Connect and Engage Better with Provocation-based Selling

Diagnosing Customer Issues:

Connect and Engage with Provocative Selling &

Assessment Tools

Driving B2B Sales to Executive Buyers

TOM PISELLO, Chairman & Founder

Blog: http://blog.alinean.com

Twitter: @tpisello

http://www.alinean.com

http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com

http://tompiselloroiguy.blogspot.com/

http://blog.alinean.com/

http://www.alinean.com/

http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com/

© 2011 Alinean, Inc. 2

Today’s Economic-Focused Buyer




Successive Downturns Cause Fundamental & Permanent Change

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2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

B2B Spending Annual Growth

IDC historical spend

Forecast compiled from IDC, Forrester, Gartner and Goldman Sachs

Two successive downturns in past 10 years have permanently changed buyers

Affected technology marketplace first:

Prior: Innovation, growth, time to market, features / functions drove purchases

After: Saving money, bottom-line impact, best value and fast payback

“Great Recession” downturn reinforcing / accelerating this fundamental change

All areas of economy impacted for all of B2B purchase decisions

Tech Bubble

Great Recession

IDC 2010


The Economic-Buyer

• Size

Longer Sales Cycles

Reduced Deal Size More Leads to Close Same

Amount of Business

Stalled Deals

Increased Competition More Stakeholders

Executive Scrutiny


Internet Fueled Buying Cycles

• Buyers do more research independently and online

• Arm themselves with ideas, solution, competitive product knowledge

• Firmly in control of buying process

• Using online vendor content + 3rd party sources / social groups

• Inviting sales later, after set strategy, budget and solution roadmap

Not Prepared 29%

Somewhat Prepared

36%

Well Prepared 35%

At Same Time, Perceived Sales Readiness Is On the Decline

IDC 2010


CFOs & Executives: Large and In Charge

• CFOs responsible for more groups

• Taking control of strategy + buying-

cycle

• More financial due-diligence on all

purchases

• #1 Reason for NOT Meeting Sales

Quotas – Inability to Communicate Value

Messages (27%) – SiriusDecisions 2010

• Only 38% of sales reps understand the

customer’s issues and can identify how

vendor can help – Forrester 2010


A New Selling Approach is Required




Fight Frugalnomics with Value Selling & Marketing

Value Focus

Discussion:

• Prescriptive & Quantified

• Discover… Is customer

aware of issue?

• Diagnose… How bad is it?

• Quantify … Value of change

• Compare … Value vs. Status

Quo / Competition

Drive: Diagnostic Led: What

is issue & value of change?

Product Focus

Discussion:

• Customer knows issue

• Tie features / functions to needs

• Compares product alternatives

• Feature • Function • Price

Drive: Sales Led: Product

Driven

Solution Focus

Discussion:

• Customer knows issues &

desired outcome

• Questions to discover pain

points

• Recommend solution to

solve pain

Drive: Sales Led: Pain-Point

Driven

Solution

Provider Trusted Advisor Vendor


Product / Solution Selling Still Reigns

Forrester Sales Enablement Forum- 2011


Strategic Vendors Reap Rewards

More Opportunities

Greater Deal Size

Shorter Sales Cycles

Greater Competitive Advantage


Facilitating the Buyer’s Journey

BUYER’S JOURNEY

Create awareness

around a new problem

Align problem with

business issues; drive

urgency

Help buyer

identify needs in solving

the problem

Align solution

with specific sets of

business needs

Make the business case

for change

Validate/ reinforce choice

Prove best value

Content Marketing & Sales Enablement Strategy

Loosening of the

status quo

Committing to change

Exploring possible solutions

Committing to a

solution

Justifying the

decision

Making the selection

DISCOVERY CONSIDERATION DECISION


Loosening the Status Quo

BUYER’S JOURNEY

Create awareness


Align problem with


urgency

Help buyer


the problem

Align solution


business needs


for change


Prove best value


Loosening of the

status quo



Committing to a

solution

Justifying the

decision



Buyers Are:

Risk adverse / overloaded

Easier to do nothing than change

Don’t have time to fully understand issues

Executive driven / CFO aligned

Internet fueled / Sales often not engaged yet


Provocation-Based Selling

Prospect’s Don’t Buy a Solution For a Problem They Don’t Know They Have - Seth Godin

In a Downturn, Provoke Your Customers (Geoffrey

Moore)

1. Illuminate issues, of which they might not have been aware

2. Confirm the symptoms they were aware of, but could not easily put a name on

3. Prioritize which issues require the most ardent pursuit

4. Quantify the competitive or other value which may be achieved by resolving the issue (creating urgency)

5. Recommend, based on priorities, a solution roadmap to stepwise remedy the issues.

http://bankblog.optirate.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/In-a-Downturn-Provoke-Your-Customers.pdf


Implement Provocation-Based Selling

with Diagnostic Assessment Tools




Discovery - Diagnose with Assessment Tools

– Connect and engage early in sales process

– Stimulate change and loosen status-quo

– Survey current spending and practices

– Diagnose issues

– Benchmark status quo versus competition and leaders

– Recommend improvement strategies

– Map solutions to improvement strategy

– 3rd party validation to improve credibility

15


Profile for Benchmarking

Benchmark comparisons

Typically by industry, location and size


Survey

Survey Questions – Multiple Choice, Pulldowns, Quantifications, Rankings

Spending, Sentiment or Current Practice Questions

Don’t Force Customer to Fill All In prior to Seeing Some Results


Diagnostic Assessment Results

Compare current responses vs. peer averages and leaders

Drive priorities through benchmark comparisons

Collaborate with customer / teammates to complete / refine


Detailed Drill Downs

Drill into details, layer by layer via pop-ups / drill downs

Confirm where doing well, illuminate areas needing improvements


Roadmap and Next Steps

Intelligently recommends solutions to resolve most pressing issues

Recommends next steps in buying lifecycle


Personalized Report

Results expanded in Word report. Can be further personalized.

PPT and PDF options available as well.

Multiple report options in single tool.


Discovery - Diagnose with Assessment Tools

– Reason to connect & engage earlier in decisions

– Earn right to call higher with executives

– Help set strategies, budgets and roadmaps

– Establishes urgency of resolving these issues over others

– Reduces time to realize issues and commit to change

– Elevate relationship from Vendor to Trusted Advisor

– Improves competitive position

22


Other Examples

Trend Micro Risk and Compliance Assessment

Sage Pacer Survey

https://roianalyst.alinean.com/ent_02/AutoLogin.do?d=884907716186206292









How to Create a Provocation-Based Selling Program




Identify a Critical Problem

• Find the critical issues the buyers / decision making executives may be facing

• Industry, company specific challenges

• Group / day-to-day challenges

• Aligned with what your solutions can help resolve

• Examples:

• Spending Levels

• Goals and Priorities

• Tactics

• Capability & Maturity

• Governance & Risks

• Effectiveness

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

5.0%

6.0%

IT Spending vs. Revenue

Your Company Peer Average Leaders


Formulate your Provocation

• The provocation can be formulated into a diagnostic / assessment methodology and tool.

• Key Diagnostic Assessment Tool Components:

1. Survey

2. Benchmark Comparison

3. Diagnostic Assessment

4. Roadmap Advice

5. Outcome / Value

6. Next Steps


Lodge you Provocation – Marketing & Demand-Gen

• Centerpiece of engagement campaigns

• Offering a free assessment to respondents:

– ―We’ve worked with companies in your peer group and have seen how the leading players are experiencing this painful problem.

– We think it’s possible that your company is at risk in this area as well."


Lodge your Provocation – Sales Enablement

• Assessment Workshop

• Facilitative discovery process versus confrontation or a sales pitch,

– Helping the customer to uncover the issues that might be preventing them from reaching their goals

– Helping them realize that change would ―do them good‖

• ―The goal is to disturb the executive’s equilibrium—and make the status quo untenable—without putting him or her on the defensive.‖ – Geoffrey Moore

• ―Presenting specific, well-supported concerns and remedies in a forthright manner keeps the focus on business performance for an executive who is accountable for it.‖ – Geoffrey Moore


Alinean: Facilitating the Buyer’s Journey w/ Interactive Sales &

Marketing Tools

BUYER’S JOURNEY

Interactive White Papers

Diagnostic Assessment Tools

ROI Analysis Tools TCO Comparison Tools

Create awareness


Align problem with


urgency

Help buyer


the problem

Align solution


business needs


for change


Prove best value

Loosening of the

status quo



Committing to a

solution

Justifying the

decision




PROVOCATIVE APPROACH VALUE APPROACH


Next Steps

1. Your Sales & Marketing Ready to Do Business with Frugal Buyers? Take this Diagnostic Assessment to Find Out.

2. Research White Paper: Sales Enablement and the Economic Buyer

3. Over 200% ROI from a Value Selling Program Sound Impossible? Find Out for Yourself

4. Why Alinean? Alinean Vendor Profile (SiriusDecisions)

Alinean powered tools can significantly upgrade the quality of sales interactions

throughout the buying process, allowing prospects to drive at the beginning

through simpler, self-service tools and sales to provide greater depth as the buying

process proceeds – SiriusDecisions 2010


https://roianalyst.alinean.com/enterpriseroi/AutoLogin.do?d=583481707964037332


http://www.alinean.com/docs/Alinean_Sales_Enablement_and_the_Economic_Buyer.pdf



http://www.alinean.com/Resources/Alinean2010Profile_SiriusDecisions.pdf


