Using Microsoft Dynamic CRM

I do not typically endorse products here (Unless they pay me of course) but recently I had the pleasure of working with Microsoft Dynamic CRM And I am loving what they have done with one of the single most important sales tools any organization can deploy.

With clear visible pipeline metrics; charts and dynamic content for pipeline management. The process is now transparent and manageable from anywhere across the organization. The entire team can immediately identify and correct missed steps, take corrective action. And see that action as it is being taken.

Sales cycles are cut dramatically by streamlining the process and using measurable sales markers and milestones that can guide you and your team through from start to finish.

All, easily created and managed by anyone on the team with minimal training.

http://crm.dynamics.com/en-us/Default.aspx

The IT sales team that understands the solution sales process, and masters this fun to use, smartly upgraded suite will be a freakin' sales dynamo!

Your pal,

Sean

Creating The Sponsor Letter

I know there are several approaches to this step, but I like the one I learned at echo technology.
(Thanks go to Gary Smith and Keith Eades for this approach!)

They use a sponsor letter to detail the precise pains being faced by the customer and the organization in their own words.
Then lay out the impact to the organization as a result of those pains and what their solution represented in response.

the letter/email should look something like this:

Dear------
To recap our discussion you said:
(His pains verbatim)

XYZ corp. is experiencing late payments and problems with supply chain control due to the manual nature of their existing process.
The impact has been delinquent AP and poor supply chain management as a result of an antiquated process that does not keep pace with our competition nor accurately forecast our client needs.
The result has been longer cycles; missed deadlines and a breakdown in the type of communication and transparency required effectively serve our customers.
Left unaddressed these problems can only worsen. Leading to more problems and ultimately a loss of key accounts.

I believe the answer is:
(Solution)
By using our automated system to guide the customer relationship, and provide transparency across the organization we can greatly improve upon the existing process, add immediate value and help bring you into closer alignment with your customers.
(You made them feel the pain. Now show them there is hope!)

The result will be a much more dynamic process that enables the team to maintain pace with the increasing demand and allow a more tightly managed supply chain leading to shorter sales cycles and enhanced profits.

Our Next Steps:
(Milestone, go no go lists, trial, discovery etc. include dates and if they have provided a deadline date emphasize it.)

Please look this plan over and make any corrections you feel necessary, I will send a calendar request to review this plan with you and make any necessary adjustments.
We are still at a draft stage here, but our experience has taught us that this method works well to introduce our solution into organizations such as yours and helps to align us with your organizational buying process.

Warm Regards,

Sean

Now, confirm the pain and impact with him during your next call to be sure you are aligned.
Get him to admit to the pains, envision a cure and agree to the next steps.
also, remind the customer that life happens while we make other plans.
So while this eval process is occurring, the pain impact on the organization is only going to get worse.

This method will help you establish trust and competence and will also help you align with your customer.

Your Pal,

Sean

The Leads Are Where You Find Them

Patient: ”Doc, it hurts when I do this.”
Doctor: ”Don’t do that.”

We need to consider alternative approaches when what we do is no longer working for us.
Unfortunately, too few people are willing to explore new possibilities and as a result they limit their ability to sell and grow.

In IT/solution sales we typically find leads through traditional means, tradeshows, referrals, cold calling etc, there is no wrong way to find new business but there are smarter ways of hitting the business you are trying to develop.

My personal favorite b2b source is linkedin. Millions of professionals’ c-level on down, give us intimate details about their business and personal lives right through their profiles.

There are a number of consultants who can help you maximize the value of linkedin and I encourage you to seek them out if it’s appropriate to your needs.

I am not one of those experts. however Flyn Penoyer has written extensively about it and I highly recommend his expertise:

http://onlinebusinessnetworker.net/blog/

But I can offer you a simple taste of how you might use this medium as a way to generate interest, source leads and pinpoint new opportunities.
Previously I discussed creating the Straw client. The composite of who you believe to be the ideal target for your services/product.
Now let’s take this theory and put it into actual practice.

For our purposes we are going to target only VP’s of sales in the IT industry.
We can use the power of linkedin’s advanced search to go and find our potential customer.
When I did this search I came up with over 15,000 profiles of individuals who fit my criteria.

Your results may vary, but the point is that they are there and all the information you need to pursue the relationship is there with them.
Now after we’ve done our search, we want to review any available information and use it to fine tune the approach and also to set us apart from those who have not done their homework.
You can glean valuable information relative to size, growth, and organizational structure.
Now go get some, and don't forget to break mine off when you close that big deal!

Your pal,

Sean

The Bottleneck

The bottleneck in solution sales refers to a person, circumstance or element that is preventing your process from moving forward.

This can be as simple as a milestone not being met or as complex as infrastructure being either incompatible or unprepared to handle your solution.

The bottleneck occurs most frequently when you are not in alignment with your opportunity.

We like to have something to point our finger at when we encounter the bottleneck. But, more often than not it is a simple matter of our own failure to align with our customer.

You can often deal with the bottleneck preemptively by reviewing the organizational flow chart and adjusting your approach.

This is information you have gathered during the initial qualification process.

Remember that we see pain impact an organization in different ways.

Look for the potential bottleneck and adjust accordingly.

You can anticipate bottlenecks and and use measurable aids as a part of the process to identify where the bottleneck is.

We must also remember that sometimes 'shit happens' and to never forget to expect the unexpected

Your pal,

Sean

Know Your Customer-The Straw Man

Or "How To Sell Girl scout cookies."

How To Sell Girl Scout Cookies

This is an old but valuable method that can save you time and frusttration when delivering your product/solution to market.
The straw man is a composite of who you want to sell to.
An amalgam of past customers, opportunities and pains. The path you took to win them and the lessons learned by losing them.
Properly executed your straw man can be the starting point out of which your sales process grows.
Start by imaging the straw man.
Who is he?
What are his pains?
How does your solution address those pains?

In previous posts we discussed the flow of pain throughout an organization and how pain is felt differently by different parts of the team.
The Business side and the technical team manifest pain differently, yet the root cause can be the the same.


Just as a band is dependent upon one another to deliver a professional performance, so too is the organization inter dependent to deliver a successful project.
Do your homework.
Know your straw-man.
Know your pain chain.
Now go sell me some cookies!



Your pal,
Sean

Acheiving Customer Alignment

Failure to properly align your sales process with your customers buying process represents the single biggest reason why we lose IT sales.
Why?
Because we are not in sync with the way our customer does business.
We are following our process and not working within the perimeters of his.
Sounds simple because it is.
When you can make your sales process align with your customers buying process you dramatically increase your odds of winning the client and of properly addressing his organizations pains.
This is achieved only after you understand his organizations buying process.
We define a process as a repeated series of steps and activities that are designed to achieve an outcome.
Just as we have our sales process the organization we are selling into has its buying process and we must respect and align ourselves with it as closely as possible to get the sale.
Typically this will include a presentation, demonstration and sometimes a trial that is accompanied by your proposal and ROI.
Ask the customer how the process is conducted in his organization and then model your plan around it.
This will not win the day every time but I can guarantee results that are measurable and repeatable and a much more satisfying experience for everyone involved.

Your pal,

Sean

"O'Reilly's Rules" The 11 Commandments Of Telesales

Cold calling scripts/frameworks do work if they are well crafted and properly delivered. I know because I have done them for every industry from auto repair to enterprise solution sales.


I work with frameworks instead of scripts as they allow for a more organic dialog, but experience has taught me that a properly written well delivered intro is the difference between winning sales or asking:
"Do you want fries with that?"

"O'Reilly's Rules"

1. You must make your compelling statement within the first twenty seconds or you lose
2. You must be talking to power or have access to power.
3. You must make them feel the pain. No pain no sell
4. You must NEVER lie
5. You must take verbatim notes of client pains, (These will be your tools when overcoming objections) you can argue with me but not with your own words.
6. You must not educate your customer but you must engage them.
7. You must control the call
8. You must assume the close 3 times
9. Never disrespect your prospect if they cannot or will not buy we thank them for their time and tell them we will follow up in a few months.
10. Never get into a battle of wits the odds are you are out gunned, instead tell your prospect that while you are a salesperson you are surrounded by experts who can and will answer the question.
11. Use your support team! That's why they are there,

Depending on the product and cycle these can also help you set and measure metrics and do forcasting
If you are selling to a specific industry learn enough about that industry to know the players and how your particular product or service can help.
Remember:

-Do No Harm.
-Always Add Value.

Your pal,

Sean