sales best practices presentation - ken wood 052015

Sales  Best  Practices…And  How  They  Can  Be  Applied  To  Your  Career  and  Job  Search!  

Prepared  by  Ken  Wood  Triangle  Execu6ve  Careers  Group  May  20,  2015  

The  Origins  of  Selling  

• Scarcity  of  specific  resources  and  talent  

• Rely  upon  others  to  meet  our  needs  

• Opportunity  to  benefit  from  others’  resources  and  talents  

Selling:  Four  Key  Questions  •  Is  there  an  opportunity?    What  is  the  Compelling  Event  for  the  Customer  to  act?  

 • How  do  we  compete?    What  is  the  Unique  Business  Value  that  we  deliver  to  the  Customer?  

• Can  we  win  the  opportunity?    •  Is  the  opportunity  worth  winning?  

Is  there  an  Opportunity?  • What  is  the  “Compelling  Event”?  • We  need  to  understand  the  Customer’s:  • Applica6on  or  project  • Business  profile  •  Financial  condi6on  • Access  to  funding  

What  is  a  “Compelling  Event”?  •  “A  compelling  event  has  an  economic  owner,  a  defined  date  and  is  a  direct  response  to  a  business  pressure.  The  ac;on  is  expected  to  deliver  a  significant  business  result  (either  improving  opportunity/capability  or  reducing  pain).  The  compelling  event  defines  the  reason  for  the  economic  owner  to  act.”  

Identifying  a  Compelling  Event….extremely  valuable!  

• Reduces  compe66on  • Reduces  sales  costs    •  Sales  efforts  are  much  more  focused  

• Gain  credibility  with  Customer  

Can  We  Create  A  Compelling  Event?  • An6cipate  our  Customer’s  specific  needs  • Clearly  explain  the  personal  impact  that  our  product/service  will  have  on  their  business  • Result:  Change  the  nature  of  our  conversa6ons  and  with  Customer  and  poten6ally  create  a  Compelling  Event  

How  Do  We  Compete?  • Customer’s  formal  decision  criteria  • Does  our  solu6on  solve  the  Customer’s  problem?  • Sales  Resources  required  • Current  status  of  our  rela6onship  with  the  Customer?  

The  “Value  Proposition”  Concept  

• A  clear  statement  that:  •  Explains  how  our  product  solves  the  customers’  problems  or  improves  their  situa6on  (relevancy)  • Delivers  specific  benefits  (quan6fied  value)  •  Tells  the  ideal  customer  why  they  should  buy  from  us  and  not  from  the  compe66on  (unique  differen6a6on).  

• Value  has  to  be  expressed  in  the  Customer’s  terms!  

Value  to  the  Customer  is……  

• Increasing  Their  Revenue  • Reducing  Their  Costs  

Can  We  Win  The  Opportunity?  • Inside  support  (i.e.,  Customer  advocate)    for  our  solu6on?  • Execu6ve  Credibility?  • Compa6bility  with  the  Customer’s  corporate  culture?  • Informal  decision  criteria?  • Poli6cal  landscape  within  the  Customer’s  organiza6on?  

Formal  Customer  Roles  In  The  Buying  Process  

• Approver  • Decision-­‐Maker  • Evaluator  • User  

Key  Customer  Player  Status  • Mentor  (or  Advocate)  • Supporter  • Neutral  • Non-­‐Supporter  • Enemy  

What  is  a  Customer  “Mentor”?  • An  individual  that  will  stand  up  and  fight  for  our  cause  (should  be  also  for  the  greater  good  of  the  Customer).    •  Provides  debrief  on  internal  mee6ngs  •  Helps  navigate  the  poli6cal  landscape  within  the  Customer  organiza6on.  •  Coach  on  who’s  ego  to  stroke  •  Coach  on  Internal  Enemies  

•  Should  be  an  “unofficial”  member  of  our  sales  team    • Value  they  provide  is  priceless.    

Is  The  Opportunity  Worth  Winning?  •  Bring  Short-­‐Term  Revenue?  •  Future  business  poten6al  with  the  Customer?  •  Profitability  associated  with  winning  the  opportunity?  •  Risks  if  our  solu6on  fails?  •  Strategic  value  associated  with  winning  this  opportunity?  

Summary  &  Key  Take-­‐Aways  • Become  genuinely  interested  in  your  Customer.  •  Smile…be  posi6ve  and  upbeat.  • Remember  that  a  Customer’s  name  is  to  that  person  the  sweetest  and  most  important  sound  in  any  language.  • Be  a  good  listener.    Encourage  your  Customers  to  talk  about  their  issues/challenges.  •  Talk  in  terms  of  your  Customer's  interests.  • Make  your  Customer  feel  important  –  and  do  it  sincerely.  

Suggested  reading….  

Bibliography  •  Target  Marke6ng  Systems.    Target  Account  Selling    Atlanta,  GA:  Target  Marke6ng  Interna6onal,  2007  •  Carnegie,  Dale.    How  To  Win  Friends  And  Influence  People  New  York,  NY:  Simon  &  Schuster,  1981  •  Dixon,  Mam  &  Brent  Adamson.    The  Challenger  Sale:  Taking  Control  Of  The  Customer  Conversa6on  New  York,  NY:  Pornolio,  2011  

Thanks  for  your  time!!  

Ken  Wood  Sale/Marke6ng/Business  Development  

Leader  woodzsan@earthlink.net  

(919)  802-­‐0065