The salesperson seeking to understand these core most affected by your success or lack of it?
processes should focus on gaining sponsorship from
4. Following Up: Clearly, for the conversation to be
executives who own the key processes. Once connections
productive, it’s very important to ask follow up questions
are made to the people who have primary responsibility
when a problem appears to surface. For example, if
for identified processes, the salesperson can ask questions
inventory turn is unsatisfactory, follow up questions should
to understand what the value chain looks like for this
clarify what the ideal goal would be, and what issues
customer. Then, the salesperson can begin to analyze how
are affecting the ability to reach it, such as difficulty in
efficiently and effectively these processes are functioning
moving products out to distribution, delays in shipping,
and how well or poorly they work together as a productive
or internal problems with the processes of picking and
and profitable system.
packing products for shipping. Any of these issues might
be something the salesperson can help solve directly, or
Conducting a Process Conversation
may serve as a foundation for asking more questions about
another process, such as shipping.
Typically, companies divide naturally into silos or
individual territories that function semi-independently,
The opportunities for improvement may lie in creating
despite operational interdependence and efforts to foster
stronger linkages or linkages where none currently exist,
cross functional communication and collaboration. A
or in making improvements in a process that increases
salesperson acting as a business consultant can provide
efficiency or efficacy. By asking the right questions of the
great value to an executive sponsor or key contact by
right people, the salesperson may identify issues such as
asking questions and identifying patterns that cross
high rates of product returns, poor communication between
functional lines.
customer service and order fulfillment, or bottlenecks in
production, any of which could affect the organization’s
A successful conversation with a business process owner
ability to meet high-level strategic goals. By offering a
should include several key components:
solution to a concrete problem, the salesperson moves
1. Preparation: As with any call on a customer, it’s
beyond consultative selling to a distinctive role as a true
important to prepare by learning as much as possible
business consultant able to make a substantive contribution
about the function or department of the person you are
to the overall success of the business.
calling on, and to consider what aspects of their process
It is important for salespeople to know how to research
might be important. For example, if calling on the head
a company and ask questions to verify critical business
of warehouse operations, it would be useful to learn
issues, but if a sales professional wants to take the next
something about managing inventory and in general, what
step toward becoming a real business consultant, it takes
metrics that are important in that process. By definition,
more. Using the Value Chain as a starting point, the sales
what is most important to one functional head is bound to
professional/business consultant can identify the most
be different from that which is important to other functional
critical functional processes in the customer’s organization.
heads.
By building a network of internal functional experts, the
2. Establishing the purpose of the discussion. Many
salesperson can identify potential issues and problems that
of the people contacted may not have a very clear idea
may be new news to the executive process owner. This
of why they should be talking with a salesperson. The
information in itself has high value and provides credibility
purpose of the conversation needs to be explained –
that is impossible for a competitor to replicate. When the
namely, to understand their function and operations in
salesperson/consultant is able to offer information about
order to identify possible ways to help improve overall
and solutions to these substantive business problems that
effectiveness across functional lines.
are affecting the customer’s business fundamentals, then
3. Asking Discovery Questions: Drawing on
consulting expertise becomes a powerful competitive
preparatory information, the salesperson should plan
advantage.
a series of questions that will help guide the process of
gathering the right information. Three key questions
Ken Valla, Regional Vice President of Sales, Wilson Learning Corporation,
is responsible for driving sales strategies to increase revenue, profitability,
should be discussed:
and market share in North America. With over 15 years of experience
• What has to go right in your operation for you to
in sales and sales management, Ken has consistently produced results
exceeding annual objectives. Ken specializes in the complex sale that
be successful? encompasses multiple buyers at various levels, often in global accounts
and typically requiring executive involvement. His experience allows
• Which of those factors are currently the most
him to help his clients go-to-market more strategically and address their
effective? Are there any that are not going as well as
unique requirements. As an experienced sales executive, he understands
you would like?
what is required for sales people to succeed in today’s highly complex
environment.
• Which of the other functional areas in the company To learn more about the concepts shared within this article and how Wilson
are the most important to you, in terms of receiving
Learning can assist you in addressing these issues, contact Wilson Learning
at 1.800.328.7937 or visit www.wilsonlearning.com.
inputs to your operation, and which functions are the
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