Neural Impact Industry Sales Engagement...

Industry SalesEngagement Guide

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Industry Sales Engagement Guide

Shifting from Solution to Industry SellingBuyer behavior has changed. The buyer/seller dynamic has been dramatically transformed forever. Sales professionals cannot expect the predictable results they once produced using solution selling methodologies. Today’s business applications/IT buyers are self-educated, highly informed, risk averse and mistrust sales professionals. They have already been through several challenging business/IT projects and want to remain firmly in control of their buying journey. This seismic shift has disrupted the solution selling approach that has served successful sales professionals for decades. To evolve with this change, sales professionals must accept four new selling realities:

The selection process has changed.Today’s buyers complete the majority of their research on-line. Many engage third-party consulting firms to help them define their project scope and selection criteria long before they create a vendor shortlist. Buying committees increasingly know as much, and sometimes more, than the sales professionals they invite to compete; some approach Microsoft Dynamics partners with comprehensive RFPs that accurately reflect software capabilities and features. This shift leaves sales professionals with a short window of time to influence the decision criteria, and little to add to the buyer’s pool of knowledge. The sales professional’s only option is to “service” the buying cycle and hope for a win.

“Solutions” have become commodities.Business applications have matured to the point where enterprise buying teams have a very difficult time differentiating vendors from one another based their product functionality, project methodology or price. Solution parity, coupled with a desire for limited customization, accelerated deployment and subscription licensing, has radically changed traditional selection criteria. Today’s buying teams want solutions that can be implemented rapidly (relative to traditional project time-lines) that deliver accelerated time to value, with limited risk.

STRATEGICTIPPING POINT

The moment a prospect consciously or unconsciously

develops a strong bias towards a single vendor.

Emotional Trigger Event (+/-) Decision

New Engagement PointInitial Research

BUYING JOURNEY

Historical On Premise Engagement Point

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Product demonstrations are no longer central to the decision making process. The “Strategic Tipping Point,” the moment a prospect consciously, or unconsciously, develops a strong bias towards a single vendor, has shifted from the end of the sales process to the beginning. Enterprise buying teams form biases during their research activities, which is often difficult to change. With highly educated buyers, sales professionals simply have less time to influence the functional requirements, scope definition and decision criteria early in a prospect's buying cycle. They can no longer rely upon a late-stage Strategic Tipping Point at the near the end of a sales process (often during the product demonstration or proposal review process) to save the day. Sales professionals now need to “front-end-load” their efforts in order to create a Strategic Tipping Point early in the engagement cycle. In collaborative sales processes, product demonstrations are confirmation exercises, not the end-game.

Industry is the new differentiator.“Tell us what you want and we’ll build it for you” selling strategies do not resonate with today’s buying community. Buyers expect on-demand, industry-specific technology solutions that address common business challenges. Traditional differentiators such as comprehensive product functionality, experienced resources, local presence, proven implementation methodology and lower price are today’s minimum entry requirements. Without them there is little hope of being included on a short-list. Differentiation has sharply pivoted towards industry expertise, accelerated value realization and lower project risk. Sales professionals must teach prospects something new, provide industry specific insights that lead to project change (scope, business case, approach, risk profile) and be recognized as industry “insiders.”

Qualify Develop CloseProofSolution

SOLUTION DRIVEN STP

Profile Anchor CommitConfirmCollaborate

Strategic Tipping Point

DISRUPTION DRIVEN STP

Product Functionality Pricing Advantage Geographical Proximity Experienced Resources Proven Methodology

Industry/Vertical Experience Knowledge Advantage Industry Specific IP Accelerated Value Realization Lower Risk Profile

TacticalDifferentiation

StrategicDifferentiation



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This Industry Sales Engagement Guide outlines the sales approach and critical prospect engagement activities required to consistently close highly profitable projects. It is based on documented Microsoft Dynamics (AX & CRM) partner sales processes that predictably drive 50% to 80% win rates.

The primary win strategy is anchored in disrupting the prospect selection process, by triggering a Strategic Tipping Point during the first BDM (Business Decision Maker) meeting. This strategy only be executed with a deep understanding of a prospect’s industry challenges, business processes and key operating metrics. The objective is to position, sell and facilitate a collaborative engagement that results in a significant project adjustment.

The Industry Sales Engagement approach aligns with the needs and behaviors of today’s enterprise buying teams. This approach is rooted in industry-specific business value creation and risk reduction. The primary goal of the enlightened sales professional is to be accepted as a member of their prospect’s tribe.

The Industry Sales Engagement approach counters the traditional resource-intensive, demo-oriented sales process that increasingly leads to highly customized product demonstrations, complex sales cycles and (at best) a 20% win rate.

The Five Phases of the Industry Sales Engagement Approach

• conduct prospect research and first call preparation• facilitate the initial Project Lead (PL) profiling call• identify the primary project drivers and core requirements• understand the selection process and selection criteria• conduct profiling calls with influential Line-of-Business (LOB) leads• conduct profiling call with Business Decision Maker (BDM)• document the business case expectations and perceived project risks• facilitate an internal opportunity/deal review• create and send an alignment email and meeting agenda to the PL

INDUSTRY SALES ENGAGEMENT BENEFITS

Higher win rates Shorter sales cycles Lower sales costs Greater scope clarity Reduced project risk

Phase I – ProfileThe Profile phase encompasses all sales activities that occur prior to meeting a prospect on-site for the first time. The primary Profile activities include:

SME/LOBStakeholder

Profiling

Nurture or Exit

PROFILE

Triage

Research& Prepare

BDM Profiling

Credential &Profile (PL)

InternalOpportunity

Review

NO

QualifiedOpty

30 Minutes

60 Minutes

30–60 Minutes

60–90 Minutes

QualificationChecklist

AlignmentE-mail

DiscoveryQuestions Action Plan

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• facilitate a Credential Whiteboard with the PL (meeting #1)• facilitate a Value Chain Whiteboard with the project SMEs (meeting #2)• meet with the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or Finance Director (FD)• understand the project business case and strategic alignment• identify at least one significant project risk• facilitate a Disruptive Insight Whiteboard with the BDM• make an internal go/no-go decision

Phase II – AnchorThe Anchor phase encompasses all on-site engagement activities that occur prior to developing a solution recommendation, services estimate, statement of work and project plan. The primary objective of the Anchor phase is to facilitate a disruptive insight whiteboard (Strategic Tipping Point) with the BDM, that results in a paid consulting engagement that is delivered during the buying cycle. The sole purpose of the engagement is to change a critical project element (scope, business case, selection criteria/approach) that results in a lower risk profile and/or expanded business case. The primary Anchor activities are:

The Collaborate phase encompasses all engagement activities required to develop the solution recommendation, project documentation (SOW, services estimate, project plan) and prepare for a solution demonstration. The Collaborate phase follows one of two predictable paths: (1) an optimization engagement that re-casts one or more critical project elements (business case, risk profile, scope, stakeholder team), or (2) a traditional solution definition activity stream that leads to a product demonstration. The primary Collaborate activities are:

Phase III – Collaborate

• deliver an accelerated project “optimization” consulting engagement• define a revised solution recommendation• review the optimization summary with the BDM & PL• draft all project documentation: SOW, services estimate, project plan• coordinate a meeting between the partner and prospect project directors

to review project risk• document and validate the Demonstration Plan

OptimizationEngagement

Collaboration

SolutionDefinition

BDMEngagement

Review

ProjectApproach &Risk Review

YES

NOOpen toChange

Project Directorto Project Director

Demo PlanAlignment

DemonstrationPlan

OptimizationTemplates

WorkshopReport

Project RiskWhiteboard

COLLABORATE

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Credential &Position (What)

BusinessProcess

Review (How)

BDM BusinessCase / Risk

Review

InternalOpportunity

Review

CIO/TDM Project Review

CFO/FD Project Review

Industry Acceptance (Head)

Industry Teaching

(Hands)

Differentiate & Disrupt

Cloud Strategy &

Business Risk

Cloud Strategy &

Project Risk

StrategicTipping Point

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AlignmentLetter

CredentialWhiteboard

DisruptiveInsight WB

Value ChainWhiteboard

Why MSFTWhiteboard

ANCHOR

(Heart)

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The Confirm phase includes all engagement activities required to demonstrate that the recommended solution addresses the project and business challenges defined during the discovery process and optimization engagement. This phase also uncovers and handles all outstanding objections. The primary Confirm activities are:

• complete a solution demonstration dry run• deliver a “delta” solution demonstration• manage all reference requests• facilitate a peer-to-peer executive meeting

• configure the solution proposal• configure the proposal presentation (PPT)• deliver the proposal presentation to the BDM and PL

(face-to-face)• uncover and manage all outstanding objections• negotiate and execute all contracts• schedule and facilitate a project delivery transition meeting

Phase IV – Confirm

The Commit phase includes all engagement activities involved in preparing and presenting the solution proposal. This includes handling all outstanding objections, negotiating terms and conditions and transitioning the prospect to project delivery. The primary Commit activities are:

Phase V – Commit

SolutionDemonstration

ExecutiveBridging

DemonstrationDry Run

ReferenceManagement

Demo ScenesHandout

CONFIRM

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ProposalReview

Pre-ProposalReview

Negotiation

ContractExecution

Project Lead

Face to FaceBDM

Close Plan

SolutionProposal

ProposalPresentation

COMMITDo

cum

enta

tion

Sale

sM

arke

ting

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Relevant or redundant?Experienced buyers will engage with sales professionals who bring insightful industry-specific content that aligns with their business challenges. These same buyers will punish sales professionals who simply recite product features and facilitate structured interrogations. Sales professionals who understand the industry drivers and market forces which shape their prospects’ strategic decisions, who can clearly articulate industry issues, risks and operational challenges, will be rewarded with executive conversations, greater levels of disclosure and ultimately, higher win rates.

To consistently drive these outcomes, sales professionals must move beyond a basic understanding of their target industries. Sales professionals have to add to the body of research that is openly available to everyone with an Internet connection. They must bring an insight and experience-based perspective to a highly informed buying community.

Configuring the Industry Sales Engagement templates referenced in this guide for your target industries will help develop the industry knowledge required to consistently drive a high level of prospect engagement. More importantly, it will lead to a more predictable and compelling win rate.

Industry Sales Engagement Approach

SME/LOBStakeholder

Profiling

COMMITCONFIRM

Nurture or Exit

ANCHORPROFILE

Triage

Research& Prepare

BDM Profiling

COLLABORATE

OptimizationEngagement

Collaboration

GO

SolutionDefinition

ProposalReview

Pre-ProposalReview

BDMEngagement

Review

ProjectApproach &Risk Review

SolutionDemonstration

ExecutiveBridging Negotiation

Credential &Profile (PL)

Credential &Position (What)

BusinessProcess

Review (How)

BDM BusinessCase / Risk

Review

InternalOpportunity

Review

InternalOpportunity

Review

NO

NO GO

DemonstrationDry Run

ContractExecution

YES

NO

ReferenceManagement

QualifiedOpty

YES

Open toChange



Project Directorto Project Director

Demo PlanAlignment

Industry Acceptance (Head)

Industry Teaching

(Hands)

30 Minutes

Face to Face

Project Lead

Face to FaceBDM

Differentiate & Disrupt

(Heart)

60 Minutes

30–60 Minutes

60–90 Minutes

StrategicTipping Point

QualificationChecklist

AlignmentE-mail

DiscoveryQuestions Action Plan

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AlignmentLetter

CredentialWhiteboard

DisruptiveInsight WB

Value ChainWhiteboard

Why MSFTWhiteboard

DemonstrationPlan

OptimizationTemplates

WorkshopReport

Project RiskWhiteboard

Demo ScenesHandout Close Plan

SolutionProposal

ProposalPresentation

CloudStrategy &

Project Risk

CloudStrategy &

Business Risk

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Phase I - ProfileEnsuring prospects satisfy your organization’s high-level qualification criteria is an important part of the Profile phase. But collecting the information required to create a Strategic Tipping Point during the subsequent Anchor phase is the primary goal. For clarity, all Profile phase activities are facilitated remotely. The Profile phase objectives are:

• Establish credibility as an industry (tribal) member• Teach the prospect something they had not considered or

uncovered during their project research and preparation• Secure access to 2-3 project SMEs and, ideally, the BDM• Develop a high-level understanding of the project

business case

• Identify the selection process and executive engagementpoints

• Collect the information necessary to populate andfacilitate a Credentialing Whiteboard during the firston-site meeting.

PRIMARYACTIVITY OBJECTIVES ACTION STEPS

Identify the “current state” scenario that provoked interest in a new business application.

Identify the most likely executive stakeholders and their probable business challenges.

Define the first call strategy and objectives.

Create a compelling reason for the prospect to engage with you.

Research on-line sources to confirm the prospect meets basic qualification criteria such as industry, geography, revenue and size. On-line sources include the prospect’s website, publicly available financial statements, and corporate research tools.

Identify and research the PL and members of the leadership team through social selling tools (LinkedIn, Xing).

Reference the EMF Whitepaper for further guidance on how to identify trigger events and priority business processes.

Research & Preparation

Profile Phase Key Activities, Objectives, and Actions

Confirm the prospect meets your organization’s primary qualification criteria.

Identify the primary project objectives and business drivers.

Send an introductory email in advance of directly contacting the PL .

Formulate 10 – 15 emotional discovery questions (what, how, and why) to encourage prospect engagement, curiosity and disclosure.

Call #1 Project Lead

Project & Process

Discovery

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Establish your organization’s credentials in relation to the prospect’s industry and your ability to impact their business drivers.

Identify the prospect’s selection process and criteria.

Secure access to the project SMEs and BDM for incremental discovery calls.

Introduce a minimum of two “educational insights” based on your prospect research.

Reference the Emotional Discovery Guide, and Industry Pain Blueprint Guide for further insights and ideas.

Secure a deeper understanding of the BDM’s business challenges, project drivers and anticipated benefits/ROI.

Uncover the primary business challenge driving the project (growth, reduced operational costs, new market expansion, integration of an acquired company).

Identify the BDM’s primary risk concerns related to the project.

Identify the BDM’s primary control challenges (reporting, decision making, insights, forecasting) to be addressed through the project.

Identify when and how the BDM will participate in the selection process.

Prepare business, risk and control-related discovery questions.

Validate the operational challenges raised by the PL and SMEs.

Confirm your understanding of the BDM’s vision and desired capabilities.

Facilitate a cloud vs. on-premise discussion, and/or a subscription vs. perpetual licensing discussion, to determine the risk drivers behind the project.

Send an alignment email and action plan to the BDM, SMEs and PL.

Reference the Emotional Discovery Guide and Action Plan Guide for further insights and ideas.


Calls # 2-4 SMEs

Business Process

Discovery

Develop a clear understanding of each SME’s business and operational challenges (finance, supply chain, manufacturing, sales, marketing), their desired capabilities and project responsibilities.

Communicate your organization’s industry experience (through content, not claims).

Identify LOB demonstration elements the SMEs feels are critical to the decision making process.

Identify specific concerns and objections the project team may have with your organization or offering.

Send an introductory email to the SMEs representing the core business lines or functional areas, that clearly communicate you understand their challenges.

Coordinate a conference call with each functional SME.

Formulate 10 – 15 emotional discovery questions (what, how and why) to encourage prospect engagement, curiosity and disclosure.

Reference the Emotional Discovery Guide and Industry Pain Blueprint Guide for further insights and ideas.

Call # 5 BDM

Business Case & Risk Discovery

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Determine if the opportunity profile satisfies the high-level criteria required to move to the Anchor phase.

Confirm the Credential Whiteboard and agenda for Meeting #1.

Prepare a draft Credential Whiteboard.

Conduct a brief opportunity review with relevant sales team members (industry pre-sales engineer and sales management).


Internal Opportunity

Review

Tips for Effective ProfilingBusiness executives will grant time to sales professionals who:

• Understand their industry and primary business challenges• Clearly convey how they can deliver value• Have the power to make decisions• Listen more than they speak (ask intelligent, relevant

questions)• Speak the language of money, risk and control• Teach them something new

InsightGatekeepers will not provide access to SMEs and BDMs unless they perceive a significant advantage to themselves or the project. Arguing that BDM access is a vendor requirement or benefit always ends badly.

InsightDeals are won and lost early in the sales process. While it is unlikely a prospect will make a conscious decision to buy from you during the Profile phase, they will form a strong bias (positive or negative). Research is the key to unlocking higher levels of prospect disclosure and trust. Microsoft Dynamics sales professionals that consistently experience an 80% win rate spend between two and four hours researching high-potential “leads” prior to scheduling their first telephone call.

TipsSend an alignment email to prospects within 60 minutes of your profiling calls that confirms your understanding of their business drivers, project challenges and anticipated benefits. This communication may include an overview of your organization’s capabilities, relevant industry qualifications and next steps. NOTE: Do not send software or solution information. This communication has to be a value added activity. Only include relevant content (industry report, or SaaS vs. on-premise analysis, etc.) if it is aligns with the BDM conversation.

InsightDo not verbally vomit on the prospect. The objective of discovery is to have prospects ask you questions about your organization and solution. If they don’t ask, they're not interested.

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Phase II - AnchorIdentifying a significant project or business risk that can only be addressed through a collaborative consulting engagement is the primary objective of the Anchor phase. To consistently and effectively accomplish this objective, you must:

• Complete the profiling process• Collect additional technical, functional and business case

elements• Engage with all selection process stakeholders• Secure a deeper understanding of the project objectives,

business priorities and potential project risks

• Facilitate three compelling whiteboard sessions: aCredential Whiteboard, a Value Chain Whiteboard and aDisruptive Insight Whiteboard

• Identify a significant business or project risk that yourorganization can address through an "optimization"consulting engagement.


Validate your understanding of the primary business drivers and business processes driving the project.

Communicate a clear understanding of the industry drivers and market forces that are currently impacting the prospect.

Credential your organization within the prospect's industry.

Use the information collected during the profiling calls to develop a Credential Whiteboard framework.

Document specific questions for the discovery session.

Reference the Educational Insight Guide & Whiteboard Guide for further insights on facilitating the Credential Whiteboard.

Credential &

Positioning Meeting

Anchor Phase Key Activities, Objectives, and Actions

Document a clear understanding of the prospect’s business processes and desired improvements.

Confirm your solution satisfies the prospect’s functional and technical requirements.

Identify functional challenges undermining the prospect’s strategic and operational objectives.

Facilitate the Value Chain Whiteboard, documenting the specific business process challenges critical to project success.

Identify areas of measurable project-related economic benefit and potential risk.

Understand the primary strategic operating metrics aligned with the project.

Business Process Review

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Identify business case elements and economic benefits (e.g., ROI or cash flow improvement) potentially impacted by your solution.

Document a high-level understanding of the prospect’s business model.




Secure CIO/TDM support for a Microsoft Dynamics solution.

Clarify the prospect’s cloud strategy and experience deploying cloud-based solutions (Office365, CRM, LOB).

Develop a clear understanding of the IT-related project implications and potential project risks, specifically related to:

• integration (requirements, capabilities, tools)

• data conversion (requirements, capabilities, tools)

• change management• resources (experience, skills)

Determine the prospect's Microsoft Dynamics bias (positive or negative).

• expected project benefits (personal)• cloud position/perspective (past

experience, anticipated risks/benefits)• business case expectations• ROI calculation method• anticipated project risks and concerns

Secure CFO/Finance Director support for a Microsoft Dynamics solution.

Determine the finance leader’s:

Facilitate a Why Microsoft Whiteboard with the most senior IT executive aligned with the project, detailing the industry-specific and prospect-specific benefits of a Microsoft Dynamics solution (ideally co-facilitated with a Microsoft sales or technical specialist).

Facilitate a meeting with the most senior finance executive aligned with the project.

Summarize your understanding of the finance leader’s business and project objectives and expectations in an Alignment Email.

Reference the Emotional Discovery Guide, Educational Insight Guide and Alignment Email Guide for further insights and ideas.

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Document the specific reporting challenges that leadership has with its current system, and the impact on decision making.

Determine the Microsoft Dynamics bias (positive or negative).

Create a Strategic Tipping Point.

Prove your credentials and the credentials of your organization as industry (tribal) members.

Validate and quantify the project's business case.

Uncover the Emotional Trigger Event that initiated the need for a new business solution.

Secure a commitment from the BDM for a paid consulting engagement. The optimization workshop must materially enhance the business case or mitigates a significant business (or project) risk.

Secure a meeting with the project's business sponsor; the individual ultimately responsible for championing the funding request.

Facilitate a BDM Disruptive Insight Whiteboard, summarizing the industry and project drivers, business process challenges, anticipated business case benefits and surprise “risk” element

Summarize your understanding of the BDM business/ project objectives and expectations in an Alignment Letter.

Reference the Educational Insight Guide, Industry Whiteboard Guide and Alignment Letter Guide for further insights and ideas.


BDM Business Case/Risk

Review

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Phase III - CollaborateChanging a strategic element of the prospect’s project: business case, risk profile, scope, selection process, or decision criteria is the primary objective of the Collaborate phase. To accomplish this objective, you must:

• Facilitate an industry-specific optimization workshop (business impact assessment, risk assessment, scope validation, etc.) that includes BDM participation.

• Ensure the prospect’s core business processes andassociated functional requirements align with yourorganization’s solution capabilities.

• Engage with the prospect’s most senior projectleader (Project Manager or Project Director) toreview project risks.


Establish a high level of industry competence and experience.

Secure commitment to change some aspect of the project: scope, business case, budget, timeline, resource requirements, etc.

Confirm all relevant executives will participate in the Optimization engagement.

Deliver the Optimization consulting engagement.

Complete the Optimization Engagement Report.

Work with delivery/consulting to establish a high-level estimate for presentation during the engagement review session.

Optimize Engagement

Collaborate Phase Key Activities, Objectives, and Actions

Validate the key insights and impacts uncovered during the Optimization engagement.

Validate the improved business case impacts and reduced risk profile.

Validate the solution capabilities required to deliver the most critical business case benefits.

Draft a high-level overview of the Optimization Engagement Report (PPT).

Print the Optimization Engagement Report and hand it to the BDM in person; under no circumstances should it be presented via projector.

Optimize Engagement

Review Session -

BDM

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Secure acceptance of a high-level budget estimate (trial close).

Confirm and prioritize the core capabilities the BDM wants to include in the solution demonstration (if required).

Identify any outstanding objections or concerns.

Email a revised PDF Optimization Engagement Report to the BDM that incorporates all adjustments from the review meeting.

Secure the support of the prospect’s most senior project leader (Project Manager or Project Director). This individual is ultimately responsible for the success of the project implementation.

Coordinate a face-to-face meeting between the prospect’s most senior project leader and your organization’s most experienced delivery leader to review the project approach and anticipated risks.

Secure a commitment to limit solution demonstration scenarios to critical capabilities that materially impacting business outcomes and critical business processes.

Document the prospect’s primary functional requirements in a Demonstration Plan, then validate the plan with the senior project leader and BDM.

Secure a commitment to the recommended demonstration scope and approach.


Solution Definition

Define and scope a differentiated solution that aligns with the prospect’s core business and project drivers.

Develop all necessary project proposal documentation:

• project plan

• estimate (licensing & services)

• statement of work

• scope recommendation

Engage prospect stakeholders to validate assumptions, clarify outstanding objections or concerns, and provide feedback.

Assemble project team and select project director.

Project Approach

& Risk Review

Demonstration Plan

Confirmation

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Phase IV - ConfirmProving your recommended solution will solve the prospect’s business challenges is the primary objective of the Confirm phase. To accomplish this objective, you must:

• Limit solution demonstration scenarios to capabilities

that have an emotional resonance (money/risk/

control), that materially impact business outcomes, or

which are central to the decision making process

• Identify the demonstration elements that willemotionally engage participating stakeholders

• Uncover all outstanding objections

• Source and brief reference clients

• Coordinate an executive-to-executive alignment

meeting


Improve prospect engagement during the solution demonstration.

Configure demonstration presentation documents (PPT).

Determine presentation timing and screen-shot hand-outs.

Complete a high-level walk-through of the presentation opening, solution demonstration, validation points and closing sequence.

Identify and document responses to anticipated objections.

Reference the Demonstration Plan Guide for further insights and ideas.

Demonstration Dry Run

Confirm Phase Key Activities, Objectives, and Actions

Align your solution with the prospect’s business objectives, challenges, project drivers, business process challenges and operational pain points.

Uncover and manage all solution and project-related objections.

Start the demonstration with a brief review of the Demonstration Plan.

Document questions and direct them towards key stakeholders to drive engagement throughout the demonstration.

Prepare and distribute color handouts of high-impact screen-shots.

Solution Demonstration

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At the conclusion of the demonstration, clearly ask if there are any outstanding concerns which participants feel would hinder a successful project (meeting the defined business objectives).

DO NOT RUN LATE!

Prepare a prospect profile summary and facilitate a reference briefing call. Focus on the business challenges driving the project as well as the potential project risks.

Mitigate the risk of competitors influencing senior project leadership by changing the decision criteria.

Coordinate a discussion between an executive from your organization and the most senior project executive involved in the decision making process (e.g., Board Chair, CEO/Managing Director, Divisional President, LOB VP); you should not attend this meeting

Your executive should focus the discussion on risk reduction (why moving forward with your organization is the safest choice). The closer an opportunity gets to closure; the greater the role risk plays in the decision making process.


Executive Bridging

Minimize the risk of references generating additional objections.

Reference Management

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Phase V - CommitCreating a sense of business urgency and securing a contractual commitment are the primary objectives of the Commit phase . To accomplish these objectives, you must:

• Present your proposal directly to the BDM• Clearly communicate the economic and strategic value of

choosing your solution (and organization)• Manage all outstanding objections• Shield the prospect from any last-minute competitive

tactics

• Establish a defined contract completion date (create a compelling event if none exists)

• Complete negotiations and contracting


Validate all assumptions and pricing expectations with your internal coach (probably the PL) prior to presenting it to the BDM.

Draft the final Solution Proposal (DOC).

Prepare a high-level BDM Proposal Presentation (PPT) summary.

Schedule a review session with your internal coach, (ideally the PL).

Review the Proposal Presentation with the PL for feedback and guidance.

Pre-Proposal Review

Commit Phase Key Activities, Objectives, and Actions

Reduce the risk of a “no” decision.

Clearly communicate how your solution addresses the prospect’s current and future business challenges (remind the BDM of the strategic reasons the project must be funded).

Uncover and manage all remaining stakeholder objections.

Secure BDM agreement to a contract completion date.

Modify your Proposal Presentation to align with the prospect’s unique business challenges and functional requirements.

Schedule and facilitate a 60 - 90 minute Proposal Review with the BDM and PL.

Revise and forward a PDF of both the Proposal Presentation and the Solution Proposal.

Reference the Proposal Presentation Guide and the Solution Proposal Guide for further insights and ideas.

Proposal Review

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Secure BDM commitment to a defined contract completion date.

Review all legal documents with BDM.

Document all anticipated action steps and milestones required to complete the contracting process in a close plan.

Negotiate terms (if applicable).

Coordinate transition to project delivery.

Complete the contracting process (all documents executed).


Contract Execution

Tips ASK DIRECTLY FOR A COMMITMENT. “Based on everything we have discussed and reviewed with you today, do you feel comfortable moving forward with our organization?”

This document is for informational purposes only. The opinions and views expressed in this document are those of Neural Impact Inc. and do not necessarily state

or reflect those of Microsoft.

MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS

DOCUMENT.

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