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Sell Your Products and Services, but Sell Your Sales Process, Too

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Sell Your Products and Services, but Sell Your Sales Process, Too
 
May 29, 2015

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  By Tracey E. Schelmetic, TMCnet Contributor
 


Sales is a dog-eat-dog business, to use some old-fashioned jargon. Particularly in a crowded marketplace with lots of competition – not everyone can be SpaceX (News - Alert) – it’s important to find an edge, and that edge is usually a very clear way to show customers value in your product or solution over another. Today, processes are as important as products and services, and customers are looking for solutions that make it easy for them to buy and consume. In a business-to-business environment, this means selling your company’s processes and the great relationships you build with vendors.


According to a recent blog post by Charlie Tranen for New York-based Propoint Graphics, the best way to present yourself as a reliable partner with transparent, easy processes is by showing your customers charts, graphs or other visual media to illustrate your sales strategy.

“First off, you need people to understand how your underlying process works,” wrote Tranden. “Your process is much better shown than told, so the first step is creating a visual process flow that aligns with your brand. Think about how you take clients from start to finish on every single project, and then put that in visual terms. They will remember your images longer and more clearly than the conversation.”

Next, it’s important to ensure that customers understand your processes thoroughly, and you’re not glossing off any areas (implementation, etc.) that might prove to be lengthy, difficult or require a substantial amount of work. Early generations of customer relationship management (CRM) software were crippled with a bad reputation because vendors undersold to buyers how long it would take to implement the software, and how disruptive the process would be.

“If everything seems too perfect or if they discover any unaddressed issues on their own, they will lose trust in you,” wrote Tranen. “But if you aren’t afraid to be honest, they are more likely to rely on you as a trusted advisor.”

One great way to sell the sales process visually is by creating case studies that feature simplified graphics that show timelines, benchmarks, processes and results that are easy to understand and appealingly laid out in a visual format. Tranen notes that too many companies only try to sell the end results of case studies and miss the “fun part.”

“Make it clear that the great final product is a direct result of the process you bring to every project. Even if a particular case study isn’t the best fit, they will see how the same process will help them achieve an equally unique and successful solution,” he wrote.

While selling a product is important, selling the sales process that leads to a successful conclusion is equally important. In a competitive environment, this is exactly the type of leg up a sales organization can use to get ahead. 




Edited by Rory J. Thompson

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