justifying solutions to frugal buyers: roi sales and marketing tools

Is Justifying Proposals with ROI Sales & Marketing

Tools a Requirement?

TOM PISELLO, Chairman & Founder

Blog: http://tompiselloroiguy.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @tpisello

http://www.alinean.com

http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com

Powering B2B sales to economic buyers

http://tompiselloroiguy.blogspot.com/

http://www.alinean.com/

http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com/

© 2011 Alinean, Inc.2

A New Buyer Requires New Strategy & Tactics




Buyers are Economic-Focused

• Size

Longer Sales Cycles

Reduced Deal SizeMore Leads to Close Same

Amount of Business

Stalled Deals

Increased CompetitionMore Stakeholders

Executive Scrutiny


Quantifiable benefits

are mandatory

On average 90% of corporations surveyed require

quantifiable proof of bottom-line benefits on most

projects.

Quantifying value is

difficult for buyers

Two-thirds (65%) of buyers indicate that they do not

have the knowledge or tools needed to do business

value assessments and calculations.

Third party validation is

essential

Most trusted sources are: Industry Analysts (31.4%),

and Peers (28.7%).

Vendors lag as a trusted source for only 8.1%.

Buyers turn to vendors

for value proof points

81% of buyers expect vendors to quantify business

value of proposed solutions.

Source: IDC 2010, survey of 200 B2B buyers,

Sirius Decisions 2010 B-to-B Buyer Survey on trusted sources.

Frugalnomics: the new mantra for B2B Buyers


Fight Frugalnomics with Value Selling & Marketing

Value Focus

Discussion:

• Prescriptive & Quantified

• Discover… Is customer

aware of issue?

• Diagnose… How bad is it?

• Quantify … Value of change

• Compare … Value vs. Status

Quo / Competition

Drive: Diagnostic Led: What

is issue & value of change?

Product Focus

Discussion:

• Customer knows issue

• Tie features / functions to needs

• Compares product alternatives

• Feature • Function • Price

Drive: Sales Led: Product

Driven

Solution Focus

Discussion:

• Customer knows issues &

desired outcome

• Questions to discover pain

points

• Recommend solution to

solve pain

Drive: Sales Led: Pain-Point

Driven

Solution

ProviderTrusted AdvisorVendor


Unfortunately, Product / Solution Selling Still Reigns

Forrester Sales Enablement Forum- 2011


Facilitating the Buyer’s Journey w/ Interactive Sales &

Marketing Tools

BUYER’S JOURNEY

Interactive White Papers

Diagnostic Assessment Tools

ROI Analysis Tools TCO Comparison Tools

Create awareness

around a new problem

Align problem with

business issues; drive

urgency

Help buyer

identify needs in solving

the problem

Align solution

with specific sets of

business needs

Make the business case

for change

Validate/reinforce choice

Prove best value

Loosening of the

status quo

Committing to change

Exploring possible solutions

Committing to a

solution

Justifying the

decision

Making the selection

Content Marketing & Sales Enablement Strategy

DISCOVERY CONSIDERATION DECISION

PROVOCATIVE APPROACH VALUE APPROACH



Marketing Tools

BUYER’S JOURNEY




Create awareness


Align problem with


urgency

Help buyer


the problem

Align solution


business needs


for change


Prove best value

Loosening of the

status quo



Committing to a

solution

Justifying the

decision






Driving More Effective Demand Generation and Sales Enablement

• Developed for B2B websites and direct

marketing campaigns

• Provocative: Engage, Connect & Educate

• High Level Benefits / ROI

• Help set agenda and advance sales cycle

• For global sales enablement programs

• Empower consultative selling programs

• Detailed business case

• Help justify solution to multiple

stakeholders & CFO

Demand-Gen Tools Sales Enablement Tools


Demand-Gen: ROI Marketing Tool Case Study




HP Networking ROI Calculator

http://roianalyst.hp.com/roianalyst/AutoLogin.do?d=754959295570998302

http://roianalyst.hp.com/roianalyst/AutoLogin.do?d=754959295570998302


Company Profile


Benefits and Financials


Assumptions


Registration Options & Reports

Executive Summary vs. Full Report?

Options: PDF / Word / PPT

Registration Considerations

Up-front

To get results

To get report

None

Integration

Lead Nurturing / CRM

Basic Registration

Enhanced Profile

Key Results

Additional Examples: http://www.alinean.com/demand-gen/ROI_tools.aspx

http://www.alinean.com/demand-gen/ROI_tools.aspx




Sales Enablement: ROI Sales Tools Case Study




Solution Selection


Current Practices Assessment


Current Practices Analysis


Survey Questions – As Is Discovery / Sizing


Benefits


Benefit Details


Source – Validating Savings with Research & Case Studies


ROI Analysis


Additional Features

• Template /Reference Models

– Helps sales get a quick start on the case

– Default metrics and research

• Add Additional Benefits

– Quick Add

– Select from Comprehensive Library

– Build / Edit Your Own

• Flexible Report Options:

– Multiple reports for different stakeholders / purposes

– Format Options• PPT

• Word

• PDF

• Deployment Schedule

• Benefit Realization

• Risk Analysis– Optimized

– Probable

– Conservative Cases

• Multi-Analysis Roll-up– Combine N number of business cases


ROI Sales & Marketing Tools Best Practices & Benefits




Best Practices

• Demand-Gen

– Keep inputs & results simple

• 10 minutes maximum for demand-gen

– Layer details to provide access to review / challenge assumptions

– Pre-fill with default metrics

• Document assumptions

• 3rd party research and validation

• Case study examples for savings claims

– Allow access without registration, restrict details / report to registrants

– Strong call to action / next steps

– Use request to follow-up

• Sales Enablement

– Keep input & results simple• Sales easily intimidated

– Layer details so sales can work with customers to review / challenge assumptions transfer ownership

– Provide ability to customize / disable / add benefits & investments

– Provide multiple report options• Format: Word / PPT

• Exec summary, details, different stakeholders

– Provide Support• Training

• Proposal Center

• Deal Assistance


Typical Development Project

• Demand-Gen– Week 1: Kickoff

– Week 2: Initial Prototype Spreadsheet

– Week 3: 2nd Prototype Spreadsheet

– Week 4: Initial Tool Alpha

– Week 5: Initial Tool Beta

– Week 6: Initial Tool Pilot

– Week 8: Final

• Sales Enablement – Week 1: Kickoff

– Week 2: Initial Prototype Spreadsheet

– Week 3: 2nd Prototype Spreadsheet

– Week 5: Initial Tool Alpha

– Week 7: Initial Tool Beta

– Week 8: Initial Tool Pilot

– Week 10: Final


What is Required of You and Your Team?

• Collect and Provide Prior Art:

– Benefit statements

– Benefit / ROI white papers

– Spreadsheet or other tools

– ROI / Benefit oriented case studies

• Create Tool Development / Review Team

– Marketing/ sales enablement usually leads project

– ROI subject matter expert(s)

– Enterprise sales representation

– Channel sales representation

– Pilot review team (select customers / partners)

• Participation

– Weekly meeting

– Weekly review

– Alpha, Beta & Pilot review



Marketing Tools

BUYER’S JOURNEY




Create awareness


Align problem with


urgency

Help buyer


the problem

Align solution


business needs


for change


Prove best value

Loosening of the

status quo



Committing to a

solution

Justifying the

decision






Connect higher in organization & speak language of economic buyers / CFOs

Break through the noise with value add / personalized content

Elevate relationships from vendor to trusted advisor

Convert 240% more prospects to sales than other programs Increase the competitive success rate of proposals by over

60%

Prove more value, lower costs and competitive advantages

Automate development of personalized assessments and business case proposals

Reduce proposal time from days to hours Reduce sales cycles by 20-30%

Drive 50% more leads / connections compared to other initiatives

Reduce discounting and increase deal size by 20%

Engage on value vs. feature / function / price

Increase the credibility and acceptance of proposals by 100%

Deliver credibility with research and 3rd party validation

Convert existing Excel sales tools into on-line interactive applications with no programming

SaaS delivery Self-authoring for shared workload

Develop sales tools with lower TCO

Enable all direct and channel sales teams with a scalable sales /marketing tool suite.

Collect customer data, track and drive usage

Standardize and centralize value selling / marketing efforts

Convert 240% more prospects to sales than other programs Increase the competitive success rate of proposals by over

60%

Value of Alinean Business Value Selling / Marketing Tools


Next Steps

1. Your Sales & Marketing Ready to Do Business with Frugal Buyers? Take this Diagnostic Assessment to Find Out.

2. Research White Paper: Sales Enablement and the Economic Buyer

3. Over 200% ROI from a Value Selling Program Sound Impossible? Find Out for Yourself

4. Why Alinean? Alinean Vendor Profile (SiriusDecisions)

Alinean powered tools can significantly upgrade the quality of sales interactions

throughout the buying process, allowing prospects to drive at the beginning

through simpler, self-service tools and sales to provide greater depth as the buying

process proceeds – SiriusDecisions 2010


https://roianalyst.alinean.com/enterpriseroi/AutoLogin.do?d=583481707964037332


http://www.alinean.com/docs/Alinean_Sales_Enablement_and_the_Economic_Buyer.pdf



http://www.alinean.com/Resources/Alinean2010Profile_SiriusDecisions.pdf





Thank You!

