Page Nav / Click to Detach
Welcome to my resume page! I’m Alex Anderson, a Denver-based business strategist who specializes in new client acquisition and organizational sales operations. In other words, I design custom strategy to help boost sales performance, internally & externally.
The past plays little part in my selling approach, but this page is for partners who want to get to know me a bit better. As proactive problem-solver who thrives off learning, I've accumulated an expansive body of work; along with giving you an inside look, this page helps me organize the many pieces of my sales puzzle.
Jump around, reach out with questions, and I'll look forward to doing my part in elevating your team - into a force. Let's get technical!
A-Welcome: PROFESSIONAL SALESMAN
My selling roots dig deep; starting as a young college kid, it didn't take long to develop a passion for moving business.
I earned a sales degree (yes, that exists) from Western Michigan University; there, I received a full education on the process of selling and became President of the largest student-run sales organization in the United States.
Before starting a business of selling to salespeople, the majority of my career was spent selling group insurance, where I learned to navigate the complexities of employee benefit plans, thriving in the notoriously difficult B2B2C sales channel.
Regardless of any business or brand outcomes, the moral of the 'Alex Anderson story' will remain unchanged – I'm a sales guy.
Always have been, always will be (and proud of it!)
Selling is as challenging & complex as ever, and resources, especially for experienced reps, are either non-existent or simply not helpful in real-world application. We all know what we’re selling – few have access, let alone learn strategies & techniques that teach how.
I say it's time for change.
ADAPTING TO IMPROVE
ORGANIZATIONAL APPROACH
WHAT vs HOW
Most organizations train their salespeople on WHAT to sell, but almost ZERO teach their team HOW to sell. Expecting the people tasked with driving revenue for the company to do so by ‘winging it’ translates to ineffective/inefficient processes by the reps and sets their business up to LOSE out on significant returns.
ONBOARDING ONLY
Nearly all companies have training for new hires, typically only 2-3 weeks – but hardly any hold training on an ongoing basis. Research shows that CONTINUOUS training produces 50% higher net sales per employee, on average – yet onboarding training remains the priority over improving the current team.
LOGISTICAL DIFFICULTIES
With salespeople in the field/on the phones, conducting sales training is difficult to accomplish, so companies tend to avoid it altogether. Also, salespeople should always be re-prioritizing based on their current activity, so it’s nearly impossible to schedule training during a time that works for everyone. Well, until now of course.
3rd party trainers
ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL
Most training companies have ‘pre-canned’ programs and teach methodology which wasn’t designed for the technological era of business. While the content may sound good, and it’s certainly better than nothing – the basic, uncustomized concepts are providing limited value and a lot of “fluff” for experienced reps.
ONBOARDING ONLY
It’s proven (by neuroscience) that learning is greater and information is better recalled when exposure to it is spread out over time. So, in addition to back-to-back multi-day sessions NOT conducive to learning, sales training comes with little to no content reinforcement – once it’s done, it’s done.
HARD to quantify
Aside from the cost of sales training being overly expensive, there’s not a way for companies to justify the price of hiring an outside trainer. By teaching general, un-trackable concepts, combined with no f/u on the application, companies simply can’t tell if the high cost of sales training is even worth it.