Posts Tagged ‘sales’

Give your RFP some heart

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

Hands up – how many RFPs have you written or read that are really just an exercise in number crunching?

Us too.  So why are they still churned out in the same fashion time and time again?  Simple – because we think that’s what procurement teams want to read.  We’d suggest it’s time to make a change and give your RFP some heart…

In essence an RFP is designed to get a response that is numbers heavy, as these very same numbers will undoubtedly form a large chunk of the information used to decide which RFP goes forward.  But by working on numbers alone, you’re missing a trick.

Think about it from both sides…

If you want to buy something (let’s use an ice-cream as a seasonal example), what do you want to know?  How much it costs and what you are getting is the basic answer.

Ice creamOnce you have that information, does it mean you’ll always opt for buying a 10p Mini Milk?

No.

You might go for a more expensive Fab, or, if you’re really pushing the boat out, a Mr Whippy Oyster.

And if you’re selling ice creams, you won’t only tell your potential customers the cost.  You’ll want them to know just how good the ice cream is, how many chocolate flakes they can have and so on.

Some people may hold onto the belief that buying by numbers is the safe option.  But if you’re buying something purely on cost, how do you know whether you’re getting the quality you need, or even for that matter the product you need?

Next time you look at an RFP, look to see where you can really make a difference and demonstrate why your product is actually worth buying.  Yes, you need numbers in there, but by adding a little heart and soul, you might just get yourself and your product noticed.

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Sales – Getting to the Next Level (Part 2)

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Welcome back to the second part of our review of why some sales people simply don’t perform. Hot on the heels of our first 3 (click here to read about these heinous crimes), here’s the aptly part 2:

No. 4 – A lack of investment in their most important tool

CB023160And no, we don’t mean PowerPoint here.  While it is indeed a mighty fine tool that a lot of organisations quote as one of their best sales tools, it is not as important as the person using it.

Good sales people know they need to develop their skills to stay at the sharp end of their profession (think about how many self help books and CDs are sold at motorway services every year!).

So waiting for annual budgets to get a day’s Excel training just won’t cut it for the most dynamic a performer.  They’ll already be using every means they can to make themselves better.

No. 5 – Fuzzy Focus

The best sales people know when to act and they know how to act.

Poor sales people aren’t even necessarily lazy (although undoubtedly some are) – but they may be working away on a prospect who’s high maintenance with little return.

Learning to judge which are the best customers to spend time on – for both parties involved – is a key skill of the high performer.

No. 6 – What’s the plan, Stan?

And left for the last one is a staggeringly simple one. If you don’t have a plan you won’t have a clue. Admittedly some people will manage to get away with it for a while but ultimately without a sales plan you are knackered. How will you know when your pipeline is running out? How do you know that you’ve got more leads than clients converting? How can you manage your time effectively if you don’t know what to do? The questions go on – but the underlying point doesn’t. The best sales people plan and plan well.
So there you go – 6 of the most common problems that our sales people face today. Although in fact most of these are true of sales people through the ages – technology hasn’t really changed it that much other than to make it easier to get away with some of it for longer!
If you can get your sales team to stop doing most of these, you’re in for some lucrative months ahead.
CB023184And left for the last one is a staggeringly simple one – if you don’t have a plan, you won’t have a clue.  Admittedly some people will manage to get away with it for a while but ultimately without a sales plan you’re doomed.
  • How will you know when your pipeline is running out?
  • How do you know that you’ve got more leads than clients converting?
  • How can you manage your time effectively if you don’t know what to do?

The questions go on – but the underlying point doesn’t. The best sales people plan and plan well.

So there you go – 6 of the most common problems that we see when working with sales teams. Although in fact most of these are true of sales people through the ages – technology hasn’t really changed it that much other than to make it easier to get away with some of it for longer!

If you can get your sales team to stop doing most of these, you could well be in for some lucrative months ahead.

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Sales – Getting to the Next Level (Part 1)

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Whilst we don’t like to focus on the negative at Sales Engine, we do find ourselves having a very familiar conversation with our partners and customers. This conversation tends to revolve around how best to overcome some of the common stumbling blocks that a number of their sales people face.

The last time we had this conversation it produced a real light bulb moment (at least in our head it did…) – we should share them with our blog audience…

So we have.

Over this blog and it’s cunningly titled sequel, Part 2, we’ll look at the 6 biggest hurdles to sales people succeeding. Into the 6 now (in no particular order):

No. 1 – Going your own way

Salesman lostMost people aren’t good at asking for help. For some reason human nature means we prefer to bumble along and try and muddle through the best we can. Salespeople, good and bad, do it all the time…

Truth is the best salespeople understand what they are good at, but more importantly what they are not good at. By doing so they know when to call the experts in and this only goes to strengthen how people see them.

Put simply, the sales person that fails to see when they need help will flounder.

No. 2 – Confidence turns to arrogance

Many a top sales person gets carried away with their success and starts to believe their own hype.

Never forget that there will always be hungry, keen and good people along the way and simply believing in your own importance will not keep you at the top of tree. The person who is humble in their own quality tends to maintain a high standard.

No. 3 – Opening everything…but never closing

Many salespeople spend so much time polishing everything or getting as much information lined up as they can that they actually forget to sell.

Yes – of course preparation is key but some people confuse being prepared with getting every bit of info possible for every eventuality.

It’s a difficult balancing act but those that work it well will get the right amount of information to their potential clients (give or take a bit) but will still be able to close out deals and move on to the next ones.

So that’s your first 3 for starters. Any sound familiar? Tune in next week for the second half.

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Sales Teams – Inside Out or Outside In?

Monday, May 17th, 2010

A recent article by sainted business consultants McKinsey pointed towards a shift change in the way organisations are approaching customer engagement through different sales teams.  Entitled “The end of the road warrior”, it highlights a baton change between the traditional roles of field and inside sales teams.

The article picks up, amongst other things, an interesting point on how a blended sales approach is beginning to be seen as the “new” sales model.

CB023132In many organisations today we see a two tier approach to sales with the traditional field sales teams servicing the high end, complex sales pipeline and the inside sales teams focusing on the lower value commodity type sales.

But this model is increasingly being deconstructed in favour of a more fluid approach to engaging potential customers. Certainly as organisations have looked to whatever means possible to attract new customers during the recent dry period a more flexible approach has become evident.

This approach brings with it benefits and potential hurdles alike. Firstly the major benefit is the ability to engage your potential new customers in a way they are most comfortable with. Instead of foisting them into a particular route because of the product/service or potential revenue they will generate it looks like sales teams are simply listening to their buyers and allowing them to gain the information they need through the route they believe is most appropriate.

This can only be a positive step – we here at Sales Engine have talked a lot about how the sales process should be buyer led and not sales led. As long your sales team are sophisticated enough to be able to deal with this then it is an immensely positive way to go.

But the main hurdle we see here is the murky old world of who owns the sale, and ultimately who’s claiming the commission!

You may not want to dirty yourself with this conversation but ultimately if a new way of selling is going to get you more customers and more revenue then it has to be good for your business and it has to be good for your sales teams in the long run. The organisations that will thrive will be the ones that can adapt fastest and best to these times and therefore grab a march in their market.

What is for sure is that the sales world has and is changing. Tough times do that to you and just as Marketing has been changed beyond all recognition in the last 5 years by social media, so too sales needs to adapt to a new world.

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Business Awards – Important Accolade or Boozy Distraction?

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

If ever there was a subject to split opinion it is that of the Business Award.  Is it something that can help you to win business when bidding or simply a distraction that can be expensive and lead to nothing more than a post party headache?

Let’s look at the two sides of the argument:

In the Red Corner – Business Benefit:
Business Awards 1Those who eulogise about awards tend to see the benefit as that of getting very quick credence for their product or service.

In comparison to other methods of getting products certified, in whatever market you’re in, entering awards is actually rather cheap. Those who see this benefit see it as a way of validating their product or service in a very quick way.

And in the Blue Corner – Headache with nothing but a Hangover to show for it:
Business Awards 3Firmly in the other camp we have people who see nothing but an exercise in massaging their own, or their CEO’s, ego. They see it as money thrown away as the resulting trophy does nothing in the eyes of their potential customers.

The process of going for and getting an award is considered as nothing more than an excuse for a big old booze up at a posh hotel.

So what do we think? Well without wishing to sit on the fence, it’s a bit of both and isn’t quite that clear cut!

Firstly – it depends on your market and what the award is. In some markets awards can be two a penny and therefore their value plummets.

But in others they can be few and far between which makes their value all the greater. In the IT world for example many software providers are desperate to get in the Gartner Magic Quadrant (specifically in the upper right part of the quadrant anyway!) for whatever part of the IT world they fit into. This is because in the IT world, people typically trust Gartner and see this as a way of determining a number of specifics about a product their looking to buy.

If the award you going for can be a differentiator between yours and a competitor’s product then it can have value.

Business Awards 2Secondly, it can be more of a marketing benefit than a real cast iron bid winner (or influencer). Sometimes the flash of an award can get you noticed – but it will be the nuts and bolts of your product and the service you deliver that is more likely to take you over the finish line.

All in we’d not dismiss the value of winning awards, but take the time to evaluate which ones you go for and how you use the kudos when you do win!

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Gordon’s case for contract renewal

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Before you get too worried that we’re getting all political on you, rest assured this is just an analogy!

Imagine you are Gordon Brown (although please don’t shout at or hit anyone) and coming to end of the Labour party’s “contract” with the British people.

gordon-brownThe Labour party has been in government now for nearly twenty years which all is in is some contract. Taking into account some of the recent unhappiness from their customer base, many feel that the chances of a contract extension isn’t all that likely. That said, opinion polls of customers are starting to show they’re not too far away from their main bidding rival in this race, and the only other likely bidder couldn’t tell an RFP from the Prime Minister’s rear end.

So just how would you go about getting that contract renewed – and keep out the flash new chap with the shiny forehead and the gleaming teeth? (not Tony Blair by the way)cameron1

Well, like any contract renewal the first place to start would be to go back to the original contract when last renewed (or the Labour Manifesto at the last general election) and look at just what it is you promised to deliver. In all honesty how many of us can remember what’s in that manifesto (if you’ve read it then please answer the question for us, we’ve read it and still can’t…) let alone how well they’ve done against it.

But for any renewal you must understand how you’ve fared against what was originally required of you – we all know circumstances change and what was important 5 years ago might not be quite so now.

Take the opportunity to understand how well you did, highlight what you’ve done well and maybe even discuss what wasn’t done and why. Not only does this show a certain amount of honesty and integrity (and yes we are using those words in the same blog as we mention politics) – but it also shows a willingness to be measured on performance which anybody would want to see.

The other opportunity looking back at the “contract” gives you is the chance to do or finish off those things you’ve just not quite managed but could be done really quite easily. Let’s face it the more you’ve done the better it looks so not doing this is simply daft. Having looked back at the “contract”, having understood what you have and haven’t achieved, you’re now in a much better position to look at how to win a renewal.

On the flip side if the people bidding against you know what you haven’t done over the last 5 or even 19 years and also know what is required in the next 5 years then they also have a very good tool for their bid. Fortunately for us, but not for Gordon – most contract performances aren’t public domain (with the odd high profile exception a la NHS IT) and this gives the incumbent the edge.

If you are that incumbent I give you 2 challenges:

Firstly to do as we’ve suggested and use what information you have to give yourself the best chance to win an extension.

Secondly – watch the pre-election to see if Labour uses this opportunity to do so.  One thing is for sure, Mr Cameron will certainly be talking about what they haven’t delivered!

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Getting your head around the Sales Presentation…

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

If you’re about to embark on writing a sales presentation, take the time to consider what it took to get you to this stage.

  • Look at the product or service you’re selling and the staff and money involved making sure that it’s market leading.
  • Look at your marketing team and the money spent on your website, PR, advertising, direct marketing and collateral.
  • Look at the people involved and the money spent on salaries, recruitment, equipment, bonuses and training.

Think about the amount of time, money and effort that has gone into getting this far – added up, it’s a huge investment!

Panic - isolated

Now think about how much you normally spend on your presentation.

More often than not the difference is staggering  – in a recent survey by our chums at Eyeful Presentations, 72% of respondents had no formal process for updating their presentations.   

Let’s just take a moment to ponder that - 72% were effectively spending little or nothing on the key final stage in the sales process.

Our recommendation is both simple and common sense:

Step 1 
 
Quite simply, know what you want. Before you put pen to paper or finger to keyboard you need to understand what your goal at the end of the presentation really is.  This goal must drive your actions…and you must always keep it in mind.

Step 2
 
Coming back to our original point, you must invest in your presentations to get the most out of them. Understand there are two fundamental things key to every sales presentation:

  1. A quality presenter
  2. A quality presentation

To get the most out of a sales presentation, you need to invest in both!

As with all investments you must look forward to realise their value.

If you find yourself a week away from a big presentation its probably too late to make the investment and derive the real benefits. By creating a 12 month plan for both your presentations and your presenters you can invest well and see the benefits when it really counts.

Now you understand your key objective and have invested well, you are ready to start developing the presentation in earnest.  Oh, and don’t be a stranger – give us a buzz if you’d like to chat through your presentation…we’re here to help…

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Colouring in the picture – Sales Engine partners with Eyeful Presentations

Monday, February 1st, 2010

We’e extremely pleased to announce that Sales Engine have partnered with PowerPoint and Presentation market leaders Eyeful Presentations to expand the breadth and quality of our bid support services.  Eyefyl SE graphic

The full press release can be accessed here.

Eyeful are equally excited by the power of this combined offering as demonstrated by this quote from their own blog:

So if you’re faced with the challenge/horror (delete as applicable) of formal tenders and bids and need a steady hand and cool head to support you, Eyeful and Sales Engine are on call.

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Now the snow has melted…time for some action!

Monday, January 18th, 2010

The snow has finally melted, the Christmas hangover is a long distant memory and your sales team have all finally made it into the office… Finally time for some action.

So here are 3 tips to start giving your sales team a kick up the proverbial -

Time for action1. Time to review your sales collateral

Take it item by item but look at your sales presentations (are they working for you?), review your website (and see if it is attracting new business) and ponder your direct and e-marketing material (is it eye catching and a hook for prospective customers?).

2. Set up one to one meetings with your sales team

Help them focus on the pipeline they each have and understand how you can help them convert the opportunities out there.

3. Elicit 3 new customer testimonials

Ideally these should be from sectors that you have to focus on for new business in the next quarter. Once you’ve got them, ensure they are shared with your sales team to use to show customers just how good you really are.

This time of year is perfect for honing all the tools of your trade to make sure you are running at the bleeding edge of sales.

Don’t miss the opportunity.

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Why won’t they listen to me..?

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

I may have mentioned this before (so I’ll keep it brief) but it bears repeating. I hate it when people try to sell me stuff.

I recently went to purchase a Nintendo DS Lite for my son (for neutrality purposes I would like to point out that other games consoles are available, if not in such lurid colours) and was intensely irritated by a sales assistant in what shall remain an unnamed toy shop.

Turquoise DS LiteBefore going to said shop – I did a lot of research (as I like to do when purchasing anything above a tenner) – so I was pretty well set on what I (and to some extent my son) wanted. My aim was a turquoise (his choice, not mine!) DS Lite with the Mario Kart game.

I’d taken the time to look at the models available and I knew the Lite isn’t the latest version – but as my son is 6 thought this would be the best starter games console for him, and besides – he really wanted it. Full of the images of his face opening the present and the screams of excitement as he realised how great a dad I was, I entered the shop ready to spend some money.

I left the shop 15 minutes later as rich as when I entered and I’ll tell you for why. Whilst looking through the DS area I was approached by a sales assistant who I imparted my requirements to. I knew his time was up when he opened up with the phrase – “you don’t want to buy a DS Lite” and then proceeded to tell me why I wanted to actually buy a DSi in a package with 3 games I had no interest in (and 1 wasn’t suitable for a 6 year old boy!) but could then trade them in at a completely different shop for the game I did want.

Not only would I be spending in excess of £50 extra for the privilege – but I’d also have to visit a second shop!

I left telling him I needed to think about it, and hot footed to another shop you happily gave me what I asked for and gleefully took my money.

The moral of the story?

Selling is about listening.

If the assistant had actually asked why I wanted what I wanted he may have been able to help. Instead he told me what he wanted to say and lost the sale. The impact to this shop is £130 – and in the great scheme of things won’t mean they are closing down anytime soon.

But the principle works no matter how big the sale. If you don’t know what your potential customers want to buy, how are earth are you going to sell it to them?

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