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What Is Complex Selling?

A complex sale cannot be turned into a self-service transaction. Customers do not have the

knowledge or resources necessary to self-diagnose or to design the solutions that they need, let alone

implement those solutions. The characteristics of complex sales are that:

They involve long sales cycles.

They require multiple decisions that are made by multiple people at multiple levels of

power and influence, each of whom approaches the transaction from his or her own

perspective.

They involve complicated situations and sophisticated and expensive solutions that are

difficult for the customer to understand, evaluate, and implement.

Key Issues (the two key issues in the complex sale are)

Can you create true measurable and incremental value for your customer's and capture a

share of that value for you and your organization?

Do you have a process that allows your customers to comprehend that value in their

businesses and be willing to pay a reasonable premium in price to receive that value?

Methodology

Complex sales professionals must bring a diagnostic, value-based decision process to the selling

situation and establish a position in the customer's mind that competitors will find hard to reduce. A

proper complex sales methodology is organized into three primary elements. Systems, skills, and

disciplines are the foundational elements and guiding principles of all professional bodies of

knowledge.

The system is a set procedure or organized process that leads to a consistent and

predictable result.

The skills are the content knowledge along with the physical and mental abilities that

enables salespeople to execute the system.

The discipline or the mindset of the professional

Smart business executives realize that successful implementation is directly related to the degree of

buy-in. This fact does not alleviate the need to find decision-makers. In actuality, it raises the task to

a more sophisticated level. Customers today do not have a quality decision-making process. It is

likely that they cannot assemble the best group of people to be involved in the decision-making

process.

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The Complex Sale involves the following buying influences.

The Technical Buyer - insures that your technology solution is going to fit their prospects

technology world. It is highly unlikely you are going to sell a Windows based product to a

Macintosh based shop.

The User Buyer – are typically are the end users of your technology solution. If they don’t

find it easy to use or just don’t like it you will not get the deal.

The Economic Buyer - is the money person. If your technology solution is not in their

budget range – you will not get the deal. You are not going to sell a $ 1,000,000 solution to

someone who has a $100,000 budget.

The Management Buyer - is the contract signer, usually a member of the senior and/or C-

level (CEO, CFO, CIO, and COO) management team. You will not ‘get the deal’ if you are

unable to show them how your solution will:

Save them money.

Make them money.

Reduce their costs.

Increase their productivity.

Make them happy and make their lives better.

Important Attributes of Decisions-Makers

Risk = the willingness to make decisions that might have large negative consequences.

Responsibility = desire for authority to make decisions & to be held accountable for

outcome.

Competitiveness = the drive and ambition to achieve more than others.

Rebellion = the desire to move beyond status quo or generally acceptable alternatives.

Impulsiveness = the urge to make attention-grabbing and thrilling decisions very quickly.

Persistence = the desire to continually drive the decision-making process toward

resolution.

Fear and Uncertainty = tendency to become worried or concerned when making a

decision.

Self-Absorption = habit of being unduly concerned with one's own thoughts and interests.

Playfulness = desire for lively, spirited interactions with others in the decision-making

process.

Education = need to learn and understand about the various issues involved in the decision.

Intelligence = need for rational, highly accurate facts and information.

Bargains = willingness to make spur-of-the-moment decisions providing the 'price is right'.