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©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Marketing Myths and
Sales Follies
Martyn Lewis
Principal, Market-Partners Inc.
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Examining complex selling
• How do organizations think that their stuff is gets into the market
• What is really happening• What can we do about it
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
“There is only one valid business purpose: to create a customer”
- Peter Drucker
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
How do we go from a series of marketing leads to happy,
satisfied, and profitable customers?
Lead
Valuable customer
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Step 1. Lead Generation
Direct mail
www.website.com
Cold calls
Trade shows
Advertising
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Step 2. Presentation
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Step 3. Proposal and Order
ROI
big $$$
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Step 4. Objection Handling and Negotiation
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
A Case Study
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
At your company...
• Who would respond
• Who has the authority
• Who would be involved
• Who are the decision makers
• Where would the funds come from
• How would you make the decision
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
and...
• What about internal politics
• Who would champion
• Who would support
• Who would oppose
……. is it clear, and would it change???
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
What’s really happening in today’s Customer Acquisition Department?
Sales
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Sales cycles are often significantly longer than imagined, and still getting longer
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Leads needed for each new order much higher than planned
New customer
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Successful sales depends more on listening and coordinating than pitching/presenting/persuading
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Many sales organizations are still challenged to complete the transition to a
true solution-selling model
?
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Ramp-up time is longer than expected
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Actual selling time is often massively less than assumed
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Great products rarely imply great sales
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
So you think you’re different?
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
If only our sales people would “get it”
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Sales and Marketing are rarely aligned
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
The Selling Crisis: Root Causes
• New organizational models• Fully deployed resources• Technology• Increased business demands• Decreased product lifecycles• Lack of engineered sales process
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
LeadCustomer
SupplierDiscovery
ProposalClose
Buyer NeedInitial
evaluation Explore alternatives
Decision Order
Telesales
MarketingSales
Specialists Delivery
Executive
ExecutiveEnd users
Purchasing
Specialists
CompetitionIndustry
dynamicsMacro trends
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
A simple rule
It helps our sales process to be successful if we also have involved a third-party who is engaged in a
purchase process
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
The Sales & Marketing Matrix
Commodity Value
Product
Solution
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Commodity Value
Product
Solution
The Prospect’s Perspective
I have a need, and I know what I want
I have a need, and I don’t know what I want
Any one of many suppliers can offer
what I need
Only one supplier can provide what I need
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Strategy
Commodity Value
Product
Solution
Price and Price and AvailabilityAvailability
Brand and Brand and AwarenessAwareness
Ability and Ability and AccessibilityAccessibility
Expertise and Expertise and ConsultationConsultation
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Selling/Buying alignment
• Sell the way the market buys• There are no “bad” quadrants• “Bad” is when you are trying to sell in a
fashion that the market isn’t buying• The market may be shifted – usually only
horizontally or vertically• You have to shift the market to the new
quadrant, before selling in that fashion
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Avoiding the myths and the follies
1. Selling is about more than sales2. Understand how the target market(s) is buying3. Sell the way the market is buying, or develop
realistic plans to change this4. Design the sales process5. Granularity is good6. Coordinate and align all the activities of the
organization to this selling process7. Don’t drink your own Kool-Aid
©2003 Market-Partners Inc.
Resourceswww.market-partners.com
White papersSolving Solution SellingSales is about more than SellingOur Research Findings
Sales Effectiveness BriefingSales Wise“Quest for Customers” from 21st Century Selling