sales cycle workshop

Delegates will learn
  • How to use a sales cycle
  • How to understand buyer motivation
  • How to write account plans
  • How to identify opportunities
  • How to understand customer needs
  • How to build effective solutions
  • How do write and present effective proposals
  • How to review contracts
  • How to manage customer relationships
Style

This is a 6-day workshop split over two 3-day modules with a mix of discussion and practical work that will provide delegates with the opportunity to practice the skills learned.  A case study is used to allow delegates to experience all stages of the sales cycle in a low-risk environment.

Target audience

All staff who sell complex solutions to customers with complex buying requirements

Topics

SETTING THE SCENE

  • Introduction
  • The importance of effective sales to your business
  • Customer expectations defined
  • Lifetime values of a customer
  • Role of the salesperson
  • Skills and personal attributes required
  • Personal assessment

THE SALES CYCLE

  • Anatomy of a sale
  • Sales Cycle overview
  • Benefits of a structured Sales Cycle
  • Knowing your market

MARKET REVIEW CASE STUDY

  • Delegates work on a review of their market in preparation for the rest of the case study

ACCOUNT PLANNING

  • What is an Account Plan?
  • Why have Account Plans?
  • Developing business profiles
  • Conducting a positional analysis
  • Developing account strategies
  • Contents of the account plan

ACCOUNT PLANNING CASE STUDY

  • Delegates produce an account plan for a target account in their market.

IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES

  • Where opportunities come from
  • Building buyer relationships
  • Buyer network roles
  • Client benefits and intent to spend
  • Evaluating the opportunity
  • Using an Opportunity RACI Matrix
  • Developing Pursuit Plans

OPPORTUNITY IDENTIFICATION CASE STUDY

  • Delegates consider a customer situation and prepare a buyer network map along with an opportunity evaluation and pursuit plan.

DEFINING CUSTOMER NEEDS

  • Wants versus needs
  • Understanding the client’s motivation to buy
  • Crafting high-level solutions
  • Problem-solving workshops
  • Selecting “best fit” solutions
  • Deal risk management
  • GO/NO GO decisions
  • Extending buyer relationships

CUSTOMER NEEDS CASE STUDY

  • Delegates meet with the client to better understand their buying needs and motivation.  They go on to carry out a deal risk management exercise resulting in a bid/no bid decision.

CREATIVE SOLUTIONEERING

  • Defining the technical solution
  • Establishing the selling approach
  • Solution workshops
  • Decision making matrix
  • Brainstorming
  • Bid control processes
  • Gaining buyer commitment

SOLUTIONEERING CASE STUDY

  • Delegates determine a creative solution to meet their customer’s stated needs and work on gaining buyer commitment to their solution.

BUILDING PROPOSALS

  • Proposal planning
  • Internal validation
  • Writing winning proposals
  • Presenting to customers
  • Making the sale stick

PROPOSAL CASE STUDY

  • Delegates prepare a proposal which will be presented to the client in their attempt to win the deal.

CONTRACT REVIEW

  • Setting up contracts
  • Validating client’s contracts
  • The 10 contract commandments
  • Negotiating success
  • Win / Loss analysis

CONTRACT REVIEW CASE STUDY

  • Delegates are given a copy of the client’s contract to review and identify areas for negotiation.

HANDOVER TO DELIVERY

  • Planning Principles
  • Delivery team orientation
  • Expectation management
  • Reviewing deliverables
  • Recognising success

HANDOVER TO DELIVERY CASE STUDY

  • Delegates prepare a brief for the delivery team so that they can inherit a deliverable solution.

MANAGING CUSTOMER SITUATIONS

  • The state of relationships
  • Handling different cultures

CUSTOMER SITUATION CASE STUDY

  • Delegates prepare for and then work through a number of customer relationship scenarios with individual and group feedback.

SOLUTION SELLING WORKSHOP

  • Delegates work through the key stages of solution selling for a selection of their own live accounts.

SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

  • Summary of topics taught
  • Key learning points resulting from the course
  • Personal Action Planning

NOTE: Case study sections are typically run in a competitive bidding situation with delegates working in sales teams where only one team can win the deal. Choice of supplier is not based on price but considers strength of relationship built, completeness and robustness of solution proposed, “selling” skills and value for money.