text: Pitch to Win 6 Step Formula: "Team" by Justin Cohen - SalesPOP!
  TV Expert Interviews / For Sales Pros / Jul 14, 2018 / Posted by Justin Cohen / 2114
  Justin Cohen's New Book: Step #2 "Team"
  The next stage of the six-step process of pitching to win is the second "T" part of the TTOPPS acronym, which stands for a team. Justin Cohen explains how vital a cohesive team is for pitching in this discussion with John Golden. Watch the video to learn more, and check back every week for the rest of the steps.
  In a complex sale, you are rarely selling on your own. You're usually working together with other salespeople on the sales team to create a united front. Plus, you're generally not selling to just one person, you're working with multiple buyers. There are many occasions where you may pitch on your own, but the major pitches that are more difficult are usually with various people. Plus, if you can get more than one person into the pitch, it is very impressive to the prospect. They realize that they're not dealing with an individual, but with a team.
  "Almost everything in the pitch to win process was created through direct experience. If you had told me at the beginning that 'team' was going to be part of the formula, I would have said, 'what for?' It was only through work making multi-million dollar sales, and lots of experience, that I discovered how vital unifying a team of salespeople is," said Cohen.
  The Importance of Cohesion:
  I realized that when was team discord, it was caused because they were nervous, and highly stressed. In situations like this, it's easy for individuals to rub each other the wrong way. This conflict, though, negatively impacts performance. "It was very clearly apparent to me that you have acknowledged why you are part of a team," said Cohen. "If I were choosing a team to come into my business, I would want to know that my team is cohesive and works well together."
  The buyers are right to judge you on how cohesive you are as a team. There was a study conducted surveying 360 business units. This study found that the number one factor in determining the success of a team is how the members felt about one another. High affinity amongst group members and a general likeness of one another is indicative of high performance. Low affinity tends to create the low performance.