Welcome to:
Advanced Sales Skills
for
Experienced Technology Salespeople
Presented by:
Bill Sharer, MBA, CTS
Exxel Management and Marketing Corp
Lambertville, NJ
The professional does not succeed just by
winning the sale.
You succeed only when the entire project
succeeds.
Therefore, the pro does what it takes
to sell jobs that can—and will—succeed.
Principles that work take work
Quantity
Quality
Time
Cost
Quantity
Quality *
Time
Cost
 Understand
the bigger and better sale
 Improve tools for better sales to:
◦ Deal with different “buyers”
◦ Expand and Refine discovery skills
◦ Achieve recurring revenue
◦ Manage your networking
◦ Improve your processes and your margins
◦ Sell successful jobs






Sells a job that can succeed
Asks enough of the right questions to assure
that people who follow can succeed
Doesn’t undervalue labor
(No other industry does this like we do!)
Engages the client at every step (Site survey,
scope of work, kickoff meetings, etc.)
Leaves nothing to chance in documentation
Doesn’t create the “Sale from Hell”









Impacts the total organization
Purchased by C-level executives
Tends to be large, high-ticket sale
Invariably relationship-based
Frequently produces recurring revenue
More service content than product
Demands different and better sales skills
Often requires economic justification
Requires connection to network



Strategic rather than tactical
Impact the entire organization
Represent more important decisions
◦ more people affected
◦ more money at stake
◦ longer-term consequences



Must consider the “Big Picture”
Business agendas are directly impacted
Test your business acumen









Computers and Software
Insurance and banking services
Telephony/communications/security systems
Digital Signage
Contracted services (e.g. maintenance, staffing, etc.)
National account purchases (e.g. fleet sales)
Consulting services
Technology: connected to the network
Note: All these enable recurring revenue!







Large university
Substantial corporations
Major hospital or healthcare organization
Large law firm
Government entity/agency
Other “bigs” with multiple (maybe global) locations
International Not-for-Profit
Window of
Opportunity
%
0
TIME
Partner
Consultant
Contributor
Preferred Supplier
Vendor
Understand Org issues
Understand Client Industry
Understand Client Business
Know Application/Functionality
Good Product/Service







Comfortable with C-level executives
Know more about the client’s business
Move to an “industry consultant” level
Advanced listening and discovery skills
Focus on applications and services
Know enterprise challenges and objectives
More team selling
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/President
 Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
 Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
 Chief Operating Officer (COO)
 Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
 Chief Information Officer (CIO)
 Assorted Vice Presidents









Achieve all strategic organizational goals
Long-term planning
Board and stakeholder relations
Corporate image
Corporate culture
Market competitiveness
Size and quality of staff/continuity
Return on investment







Strategic network effectiveness
Communications/information infrastructure
Enterprise-wide systems (CRM, ERP, others)
Systems implementation and maintenance
Organizational control
Future requirements for technology
Security and disaster recovery








Long-term organizational financing
Asset management
Banking relationships and credit facilities
Governance, compliance, audit functions
Return on capital employed
Economic justification
Overall cost containment/reduction
Capital budgets and planning
 Enterprise
Sales Raise the Bar
 Client Engagement is Crucial
 High-Gain, Open Questions
 Discovery Requirements
◦ The Project
◦ The People
◦ The Processes









What are your expectations for this project?
What functionality must it provide?
What kinds and how much use will it get?
Where are you in your investigation ?
What documentation is available (Scope, RFP, etc.)
What’s the project timetable?
When could we visit the site(s) together?
What’s your experience with projects like this?
From your experience, what’s unusual or different
about this project?





Who in addition to you will be involved in
decisions?
Tell me a little about your inhouse staff
capabilities.
Who else will it be important for us to meet?
Who are our points of contact?
What other key players are involved (e.g. real
estate, architects, consultants, etc.)





How far along are you in your budgeting
process?
How does your procurement process work?
What’s the best way to communicate with you?
What should we know about the way you prefer
to do things like this?
What , if any, particular sensitivities to people
or processes should we know about?
Source unknown
It isn’t one of yours









Purpose/System Functional Requirements
Scope Statement and project overview
Assumptions: Facts, not hopes
Milestones and Responsibilities for each
Project and Change Management Procedures
Contract Type and Pricing
Terms and Conditions
Lets you bill and collect for all your work
Describes what’s in scope and what is out
(if you don’t say it’s out the client thinks it’s in)







The “new” business model: all about service(s)
A huge overlooked opportunity
Lesson learned from the IT guys
Places proper value on labor
Keeps you in front of the client
Perfect fit with the enterprise sale
Make it a default on every substantial install







Design and engineering
Programming
Project Management
Installation
Training
Commissioning
Break/fix , PM, warranty
Integration-related








Staffing
Security
Building management
Remote monitoring
Telecommunications
Consulting
Content creation
Infrastructure cabling
Additional possibilities





Be systematic and disciplined about networking
Even farmers need to hunt: At minimum
“mine” your existing accounts
Learn how to use social networks, don’t just join
Attend one networking event per month
Keep contacts fresh and active. (No one over 12
is impressed with 500 Facebook friends)


Principles that work take work
Your “assignments:”
◦ Learn the world your clients live in
◦ Create and write your best discovery questions
◦ Identify recurring revenue opportunities and make
them part of your plan
◦ Review your Scopes of Work for Quality
◦ Develop a networking strategy and stick to it
◦ Identify opportunities for mining major accounts
Thank You for Attending!
Enjoy the Showcase!
Achieve Better Sales!
Bill Sharer, MBA, CTS, Partner
Navigate Management Consulting
bill.sharer@navigatemc.com
609.397.0933