive)

 Written by [Travis Umpleby](https://blog.holdenadvisors.com/author/travis-umpleby) | Oct 18, 2017 8:11:37 PM

Does your sales team spend more time negotiating with you than with the customer? Do they struggle to achieve [pricing](http://www.holdenadvisors.com/value-based-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*](http://www.holdenadvisors.com/sales-effectiveness/negotiating-backbone-workshops/) workshops over the years, I have been impressed listening to what they have accomplished with only a sales sheet and a 10% [discount](https://go.holdenadvisors.com/pricing-123-deliver-0) 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](http://www.holdenadvisors.com/rfp-just-arrived/) 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](http://www.holdenadvisors.com/sales-effectiveness/backbone-basics-digital-learning-workshop/) 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[View full post](https://blog.holdenadvisors.com/sales-teams-tools-thrive)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Travis Umpleby"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2018-01-05T09:43:56.867Z",
  "datePublished" : "2017-10-18T20:11:37Z",
  "headline" : "Professional Sales Teams Thrive with the Right Tools",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 1041,
    "url" : "https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2542915/Imported_Blog_Media/right-sales-tools.jpg",
    "width" : 1400
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://blog.holdenadvisors.com/sales-teams-tools-thrive",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60.0,
      "url" : "https://blog.holdenadvisors.com/hubfs/logo.jpg",
      "width" : 176.8421
    },
    "name" : " Holden Advisors Blog"
  }
}
```