Technical experts are key to driving business growth and customer improvement ideas - but their commercial value is under-utilised. Customer Improvement Selling provides a clear rationale and practical strategies for unlocking commercial potential of technical experts who are not currently employed in sales roles. It offers insights from behavioural science, commercial best practices and new international research that will help technical experts and business leaders to: Understand the drivers and optimise the impact of commercial potential in technical experts Determine how technical experts can create customer improvement opportunities and contribute to sustainable growth Implement a practical framework that helps technical experts to increase their commercial impact Open up leadership and HR silos to share best practices on customer improvement selling
Katarina Coppe has a successful twenty-five-year career in Sales, HR consulting, Commercial Enablement and Learning and Development. She is a technical expert with a proven track record in defining high-impact talent solutions and leading globally distributed teams through skills and change transformations.
Introduction - Part One: Customer Improvement Selling: The Case For Change - 1 Why Technical Experts Need Commercial Capabilities In The Twenty-First Century - 2 The Sales And Buying Evolution - 3 Debunking Myths That Prevent Technical Experts From Driving Growth And Loyalty - Part Two: COSMOS: A Commercial Framework For Technical Experts - 4 Context: What's Happening In The World Of The Customer? - 5 Opportunities: Which Opportunities Can Drive Customer Improvement? - 6 Stakeholders: Who Will (Not) Care About This Customer Improvement Opportunity? - 7 Motivators: What Motivates Change Or No Change? - 8 Obstacles (Or Objections): Which Obstacles Can Hinder The Journey Towards Change? - 9 Strategy: Where To Focus To realise Commercial Outcomes - Part Three: Putting It Into Action - 10 Anticipate Needs - 11 Inspire With Insight - 12 Mobilise Change Towards Customer Improvement - 13 How Leaders Can Unlock The Commercial Potential Of Technical Experts - 14 Stimulating Self-insight And Ownership Of Development - Conclusion - Appendices - Notes - Acknowledgements - The Author
'Customer Improvement Selling is a must-read for any organisation seeking to optimise its go-to-market approach. By emphasising the often-overlooked role of technical sales and the importance of a cohesive GTM team, this book provides valuable insights backed by research. It highlights the need for effective alignment of commercial approaches between different teams and the significance of providing commercial training to technical teams. A compelling read for anyone invested in sales excellence and organisational success.' - Jaren Krchnavi, Head of Sales Enablement, Siemens Smart Infrastructure, Sales Enablement Collective Ambassador and 2024 Revenue Enablement Excellence Award winner 'Many of today's buyers get stuck when evaluating features and outcomes of highly technical products, a problem that persists in this age of AI. Sellers increasingly involve technical subject matter experts to help convey value and explain how products can achieve the buyers' unique and detailed requirements. Only, too few of these technical experts understand how to meet the moment and act as the technical sellers they need to be. This book provides a roadmap for organizations that want to make their technical experts more effective at impacting client growth and retention.' - Ted McKenna, Bestselling co-author of The JOLT Effect and The Activator Advantage 'Customer Improvement Selling guides technical experts through the sales process, helping them shape their ideas to help sales teams better meet customer needs. The research in this book demonstrates that most technical experts gain professional satisfaction from contributing to commercial success, but their expertise is not being fully optimized. Anyone interested in gaining more commercial impact will gain new insights into how to get started.' - Jennifer McCollum, CEO and President, Catalyst, Inc. 'Customer Improvement Selling is the culmination of the author's two decades worth of experience in building individual, team and organisational capability, while combining tried and tested commercial models with a unique perspective focused on harnessing the power of technical sales. Katarina is an expert at building sales capability across organisations and customer improvement is at the heart of everything she does.' - Andrew Marshall, Strategic Talent Consultant and Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) State Council Vice President 'Each department of a business must recognize that they have a role in selling. Technical people who are involved in presales or delivery often have great access to our customers and enjoy high levels of credibility and trust. They have a huge opportunity to identify a buying opportunity and provide invaluable sales leads. So how do we best engage them in the buying journey and how we enable them to get the maximum out of their capabilities? Katarina Coppe, builds on her vast experience in sales enablement and a deep dive into sales studies, by coming up with creative and applicable insights that help technical experts to understand their role in a successful sale. Her book is crisp, solid, insightful and research based. Totally recommended: no sales, no business!' - George Pastidis, Sales Learning and Development Director, Ericsson 'The author masterfully captures both the challenges and opportunities involved in enhancing commercial skills for technical experts. This book is packed with valuable insights and actionable strategies, making it an essential guide for those looking to boost their commercial impact. Beyond being a practical resource for technical professionals, it also serves as a timely reminder for all commercial leaders about the evolving skills required to thrive in today's complex sales environment.' - Maya Garza Ph.D., Vice President, Talent and Leadership Consulting, TSP, a Syneos Health Company 'This is a must-read book for non-salespeople who want to transform themselves from specialists into trusted advisors who can drive growth by solving customer challenges. The COSMOS framework provides a roadmap to make the transition a success and can be applied at both the individual and organisational level. It is clear, easy to follow and immediately applicable for self-driven technical experts and the HR-specialists looking to support them.' - Anne Selis, HR Partner Lead, Accenture Benelux and France 'The author's insights into customer improvement selling finally solve for the perennial challenge in selling -- the best way to bring technical experts and salespeople together to close deals! In an era of increasingly technical solutions, this is essential reading for all business leaders selling IP-driven solutions to customers.' - Jean Martin, Senior Partner, Global Head of Product, Mercer, Marsh Mclennan 'This is a thoughtful and practical approach to fostering a commercial capability across an organisation well beyond the traditional sales team focus. I highly recommend this guide for engaging your technical team in growth for your organisation.' - Stephanie Christopher, Managing Director, Vistage Australia and New Zealand
