Nothing better makes the case for change in front of decision makers than showing the red ink on your buyer’s bottom line. A value calculator is a highly effective tool for displaying all of that red and identifying that it’s caused by a problem your product or service can solve.
B2B sales typically have long marketing and sales cycles due to the nature of the offering. Today’s buyers will put off talking to a sales representative as long as possible before finally committing to a first meeting. You need to prepare for that first meeting before a potential customer ever asks for one. That meeting is unlikely to include the final decision makers but use it to lay the groundwork for the sale as though it did.
Because an assessment tool is so engaging, it can be used at every step of the sales process. Essentially, an assessment tool is a versatile tool that can be designed to evaluate specific situations and guide the prospect through a customized line of inquiry based upon their answers to previous questions.
We all have to start somewhere when we enter the job market. On the way to learning and earning your sales stripes you probably had a good mentor or two. Along the way you may have also heard some of the worst sales advice known to humankind. Here are ten pieces of the worst sales advice I have ever received.
Traditional marketing wisdom tells us that building customer relationships begins with the sales process. Every product, company and industry has its own unique journey, and it’s our job as B2B solution providers to establish trust, credibility and value every step of the way.
As customer acquisition costs keep rising, savvy SaaS providers are focusing on retention to reduce their churn rates. An initial SaaS purchase is just the beginning of your relationship with a new customer. You must keep earning their loyalty to ensure high renewal rates and avoid financial and reputational damage.
How frequently do you use the term “ROI” in front of customers and potential buyers? I frequently hear sales and marketing professionals talk about “ROI” inaccurately. In a casual conversation, people might still give you the benefit of the doubt and have faith that you know your stuff. However, if you’re making a formal presentation or having a serious conversation with a prospect who’s well versed in financial terminology, any misuse of the term could obviously leave a disastrous impression about you and your company.
An RFP lands in your inbox. It’s from a company you would love to do business with. Your pipeline for the next two quarters isn’t as strong as it could be, and several of your biggest opportunities seem to be stuck in the dreaded “no decision” limbo.
Have you ever heard customers say, “I don’t believe these numbers,” while showing them the business case for your offering? It’s not that the customer thinks you’re a liar. The problem is that many customers come to the table with existing assumptions or prejudices around benefit dimensions. Therefore, your ROI estimates can seem like pipe dreams.
If you are shopping for an ROI tool, odds are that you already agree with us that a homegrown Excel tool won’t get you the best results. But how do you evaluate vendors and make the right choice? Here are four elements to consider.
