Making the Technical Sale : Real-World Training for the Successful Sales Consultant

by Greenwald, Rick; Milbery, Jim

• ISBN13: 9780966288995
• ISBN10: 0966288998
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-03-01
• Publisher: Cengage Learning Ptr

Summary

Exploring how technical sales of a software product is different from general sales, this guide discusses the full range of skills needed by technical sales professionals. It also illuminates the typical tasks technical sales professionals handle, explores the role these people play on the sales team, and covers basics such as presentation skills, working in a team, time management, and more. Illustrations.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(7)
Your World	7	(16)
What Is a Sales Consultant?	7	(1)
What Is Your Primary Responsibility?	8	(1)
Whom Do You Work With?	8	(5)
Prospects and Customers	8	(1)
A Team	9	(4)
How You Do Your Job	13	(3)
Professional Conduct	13	(1)
Lateness	14	(1)
Learning How to Listen	15	(1)
First Principles	16	(4)
Maintaining Control	16	(2)
The Finite Resources of the Sales Cycle	18	(2)
Why This Book?	20	(3)
The Sales Process	23	(12)
Sales Funnel	23	(4)
Prospect Status	27	(1)
Stages in the Sales Cycle	28	(1)
Qualification	28	(1)
Presentation and Demonstration	29	(1)
Product Evaluation	30	(1)
Selection and Negotiation	31	(1)
Closure	32	(1)
Timing of the Sales Cycle	33	(1)
Wrapping Up	34	(1)
The Technology Life Cycle	35	(16)
Evolutionary and Revolutionary Change	35	(1)
The Technology Life Cycle	36	(4)
Sales Consultant ``Types''	40	(7)
Maverick Sales Consultant	40	(3)
Demo Demon Sales Consultants	43	(2)
Implementers	45	(2)
Mixed Environments	47	(1)
Fitting In	48	(1)
Wrapping Up	49	(2)
Understanding the Buyer	51	(18)
Prospect Roles	51	(6)
The Technical Buyer	52	(2)
The Economic Buyer	54	(1)
The End User	55	(2)
How Each Type of Buyer Approaches Your Product	57	(1)
Who Makes the Call?	58	(1)
Working with the Buyers	59	(1)
The Technology Adoption Cycle and the Classes of Buyers	60	(1)
Early Market Prospects	60	(2)
Real Buyer	60	(1)
Role of Others	61	(1)
Popular Market	62	(1)
Real Buyer	62	(1)
Role of Others	63	(1)
Mature Market	63	(2)
Real Buyer	63	(1)
Role of Others	64	(1)
The Transitional Evaluation Team	65	(2)
Why Does This Type of Mismatch Happen?	65	(1)
Why Should You Care?	66	(1)
Wrapping Up	67	(2)
Working with People	69	(24)
Foundations of a Professional Relationship	70	(7)
Credibility	70	(2)
Rapport	72	(3)
Trust	75	(2)
Telling the Truth	77	(1)
Your Personal Style	78	(1)
Using Your Personal Style	79	(1)
Mistakes	80	(1)
Enhancing Communication	81	(9)
Communicating with Your Customer	82	(2)
Keeping Their Attention	84	(1)
Humor	85	(1)
Dealing with a Difficult Audience	86	(4)
Working in a Group	90	(1)
Wrapping Up	91	(2)
Feature Benefit Selling	93	(20)
Features	93	(16)
Feature Blab	96	(1)
Turning Features into Benefits	97	(3)
Personalizing Features and Benefits	100	(9)
FBA: Features, Benefit, and Acceptance of the Benefit	109	(2)
Wrapping Up	111	(2)
Mastering the Demo	113	(26)
Mastering the Demo by Mastering Your Solution	113	(7)
Formal Product Training	115	(4)
Professional Conduct in a Formal Training Course	119	(1)
When Your Company Does Not Offer Formal Training	120	(1)
The Demo Pyramid	120	(17)
Memorization and Recital	121	(4)
Feature Explanation	125	(4)
Functional Explanation	129	(4)
Construction	133	(2)
Solution	135	(2)
Wrapping Up	137	(2)
Qualification and Planning for Presentations and Demonstrations	139	(20)
Qualifying the Prospect	140	(1)
Qualification Meetings	140	(12)
The Bulldozer/BMW Assessment	141	(1)
Competition	142	(1)
Budget	142	(1)
Problem Definition	143	(1)
The Solution Set	144	(1)
Technical Requirements	145	(4)
Decision Process	149	(3)
Qualification Meeting Debriefing	152	(3)
Activity-Based Costing	155	(2)
Wrapping Up	157	(2)
Making Effective Technical Sales Presentations	159	(22)
Pre-Meeting Planning	159	(1)
Agenda	160	(4)
Attendees	160	(1)
Items	161	(2)
Facilities	163	(1)
First Things First	164	(3)
Types of Presentations	167	(12)
PowerPoint Presentation	167	(2)
Making the PowerPoint Presentation	169	(4)
The Chalk Talk	173	(6)
Final Thoughts	179	(1)
Wrapping Up	179	(2)
Delivering Effective Product Demonstrations	181	(30)
The Importance of the Demo	181	(1)
Basic Definitions	182	(2)
Demo Preparation	184	(1)
Choosing the Venue	185	(3)
The Demo Script	188	(9)
Demonstration Data	197	(5)
Demo Tips	202	(6)
Seminars and Trade Shows	208	(2)
Wrapping Up	210	(1)
Managing Product Evaluations	211	(30)
The Product Evaluation Phase	211	(6)
Technical Proof Points	214	(3)
Evaluation Process	217	(16)
Customer References	217	(2)
Customer Site Visits	219	(2)
Trials	221	(4)
Prototypes	225	(1)
Benchmarks	226	(4)
Corporate Site Visits	230	(3)
Evaluation Team Members	233	(3)
Competition	236	(3)
Wrapping Up	239	(2)
Handling Objections	241	(18)
Objections and the Sales Cycle	241	(1)
Types of Objections	242	(2)
Philosophical Objections	242	(1)
Feature Objections	243	(1)
Benefit Objections	243	(1)
Scale of Objections	244	(1)
The Objection Grid	244	(1)
Approaches for Handling Objections	245	(4)
The Objection Grid Revisited	246	(1)
Working Down the Grid	246	(1)
An Alternative to Rebuttal	247	(2)
Examples of Objection Handling	249	(6)
Handling a Major Objection: Ease of Use	250	(3)
Handling a Minor Objection: Installation	253	(2)
Addressing Objections	255	(2)
Wrapping Up	257	(2)
Responding to RFIs	259	(16)
What is a Request for Information?	259	(3)
Reasons for an RFI	260	(2)
Realities of an RFI	262	(4)
Design by Committee	263	(1)
Maintaining Control of the Sales Cycle	264	(1)
Make Work for Consultant	264	(1)
Establish Control for Consultant	265	(1)
Justify a Decision Already Made	265	(1)
A Rite of Passage	266	(1)
Kickoff Meetings	266	(5)
Accepting the Challenge of an RFI	267	(2)
How to Answer	269	(2)
Winning the RFI	271	(3)
Getting to Yes	271	(2)
Forcing an Opening	273	(1)
Making the Cut	273	(1)
Wrapping Up	274	(1)
Working the Installed Base and Alternative Sales Channels	275	(20)
Working the Customer Base	275	(3)
Choosing Your Customers	278	(8)
Building Up the Relationship	280	(3)
The Golden Rules for Working with Existing Customers	283	(3)
Proactive Customer Management	286	(8)
User Group Etiquette	288	(1)
Partners	289	(4)
Etiquette for Working with Partners	293	(1)
Wrapping Up	294	(1)
Working the Competition	295	(20)
Why Care About the Competition?	295	(2)
Positioning Against the Competition	297	(2)
Discovering the Competition	299	(4)
How to Use Competitive Information	303	(6)
Working in Competitive Knockoffs	309	(2)
Where Can You Find Competitive Information?	311	(2)
Wrapping Up	313	(2)
Eight Challenging Prospects	315	(20)
Uneducated Prospects	315	(3)
Tire Kickers	318	(2)
Indecisive Prospects	320	(1)
Secretive Prospects	321	(2)
You're-In-This-Just-to-Make-It-Competitive Prospect	323	(3)
Consultants as Prospects	326	(2)
Dysfunctional Prospects	328	(2)
The Vanishing Prospects	330	(2)
Why Bad Prospects Happen	332	(2)
Wrapping Up	334	(1)
The Seven Deadly Sins of Sales Consultants	335	(18)
Lying	336	(3)
Arrogance	339	(2)
Overconfidence	341	(2)
Lack of Organization	343	(2)
Taking the Sales Representative's Role	345	(2)
Poor Transitions	347	(2)
Letting External Problems Intrude	349	(2)
Wrapping Up	351	(2)
Productivity Enhancers and Time Management	353	(14)
Basic Principle of Productivity	353	(1)
Marking Your Time	354	(6)
Managing Time and Setting Expectations	360	(2)
Handling Your Workload	362	(2)
Managing Your Time in the Life Cycle of Your Product	364	(2)
Wrapping Up	366	(1)
Sales Consulting in the E-World	367	(10)
Major Change in Sales Process	368	(2)
Time Allocation	368	(2)
Customer Interaction	370	(1)
Effect of the E-World on Sales Consultants	371	(2)
First Principles Revisited	373	(1)
An Opportunity for Growth	374	(1)
Wrapping Up	375	(2)
Index	377