The most skillful sellers understand that a longer or more complex sale brings with it the opportunity to establish relationships that live on beyond this sales cycle and into the next.
Account Strategy gives sales professionals the correct mix of skills, processes and tools to build better customer relationships and win more business opportunities when the complex sale cycle is longer.
A large value purchase brings with it a different client psychology and a different purchase decision making framework often in the form of a group of people, what Huthwaite call a decision making unit . Mapping and navigating that decision making unit, such as knowing who to meet, when, what their issues are and knowing how to personalise the approach for each, is crucial to a successful sale in this context. Price pressure, competition, benchmarking, procurement practices, incumbents, internal politics, and spending decisions signed off at board level can all contribute to long and complex sales processes. Being persuasive and demonstrating sufficient value to stand out at each stage can be a challenge.
"Our customer relationship management system is fine at telling us where we are now, but not what we should do next or how we should do it"
"Our team finds it hard to describe real progress in the opportunity in a way that we can all understand, and use as a basis for forecasting"
"It’s critical that we understand what competitors are doing, and how the prospect thinks of us in relation to them"
"We can’t seem to get to the real decision makers, and we struggle to articulate a persuasive value proposition when we do"
"Our customer engagement is short-lived. We are too reactive and miss out on the chance to influence our clients long-term"
"Procurement seems to be calling the tune and keeps telling us that the only differentiator is price"
"Even when we’ve offered the customer a viable service, they still don’t see us as the obvious supplier"
"We lose business just when we think we've converted the customer."
Experiencing skills in a virtual environment prepares account sellers for customer interactions that may also involve virtual communication.
Attend virtual sessions from anywhere with a good internet connection minimising work schedule disruption.
Reduce travel expenses and bring geographically spread groups together where traditional training is difficult.
Virtual sessions are spread out allowing on the job practice between sessions with expert facilitators. This helps to embed learning throughout.
Experience engaging expert trainer presentations with the ability to ask questions and engage in debate during live sessions.
Take part in virtual breakout sessions for group simulation work.
Learning is supported by digital resources. Peers can share their valuable experiences and support each other throughout the learning process and back in the workplace.
New skills and processes are immediately integrated within live and up-coming campaigns to embed new behaviours quickly.