Contest: the 10 Steps of a Sales Cycle

I am having a contest! Ready to play? Since my Monday posts are about Buying Facilitation®, and I’ve written so extensively on it, it’s time to put some of your learning into practice. How does Buying Facilitation® fit with the sales model (especially given that both models include managing the buying decision, albeit using very different outcomes, with very different results, at opposite ends of the buyer’s time line)? When do you do what? How do you know when it’s time to visit and when to wait, time to help them manage their off-line, private decision issues and when to pitch?

Below are 12 To-Dos, including the 10 steps of a sales cycle as I see them. They are out of order, and two of them (at least – probably three) are unnecessary. Please put them in the order you think they should be in, name the 2 or 3 that are unnecessary, and submit.

The first person to have the steps in the order that I believe is accurate as per Buying Facilitation® and how to help buyers navigate their behind-the-scenes decision and change issues, will get a free book, Dirty Little Secrets: why buyers can’t buy and sellers can’t sell and what you can do about it. The winner will be announced April 26. Please submit your answers in comment section of this post on sharondrewmorgen.com. And if you want, we can have an interactive webinar about this afterwards. Let me know if you’d like to and we’ll set it up.

Note: for those who plan to use my books to get the correct order, I’ve changed some of the activities and wording so they don’t directly match other lists.

    • Develop marketing materials to professionally represent your solution either on-line or in person.
    • Make an appointment to get in front of the prospect
  • Help the prospect choose the members of the Buying Decision Team.
  • Help the gatekeeper discover who your best point of contact would be.
  • Facilitate prospect’s discovery of what sorts of strategic issues they must manage to get folks on board with potential change.
  • Lead prospects/buyers through tactical issues they must manage before they can choose a solution.
  • Follow up to see if there is anything you can do to help the prospect/buyer decide to purchase.
  • Lead prospects/buyers through the systems issues they must consider in order to determine how any proposed change will disrupt their status quo.
  • Use Facilitative Questions to get into rapport and have them begin to examine how or if or why they would consider changing their status quo.
  • Discuss/present your solution and show the prospect/buyer how it would fit with their need/problem.
  • Discuss how your solution fits with the internal issues that they must manage.
  • Manage objections and differentiate yourself from the competition.

I look forward to discussing your responses. I’m bound and determined to get us all adding new skills to the sales model, and hope this is one way we can all start thinking differently. I look forward to your thoughts. And thanks for playing with me 🙂

sd

Want to see the results of this contest? Check it out here.

29 thoughts on “Contest: the 10 Steps of a Sales Cycle”

  1. Order:

    • Use Facilitative Questions to get into rapport and have them begin to examine how or if or why they would consider changing their status quo.

    • Facilitate prospect’s discovery of what sorts of strategic issues they must manage to get folks on board with potential change

    • Lead prospects/buyers through the systems issues they must consider in order to determine how any proposed change will disrupt their status quo.

    • Lead prospects/buyers through tactical issues they must manage before they can choose a solution.

    • Discuss how your solution fits with the internal issues that they must manage.

    • Discuss/present your solution and show the prospect/buyer how it would fit with their need/problem.

    • Follow up to see if there is anything you can do to help the prospect/buyer decide to purchase.

    Omit:

    • Help the gatekeeper discover who your best point of contact would be.
    • Manage objections and differentiate yourself from the competition.
    • Help the prospect choose the members of the Buying Decision Team.
    • Make an appointment to get in front of the prospect
    • Develop marketing materials to professionally represent your solution either on-line or in person.

  2. * Help the gatekeeper discover who your best point of contact would be.
    * Use Facilitative Questions to get into rapport and have them begin to examine how or if or why they would consider changing their status quo.
    * Lead prospects/buyers through the systems issues they must consider in order to determine how any proposed change will disrupt their status quo.
    * Facilitate prospect’s discovery of what sorts of strategic issues they must manage to get folks on board with potential change.
    * Help the prospect choose the members of the Buying Decision Team.
    * Lead prospects/buyers through tactical issues they must manage before they can choose a solution.
    * Discuss how your solution fits with the internal issues that they must manage.
    * Discuss/present your solution and show the prospect/buyer how it would fit with their need/problem.
    * Follow up to see if there is anything you can do to help the prospect/buyer decide to purchase.
    Not relevant
    * Make an appointment to get in front of the prospect
    * Manage objections and differentiate yourself from the competition.
    Possibly relevant
    * Develop marketing materials to professionally represent your solution either on-line or in person.

  3. HealthcareGuru

    1. Develop marketing materials to professionally represent your solution either on-line or in person.
    2. Help the gatekeeper discover who your best point of contact would be.
    3. Make an appointment to get in front of the prospect

    4. Use Facilitative Questions to get into rapport and have them begin to examine how or if or why they would consider changing their status quo.

    5. Discuss/present your solution and show the prospect/buyer how it would fit with their need/problem.

    6. Lead prospects/buyers through tactical issues they must manage before they can choose a solution
    7.Facilitate prospect’s discovery of what sorts of strategic issues they must manage to get folks on board with potential change.
    8.Manage objections and differentiate yourself from the competition.
    9.Lead prospects/buyers through the systems issues they must consider in order to determine how any proposed change will disrupt their status quo.
    10. Follow up to see if there is anything you can do to help the prospect/buyer decide to purchase.

  4. Jeffrey Frankel

    » Help the gatekeeper discover who your best point of contact would be.
    » Facilitate prospect’s discovery of what sorts of strategic issues they must manage to get folks on board with potential change.
    » Manage objections and differentiate yourself from the competition.
    » Help the prospect choose the members of the Buying Decision Team.
    » Lead prospects/buyers through tactical issues they must manage before they can choose a solution.
    » Lead prospects/buyers through the systems issues they must consider in order to determine how any proposed change will disrupt their status quo.
    » Develop marketing materials to professionally represent your solution either on-line or in person.
    » Make an appointment to get in front of the prospect
    » Discuss how your solution fits with the internal issues that they must manage.
    » Discuss/present your solution and show the prospect/buyer how it would fit with their need/problem.
    » Follow up to see if there is anything you can do to help the prospect/buyer decide to purchase.

  5. 1. Help the gatekeeper discover who your best point of contact would be.
    2. Use Facilitative Questions to get into rapport and have them begin to examine how or if or why they would consider changing their status quo.
    3. Lead prospects/buyers through the systems issues they must consider in order to determine how any proposed change will disrupt their status quo.
    4. Facilitate prospect's discovery of what sorts of strategic issues they must manage to get folks on board with potential change.
    5. Help the prospect choose the members of the Buying Decision Team.
    6. Lead prospects/buyers through tactical issues they must manage before they can choose a solution.
    7. Discuss/present your solution and show the prospect/buyer how it would fit with their need/problem
    8. Discuss how your solution fits with the internal issues that they must manage.
    9. Follow up to see if there is anything you can do to help the prospect/buyer decide to purchase.

    NOT NEEDED
    * Develop marketing materials to professionally represent your solution either on-line or in person.
    * Manage objections and differentiate yourself from the competition.

    * Make an appointment to get in front of the prospect (unless the prospect prefers to handle it this way; talking on the phone is fine as far as the seller is concerned)

  6. •Make an appointment to get in front of the prospect
    •Use Facilitative Questions to get into rapport and have them begin to examine how or if or why they would consider changing their status quo.
    •Lead prospects/buyers through the systems issues they must consider in order to determine how any proposed change will disrupt their status quo.
    •Facilitate prospect’s discovery of what sorts of strategic issues they must manage to get folks on board with potential change
    •Lead prospects/buyers through tactical issues they must manage before they can choose a solution..
    •Help the prospect choose the members of the Buying Decision Team
    •Discuss how your solution fits with the internal issues that they must manage.
    •Discuss/present your solution and show the prospect/buyer how it would fit with their need/problem
    •Manage objections and differentiate yourself from the competition.
    •(Should not be necessary but kept just in case) Follow up to see if there is anything you can do to help the prospect/buyer decide to purchase.

    • .
    • Not Required.
    •Help the gatekeeper discover who your best point of contact would be
    •Develop marketing materials to professionally represent your solution either on-line or in person

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  8. » Help the gatekeeper discover who your best point of contact would be.
    » Use Facilitative Questions to get into rapport and have them begin to examine how or if or why they would consider changing their status quo.
    » Lead prospects/buyers through the systems issues they must consider in order to determine how any proposed change will disrupt their status quo.
    » Facilitate prospect’s discovery of what sorts of strategic issues they must manage to get folks on board with potential change.
    » Help the prospect choose the members of the Buying Decision Team.
    » Lead prospects/buyers through tactical issues they must manage before they can choose a solution.
    » Make an appointment to get in front of the prospect (I would add with all involved)
    » Discuss/present your solution and show the prospect/buyer how it would fit with their need/problem.
    » Discuss how your solution fits with the internal issues that they must manage.

    Unnecessary:
    »Develop marketing materials to professionally represent your solution either on-line or in person.
    » Follow up to see if there is anything you can do to help the prospect/buyer decide to purchase.
    » Manage objections and differentiate yourself from the competition.

  9. hi chris: a few comments. 1. you didn't omit any, and at least 2 aren't necessary. want to have another look? 2. you are still thinking 'sales' and going straight for needs assessment and solution placement. have another think through these…. you've read at least one of my books. remember that needs assessment is second. and first is……. ???

  10. hi there: you're thinking 'sales.' have a look around http://www.newsalesparadigm.com and read about 'what is BF'

    why do you want to get in front of a prospect if they haven't figured out how they are going to get buy-in? why not wait until they have the entire Buying Decision Team configured? why use your body as a prospecting tool? just asking…

  11. jeffrey: what would it look like if your job were to help them navigate through all of their behind-the-scenes decision issues before they thought about need or solution? and imagine what would need to be true for you to get no objections? objections only happen when you are pushing a solution into a 'closed system' not when you are facilitating the buying decision.

    have another think about it 🙂

  12. ORDER
    1. Help the gatekeeper discover who your best point of contact would be.
    2. Use Facilitative Questions to get into rapport and have them begin to examine how or if or why they would consider changing their status quo.
    3. Help the prospect choose the members of the Buying Decision Team.
    4. Lead prospects/buyers through the systems issues they must consider in order to determine how any proposed change will disrupt their status quo.
    5. Facilitate prospect’s discovery of what sorts of strategic issues they must manage to get folks on board with potential change.
    6. Lead prospects/buyers through tactical issues they must manage before they can choose a solution.
    7. Discuss how your solution fits with the internal issues that they must manage.
    8. Discuss/present your solution and show the prospect/buyer how it would fit with their need/problem.
    9. Manage objections and differentiate yourself from the competition.
    10. Follow up to see if there is anything you can do to help the prospect/buyer decide to purchase.

    NOT NEEDED
    • Develop marketing materials to professionally represent your solution either on-line or in person.
    • Make an appointment to get in front of the prospect

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  14. Thanks Sharondrew for your suggestions to take another look at the process

    • Use Facilitative Questions to get into rapport and have them begin to examine how or if or why they would consider changing their status quo. ( (No sense meeting until we see if there is any chance they could be ready to examine a change to their SYSTEM – should be able to accomplsih by phone)

    • Facilitate prospect’s discovery of what sorts of strategic issues they must manage to get folks on board with potential change. ( What are they trying to accomplish and who might be needed within theri enviorment)

    • Help the prospect choose the members of the Buying Decision Team. ( Ok we both see some ( not all ) of the issues they might face in a major chamge to the system- who at the company needs to work through the process/issues they will/might face in making a change).

    • Make an appointment to get in front of the prospect. (IF we think THEY could be ready but require some guideance through their internal issues)

    • Lead prospects/buyers through the systems issues they must consider in
    order to determine how any proposed change will disrupt their status quo. Your prospect may /can not do this alone so we need the team in place first)

    • Lead prospects/buyers ( THE TEAM through tactical issues they must manage before they can choose a solution. ( Now working with the buying team on more detail stuff on what the change might mean and criteria to measure success)

    • Discuss how your solution fits with the internal issues that they must manage. (OK where may my company and solution might help)

    • Discuss/present your solution and show the prospect/buyer how it would fit with their need/problem.

    Manage objections and differentiate yourself from the competition. ( May not and should not come up but if it does be ready)

    • Follow up to see if there is anything you can do to help the prospect/buyer decide to purchase.

    Omit:

    • Help the gatekeeper discover who your best point of contact would be. (Only needed if cold calling but would help might help in other circumsatances)
    • Develop marketing materials to professionally represent your solution either on-line or in person ( Only if they insist but should not be the major issue or obstacle) .

    Thanks Again Bob

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  17. I guess I put Buying Decision Team ahead of Tactical Issues because, in my experience, the person I'm working with doesn't often know all the tactical issues, but do know who knows.

    And I put Solution/Need ahead of Solution/Internal Issues because people seem to expect it that way, although they could really be thought of as concurrent, i.e. happening in the same conversation.

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  19. 'working with' is different from 'helping manage the change' at the very very beginning. if/when you shift your initial contact to be re helping the person figure out the change issues, you'll have a different dialogue. plus, until or unless they know how to do this they won't know who should be on the BDT. make sense?

  20. 'working with' is different from 'helping manage the change' at the very very beginning. if/when you shift your initial contact to be re helping the person figure out the change issues, you'll have a different dialogue. plus, until or unless they know how to do this they won't know who should be on the BDT. make sense?

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