1. PLANNING and HAVING CUSTOMERCONVERSATIONSMarch 7th, 2012Andrew Rudin,Managing Principal, Outside Technologies, Inc.Certified Social Media Strategistwww.outsidetechnologies.com703.371.1242 (mobile)arudin@outsidetechnologies.comwww.xeeme.com/andyrudin

2. Who is our facilitator,and why is he here? Andy Rudin 20 + years B2B sales experience incommercial, government, non-profit Focus on sales strategy & execution Work with technology companies MS in management information technologyfrom University of Virginia Certified Social Media Strategist (2010)

3. Key Problems to SolveHow to discover information that matters, and how to use it to produce outcomes that are valuable for you and for your customer.

4. What this workshop isand isnt Is: an interactive forum to share ideas and best practices to help advance your business goals A set of frameworks you dont have to memorize, and that you can use repeatedly in a wide range of situations Isnt: a tutorial thats designed to turn everyone into sales pros A set of recommendations that will undermine what you already do well Proprietary shelf-ware

5. Customers

6. + Engagement

7. Todays Roadmap

8. Part 1 The differences between knowns, unknowns, and assumptionsand whyeach is important Risk Management 101, and why it matters for your sales activities and toyour company Risks and opportunities: the key categories of facts and information thatevery salesperson must uncover during the sales process The Porters Five Forces Model and how to use it for sales discovery Your intent, and how to establish a foundation of trust Conversation points that resonate, differentiate, and substantiate Lead qualification, part A, to find the best prospects for sales engagement Call readiness checklist

9. Part 2 How to assess risk appetite both for you and your prospective customers Lead qualification, Part B How to define problems through questioning and discovery How to expose capability gaps in your prospects business operations The best questions to ask in specific selling situations, and how to developyour own favorites How to embed questions into effective conversations Best practices for asking questions during sales conversations Five to dos before ending the call Asking for commitmentbelief, care, and act Common selling myths, debunked

10. Part 3Nurturing interest and conversations after the callProviding value and eliminating friction: integrating the buying andselling processReciprocal expectations for following through on commitmentsEnsuring ongoing interest and interaction

11. Part 1

12. Hi Vikram:I am the new Vice President of Global Business Development at AccuStartEngineers, and my company has initiated a project to explore additional salesopportunities offshore.We are considering some emerging markets, and after reviewing yourwebsite, we think it would be beneficial to set up a meeting to learn more.We plan to expand our international presence as early as next quarter, and wewill be refining our search over the next few weeks. AccuStart Engineers willconduct a thorough evaluation based on a set of criteria we have formulated.Can you provide us with details about your programs and about doing businessin Saudi Arabia? Also, if you have some references we can contact, that wouldbe most helpful.Best,Ken Thomas,VP Global Business Development, AccuStart Engineers

13. 1-minute Exercise:Write down the first three questionsthat come to mind.Note: there are no right or wrongquestions.

14. KnownsUnknowns Assumptions

15. 5-minute Exercise:When you begin your first salesconversation,Which assumptions do you have?Whats typically known?Whats typically unknown?

16. Risk Management 101 Eliminate Reduce Share Transfer AcceptLikelihoodImpact

17. Opportunities and Risks for salespeopleTrust and Rapport Build rapport Build trust Be credible Listen and understand Be transparent (open)Accessibility Build community (reach) Be approachable (findable) Connect with individuals (engagement)Value Be valuable Advocate, persuade, and enable others to do so Be current (information flow) Be clear Be different Appeal to ego and emotion

18. Categories of Questions to ask1. Qualification2. Situation (consequence/impact)3. Networking4. Attitude/sentiment5. Validation6. Vision

19. What Keeps Prospects up at Night?Source: Strategy and the Internet - Porter

20. 10-minute Exercise:1. divide into two groups2. pick a single account or company that everyoneknows3. Figure out where the power is in the value chain.4. Figure out which forces are exerting pressure on thatpower (reinforcing or threatening).5. Figure out which forces are influencing thecompetitive landscape (substitute products, competitivebarriers-to-entry)

21. Foundation of trust --begins before the first conversationIntent Transparency Shared values, objectives and goals Empathy Meaningful questions Reflective, insightful dialog Be personal, plainspoken, positive, plausible Worldview

22. Conversation PointsConversation point ExampleResonate Companies that dont find customers outside the United States will face constrained growth in our domestic markets.Differentiate We are the only trade organization that focuses on the largest and fastest growing market in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia.Substantiate One of our clients, (name of company in similar market), gained a contract worth ($X) directly through participation in our trade mission last year.

23. Conversation pointsResonate Differentiate Substantiate OutcomeResonate X X Lots of people are calling us about this.Resonate Differentiate X Theres too much risk!Resonate X Substantiate Send me your brochure and/or pricing, and well get back to you.X Differentiate Substantiate Great , but thats not us.X X Substantiate Not really listening

24. Qualification 4 Green LightsQuestion 1: Can my company as Producer and my target company as Consumer generate mutually beneficial value?Question 2: Am I going to waste my time?Solution fit: Does my prospect seek an outcome that can be enabled with my product or service?Access: Can I get access to the people who can enable me to achieve the outcome I want?Financial resources: Does my prospect have the resources (money/time/people) to purchase and implement my solution?Expected timeframe: Does my prospect plan to purchase my product or service in a timeframe that is within my operating horizon?

25. Phone Call Readiness checklist 1. Name. Have the persons name and company nameand correct pronunciationswritten down in front of you 2. Facts. For the individual you are planning to speak with, know at least three facts each about his or her industry, company, and them personally 3. Visualization. Visualize who youre calling, where they are, whats on their calendar, what matters they might be dealing with right now . . . 4. Hypothesis. about at least one of their strategic concerns that you can help them solvebased on the facts in #2 above. 5. Conversation points. What you must convey to resonate, differentiate, substantiate 6. Outcome. What do you want from the call, including immediate next step? 7. Plan B. What to do if the conversation doesnt proceed along the happy path. 8. Key facts. What must be discovered? Know what you need to know.

26. Break!

27. Part 2 How to assess risk appetite both for you and your prospective customers Lead qualification, part B How to define problems through questioning and discovery How to expose capability gaps in your prospects business operations The best questions to ask in specific selling situations, and how to developyour own favorites How to embed questions into effective conversations Best practices for asking questions during sales conversations Five to dos before ending the call Asking for commitmentbelief, care, and act Common selling myths, debunked

28. Risk Appetite CFO decision What do I get? When do I get it? How certain are the answers to those questions? Nobody wants risk, but its a business fact of life Risk for taking projects, and for not taking them Use risk for competitive advantage What typifies the industry?

29. Lead qualificationPart BSecond-level qualification risks (in plainEnglish, What caused my last opportunity totank?) Implementation resources, operationalcapability, bias, certifications, size, sector, known sales activities in theMiddle East.Resources requestedTrade off questionResources giventime and accessRed Flagswithheld information, etc.Organizational willChange-inducednew points ofcontact, event triggers

30. How to define problemsPeople need water.Is access to water a human right?Is it exploitative for companies toprofit from people who require basicnecessities, such as water, to live?How do we get water to people whoneed it?

31. How to Discover Capability Gaps As Is To Be gap Projects, Prioritized Projects 1. 2.

32. 10 Good Strategic questions1. What are the major forces driving changes in your business?2. What are the key capabilities and resources required to execute strategy and achieve your goals?3. In order to execute your business strategy, what are the key things you must do well?4. What proprietary advantages must your company create for your strategy to be successful?5. What are the most valuable outcomes your organization enables for your customers?6. What conditions have the most disruptive impact on your business now, and will have in the future?7. What are the greatest opportunities for your company to change the basis of competition in your industry?8. How might these impact barriers to entry? Switching costs? Relationships in your value chain? Product differentiation?9. How sustainable is your market position and the business model needed to achieve and support that position?10. What are your options for growing your business in the future?

33. How to embed questions into conversationsTrust your instincts!Telling is not selling, but neither is interrogation.Some useful habits: Restate answers as you heard them Ask for help in clarifying and validating Triangulate the problem Connect answers or desired outcomes/results with somethingthat you do or provide, but make sure youre on the target When applicable, always mention a related customerchallenge, and the role you played in solving it

34. Best practices for asking questions 1. Bring great curiosity to your conversations 2. Dont assume you know the answers before you ask your question 3. Endeavor to see the world through your customers eyes 4. Listen for unexpected answers 5. Have the agility to pursue a different pathway 6. Dig beyond the most plausible answer.

35. 5 to-dos before ending the call 1. Look at the persons name on your screen or notepad, and use it. 2. Thank them for their time, and remind them how helpful you found the information that they shared. 3. Summarize the key points you heard. 4. Remind them of what youre going to do, AND what youre expecting, and WHEN. Note: this is not one-sided. 5. Confirm the next step, including WHEN.

36. Commitment has more than one step Believe Care Act

37. Common Selling Myths--debunked Its important to know everything you can about your prospect. Its always best to start a sales conversation by uncovering the customers pain. Following trigger events will help you know the best time to contact a prospect. Prospects are busy these days, and they dont have time to talk to salespeople. CXOs dont want to talk to salespeople, they want to talk to other CXOs. Customers have all the information power anyway. * But each of these has a shred of truth . . .

38. Break!

39. Part 3Nurturing interest and conversations after thecallProviding value and eliminating friction:integrating the buying and selling processReciprocal expectations for following through oncommitmentsEnsuring ongoing interest and interaction

40. Nurturing Interest and conversations after the callRule #1: You are not just following up!Rule #2: You are valuable, and you must live up to it!Rule #3: Be confident. If you have provided arequested resource, you have earned the conversation.1. Review your conversation notes, and match to company and competitor news and announcements. This reminds your prospect that you are tracking developments.2. Follow social media, including Facebook and Twitter for fast-breaking information.3. Set up Alerts and RSS feeds, and monitor them regularly.4. Ask and tell.

41. Providing value and eliminating friction1. Think about how your prospect buys. Which networks do they use? What information is most valuable? Which steps do they go through? Which outcomes (results) are they seeking?2. Match the resources and steps item-for-item3. Consider eliminating any resources and steps that are not useful to your prospects.4. Learn from past activities and experiment frequently.

42. Reciprocal expectations . . .Or, ask not just what can I do for my prospect?ask what can my prospect do for me? 1. You offer value, including time, expertise, and resources. 2. When your intent is positive, and you demonstrate your integrity, it is fair to expect the same. 3. If you dont receive it, you must always ask whether you should continue the business development effort.

43. Create ongoing interest and interaction1. Develop and/or find outstanding content, and not just about your product.2. Create a blog to share the content3. Use social media, but focus on where your prospects are, and how they use information4. Examine hashtags and integrate the terms in your online content5. Keep everything online current!6. Assign someone to do this.7. Measure your activities to learn whats getting used. (assumption: used = valuable)8. Parse!9. Personalize!10. Use references (quantifiable benefit / time).

44. Time for questions . . . Andrew (Andy) Rudin 703.371.1242 arudin@outsidetechnologies.com