Mastering technical sales : the sales engineer's handbook / John Care, Aron Bohlig.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Care, John (Managing director of Mastering Technical Sales LLC), author.

Contributor:

Bohlig, Aron.

Series:

Artech House technology management and professional development library

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Selling--High technology.

Selling.

High technology industries--Marketing.

High technology industries.

Physical Description:

1 PDF.

Edition:

Third edition.

Distribution:

[Piscataqay, New Jersey] : IEEE Xplore, [2014]

Place of Publication:

Boston : Artech House, [2014]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Every high-tech sales team today has technical pros on board to ""explain how things work, "" and this success-tested training resource is written just for them. This newly revised and expanded third edition of an Artech House bestseller offers invaluable insights and tips for every stage of the selling process. This third edition features a wealth of new material, including new chapters on business-driven discovery, white boarding, trusted advisors, and calculating ROI. This invaluable book equips new sales engineers with powerful sales and presentation techniques that capitalize on their tech.

Contents:

Mastering Technical Sales The Sales Engineer's Handbook Third Edition

Contents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1 Introduction: Why Study "Technical Sales"?

New SE

Experienced SE

Sales Managers and Sales Trainers

Sales Representative

Marketing and Product Management

Technical Consultants

Chapter 2 An Overview of the Sales Process

Definition of the Market

Marketing Campaigns

Customer Events

Trade Shows and Seminars

Mailing Lists and Outbound Calling Campaigns

Partners

Web-Based Form or "Fremium" Products

Lead Qualification

RFP

Discovery and First Customer Engagement

Present, Demonstrate, and Propose

Presentation

Demonstration

Proposal

Proof of Concept (Optional)

Negotiations: Close or Lose-Getting the Deal

Post-Sales Support and Ongoing Account Management

Summary

Chapter 3 Lead Qualification

You Can Get Leads, Too

Lead Quality

Lead Ratings

Qualification Criteria

Budget

Time Frame

Fit: Do the Prospect's Needs Match Your Solution?

Effective Lead Qualification

Internal Roles in the Lead Qualification Process

Inside Sales/Lead Development

Sales Management

SE

Care and Feeding of the Inside Sales Team

Competitive Implications of Technical Qualification Criteria

Making the Decision to Say No

Defending Your Position When the Sales Rep Disagrees

Low-Cost Fallback Strategies

Lead Qualification in Action: The Proces with Three Common Scenarios

Solicited Leads

Unsolicited Leads

Current Projects or Recommended Leads

Chapter 4 The RFP Process

Creation of an RFP

A Closer Look at Three RFP Myths

The Go/No-Go Decision

Internally Scoring the RFP

Handling Deadlines

Strategies for Avoiding an RFP

The Alternate Response Tactic

Completing the RFP.

Presentation and Follow-Up

Appendix 4A

Chapter 5 Needs Analysis and Discovery

Overview

Why Discovery Is Critical

The Seven-Step Needs Analysis Approach

Step 1: Identify Needed Information

Step 2: Build the Perfect Pitch

Step 3: Explain the Needs Analysis Process

Step 4: Interview Key Customers

Step 5: Observe Current Processes-Get to Know the End User

Step 6: Synthesize Information

Step 7: Prepare and Present Summary

Wrap-Up

Customizing the Discovery Process

Adapt Your Questions to Your Audience

Chapter 6 Business Value Discovery

The Three Behavioral Crimes of Discovery

Tell

Accept

Guess

The Business Switchback

The Heart of the Process

Get a Full List

Verify It Is Complete

Add and Challenge

Prioritize

Evidence and Impact

What Happens If We Cannot Get Any Data?

A Final Checkpoint-The Cost/Impact Comparison

Chapter 7 Successful Customer Engagement

First Contact

Remember What They Want from You

Dissecting Project Dynamics

Back the Strongest Faction

Identify the People You Need to Know

Use Your Intuition

But Don't Forget to Use Your Brain

Covering the Whole Team, Including the Minor Players

Coaches

Where to Find Coaches

What If There Are No Obvious Options?

How to Get to Potential Coaches

Developing the Coach

The Unconscious Coach

Maintaining the Relationship

Credibility

Maintaining Credibility

Losing Credibility

Trying to Regain Credibility

Know What You Don't Know

Chapter 8 The Perfect Pitch

Paying Attention to the Attention Curve

Developing a Focused Message

Start with the Structure: S = RM + 3KP

Do a Data Dump to Identify Solution and Proof Points

Organize the Ideas

Focus the Message

Transfer to PowerPoint

Nonverbal Delivery Skills.

Verbal Delivery Skills

Strategize the Start

Special Situations

Very Large Audiences

Presenting via Teleconference

Around the Conference Room Table

Feature and Function Presentations

Using Nervous Energy to Your Advantage

Finish Strong

References

Chapter 9 The Dash to Demo

Some Philosophy and a History Lesson

Why Does the Dash to Demo Occur?

"The Product" Becomes "the Solution"

Risk Mitigation

Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail

Logistical Implications

The Agenda

Preparing the Way

The Audience

Segment the Audience

Dealing with Mixed Audiences

Checkpoint Charlie

Appendix 9A: Sample Agenda

Chapter 10 Snap Demos

Scoping the Snap Demo

Structuring the Snap Demo

Sample Snap Demo Structure

Keep the Demo Snappy

Wrapping the Snap Demo (Tell Them What They Saw)

Snap Demo for Executive Audiences

Closing the Demo and Establishing Next Steps

Snap Demo Considerations

Reference

Chapter 11 Remote Demonstrations and Webcasts

The Basic Premise

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Remote Demonstration

Best Practices in Preparing for a Webcast

The First Three Minutes Are Critical

Effectively Constructing and Delivering PowerPoint for a Webcast

Some Really Bad Habits to Avoid

Engaging the Audience

Engaging Yourself

Prime Time for Webcasts

The Wrap-Up

Chapter 12 Whiteboarding and Visual Selling

The Advantages of Whiteboarding

The Drawbacks of Whiteboarding

The Sales Cycle Fit

Getting Started

Whiteboarding Mechanics 101

Stance

Introducing the Chunk

Cadence and Rhythm

Speed and Handwriting

Artistic Ability and Iconization

The Implications of Color

Some Cheats from Our Customers

The Electronic Whiteboard

Using the Whiteboard as a Closing Tool.

Summary

Chapter 13 Evaluation Strategies

Developing the Strategy

Conducting an Evaluation: How Did We Get Here?

Negotiating Engagement in a Trial

How Do You Define Success?

How to Win: Determining the Success Criteria

How to Ensure Success: Evaluating the Success Criteria

Intellectually Closing the Deal

Working Backward from the Definition of Success

Running a Trial

Trial Phases

Basic Trial Organization

Training

Documentation

Equipment

Networking and Access

Anticipate and Outdeliver Your Competitor

Avoiding a Trial

Does the Customer Do Trials?

Are They Paying for the Pilot?

Using References

Chapter 14 Sanity After the Sale

Developing the Transition Plan

Ongoing Engagement Plan

Customer Meetings: Project Kickoff

During Deployment

After Rollout

Leveraging the Sales Team

The Inside Sales Team

Executives

Having a Fallback Strategy

Personal Benefits of Postsales Support

Personal References

Maintain Relationships for Add-On Sales

Keep Your Reservoir of Customer Stories

Potential for Customer Satisfaction Objectives

Good Way to Build Skills

Benefit to the Customer: Free Consulting

Justifying Engagement with Your Managemet

Where to Draw the Line

Troubleshooting the Handoff

Major Accounts Have Special Requirements

Customer Skimps on Training

Customer Tries to Do It Themselves

Working with SIs

Refreshing the "Project Goals" Document

Appendix 14A: Record-Keeping Forms for Postsales Information

Chapter 15 Getting Started

The Ramp Process

Setting Goals with Your Manager

Find Out What You Need to Know to Succeed

Boot Camp

Why Use Benchmarking?

Develop a 30-/90-/180-Day Plan

Example Plan 1

Example Plan 2

The 30-/90-/180-Day Structure

Qualities of a Good Plan.

Ready to Go

Tips on Making the First Six Months a Success

Find a Mentor

Read the Manual-Really!

Watch the Video!

Master the Technology

Master the Product

Boot Camp Training Contacts

Work in the Factory

Face Time and Relationships

Practice, Practice, Practice

Learn About Key Customers and How They Actually Use Your Product

Read Everything About Your Industry and Competitors

Understand the Financials of Your Value Proposition

Learn the Math

Don't Just Memorize the Answers

Understand Content, But Don't Feel Overwhelmed

If You Can Use Your Product in Everyday Life, Do So

Get Feedback-From Everyone

Review Your Plan Weekly

Chapter 16 Managing Questions

Managing Questions or Handling Objection

Before You Start

Categorizing the Question

A Valid Question

A Competitive Question

The Seymour Question

The Coaching Question

The Hostile Question

The Generic Question

The Nonquestion

Basic Techniques of Managing Questions

Basic Technique 1: Listen

Basic Technique 2: Coordinate

Basic Technique 3: Clarify

Basic Technique 4: Restate

Basic Technique 5: Answer

Working with Consultants

Follow Up Leads to Closeout

Chapter 17 The Executive Connection

A Quick Definition

What They Think of You

Keep It Simple

Plan the Meeting

Setting the Stage

Following the Money

Determining the Goal of the Meeting

You Are the Expert

Execute the Meeting

Education Versus Selling

Presentation Ideas

Presentation Technique

Follow Up After the Meeting

Building a Relationship

A Rational Decision

The Informal Executive Connection

Chapter 18 The Trusted Advisor

Bottom Line Upfront-The Impact of a Trusted Advisor (T/A) Program

Defining the T/A

Measuring Trust.

The Built-In Advantage of the SE.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on PDF viewed 07/29/2020.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781608077458

1608077454

OCLC:

1492912726