Office Hours - Episode 6 - Dealing With 'Decision By Committee'

Navigating today's B2B landscape often feels less like selling and more like herding cats as buying groups continue to expand. For modern sales representatives, dealing with decision by committee has become the default challenge, making consensus-building the most crucial skill in enterprise sales. In this episode, host Mark Cox and sales expert Dave Hanley explore how risk aversion in large corporations forces buyers into stagnant patterns where they choose to "miss out rather than mess up." They share actionable strategies to map the buyer's journey, leverage advanced relationship development skills, and employ strategic questions to guide buying groups toward making the right decision for their business.  

In B2B sales, hitting a wall with leadership turnover, rigid procurement negotiations, or declining email response rates can derail even the most promising deals, and navigating these complex hurdles requires a shift from transactional tactics to a robust strategy of strategic selling. In this episode, co-hosts Dave Hanley and Mark Cox of In The Funnel dive into the mailbag to answer real-world questions from high-performing sellers, exploring how to manage account transitions when key decision-makers move on while sharing insights on leveraging tools like a key account plan to check in on client value. They also break down how to loop procurement into the deal-making process early on to minimize disruption and how to stand out on social media with value-driven outreach, referencing classic sales resources like The New Strategic Selling by Miller Hyman and Social Selling and Influence by Timothy Hughes and Adam Gray to help you humanize your sales approach and protect your pipeline.  

In the competitive landscape of B2B, mastering win rates in sales is crucial for long-term growth and sustainable business success. Join host Mark Cox as he sits down with Andy Paul, the renowned sales expert and author of Sell Without Selling Out, to challenge the status quo of modern selling techniques. Instead of relying on top-of-the-funnel activity, discover why shifting your focus to "change conversations" and optimizing your current pipeline is the key to true sales productivity. This episode provides actionable strategies for leaders who want to stop discounting products and start closing deals effectively by truly understanding the ROI for their buyers. For more information about In The Funnel Sales Coaching, visit www.inthefunnel.com. For the In The Funnel Online Sales Academy, check out www.selling-well.com.   

Join us for ITF Office Hours ad we open up the mail bag and answer your burning questions about B2B sales and sales leadership. Deciding on the next step in your professional journey is never easy, especially when you are a top performer eyeing a leadership position. In this episode, Mark Cox and Dave Hanley discuss sales career advancement, offering a roadmap for high-performing salespeople who are contemplating a transition into management. Beyond the promotion, they explore the complexities of internal sales approvals and the delicate balance between managing existing accounts and driving new business. Listen in as they provide tactical advice on building a sales playbook, prioritizing your time effectively, and ensuring you have the right support before making the leap into a leadership role. For more information about In The Funnel Sales Coaching, visit www.inthefunnel.com. For the In The Funnel Online Sales Academy, check out www.selling-well.com. 

Are you a leader struggling with isolation and burnout? Discover actionable CEO leadership strategies that help you inspire yourself and your team while driving long-term success. In this episode, host Mark Cox welcomes Nancy MacKay, the founder and CEO of MacKay CEO Forums. Nancy discusses her acclaimed book, It's Lonely at the Top: CEO Strategies for Inspiring Yourself and Your Team, and reveals how to master the "House of Ego" versus the "House of Leadership." Whether you are a CEO or a sales professional, this conversation offers a powerful roadmap for taking ownership of your time, health, and emotional well-being to lead more effectively. Ready to transform your sales strategy? Head over to thesellingwell.com and check out their sales starter series—it's completely free and designed to help you drive real, double-digit revenue growth.

In our Office Hours podcasts, we answer your questions on B2B sales and sales management! In this episode... Are your sales demos causing more confusion than conversion? In this episode of ITF Office Hours, Mark Cox and Dave Hanley dive into the trenches of B2B sales to help you stop wasting time and start closing the right deals. We're breaking down actionable strategies to turn your product demos into high-impact conversations, how to coach your SDRs to identify your ideal customer profile, and the art of asking for referrals without the awkwardness. If you're ready to stop the "glaze-over" effect and build a more profitable sales pipeline, tune in for practical, no-nonsense coaching on mastering your sales process. For more information about In The Funnel Sales Coaching, visit www.inthefunnel.com. If you'd like to build your selling skills on your own schedule, check out the In The Funnel Online Sales Academy: www.selling-well.com. 

In the age of AI, how do you future-proof your sales career? In this episode, Mark Cox and The Delusional Founder author Dave Hanley tackle the pressing questions currently hitting our digital mailbag. We break down how to stop viewing AI as a replacement and start using it as your ultimate sales assistant. We also dive into actionable strategies for two of the toughest hurdles in sales: Ending the Discounting Habit: Why your team reaches for price cuts—and how to build true negotiation leverage through better discovery. Hiring World-Class Talent: Why attributes like humility and drive often outperform experience, and how to conduct reference checks that actually reveal the truth. Whether you're a leader looking to coach your team or an individual contributor wanting to elevate your game, these insights will help you focus on the human connection that AI can't replace. For more information about In The Funnel Sales Coaching, visit www.inthefunnel.com. If you'd like to build your selling skills on your own schedule, check out the In The Funnel Online Sales Academy: www.selling-well.com. 

When a company is not growing, it is not only because of the shortcomings of its sales team. Sometimes, your entire sales management is unaligned with the strategies your salespeople are executing. Mark Cox, together with guest co-host Mike Sparling, sits down with Frank Cespedes, a senior lecturer at Harvard University and the author of six fantastic books, who explains how to realign your sales goals with your team goals. He also explores how self-directed omnichannel buying impacts B2B sales today, as well as how AI can be used to increase sales performance and productivity in today's fast-paced world.

Are your sales reps stuck chasing "pipe dreams" while the real deals slip through the cracks? In our latest episode of In The Funnel, we are launching a brand-new format: ITF Office Hours. Joining me is special guest Dave Hanley—author of The Delusional Founder and a veteran who has exited three technology companies at eight-figure valuations. In this session, we tackle the toughest questions from our listeners, moving beyond generic advice to provide real-world, tactical solutions. Whether you're a sales manager struggling to identify which deals are actually real, a rep trying to sell up the ladder at a major account, or a leader dealing with a disruptive "star" performer who undermines your culture, this episode is packed with actionable insights. We're pulling back the curtain on how to build trust, collaborate effectively, and stop forcing square pegs into round holes. Dive in to hear how you can elevate your sales process and start closing with confidence. For more information about In The Funnel Sales Coaching, visit www.inthefunnel.com. If you'd like to build your selling skills on your own schedule, check out the In The Funnel Online Sales Academy: www.selling-well.com. 

The real problem in sales is not in the buyer's trust in a supplier, but their confidence in themselves to make a sound purchasing decision. With the usual buying journey extremely messy and complicated, world-renowned B2B sales researcher Brent Adamson offers a solution: the Framemaking Sale. He joins Mark Cox and guest co-host Mike Sparling to discuss how to make a drastic shift in sales focus, moving beyond the traditional sensemaking practices and into the framemaking one with a human-centric approach. Brent highlights the major problems of the conventional B2B model, breaking down what it takes to address decision complexity, information overload, objective misalignment, and outcome uncertainty. He also talks about the evolving role of AI, making the buying journey more convenient by providing assistance in decision-making while maintaining authentic human connections.