| Selling Services To Corporates: Avoiding The "Treacle Effect" |
| Invention Development Advice - Marketing | |||
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When you're selling products or services to corporates progress can often be painfully slow - like you're "wading through treacle". Often the problem, however, is not the speed of the big company's decision-making process per se - but your lack of understanding of that process and how to manage it.
When you're selling products or services to corporates progress can often be painfully slow - like you're "wading through treacle". Often the problem, however, is not the speed of the big company's decision-making process per se - but your lack of understanding of that process and how to manage it. Whether you're selling product or services to big companies, if they're of any size or complexity you'll undoubtedly have to deal with multiple levels of decision-making, staged decisions and multiple budgets. It can often be a huge advantage for incumbent suppliers to understand the ins and outs of their client's decision-making processes. Smart newcomers, however, can quickly level the playing field - if they're prepared to discuss decision-making frankly with the client. Sometimes this can feel embarrassing or risky. It can feel like you're trying to "play the politics" of the situation. But the reality is that effective selling relies just as much on the politics and emotion of client decision-making as it does on the rationality of product features and benefits. If you believe in your product and it's in the client's best interests to buy it - then it's your duty to make sure it happens. And frequently, your clients themselves are less than expert in steering through their own decision-making processes - the coaching you can provide to guide them through this will be much appreciated. The key to working your way through the decision-making maze is - like many things in sales - down to good questioning. Firstly, it's vital to identify the key players in the decision making process and to understand their motivation. Typical questions you might ask are: * Who else, apart from yourself, is impacted by this problem? * What's their view of the issue and it's cause? * What's the "win" for them if we solve the problem? * Is this a priority issue for them? Is it urgent? Jointly sketching out a stakeholder map for the decision can be very enlightening at this point. In addition to the key influencers of the decision, it's vital to understand the decision-process itself. For example: * What level of approval is needed for different levels and types of expenditure * What is the timing of key events - for example it's quite normal for project or financial approval boards to meet only quarterly and require all documentation weeks in advance - you need to know this timetable and the requirements - and know how to get on the approval schedule Armed with this information you'll be in vastly better position to know who to meet up with, what to discuss - and ultimately, how to get your product or service sold. More information: For more articles and ideas, visit Ian Brodie's blog on Selling Professional Services or check out his Professional Services Business Development services.
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