Three Pre’s of product sales:

My childhood days, I used to see MR (Medical Representatives), at our family doctor clinic. They used to carry huge bag “it used to be mystery for me, why the hell those people come to my doctor when we need him most and would go ahead of my token number”. Still happens while visiting DOC for my Kids.

(Our unknown Robinhood) 😉  However the surprise was doc would give some of the medicine for free, “AA HA this made me realize, those MR are “Robinhood” distributing medicines for free through our DOC”. Robinhood would preach their product and make sure doc prescribe those as they need to make number and doc made sure we are safe and healthy.

What does it take to be sales person in any organization…… MBA? Bachelors of Sales and Marketing? “Hmm are you sure those are the criteria? Let me see if I am not wrong”. Those degree and certification are just a way to know how this world operates. They would not give you practical knowledge for the products or solutions that you join to organization be a sales person.

What more do you need?

3 Pre’s: Prepare – Preach – Predict!!!

Prepare – “No you do not prepare product 🙂”, prepare yourself to understand product and ingress its features, bright sides and unique terminology,

How: go through product details such as documents or search engines. “Best part” be friendly with technical team in your organization, who breath, eat, sleep, dream about those products. If you have ready presentation GREAT, if not prepare yourself based on the information and technical details from team.

Have your inner ability to be confident about the product you are planning to sell. “Most important; you may need to be bit technical and tactical….no no no not a master, no need”

Have list of information handy, information on how, where this product would give advantage to customer. Tentative costing of the product “yes you heard it right TENTATIVE” best references if any and finally your instinct.

Preach – I had already mentioned in my earlier blog Sales Pitch Part 2 & Part 3 (Once again, do not read your presentation as prepared try and create your own story around presentation. Take your customer through virtual world of your product operations)

Predict – Prediction is most important for any sales person and or product organization. “No you do not have to predict how are you or your organization going to perform in future”. You must predict outcome of Preach. Maybe you call it intuition “you know who are the best breed in this area, any gusses….no not boss, no not your manager, no not even your astrologer. Its your wife or girlfriend gottacha…..prove me wrong on this 😛”. Concluding last three and half minutes of your meeting or presentation and based on queries, question or gesture by customer; will give you moderate prediction, you will have to master this.. “Yes Master it the more you meet the more perfect the prediction”.

Wanted to make more interesting, but both my wife and kids are not around for inspiration hence could not 🙁 .

Positive and Negative electrodes along with earthing do complete a circuit: Any guesses what in business??? Coming soon……

Posted in D-Guide Tagged with: Instinct, Predict, Product Sell, productivity, Sales, Santosh Dave, Sdave

Dave Guide: Sales Pitch (Talk) – Part 1 (Product)

Today (24th June 2015) is a wonderful day, I was doing what I am best at teaching my subordinate, “he is smart, he is active, by the way he is the only one till date who wants to know more then what I explained him” I hope he liked it !!. He came to me and asked “how many maximum memory are support in a server” let me tell you buddy, it depends buddy on the server models. No worries, you will learn more and more as much as you are on field. “All Sales guys this is for you all, please understand you were not born sales candidate, you cant sell anything and everything”. Example: I like driving cars “I have valid license” and can drive any car but it is not necessary that I will be able to drive all types of cars in the world. I like to go on for a long drive but not necessary that I know all the roads I wish to travel.

Being sales people what all things you wish:

• I need to make numbers.
• I should be able sell anything and everything my organisation gives me.
• I need incentive to be able to make more then my salary
• Company should recognise me as a best selu “Slang version of best sales guy”

Let me give you some my own sales secrets “I am not sure they may be worldwide known as well (I have not copied any information from anywhere this is my own version)”

Sales is a process and divided in multiple areas which involves product, people and process “3P’s”

Products:

Let me say your technology refers to the products or technology solutions that an organisation deals with.

People:

Audience that you meet to showcase you organisation capabilities and type of people (Customer) involved at customer site (CTO, CIO, CFO, CEO, IT MGR, IT ADMIN etc)…

Process:

The way you represent or showcase or conceptualise ideas to customers

Products:

Understand between product and solutions, if you want to sell only product then you have to have broad knowledge on that product. You should be able to relate that product with customer requirement and current infrastructure line items that will assist the customer for their IT needs. If you are selling solution, “wooow man the most difficult part” (Shhh My Secret: your company should as well know what solution they sell for you to go and sell).

You need to have sound knowledge about the solution “If you are not taught then you have to learn”, and try building solution in and around current and future technology.

You are the mean machine who should be able to identify what are the key areas of the solution that will benefit customer. If you take anything and everything to customer then its like a laundry list, which is not important for customer.

If you talk about anything and everything then customer will think your company does not differentiate between your competitors. This will be one of the most weakest link within your organisation. This will as well complicate your customer to what they wish to talk to you, what they would like to invest in.

Solutions:

Solutions do differentiate you (Your organisation) from others as you will try to identify areas that will benefit customer organisation. Solutions are combination of technologies that you can elevate your target customers. “Westerners (IT Matured), look for specialisation”, whether it solutions, products, or job. They would like to hire best of breed people or companies. They would like to know who is best at what. Solutions are always of wide variety they include components that would encompass connecting all your links to create one chain.

It takes hell lot of time for any new comer “Sales, Pre-sales or Techno sales”,to gell within organisation to understand those solution. Every solution company have their own way of solution designing. If you need to know all those solutions and present to customer be the first to ask your company what is best to start with “NO LAUNDRY LIST PLEASE”.

Solutions Companies:

I have seen companies who wish to visualise their organisation as a solution company but they are not best at managing their technical (experts) people. Organisation have to make sure they target particular solution “As a Ammunition” to their sales representative. Educate them how to present our own expertise in terms of solution “One at a time”.

• They need to be educated in terms (some) of the following:
• What to talk and what not to talk.
• How to present yourself
• How to represent your company
• How to interpret requirements and engage customer

Let me tell you my own story:

I was asked by one of my good customer to provide storage (Backup mis interpreted by customer) solution for their infrastructure upgrade solution. “Can you please elaborate  what is your exact requirement” I asked. “I want you to quote me the solution”, customer replied. “Sir the solution what you are asking is not meeting your requirement, can we meet”. “No” replied customer, then he shared what was other quote about and exact requirement for their server upgrade.

I was shocked that customer was looking, Rack mountable servers to be upgraded to Blade Technology. “We used to sell Backup to Disk solution which customer thought was a storage”.

This is where I was sure customer is confused and I need to talk to them. Once he has shared solution requirement. I asked him “Can we meet for just 15 minutes”. “Not Today, I am finalising  by day after tomorrow and if you cant then I will proceed with what I have, kindly share your quote”. I was wondering whole night, I was going through the solution that he has shared, I found some missing links within the solution by that night. Following morning I called customer “Can you please give me just 15 minutes, the solution which you are asking is not complete and I would like to meet with you” . Costumer thought for a while and agreed “You have only 15 minutes please hurry”, it took me 8 minutes to reach customer site. I was having only 9 minutes spare “ooops”.

As soon as I entered I took 3 minutes to make my customer comfortable, now I had only 6 minutes left. We started discussion the solution which he shared. I started to the point “I had only 6 minutes”. I converted those 6 minutes to 3 convincing hours customer to buy the solution which I planned for him. Finally he is my happy customer, I would like to thank my customer for giving me those 15 minutes and making me feel proud that. We as a company can deliver what we are at best.

Kaboom I was able to do a sales !!!

To Be Continued…..

Posted in D-Guide Tagged with: CEO, CTO, Sales, Santosh Dave, Solutions