TIPS


VIDEO: THE BENEFITS OF GREAT SALES COACHING


‘‘ SELLING TIP Use the Right Tools


Selling tools that succeed with small companies very often work against you in a major account sale. Major account sales involve many sales calls, spread over many months. They require a systematic selling process of one part strategy and one part tactics. Strategy includes identifying, surfacing, and addressing every element of a large account. In essence, you must: • Emphasize strategic planning as you uncover key information.


• Present solutions to key players on the buyer’s team.


• Obtain gradual commitment that will ultimately lead to a win- win solution.


• Join in strategic planning with sales management and such internal resource departments as engineering, maintenance, and product specialists.


TACTICS


Use a well-thought-out questioning process and emphasize your com- pany’s unique strengths. A system- atic sales process creates a common focus, a common language, and a common sales culture. It uncovers potential problems in the account as well as missing pieces of informa- tion, tells you what has to be done


next, and lets you know where you are and how you are positioned throughout your sales cycle.


INCREMENTAL CUSTOMER COMMITMENTS Large account sales require incre- mental customer commitments at each step of the selling cycle. By defi- nition, a large sale is a big investment on both sides. Both the salesperson and the buyer face significant invest- ments of time, money, and resources as the buy-sell interaction moves toward a final decision. A sales professional must obtain


an incremental action commitment from the buyer equal to the increase in resources the salesperson’s organization is making in its selling process. As investments in the sales process increase, so should invest- ments in the buying process. The salesperson has the ultimate


responsibility to create this win/win solution with clear-cut incremental buying action commitments. A sell- ing organization’s limited resources must be protected and must be invested wisely if win-win selling is to become a reality.


THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF ACCOUNT KNOWLEDGE Large account selling requires focus on building blocks of account knowl- edge-specific account information, market trends, business, and organi- zational issues. The salesperson must


Time is the scarcest resource and, unless it is managed, nothing else can be managed. PETER DRUCKER


completely identify his prospect’s internal decision making process, including the number of players, their precise organizational roles, respon- sibilities, and individual focus. The prospect’s team usually has many players. However, often one person plays a powerful behind- the-scenes role in the final decision. Study and analyze internal politics, alliances, and relationships; budget- ary information; and the potential organizational and profitability impact of your sales proposal.


QUALIFY AND TEAM-SELL Large account sales require concise identification of highly qualified prospects. A sales organization will pay a high price in wasted resources, selling time, and dollars spent in the pursuit of a large account prospect if it turns out the prospect did not want to buy in the first place. Avoid this situation by system- atically identifying highly qualified prospects. Establish a profile to describe your ideal customer; then, pursue only prospects who come close to that profile. Large accounts require a coopera- tive team-sell. Multiple players from the selling organization mean more eyes, varied experience and expertise, and common focus with a common language. The more effective and sys- tematic the use of team resources, the


higher the probability of sales success. – JOE WHITE


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