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~~~~~~~~~~ NousNEWS - May 2003 ~~~~~~~~~~
Published by Stuart Ayling - http://www.marketingnous.com.au
"Specialising in marketing for service businesses."
Tel: 07 3806 2238 Mobile: 0407 588 468
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NousNEWS is proudly provided for your enjoyment and
education at no charge. To join or leave, see below.
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In this issue-
1) From the Editor.
2) eBIG update - Electronic Business Interest Group (Brisbane).
3) Feature: Part 2 of Selling B2B services - how to close the sale.
4) Tips on selling: Seven signs of failure.
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1) From the Editor.
Hello to all NousNEWS readers, and a special welcome to those of you who have signed up over the last month. Thanks for being with us.
Many business owners I speak with are quite comfortable with their knowledge of their services, yet are very uncomfortable when it comes to selling those services. If you fall into that category, I think you'll find this months feature article very helpful by providing a structure for your sales efforts.
And the importance of a web site as a marketing tool has again been reinforced to me over recent weeks. Through my web site I receive numerous enquiries from around Australia and New Zealand for marketing assistance. These enquiries may lead to
new clients, partnership opportunities, or speaking engagements. I urge you to consider your web presence and give it the attention it deserves.
I was planning to include a great interview in this issue that I'm sure you'll enjoy. But due to space constraints I'll be sending it as a "special issue" of NousNEWS in the very near future. So keep an eye out for it.
From the UK, an interesting report that suggests SME owners go back to school after an 'IQ test' revealed that many were in the dark over business basics.
http://tinyurl.com/ax3f
Feedback on NousNEWS :
"Hi Stuart, I was told about your newsletter by a life coach about six months ago. I enjoy its tips and friendly tone."
Hinerangi Edwards
Aatea Consultants Ltd - New Zealand
(Providing services and training programmes to assist organisations communicate effectively with Maori audiences)
As always, if you have questions or comments, I'm just an email away.
Happy reading...
Stuart Ayling
P.S. Sometimes links don't work. If that happens to you,
just paste the link directly into your browser. Thank you.
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2) eBIG update:
eBIG is an up-and-coming industry group based in Brisbane to help businesses understand the opportunities and requirements of ebusiness in its many forms. I've been to a number of their functions and would heartily recommend them to you. Here's a bit more...
What's eBIG?
A not-for-profit organisation with a vision of fostering the principles, standards and strategic approach to the pragmatic implementation of electronic business.
What do they do?
Provide a range of resources to help the awareness and understanding of electronic business in the business community, e.g. -
* seminars and workshops
* research papers and links on their web site
* directories of people who can help
But most of all ... they provide opportunities for people to network and get to know other people who have done it, or have tried, or can help.
Check out the Events Calendar and sign up for their newsletter at http://www.ebig.com.au/
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3) Feature article
Selling B2B services - how to close the sale.
Read this article online at:
http://www.marketingnous.com.au/archive/sellingb2b2.htm
Part 2 of 2
In Part 1 of this article we looked at how to find prospects and gain an understanding of their true needs. In Part 2 we look at the final steps in the selling process.
Last time we reached the point where we held a meeting with our prospect to determine what they are really looking for, and decided "Yes, we can help them". So now we proceed to make...
~ ~ ~ ~ 3) Suggestions for future progress. ~ ~ ~ ~
Note that this stage may be a separate meeting, or even a series of meetings. This is especially important if your prospect is a larger firm with multiple decision makers and influencers, or when the service you are offering is complex.
During this phase of the selling process explain:
* Why you can help them.
* What they can expect in terms of timeframe, resources required, results, etc.
* What they will need to do.
* What you will be doing.
In some situations it might be wise *not* to give exact details of your activities. This could be the case if:
* For competitive reasons you need to protect your information.
* If you think the client may decide to do it for themselves (using your process).
* If there are issues to do with revealing intellectual property (IP).
* If the process is so complex/technical that it might confuse the prospect.
~ ~ ~ ~ Using written proposals.
As part of the overall sales process you may need to submit a written proposal. If you do submit a proposal, make sure it is done at the end of the sales process - when you have identified all relevant needs and discussed the scope of the solution.
Important:
Don't use a proposal to "guess" at what the prospective client wants. If your proposal only contains guesses, then you'll usually be wasting your time. If you have trouble getting details because your prospect wont spend time with you to discuss their situation, maybe they're not very serious about making a decision. Should you continue?
The written proposal should reflect what you have discussed with them, covering their stated needs and explaining how you will work with them. The proposal should be a summary of your previous discussions.
~ ~ ~ ~ When to use a "draft" proposal.
If your service is complex, or carries a large price tag, then consider using a draft proposal as an interim measure. How do you do this?… When asked for a proposal, rather than just saying:
"Yes, you'll have it next week" ... when really you're still not sure what to write, try saying:
"OK, we can get a draft proposal to you next week for discussion".
Use the occasion of presenting the draft proposal as an opportunity to further build the relationship and clarify all the important issues. When handled properly, this process will make you look like a professional, rather than an amateur trying to guess the clients needs.
After you've got this far, is your client still happy and eager to proceed?
If so, then…
~ ~ ~ ~ 4) Agree to the terms of the relationship. ~ ~ ~ ~
By this time you have developed a degree of rapport with your prospect. You may have spent some hours together, and have looked carefully at their situation and considered some options.
Now is the time to close the sale.
* Confirm 'how' you will work with them in writing.
* The degree of legalese in your document will depend on what tasks you are undertaking, the scope of the risk, and their expectations.
* Be clear about payment - how much, when is it due, how is it paid.
* Clarify responsibilities on both sides - who will do what and when.
* Confirm start date and key milestones if applicable.
~ ~ ~ ~ Congratulations... you now have an eager client.
You have found a prospect, identified their specific needs, matched your benefits to those needs, confirmed that your prospect recognises those benefits, structured a workable program to complete the job, and gained their agreement to start.
Now it's a matter of following through with your promises and providing exceptional client service.
But there's one last thing I'd like to mention...
~ ~ ~ ~ 5 ) When to do a "demo". ~ ~ ~ ~
If you need to demonstrate your service or discuss how you have handled similar projects, think carefully about when this should be done. Many service providers start off their sales presentation with this type of demonstration. They tell their prospect about what they can do, and detail all the benefits they can offer.
But beware; the prospect is waiting for you to show interest in their specific situation. So pay attention to them and start asking questions. When you know what is important to them you can do your demonstration with confidence, emphasising aspects that are particularly relevant for your prospect, and avoiding aspects that aren't important.
By planning and controlling your sales process you can easily turn your warm leads into eager clients, developing a strong relationship along the way.
Happy selling!
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* * * Need a guest speaker?
Stuart Ayling is available to address your business or industry group (often at no charge).
Find out about his new topic - 6 Myths of Marketing a Service Business
http://www.marketingnous.com.au/speaking.htm
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4) Tips on selling.
Seven Signs of Failure.
You'd think it would be obvious if you were a rotten manager. But truth is, it's common for a poor manager to bump along, unaware, because nobody is willing to step up and confront the problem—or the manager. You can wait for someone to work up the courage. Or you can take this quick test.
Signs of possible management failure:
--> 1. Morale is down. Sure, the economy plays a role in how everyone feels. But keep tabs on morale overall. If it's slipping, don't be so quick to blame outside forces.
--> 2. People are leaving. If voluntary turnover is high and most particularly, if your best reps seem to be leaving at a good clip, consider management as a prime culprit. And don't assume exit interviews will get you the straight scoop—bolting employees are rarely honest with HR about their reasons for leaving.
--> 3. You're spending most of your time with senior managers. A good manager needs to spend time with the rank and file, as well as the top brass. Be sure you're available to your reps and communicating with them regularly.
--> 4. Reps are missing their quotas. Maybe it's the economy. Maybe it's their sales skills. But maybe it's you. Are you not communicating the strategy effectively to your team? Are you emphasizing the wrong metrics? If the numbers aren't coming up in the black, look inward.
--> 5. You're doing a lot of selling. That's the job of your reps. As a manager, you need to step back and manage, letting your sales team handling the selling. Spending too much time selling saps your management focus.
--> 6. You're constantly in crisis mode. Don't let a single issue run your business. Take steps to manage the issue at hand, but also be sure to focus reps on the future.
--> 7. You hear "Yes" a lot. It may feel good to have people agree with you, but worry a little bit. If there's no debate, no challenge, great ideas may be getting quashed before they even get to you.
(Reproduced with permission from SALESandMARKETING.COM)
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You'll find other useful articles in the NousNEWS archive:
http://www.marketingnous.com.au/newsletter.htm
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Thank you.
Stuart Ayling
> Sales & Marketing Consultant <
www.marketingnous.com.au
Specialising in marketing for service businesses.
Tel: +61 7 3806 2238
Mobile: 0407 588 468
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Copyright 2003 Marketing Nous. All rights reserved.
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