Learn to STOP SELLING and start engaging to win trusted partner access to the decision-making inner circle
Learning to Profile
Deep focus on the people who can make things happen
Building Bridges
Develop deep knowledge from the customer’s perspective
Engaging as a Solver
Add value to customer challenges independent of your product/service portfolio
Most sales training programs focus on strategies aimed at teaching you how to sell. Instead, you need to STOP SELLING.
What?!?
Yes, you heard that right. GPT’s Engaging Up™ program empowers you to shift your thinking and achieve next-level business success by building longer, stronger, trusted-partner relationships with current and future customers.
It’s no secret that the sales landscape has shifted dramatically in ways that are disruptive to traditional sales tactics and strategies that emphasized cold-calling and pitching ad nauseam. Today, achieving success in B2B sales is less about selling than it is about engaging.
“In many ways this is counterintuitive,” says Paul Hesselschwerdt, a sales training innovator who has helped companies worldwide achieve greater success by smartly positioning themselves as trusted business partners rather than just salespeople.
When Global Partners Training gathers a client organization’s key people for customized sales training classes, participants are challenged to hold a conversation with a senior executive whose business they would like to win… but to refrain from talking about their own company or their products.
“The moment you start talking about your product and your company, and stop talking about their problems and their company,” Paul says, “you’ve made that switch from trusted partner to sales pitchman.” At that point you’ve already lost your audience.
Paul’s partner, Fabrizio Battaglia, offers further insight — suggesting that a closely related and equally necessary shift is to move from “building a case” for your products or services to “building a bridge” with key decision makers. This involves focusing foremost on “what this person is struggling with” — his or her top business challenges — rather than “what this person is potentially going to buy from us.”
If you are interested in exploring how GPT’s proven B2B sales training strategies can help your organization, we would love to have that conversation
Next-Level Sales Strategy – Free Personalized Consultation
Who Is This Sales Training For?
Any members of your team who want to get more done faster by connecting with more senior decision makers, including your:
- Sales and marketing representatives
- Sales managers
- Product managers
- Service managers
- Logistics managers
- Customer-facing personnel
Key Benefits of This Next-Level Sales Training
High-level goals and important benefits of the Engaging Up™ program include:
- Become a part of your customer’s decision-making inner circle
- Build longer, stronger, trusted-partner relationships with your customers
- Achieve higher customer lifetime value
- Empower your key sales and customer-facing team members with high-value relationship-building skills and strategies
- Expand your business with proven sales strategies that deliver measurable ROI
- Learn new ways to demonstrate to your customers that you are committed to helping them achieve success
- Position your organization to prioritize “customer success” in ways that set you apart from your competition
Get Results with Engaging Up™
1
From Targeting to Profiling
The traditional sales approach is to target prospect individuals and collect information based on best fit with your (the supplier’s) product and service portfolio. This frequently gets you in the game, but often in dialogue with middle management or procurement personnel, and often too late to avoid competing mostly on price.
The Engaging Up™ program gives you the toolkit to profile key decision makers and understand their most important challenges, independent of your portfolio. This new skill set is the first step that gives you the ability to unlock dialogue with higher-level senior executives on their biggest challenges.
2
From Building a Case to Building a Bridge
You are very smart about what your company can do, the features and benefits of your products and the support you offer, and you also know how to craft a killer proposal. But more likely than not, your customer is seeing the problem they are trying to solve from a different point of view, through a lens not always obvious to you.
The Engaging Up™ program provides new business knowledge, customized to your industry, and new relationship building skills that allow you to learn, see, analyze and articulate your customers’ challenges in their terms. Armed with this knowledge you will naturally find yourself pulled into strategic discussions and often being given a priceless early seat at the table during your customers’ buying process.
3
From Pitching to Engaging
Whether you work as part of a sales, service or other customer-facing team, you are most likely in the habit of matching what you have to offer with what the customer might need and stating this as a possibility, even ‘pitching’ it as the solution. While this can often result in a good solution, this narrow view restricts your ability to dialogue at higher, more strategic, more valuable levels.
The Engaging Up™ program gives you a framework for expanding your thinking and your dialogue beyond the challenges directly addressed by your own portfolio to the most important challenges facing your customer. You learn to add value at every turn and point of contact, gaining new status with your customers as a trusted business partner.
2 Format Options for Your Training Program
You get the ultimate in flexibility with GPT training programs. For each of our industry-leading customer relationship training programs, you can choose between two robust, complementary formats — blended or virtual.
Core knowledge and skill components are the same across both formats, and programs are delivered via: live training led by experienced facilitators (onsite and/or virtual); self-paced e-learning modules; peer coaching and optional individual coaching sessions; and individualized project work and role-play exercises tailored to real company challenges and opportunities.
Blended Format
Distinguished by an impressive track record of building next-generation customer relationship skills that hold the potential to transform your business, our time-tested blended training programs include both face-to-face and virtual components. Notable features of this format: Your team members are “in the room” with the instructor and fellow students. Full-day immersion. Flexibility to shift from blended mode to full virtual mode as conditions change.
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Virtual Format
Companies seeking fully virtual training options will want to explore our 100% virtual format. Virtual programs use interactive instructor-led webinars and self-service e-learning modules to lead participants on an exciting learning journey down parallel knowledge and skill tracks. Notable features: Smaller class sizes. Minimal time out of the field. Improved virtual communication skills. Convenience. Potential cost savings.
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Client Success
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Case Study
How a global industry leader is building long-term relationships with hospital executivesView Case Study + -
Service Sales Manager, Imaging
"The confidence we managed to build allowed us to pursue the tender of the service renewal contract and avoid third party maintenance." -
Account Leader
"Along with other things, the program has created a better relationship with our customers through the perception that we think differently."
Frequently Asked Questions
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How do you “customize” the Engaging Up Sales Training™ program? Who owns the customizations?
While the proprietary toolkit used in our standard Engaging Up™ program will be similar for all clients, the experiential and financial acumen components are custom-written based on interviews with key members of your team to achieve the following:
- Immediate relevance for participants – Your company’s industry niche, products, customers, sales and service structure and culture are unique. During this program, participants will focus on their high value customers and situations in real time, and so they will apply their new skills immediately in their jobs. And even though participants are initially practicing these new skills on a narrow set of current situations, the toolkit will be effective in any sales or service situation they face in the future.
- Focus on desired business outcomes – Your company goals and training priorities are also incorporated into the guidance we give your participants. For example, a program prioritizing sales generation may be guided quite differently from a program aimed at improving operational situations. Interestingly, regardless of primary emphasis, the Engaging Up™ program is certain to yield positive secondary outcomes for your company to varying degrees.
While all training materials remain the property of Global Partners Training, customizations are unique and are not shared between clients. Licensed program participants retain lifetime personal use of tangible program materials for ongoing reference.
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How is the Engaging Up Sales Training™ program structured?
Global Partners Training is ultimately focused on participants’ interpersonal skill acquisition and development, and therefore our programs make heavy use of live, interactive experiences.
The standard Engaging Up™ program contains a live face-to-face workshop, a series of live interactive coaching webinars, a planning and implementation guide and self-study through e-learning modules. This carefully blended sequence, along with measurement and certification systems, virtually guarantees the embedding of new behaviors while holding total cost to the minimum required to get the job done well.
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How long does the Engaging Up Sales Training™ program take?
Live training time (workshops and coaching webinars) for a participant in the standard Engaging Up™ program totals approximately 22 hours, and the complete blended experience is typically spread over a two- to three-month period. This allows time for initial learning and practice, application of new skills on-the-job, iterative feedback and coaching, and demonstration of knowledge and skill acquisition with a real high value customer case situation of each participant’s choosing.
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How large are the training groups?
Striking a balance between cost and personal attention, the optimal training group size is 12 and the maximum is 15. Groups larger than 15 require an additional certified facilitator to be present during each workshop. Coaching webinars are run with a maximum of 5 or 6 participants per session, and therefore multiple sessions are scheduled for each training group.
Clients that have many physical locations with small teams in each location may opt for either smaller training groups (we suggest a minimum of 6 participants) or larger combined groups at a central location. We can help you evaluate the most efficient way to cover your desired participants.
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Where is the program delivered and what languages are offered?
To provide complete, consistent, turnkey service to large multi-national clients, Global Partners Training retains local facilitators in most major countries and regions and has delivered training in over 40 different countries in the past 2 years. To minimize costs, we typically deliver face-to-face workshops in your local corporate facility or at a local off-site conference facility.
Live coaching webinars via GoToMeeting require an internet connection and, in most cases, can be joined for audio-only using a country-specific phone number. Digital program components delivered via the Carli™ app (desktop or mobile) require an Internet connection.
While programs are delivered in English by default, experiential exercises are done in the local language of the participants. Currently, Global Partners Training has certified facilitators who speak the following languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish and Swedish. Other languages may be available soon, and so please check with us if you have a specific need.
Program materials, including presentation slide decks, videos, printed and electronic materials are provided in English by default. Complete or partial translations may be available for some programs at an additional cost. Global Partners Training is continually adding to its language portfolio as training volume warrants.
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How does Engaging Up™ Sales Training differ from Value Selling or CXO Selling programs?
Programs such as Value Selling or CXO Selling focus on convincing customers of the value provided by the supplier’s products and services. Ultimately this is a supplier-focused approach in which the sales person is positioning or ‘pitching’ their solution to a decision maker on the basis of how effectively it addresses a customer’s problem or need. Engaging Up™ takes an entirely different perspective – a customer perspective. Engaging Up™ enables participants to create trusted partner relationships at all levels of the organization (CXO to department manager) by creating business dialogues with customers. These value-adding discussions focus entirely on the customer’s challenges and opportunities, irrespective of the supplier’s products and services. Once the trusted partner relationship has been established, linking the customer’s challenges and opportunities to the supplier’s solutions is a natural and logical step for the customer and supplier.
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How is the program supported with technology?
Global Partners Training scours the latest developments in learning technology through affiliations with training industry associations and by attending conferences such as DevLearn and ATD. As new technologies come online, we try them out and assess how they can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the face-to-face, live remote and self-service elements of our training programs. When someone invents a better mousetrap, we will not be afraid to use it to help your participants learn.
Program participants use our customized Carli™ app, currently supported by a Training Industry Top 20 platform company. Participants can view their training program progress, access e-learning modules and other learning resources, select their webinar sessions, and access other features via desktop and mobile app (iPhone and Android). If available for your program, this functionality is included in the program license fee during the program and for at least two full months past the date of the final live training event.
After certification and with sponsor permission, alumni of some programs are invited to access MyGPT, a free section of the www.globalpartnerstraining.com website where they will find helpful support tools, reminder cards, articles of interest, videos, free webinars and other helpful resources customized for their particular program(s) to keep their knowledge and skills fresh.
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How do you handle training logistics?
Global Partners Training is equipped to handle complete project management for training on a global basis, from booking training venues to scheduling, and emailing invitations and reminders. We strive to work seamlessly with your in-house resources, such as corporate universities and travel departments to keep costs to a minimum and enable the best training experiences for participants.
Our central point of organization for program and learning management is our customized Carli™ app, and while it does not typically make sense to fully-integrate with your internal learning management system, we can arrange to export participant certification data in any standard format.
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My company has training resources. Can we deliver the program in-house?
Yes, Global Partners Training offers train-the-trainer programs with complete ongoing support. While most clients prefer the flexibility of a turnkey outsourced solution, in-house delivery can work when your company has experienced trainers on staff with idle bandwidth and you are ready to make a long-term commitment to the training program.
We will certify your trainers on the program, including experiential co-facilitation and observation-only facilitation, and provide ongoing support and updates to the program. Technology, e-learning and measurement systems are included. Please contact us if you are interested in exploring this option.
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How much does the program cost?
Global Partners Training strives to keep your total program cost as low as possible while delivering a complete, transformative program. Lower-cost programs without client-proven methodology, a true embedding process, proper measurement systems and a rigorous certification process are unlikely to yield the changes you are looking for.
Please keep in mind that your total program cost includes not only Global Partners Training fees, but also the cost of salary, benefits and any travel for your participants. We would be happy to help you assess the total cost and expected return for any training program. In our experience, clients typically achieve short-term returns on the order of 3-6 times their investment, and the embedded skills of your team will continue to pay dividends for years to come.
Global Partners Training fees are quoted after initial consultations to understand your program goals and requirements, and our fees are typically structured as follows:
Live training event fees – Per-event per-facilitator fee for each workshop, webinar or coaching session ensures you get a certified facilitator/coach with deep executive experience, often in your industry, who speaks the local language of each training group. Scheduling and logistics support are included, as needed.
Program license fee – Per-participant fee covers the following:
- Lifetime personal license for proprietary, proven toolkit
- Carli™ app, as available, accessible on desktop and mobile app (iPhone and Android) offering program tracking, assignments, program materials (PDFs, videos with unlimited replays, etc.), transcripts, webinar self-enrollment, data export and more. Access included during training and for two full months after final training event
- Measurement system, as available, with baseline skill adoption assessment, post assessment, benchmarking, quantification, action planning, mid-term and final project collection, individual reports, group reports, aggregate region reports
- Certification process (participants follow a strict process, in agreement with their company and in alignment with internal appraisal system, when possible, to increase engagement), printing and sending certificates, dedicated LinkedIn page or web page explaining the value of the certification
- Alumni network and access to MyGPT web-based resource center, as available, (with resources related to the program, articles, reminder cards, videos, webinars, etc.)
Expenses – Facilitator travel and living expenses and printing and materials costs are invoiced at actual cost (no markup or admin fee). We are happy to book travel through your corporate travel program if that is more economical.
Translation costs – Only as needed for non-English reading/speaking groups and invoiced at cost (no markup or admin fee).
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How will we know the training is working?
Global Partners Training uses a state-of-the-art measurement system that operates at two levels:
- Assessment of skill adoption – Participants take detailed assessments at the beginning and end of each program, and their pre-training, post-training and change scores are benchmarked against a large historical training database. Participants are motivated by their own visible progress, and scores can be aggregated and analyzed at the group, division and corporate level to provide validation and insight for future training strategy.
- Achievement of desired business outcomes – Action plans, interim case reports and final case reports require participants to describe specific real-time customer case situations of their own choosing. In their case reports participants describe a real situation, what specific program skills they applied, the reaction of the customer, the final outcome, the relative impact of their new skills on the final outcome, and a quantitative description of the outcome – new revenue generated, time and cost savings (for the company and for the customer). Participants connect the dots between their new relationship skills and business results, releasing untapped power. Quantitative data can be aggregated to reveal new insights and calculate overall program short-term payback.
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What does Global Partners Training do to make sure the training works?
To heighten your chances of training success, Global Partners Training maintains rigorous certification standards, a combination of program attendance, demonstration of skills, completion of key exercises and oral presentation of a final written case report that is validated by one of our company Partners. While certification will feel like a real achievement for your individual participants who earn it, and they will proudly display their colorful certificate, we at Global Partners Training focus intently on Certification Rate as the ultimate quality metric for our own team’s performance.
Relationship training is often more difficult and uncomfortable for participants than technical training, and our programs involve many steps. If participants are getting certified at a high rate, we can be sure our facilitators have connected well with your participants, encouraged them to follow through on attendance and assignments, and drawn out their best efforts. We can also be confident that participants have not only learned new knowledge and new skills, but that they are actively applying those skills on the job, and your company is getting the promised benefits of your training program.
Should you choose to work with us, you will likely hear a lot about certification. We have found that an important key to participant engagement and certification is top management and local supervisory support for the program, and we will encourage you to help build that support and accountability network.
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Why should my company invest in the Engaging Up™ Sales Training program now?
Clients invest in Engaging Up™ for many different strategic and tactical purposes:
- Boost sales now and in the future by connecting with your customers at more senior levels.
- Solve strategic or tactical product and service challenges using the power of relationships.
- Re-focus on your customers’ objectives/challenges and become truly helpful to them.
- Bring freshness and global consistency to your sales/service language, culture and brand.
- Develop permanent sources of information flow from your key customers.
- Better align your marketing, sales, product and service teams by adopting internal and external strategic customer focus.
- And more
Companies that invest in Engaging Up™ find their people are connecting with customers at more strategic heights, standing out as trusted business partners, and reaping the benefits of exceptional account share, loyalty and revenue growth.
Start Shifting the Dialogue with Strategic Decision Makers