Slow Down, Sell Faster!: Understand Your Customers Buying Process and Maximize Your Sales - Brossura

KEVIN DAVIS is president of TopLine Leadership, a sales and sales management training company. His revolutionary eight-step process is used at Citigroup, ADP, Bayer, Sprint-Nextel, IKON Office Solutions, Global Imaging Systems (a XEROX company), and dozens of other Fortune 500 companies.

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

PART I UNDERSTANDING BUYING IS WHERE SELLING

SHOULD START

Chapter 1 Why Slower Is Faster: How Selling Too Fast Results in

Lost Sales and a Longer Buying Process

How Selling Too Fast Causes Lost Sales

Shifting from Selling- to Buying-Focused

The Eight Steps in the Customer’s Buying Process

Six Mysteries of Selling Solved

The Eight Sales Roles That Match the Buying Process

Slow Down and Get in Sync!

Chapter 2 Mastering the Politics of Selling to Multiple

Decision Makers

The Players on a Complex Buying Team

Configurations of a Complex Buying Team

A Case Study in Complex Buyinnamics

How to Avoid the Biggest Mistakes

Looking Ahead

Chapter 3 Winning the Complex Sale

The Questions You Can’t Afford Not to Ask

Fundamental Skills to Master

When in the Buying Process to Reach Each Decision Maker

Sharpening Your Political Skills

Winning Over 0a Complex Buying Team Takes Skill

PART II THE EIGHT ROLES OF BUYING-FOCUSED SELLING

Prologue to Part II

How to Get Started with the Eight Sales Roles

Focus on Obtaining Go-Forward Commitments

Getting Started

Chapter 4 The Student: Use Knowledge to Gain an Edge

Study Your Customer

Customer Step 1: Change

How a Student Gains a Deeper Understanding of Your

Customer’s Business

Know Three Things about Each Customer That Other

Salespeople Won’t Know

Understanding the Company’s Decision-Making Hierarchy 66

Put Your Knowledge to Work

Milestone #1: Getting More First Appointments

The Goal: A Twenty-Minute Appointment

A Telephone Approach That Gets Results

Preparing for the First Appointment

Chapter 5 The Doctor: Diagnose Small Problems, Define Big Needs

Uncovering Needs to Establish the Value of Your Solution

Customer Step 2: Discontent

Types of “Patients” You Will Meet

How the Doctor Intensifies the Prospect’s Need for Change

The Five Steps of Diagnosis

Handling the “Ballpark Price” Questions

Identify then Intensify Discontent

Milestone #2: Accelerating Momentum with a

Memo of Understanding (MOU)

Why MOUs Areitical

Sample MOU

Chapter 6 The Architect: Design Customer-Focused Solutions

Orienting on the Buying Process

Customer Step 3: Research

The Customer’s Process for Developing a Solution

Understanding Customer Buying Criteria

The Dynamics of Customer Buying Criteria

How an Architect Designs Unique Solutions

Identify Your Differentiators (Do a Market Assessment)

The Architect’s Toolkit: How to Understand and Influence

Buying Criteria

Creating a Better Match Between Criteria and Capabilities

Create a Unique Solution to Match Customer Needs

Chapter 7 The Coach: Make a Plan to Defeat the Competition

Evaluating Your Starting Position

Customer Step 4: Comparison

How a Coach Develops a Winning Game Plan

Scouting the Competition

Five Winning Strategies

Become a Stronger Competitor

Milestone #3: Winning Proposals and Presentations

Developing a Convincing Proposal

Presentations: Preparation Will Meet Opportunity

Be Sure to Maintain Communication

Chapter 8 The Therapist: Understand and Resolve a Buyer’s Fears

Customer Step 5: Fear

Why Fear Happens

How a Therapist Resolves Buying Fears

Important Skills of a Therapist

Fear May Not be the Only Hurdle

Resolving Your Own Fears

Help Customers Move Past Fear

Chapter 9 The Negotiator: Reaching a Mutual Commitment

Customer Step 6: Commitment

How a Negotiator Creates Win-Win

Preparing to Negotiate

Handling the Most Common Customer Negotiating Tactics

When the Negotiation Really Begins

Negotiate to a Win-Win Agreement

Milestone #4: Transitioning from Pre- to Post-Sale

Do You Keep or Hand Off Implementation?

Drafting an Implementation Plan

Minimizing Customer Risk

Chapter 10 The Teacher: Teach Customers to Achieve

Maximum Value

Customer Step 7: Expectations of Value

Lessons from the Learning Curve

How an Effective Teacher Instructs Customers:

The Four Steps of Customer Education

Teaching Benefits You, the Teacher

Exceed Your Customers’ Expectations

Chapter 11 The Farmer: Cultivate Customer Satisfaction

and Loyalty

The Key to Customer Satisfaction

Customer Step 8: Satisfaction

How a Farmer Cultivates Customer Loyalty

Four Keys to Sales Farming

The Three Levels of Customer Relationships

When and How to Develop a Strategic Partnership

Getting More Referrals and Testimonials

Your Final Role: Chief Satisfaction Officer

Epilogue to Part II

PART III COACHING THE EIGHT SALES ROLES

Chapter 12 Coaching for Success: Advice foro Work for Them)

What Is Coaching?

How to Improve Your Sales Coaching

Getting the Most Value Out of Each Milestone

Coaching the Sales Roles

Your Mission: Create a Great Sales Team

Endnotes

Index

About the Author