David Marinac’s Post

🧶 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗜𝗳 𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗼𝘁 🧶 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱—𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿. 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: 99% of today’s packaging resellers haven’t been trained where it matters most. They don’t know how to: ❌ Get past the gatekeeper and find the real decision-makers. ❌ Focus on value-add solutions instead of chasing the cheapest price. ❌ Stand tall under pressure and confidently say “no” when necessary. ❌ Walk away from deals that don’t align with their expertise or profit goals. ❌ Articulate their value with conviction and self-confidence. In other words, they’re stuck in the commodity trap, competing on price alone and offering little to no value to their customers. 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 Here’s how to tell if a packaging reseller hasn’t been trained—and why they’re at risk of being replaced by AI or other low-cost sales processes: 1️⃣ Leads with Price, Ends with Price Their entire sales pitch revolves around being cheaper than the competition. 2️⃣ Avoids Value Conversations They don’t ask about the customer’s pain points or offer solutions beyond price. 3️⃣ Fails to Overcome Objections They fold at the first sign of resistance, offering discounts or backing down entirely. 4️⃣ Can’t Get Past the Gatekeeper They rely on emails, voicemails, and endless cold calls instead of finding the decision-maker. 5️⃣ Lacks Confidence They hesitate, stumble, or let the customer dictate the terms of the conversation. 6️⃣ Never Says No They chase every deal, regardless of whether it’s profitable, sustainable, or aligned with their expertise. 7️⃣ Relies on Commodity Products They only know how to sell boxes, tape, and bubble wrap—and nothing that truly differentiates them from competitors. If this sounds like your team—or worse, you’ve just realized it—your business is vulnerable. These behaviors don’t add value, and customers can (and will) replace these reps with AI bots or low-cost sales processes. 📩 Let’s connect and discuss how to equip your sales team with the tools, training, and specialized packaging solutions they need to stand tall and succeed in today’s market. Visit www.davidmarinac.com for more info!

🌟 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿? “Do you know how many specialized packaging opportunities you’ve missed this year because 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺?” This isn’t just a question—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝗸𝗲-𝘂𝗽 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹. For many packaging resellers, the inability to identify and act on specialized packaging opportunities is a silent killer of growth, profitability, and long-term survival. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲? 1️⃣ Your Sales Reps Stay Stuck If your team focuses only on selling commodity products like boxes and tape, it competes solely on price. Without the knowledge or tools to sell specialized, high-margin solutions, it will struggle to hit targets, earn meaningful commissions, and find long-term success. 2️⃣ Your Profits Stay Flat Specialized packaging drives higher margins. Missing these opportunities means leaving big money on the table while your overhead continues to climb. Competing on price alone keeps your profits razor-thin and your business vulnerable. 3️⃣ Your Customers Look Elsewhere Clients with specialized needs will find someone else to deliver innovative, tailored solutions. It's hard to win them back once they move to a competitor who understands their challenges and provides value beyond price. 4️⃣ Your Business Becomes Unsustainable The packaging industry is changing. Customers demand sustainability, innovation, and customization. Resellers who fail to adapt risk becoming irrelevant in an increasingly competitive market. The Solution: Start a Specialized Packaging Department Imagine the difference if your team could: ✅ Identify unique pain points for every customer. ✅ Offer custom, value-added solutions that no one else is providing. ✅ Sell with confidence and command higher prices. 𝗕𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻: Unlock New Revenue Streams: Tackle industries and verticals that are untapped by your competition. Boost Profit Margins: Transition from low-margin commodities to premium products. Strengthen Customer Relationships: Become a trusted partner, not just another vendor. 💡 The question isn’t whether you can afford to start a Specialized Packaging Department—it’s whether you can afford not to. Are you ready to stop leaving opportunities on the table and start soaring in sales and profits? Let’s make 2025 the year you lead your company into the future. #SpecializedPackaging #PackagingSales #SalesGrowth #PackagingResellers #HighMargins #Leadership #BusinessSuccess

Buyer Enablement is one of the latest big buzzwords in sales. 😖 But sellers are screwing it up badly..... Most of their activities under this banner look, taste and smell like sales enablement. That's no surprise because buyer enablement requires them to understand all of the buyers involved in each deal. Logical right, because sellers need to enable buyers. But there are massive holes in the vast majority of sellers knowledge when it comes to the buyer group. Let's start with what Buyer Enablement is. A good way of looking at it is that Buyer Enablement is helping buyers build confidence in their purchase decision. To be clear the primary of this enablement activity is to get them to make a decision to change and to change now. Choosing you comes later. To execute a buyer enablement strategy sellers need to understand who's involved in the deciding and buying for each deal. Then what's important to each of them. What challenges each member of the buyer group is faced with. What criteria are the most important to each of them. What concerns they have associated with the change that the decision will bring. And how the impact of change will affect them. Plus a good understanding of the dynamics within the buying group. Now think about the deals that you or your team are involved in. 🤔 Confident that you have this knowledge? If you don't then you can forget about a buyer enablement strategy. #buyerenablement

Sales can be difficult when your products are complex. Here's our advice 👇 Switch from sales enablement to buyer enablement 💡 Investing in sales enablement can help your company unlock more sales. But buyer enablement has a broader scope, as it aims to help buyers in every step of their purchasing journey 👣 Find out what that means in our latest article: https://hubs.la/Q02NzPrS0 #BuyerEnablement #Manufacturing #Engineering

What does Sales Capacity have to do with supply chain principles? More than you might think. Catch this great write-up about how to reduce waste and free up selling time in your B2B GTM value chain: #revops #salesops #salesmanagement #salesleadership #revenueoperations #salesoperations https://lnkd.in/gie4FyKd

We had our best month in revenue in May, including 4 large enterprises and one public logo close in 40 days. What worked so well? 1. Differentiation from the beginning. All of our sales calls start with differentiating the product and disqualifying all other platforms. 2. Focusing on a narrow ICP. HockeyStack is expensive and has a lot of features that SMBs might not need. We disqualify early and direct them to competitors with an SMB focus. 3. Customer references- especially for the enterprise. 4. Quota is a made-up number. Reps can do way more than $1M/year with the necessary support and enablement. 5. Letting the customer lead the journey with guardrails. Never leave without a next step, don't give pricing on the first call, if there is no second step, the deal is dead- all of this advice is focused on the seller. If you are on a first call with 5 other people from your team, would you want to chat with others before taking the next step or come forward and book the call on that first call? 50% of HockeyStack customers didn't book the next step on the first call, and we still closed them. Sales gurus would have deleted those deals from their CRM. Of course, this doesn't mean you shouldn't ask for the next steps or give pricing before discovery- it means you need to respect the buyer's journey to close more deals.

Ever felt the sting of a significant sales decline right after making what seemed like strategic decisions? You’re not alone. Many businesses face this exact challenge after: - Expanding distribution by adding more sales team members. - Reducing discounts or changing discount schemes. - Closing yearly incentives. - Increasing prices. This phenomenon is called DE-STOCKING. Here’s what it means: - Demands are fulfilled using the reseller’s stock without replenishing it. - When resellers stop buying from you, your sales inevitably decline. - Customer needs are still met without unfulfilled demands. How Does This Happen? - When resellers know prices will hike or discounts will be cut, they stock up. - Expect get more profit selling higher price and buying at the current price. - Resellers have enough buffer stock to fulfill demand without replenishing. - If resellers don’t replenish their stock, your sales automatically decline. - When expanding distribution, big resellers might show their disagreement. - Small resellers, their customers, might be the focus of your expansion. - With so many resellers, your strategy likely won't impact the big ones. - Big resellers might “complain” by not buying, leading to a sales dip. Overcoming De-Stocking - Customers are not harmed; this is just temporary. Let it be for a while. - Once the reseller's stock is depleted, they will inevitably buy again. - If customers keep asking for your product, resellers must sell it. What to Do Before Taking Action? - Forecast sales in this pattern before executing your program. - Know in advance that a sales decline will happen to avoid surprises. - To make an accurate forecast, know the buffer stock owned by resellers. - Keep all stakeholders informed about your forecasts and expected impacts. Facing a sales decline due to de-stocking can be daunting, but it’s a normal part of the business cycle. Remember, understanding the market dynamics and reseller behavior is key to maintaining a steady sales flow. Keep pushing forward, and your resilience will pay off. Like and repost if you agree.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 Ownership and senior leadership of packaging resellers: if you’re focused solely on selling products to medium and large customers, you may leave significant opportunities on the table. The true key to long-term growth, profitability, and loyalty lies in building partnerships—not just transactions. Here’s why partnerships matter more than ever when working with medium and large customers and how they can transform your business. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 Medium and large customers have complex needs: They require customized, high-performance packaging solutions. They prioritize sustainability and supply chain efficiency. They expect a deep understanding of their business goals. In this environment, being just another vendor isn’t enough. Customers want a partner who can: ✅ Identify pain points in their packaging operations. ✅ Proactively offer solutions that align with their business goals. ✅ Collaborate on innovation to improve efficiency and reduce costs. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 💡 1. Deeper Customer Loyalty When you position yourself as a trusted partner, you go beyond price. Customers stay with you because of the value you bring to their operations and the solutions you provide. 💡 2. Higher-Margin Opportunities Partners are more likely to work with you on specialized packaging projects, which command higher margins and require creative problem-solving. 💡 3. Predictable Revenue Streams Partnerships often lead to long-term contracts, providing stability and reducing the unpredictability of transactional sales. 💡 4. Shared Growth and Innovation By collaborating with your customers, you can co-create solutions that drive mutual success 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 1️⃣ Understand Their Business Goals Dive deep into their operations to identify opportunities for efficiency, cost savings, or sustainability improvements. 2️⃣ Solve Problems, Don’t Just Sell Products Offer tailored solutions that address their unique pain points, rather than pushing commodity products. 3️⃣ Be Proactive Don’t wait for customers to approach you with challenges. Regularly review their needs and propose innovative ideas. 4️⃣ Communicate and Collaborate Keep an open line of communication. Involve them in the solution process, and ensure they feel heard and valued. 5️⃣ Invest in Specialized Solutions Medium and large customers often require customized or niche packaging. Offering specialized services positions you as a unique and indispensable partner. #PackagingResellers #CustomerPartnerships #SpecializedPackaging #SalesGrowth #CustomerSuccess #Leadership #2025Planning

22% improved quota attainment 14% improved win rate 47% larger purchases The stats are in! Discover these sales enablement solutions for your manufacturing business and watch your numbers go up! 📈 #SalesEnablement #ManufacturerSales #InboundMarketing

Next learning point from my years with complex B2B buying journeys: 7) Closing a deal is a pipeline stage of its own To continue with the buying steps, there is actually another major difference between complex B2B buying journeys and B2C: Closing deals typically takes a long time. First there is a specification phase, which typically means ping pong with technical details and requires plenty of customer training and often some un-learning, too. Then, when everything seems ok (you have agreed on the specs and delivery details, support agreements are ready, warranty clauses are clear and the customer still wants to buy), it still takes a long time… In big corporations, just the closing bureaucracy may take months. You need approvals from purchasing departments, technical teams and people from headquarters you have never heard of. For new cases, you probably need to register your company to a supplier portal with funny credentials you only get from the global IT department once in a blue moon, and you need to fax your invoicing details for approval. And so on. Often, the customer team that wants to buy your solution is as desperate as you are to get the final stamps on the paperwork. “We should get the signed order to you any day now.” It often makes sense to include a separate Closing stage in the B2B pipelines and define rules for what “Closing” means. All sales people should have common criteria for cases that can be moved to the final stage. These obviously vary from business to business, but typical ticks are things like estimated closing date in the near future, decision makers known, customer budget approved, specification frozen, etc. And no matter how good a CRM system you have, some management adjustments may still be needed. You should always reserve some extra time in the forecast between solution definition and the purchase order. Closing a complex B2B sales case quickly is a rare treat.