How to break down your sales
WHEN selling software, it is easy to think that all you need is a well-thought through demo to secure the deal - 9.5 times out of 10 there is far more to it than that.
One of the dangers when selling software is that it is too easy to spend time talking about your technology when you should be focused on asking questions of your prospect to understand their needs and challenges. Think through how your prospects and customers buy. Can you categorise the various stages they go through when making a decision to purchase your type of product, service or solution?
Next, it is worth taking time to break down the sales process into four or five stages from the perspective of your business. At Engleby Associates we use: find/create, define/understand, propose/recommend and close to track progress. Once you have defined your stages, identify the information you need to know in order to be sure the opportunity is progressing. Typically this means asking yourself a series of questions that, when answered, will clearly demonstrate progress. There is a great free piece of software available to help with this task. DealmakerGenius from The TAS Group is available at www.dealmakergenius.com.
A defined sales process will help you keep track of sales opportunities and highlight where you need to focus your energy. For example, if the majority of your opportunities are sitting in find/create then you can agree actions to move them forwards.
Until you start understanding your own sales process, built on the way your customers typically buy, it is difficult to manage your sales time and the success of your business.
We recently ran a blended sales training programme in partnership with Sunderland Software City for software professionals. A core goal of the course was to develop not only the sales skills of delegates but also their confidence in selling. At the conclusion of the programme, every delegate expressed surprise at just how much their confidence had increased.
Interestingly, it was the breakdown of sales into an easy-to-understand process made up of logical steps that had dramatic impact.
The big pay-off for this effort is that once you have defined the phases and thought about what has to happen in each step to move the sale forwards, you become more knowledgeable about where you really are in the sale. This knowledge will increase accuracy of your sales forecasts and ultimately your success.
:: Richard Lane is managing director of Engleby Associates
