improving a b2b sales campaign

Frédéric Esbert - Copyright 2014

March 2014

Improving a B2B sales campaign


« The nicest thing about not planningis that

failure comes as a complete surpriseand is not preceded

by a period of worry and depression »

John Preston (Boston College)

Introduction 2

3


Business Drivers Financial pressure Operational pressure Competition & Partners

Business initiatives Projects, programs & plans to

address business drivers

What drives a customer project?

Businessdrivers

Businessinitiative

Critical SuccessFactors

Compelling event Has an economic owner, a

defined date and is a direct response to a pressure which would cause a real pain

Critical Success factors What is needed to ensure the

success of the initiative

No

Compelling?

4


Recognized business value Unique Business value specific to the customer business drivers

People’s Agendas Professional agenda

Defines success for an individualin their specific role or title

Driven by business logic Personal agenda

Defines why success in their professional agenda is important to them

Driven by emotional fulfillment, personal vision advancement, and the need for meaningful achievement

What drives a customer decision?

Professional Agenda

Pers

onal

Age

nda

LOGIC

EMOT

ION

LowCredibility

SalesTraction

LowInterest

Low Involvement

Decision makers & influencers

Addressing the customer business drivers & critical

success factors

Superior and measurable business outcome

Committed time and resources according to the

customer expectations

5


When is a supplier really involved?

Issue assessment

Objectives definition

Project Initiation

Solutions evaluation

Proof of Concept

Negotiation and Selection

Implementation

Results assessment

Acco

unt D

ecisi

on P

roce

ss

Vendor CredibleSource

ProblemSolver

TrustedAdvisor

Supplier involvement

Key to successful sales campaigns

Key to customer satisfactionand recurrent sales


Where are you going? Long range goal Visionary Defining the relationship

Starting by defining the sales goal !

6

What has to be known?Opportunity assessmentCompelling eventInner Circle

ProfileObjective

What must be done?SpecificMeasurableTime bound

Strategy

How to achieve the objective?The route to the objective against competition

Tactics

What specific actions?Linked to the strategyIndividual, flexible and dynamic

P STO

7


Understanding the decision process

?

Compelling?

Project milestones

No

Yes

Project stakeholdersOrganisation chart

Businessdrivers

Businessobjectives

Businessinitiative

Project

Competition

8


Decision makers Belong to the political structure and inner circle

Influencers As opposed to rank or authority, influence flows in not-traditional directions

Understanding the decision map

Wonder

Politicalstructure

Innercircle

Influence

Rank

Watch

Authority Influence

Project Stakeholders

9


Managing relationship with the key stakeholders!

CoverageRole in the decision making process

Relationship

Relationship strategy

Peaceful coexistenceClear-up misperceptions

Agree to disagree

Ask for helpMake it EASY

Don’t forget “Quid pro Quo”

Understand & DemonstrateBuild TRUST

Don’t let emotion interfere

10


Defining the sales strategy and staying on course« The Key in Victory is not in defeating the Enemy, but in defeating the Enemy’s Strategy »

Sun Tzu – « The Art of War »

Start

Frontal

Flanking

Fragment

Defend

Delay

Exit Exit

N

Y

N

N

N N

N

N

Y Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

New comers

Compellingevent?

Cancompete?

3 to 1 recognizedadvantage?

Can changebuying criteria?

Can addressproject subset?

Anything toprotect?

Can addressneeds in future?

11


Example of Project milestones

Defining actions for each key milestone What is the target for this milestone?

SMART and compliant with the selected strategy What actions are needed to achieve the target?

Ownership Internal & external resources Time and sequence

Who should be addressed and how? Stakeholders depending on profile, agendas

& level of relationship Partners, competitors

Planning and executing a structured sales campaign

Customer initiative

InternalStudy

POC RFI Internalreport

RFP LabTrial

DecisionInternalreport

Time

Milestone

Target

Action

People

12


Developing comprehensive Tacticscompliant with selected strategy Prove value Retrieve missing information Isolate against competition Minimize weaknesses Emphasize strengths

Selecting the right actions

PRIMEWeakness

13


Running a successful sales campaign

Conclusion

Compellingbusinessdrivers

Decision map &

influence paths

Competition strategy & action plan

Sales strategy

Structured action plan

Customer’s initiative

Sales

Opportunity assessment

Professional&

personal agendas

Thank you
