Bob ApolloCEOINFLEXION-POINT

MAKING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE

BUYER’S JOURNEY, YOUR PIPELINE, + YOUR REVENUE

GOALS

CRITICAL

@Sales20Conf • www.sales20conf.com/London2013 • #s20c

bob.apollo@inflexion-point.com • @bobapollo

CHALLENGE #1: ELIMINATING THE

DEPENDENCY ON HAND-TO-HAND SALES HEROICS BY

IMPLEMENTING A REPEATABLE, SCALABLE

SALES PROCESS…

CHALLENGE #4: BRIDGING THE

PERFORMANCE GAP BETWEEN YOUR “A”

PLAYERS AND THE REST OF THE SALES

ORGANISATION…

CHALLENGE #3: ENSURING THAT EVERY SALES AND MARKETING

ACTIVITY IS TIGHTLY ALIGNED WITH YOUR PROSPECT'S BUYING

BEHAVIOURS…

CHALLENGE #2: SHIFTING THE FOCUS FROM ONE-OFF TRANSACTIONAL

SALES TO HIGH-VALUE LONG-TERM STRATEGIC

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS…

SO: WHAT’S HOLDING

ORGANISATIONS

BACK?

THE FUNNEL

[Inspiration: Velocity Partners]

GR

AV

ITY

[Inspiration: Velocity Partners]

RE

AL

ITY

[Inspiration: Velocity Partners]

THEFUNNELLEAKS

A TALE OFTWO FUNNELS

EXHIBIT

A

EXHIBIT

B

WASTED

TIME

WASTED

EFFORT

B

A

WINNING DEALS

FLOW THROUGH

THE FUNNEL

2.5 TIMES

FASTER

1: THE SHAPE OF THE FUNNEL MATTERS

2: VELOCITY IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS VALUE OR VOLUME

3: YOU MUST KNOW WHAT A “WINNING DEAL” LOOKS LIKE

4: IF YOU’RE GOING TO LOSE ANYWAY, YOU’D BETTER LOSE EARLY

THEBUYER’SJOURNEY

IMPLEMENT

APPROVE

SELECT

EVALUATE

IDENTIFY OPTIONS

DEFINE NEEDS

RESEARCH

AWARENESS

STATUS QUO TH

E B

UY

ER

’S J

OU

RN

EY

BUT……THEIR BUYING JOURNEY IS ALMOST NEVER LINEAR

…THEY OFTEN DON’T UNDERSTAND WHERETHEY’RE GOING OR HOW TO GET THERE

…FROM ANY POINT, THEY COULD CHOOSETO MOVE FORWARDS, TO GO BACKWARDS,TO HOLD FAST OR ABANDON THEJOURNEY COMPLETELY

[Inspiration: Professor Eddie Obeng | Pentacle Virtual Business School]

KNOW HOW

they plan to get thereKNO

W W

HERE

they

wan

t to

get t

o

DON’T

KNO

W W

HERE

they

wan

t to

get t

o

DON’T KNOW HOW

they plan to get there

4 STATES

[Inspiration: Professor Eddie Obeng | Pentacle Virtual Business School]

PAINT BYNUMBERS

LOST IN THE

FOG

QUEST FORTHE GRAIL

HEADLESSCHICKEN

KNOW HOW

they plan to get thereKNO

W W

HERE

they

wan

t to

get t

o

DON’T

KNO

W W

HERE

they

wan

t to

get t

o

DON’T KNOW HOW

they plan to get there

4 STATES

PAINT BYNUMBERS

KNOW HOW

they plan to get thereKNO

W W

HERE

they

wan

t to

get t

o

IF YOU CAN’T WIN PLAYING BY THEIR RULES,

CHANGE THE GAME OR WALK AWAY

HEADLESSCHICKEN

DON’T

KNO

W W

HERE

they

wan

t to

get t

o

KNOW HOW

they plan to get there

RESHAPE

THEIR VISION,

INFLUENCE

THEIR

PROCESS, OR

QUALIFY OUT

LOSTIN THE

FOG

DON’T

KNO

W W

HERE

they

wan

t to

get t

o

DON’T KNOW HOW

they plan to get there

GET IN EARLY, GIVE THEM A VISION,

SUPPORT THEM IN THEIR JOURNEY

QUEST FORTHE GRAIL

DON’T KNOW HOW

they plan to get there

KNOW

WHERE

they

wan

t to

get t

o

SUPPORT AND

REFINE THEIR

VISION, SHOW

THEM HOW IT

CAN BE

ACHIEVED

IF YOUR SALES PEOPLE

HAVEN’T RECOGNISED WHAT

STATE THEIR PROSPECT’S

BUYING PROCESS IS IN, HOW

CAN THEY HOPE TO

INFLUENCE IT?

FIRST DEEP

ENGAGEMENT

WITH SUPPLIERS

57%

[Source: CEB]

57%

[Source: CEB]

POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS ALREADY IDENTIFIED

REQUIREMENTS ALREADY DEFINED

PRIORITIES ALREADY ESTABLISHED

NEEDS ALREADY SCOPED

FIRST DEEP

ENGAGEMENT

WITH SUPPLIERS

57%

[Source: CEB]

ARRIVE LATEREFRAME THE PROSPECT’S PERCEIVED

NEEDS, PRIORITIES AND BUYING

DECISION CRITERIA

POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS ALREADY IDENTIFIED

REQUIREMENTS ALREADY DEFINED

PRIORITIES ALREADY ESTABLISHED

NEEDS ALREADY SCOPED

57%

[Source: CEB]

ARRIVE EARLYOPPORTUNITY TO INFLUENCE

THE BUYING DECISION

PROCESS AND CRITERIA

ARRIVE LATEREFRAME THE PROSPECT’S PERCEIVED

NEEDS, PRIORITIES AND BUYING

DECISION CRITERIA

CONSEQUENCES

FOR B2B SALES

AND MARKETING

80-90% OF MARKETING-GENERATED SALES

SUPPORT MATERIALS REMAIN UNUSED

SALES PEOPLE WASTE DOZENS OF HOURS

PER MONTH (RE)CREATING MATERIALS

ONLY 1 in 8 MEETINGS WITH SALES PEOPLE

RATED “VALUABLE” BY PROSPECTS

GROWING TREND FOR COMPLEX B2B SALES

CYCLES TO END IN “NO DECISION”

[Sources: Forrester, CMM Group, CSO Insights]

WASTEDEFFORT

MARKETING MESSAGE+

SALES CONVERSATION+

BUYER’S PRIORITIES

AL

IGN

AL

IGN

GROWING THE SWEET SPOT

7PRESCRIPTIONS

1: IDEAL PROSPECT PROFILES

DEMOGRAPHIC

STRUCTURAL

BEHAVIOURAL

SITUATIONAL

STAKEHOLDERS

YOU CAN’T DEFINE A MARKET THROUGH DEMOGRAPHICS…

…YOU HAVE TO

UNDERSTAND THE

PSYCHOGRAPHICS

2: KEY STAKEHOLDER PROFILES

TITLES, ROLES + RESPONSIBILITIES

ROLE IN DECISION MAKING PROCESS

ISSUES, CONCERNS + MOTIVATIONS

LIKELY PERSONAL PRIORITIES

INTERNAL + EXTERNAL INFLUENCES

THEIR “BUYERSPHERE”

COMMERCIAL TECHNICAL FUNCTIONAL

LEGAL+

PROCUREMENT

YOU’VE GOT TO SATISFY EVERY STAKEHOLDER’S “WIIFM” TEST

WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

FOR MY DEPARTMENT?

FOR MY COMPANY?

3:ACTIONABLE ISSUES

A PROBLEM YOUR PROSPECT HAS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT…

…FOR WHICH YOU HAVE A PROVABLY SUPERIOR SOLUTION

IF THEY DON’T HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, THEY PROBABLY WON’T

WHY CHANGE?

WHY NOW?

WHY YOU?

EXAMPLE: HR SOFTWARE

BEFOREEXCLUSIVELY DEMOGRAPHIC APPROACH TO SEGMENTATION

FOCUS ON MID-LEVEL FUNCTIONAL MANAGERS

CAMPAIGNED AROUND PRODUCT FUNCTIONALITY

AFTERSTRUCTURAL, BEHAVIOURAL AND SITUATIONAL SEGMENTATION

FOCUS ON C-LEVEL EXECUTIVES

CAMPAIGNED AROUND CRITICAL BUSINESS ISSUES

10xRESPONSE RATE

4xPIPELINE VALUE

2xANNUAL REVENUE

4: ONE UNIFIED PIPELINE

BASED ON BUYING DECISION PROCESS

CLEAR STAGES + MILESTONES

AGREED MQL, SQL, SQO

LEAD SCORING + OPPT’Y QUALIFICATION

CLEAR RESPONSIBILITIES + HANDOFFS

UNTROUBLED IMPLEMENTINGAWARE CONCERNED EVALUATING DECIDING APPROVING

MKTG SALES

THE MORE VERSIONS OF THE TRUTH YOUALLOW…

…THE MORELIKELY IT IS THAT

ALL OF THEM ARE FALSE

5: STAGE-AND-STATE RELEVANT CONTENT

UNTROUBLED IMPLEMENTINGAWARE CONCERNED EVALUATING DECIDING APPROVING

MAKE IT EASIER FOR THE PROSPECT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH YOU TO NEXT STAGE

IF YOU HAVEN’T AGREED WHAT YOUR CONTENT IS INTENDED TO ACHIEVE…

…THEN IT ALMOST CERTAINLY WON’T

ACHIEVE ANYTHING

THEIRCHALLENGES

YOURCAPABILITIES

6: CONVERSATION PLANNERS

TALKING POINTS BASED ON ISSUES RAISED BY MARKETING MESSAGES

KEY INSIGHTS TO SHARE

KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK

LEAD TOWARDS, NOT WITH, YOUR SOLUTION!

IF YOU CREATE CONTENT WITHOUT DEVELOPING TALKING POINTS…

…THEN THE SALESCONVERSATION COULD

(AND ALMOST CERTAINLY WILL) HEAD OFF IN ANY

RANDOM DIRECTION

7: FAQs + TAQs

FREQUENTLY ASKED, YET TOUGH-TO-ANSWER QUESTIONS

SHARE THE COLLECTIVE LEARNING OF YOUR “BEST BRAINS”

!?

IF WE’D EACH HAD TO INDIVIDUALLY REINVENT THE WHEEL…

…THEN MOST OF US WOULD HAVE

ARRIVED HERE ON FOOT (AND PROBABLY MISSED

ALL THE BEST SESSIONS)

7(DECEPTIVELY SIMPLE)

PRESCRIPTIONS

…A PLAN

YOU NEED…

…A PLAYBOOK

YOU NEED…

Ideal Customer Profiles

Key Stakeholder Personas

Actionable Issues

Clear Value Proposition

Key Themes

Points of View

Conversation Planners

Qualification Guides

Anecdotes and Quotes

FAQs and TAQs

ONE TEAMONE PLAN

ONE PIPELINEONE PLAYBOOK

GET ALIGNED…OR GET LEFT BEHIND

Bob Apollo

Inflexion-Point

www.inflexion-point.com

Sales+Marketing Alignment Counsellors

bob.apollo@inflexion-point.com | +44 7802 313300