Consulting Training 8 Selling Revised PDF

TRAINING – Consultative Selling September 20-21 BlastX Consulting ©2023 All Rights Reserved blastx.com AGEND A Module 8: Consultative Selling Concept & Theory Application Brian McIntosh Chief Consulting Officer Activity Wrap-up...

TRAINING – Consultative Selling September 20-21 BlastX Consulting ©2023 All Rights Reserved blastx.com AGEND A Module 8: Consultative Selling Concept & Theory Application Brian McIntosh Chief Consulting Officer Activity Wrap-up Mike Savage Chief Growth Officer blastx.com | 2 GROUND RULES Participate actively and contribute. Keep discussion relevant. Avoid multi-tasking. Ask questions. blastx.com | 3 OUR GROWTH ENGINE WE ARE ALL IN “SALES” Delivering robust client solutions that make an impact Consultin g Crafting high-value solutions, monetizing with Team clients & partners Participating in the sales with expertise, client stories, and POV Client Success Team Driving account strategy Sales & Marketing Building executive relationships Team Connecting projects across the account Building new & maintaining existing relationships Driving sales and the proposal process Supporting account & practice strategy blastx.com | 4  THE CLIENT LIFECYCLE FOUNDATION 2 in the Box Collaboration Created Works with Create Project Client to Opportunity Estimate Close Develo Works with Internal p Adjust & RM & PM to Discovery Call Scoping & Propos Update Scope Develop Solutioning al & as required Staffing Plan SOW SCOPE NEGOTIATE MOBILIZE Staff & Prep for Kickoff Growth Consultant Consultant Growth PM Lead Growth Confirm Resource PM Consultant Meeting DISCOVERY Growth Consultan t PROPOSAL Growth Consultan t CLOSE Management Lead Lead External Present Internal BANT Scoping Call Proposal to Knowledge Confirmed Client Transfer to Delivery Team Internal Negotiate Rates Client Knowledge & Terms with Alignment & Share Client Project Onboarding Knowledge Project Opportunity Executed SOW Transfer Estimate SOW Brief Signed MSA Checklist Win Themes Proposal Deck Shared Notes Signed NDA Project Plan Shared Notes Milestone blastx.com | 5  RELATIONSHIPS NOT TRANSACTIONS Clients need to Complex service Selling consulting trust that you offerings are hard services is harder know what you’re to understand and and requires a doing and can help require different approach. them but also like explanation. you. blastx.com | 6 TRAPS WE FALL INTO WITH CLIENTS Not effectively claiming your share of the value, you often leave money on the table. Going for the quick sale based on the client’s ask without seeking to understand the problem. Being single-threaded, not developing brand permission and access to executives. Avoid difficult conversations around scope changes, pricing, and terms and conditions. blastx.com | 7 A TRUSTED PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR CLIENTS Consultative selling is a value-based and outcome-driven approach. Create Value Formal Alliances - Executives co-lead alliance Strategic Ally Deals effectively with occasional difficulties Partner Key contacts at multiple levels within the organization Many sole source opportunities, long-term contracts Preferred Supplier One of many vendors, all treated the same Sales are treated as an arms-length transaction Sell Products Expanded Scope Provider blastx.com | 8  PURPOSE Create Clients for Life. Win More and Win Bigger. blastx.com | 9 CONSULTATIVE SELLING IN 3 PARTS 1. Helping Clients Succeed 2. Lead with Outcomes 3. Focus on Inquiry blastx.com | 10 blastx.com | 11 FOCUS INTENT ON HELPING CLIENTS SUCCEED That’s so interesting… Active Listening is the path to asking good questions. Tell me more! blastx.com | 12 QUESTIONS THAT FOCUS THE CONVERSATION Questions are essential to unlock important information, encourage clients to clarify their ideas, and promote conversation to develop a shared understanding. Powerful questions have three characteristics: 1. They are open-ended. 2. They are focused. 3. They are solution-neutral. blastx.com | 13 MOVE OFF THE SOLUTION “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill, they want to buy a quarter-inch hole.” - Theodore Levitt Drill (aka “Solution”) ¼” Hole (aka “Outcome”) blastx.com | 14 MOVE OFF THE SOLUTION Avoid discussing solutions; focus on discovering the issues and the client’s outcomes. Results represent the client’s intended outcomes and what they hope to achieve – questions to inquire about results. What needs to be better tomorrow? What does tomorrow look like? Problems are existing or current issues that evoke pain, producing a desire to move away from something—questions to inquire about concerns. What makes the current situation unacceptable? What is unsatisfactory today? blastx.com | 15 MOVE OFF THE SOLUTION EXAMPLE Move the Listen Soften Problem or Result Client: “Do you have some BlastX: “We might be able to help Move the Problem: “What people that can help us test our you with that. Many of our clients kinds of problems are you new data analytics platform?” seem to be talking about analytics looking to solve with this new systems, and everyone’s need is a analytics platform?” bit different.” Move the Result: “What will you be able to do when this new system is in place that you can’t do today?” blastx.com | 16  Question Who can share an example of a situation in which you helped the client take a step back to move off the solution? blastx.com | 17 FOCUS ON I N Q U I RY “Peel the Onion” The best question comes from your curiosity Goals based on what your client says.  Discover what really matters. Here are some other questions to get things  Challenge everyone to think a little rolling: more than usual. What have you observed about…? What happens when…? What impact does that have? How does that show up? Where else do you see this? What have you tried already? What happened when… Tell me more… blastx.com | 18 FOCUSING THE C O N V E R S AT I O N Market CEO or VP Industry / Competitors / Disruptors Company Org Director or Team Manager Initiative blastx.com | 19  BUYER PERSONAS Addressing client needs across functional lines CHIEF CHIEF CHIEF CHIEF CHIEF CHIEF MARKETING OPERATIONS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIGITAL FINANCIAL OFFICER OFFICER OFFICER OFFICER OFFICER OFFICER “…provides me with “…enables my sales “…automates “…enables me to “…allow me to “…helps me a fully integrated and service teams to customer data select the best breed improve digital measure the BlastX Consultingsolution to manage provide the next management and of vendors for our experience and business value of Team Focus DXO, deliver best action to each integration so I can needs, using one drive business CX and make quick relevant content in customer using focus on generating solution and reduces value based on a and impactful real time and better customer data insights and value for burdens on my IT holistic, real-time view investment optimize ROI” and advanced the business (e.g., staff” of each customer” decisions ” analytics” CMO)” Personalized Single view of the Customer data Tech stack Personalized Attribution Challenges we content and customer integration business case digital experience CX ROI help address campaigns Next best action Martech Tech optimization Real-time audience Optimized Voice of customer rationalization targeting experiences management in Dynamic creative real-time at a scale Real-time decisioning blastx.com | 20 PERSONA SPOTTER’S GUIDE Situation Benefits Potential Solution(s) Requirements Common Scenarios We want to humanize More responsive Customer Strategy Access to CMO or New aggressive customer brand to improve customer service Service Design & Experience head of branding acquisition and/or retention customer experience Increase brand loyalty goals and loyalty Product Strategy Increase stickiness and Loss of market share Digital Experience Management Present a consistent wallet share experience to customers More engaged customers We want to be able to Provide a competitive Competitive Positioning Access to CDO, Move and Innovate quickly to thrive as our business is advantage and increase Digital Strategy CMO, or Head of transform and protect core IP rapidly changing business value Product Marketing from imitators Platform Strategy Leverage Digital to quickly Product Strategy pivot/change We need to create a More engaged customers Digital Strategy Access to CDO, Explore new business models new digital experience Increased revenue Platform Strategy CMO, or Head of and emerging technologies Product Marketing New direct to consumer margins Product Strategy Increase NPS model Omni-channel Commerce Increase customer acquisition Reduction in marketing costs We need to be able to Improve time to market Product/Service Delivery Access to Business Increase speed to market for deliver new products Optimize product and Transformation Leaders (Line of changes, features and and services quicker Business, products application development Operating Model Marketing, Product, to facilitate continuous Transformations Deliver code daily etc.) and CIO improvement Strategic Business Model Move to “Spotify Model” Transformation Continuous Improvement blastx.com | 21 S E L L O N I N S I G H T S – W H AT A R E B E S T I N C L A SS DOING (Example) Driving improved CX across the enterprise 1. 2. 3. 4. IMPROVE ACTIONABILITY MOVE FROM GENERIC CREATE A GIVE BACK A SENSE OF CUSTOMER DATA TO TO PERSONALIZED CONSISTENT, NOT OF OWNERSHIP AND ACHIEVE CX OUTCOMES CONTENT AND DISJOINTED, BRAND TRANSPARENCY MESSAGING EXPERIENCE Companies have, on average, To take advantage of the new While the talk of omni-channel A company’s core 17 technology applications AI/ML-driven capabilities that experience has been happening competency is knowing their leveraging customer data and enable personalized content, for a long time, most companies customer. They no longer 28 data feeds used for companies need help with still struggle to provide a want to abdicate data or customer engagement. They business adoption, thought connected and cohesive decisioning ownership to a cannot act on siloed data in real- leadership, and governance. experience across each online third party. time to deliver relevant, and offline engagement channel. ”They [external providers and personalized customer ”The struggle for us is not agencies] don’t want us to experiences that influence segmenting; it’s managing the know the customers that “It’s all about the customer business goals (e.g., revenue, up- creative to match those easily. They just want to give experience. No one is connecting sells, loyalty, satisfaction). segments so that we can rapidly them to us in a way that we all of the dots… the customer ”We constantly need to pull down deploy different messaging.” — experience (CX) is fragmented.” can’t identify them. Because consumer data from our different Head of Analytics, Global — CMO, Global Financial they want us to pay for the databases and integrate it. We Retail Company Services Company information.” — Anonymous sped so much time doing this, CMO-level survey and nothing is automated—it’s all respondent manual.” — Director of Research, Global Media Company blastx.com | 22  PLANNING TOOLS Use the Call Plan to structure the conversation to determine your desired outcome with a client Use the Qualifying Checklist to avoid overinvesting in discussion. the wrong opportunities, underinvesting in the right opportunities, or missing opportunities altogether. blastx.com | 23 CONSULTATIVE SELLING IS ONGOING Creating clients for life involves being a trusted advisor… It is about relationship building. This means we are constantly bringing new ideas to clients. Always be “on” in looking for the next client project and extending the BlastX footprint. C Suite messaging and personas – big guys are already there; we must build and grow those relationships. Package and process - define our strategic consulting approach and impact/value. blastx.com | 24 THINKING THROUGH CLIENT REQUESTS 1. Say Yes: If the request is minor and valuable – don’t think twice – say yes and get it done. 2. Look For Alternatives. If the request takes a lot of time and is relevant to the project, look for a more straightforward and elegant solution. Ask questions and understand WHY the client has this new request. 3. Offer To Look Into It. If the request is irrelevant to the project, it can be an excellent opportunity to sell more consulting work. Offer to explore the issue. 4. Sell More Work. Provided there is a budget, this could easily be the easiest way to sell new work. It could be a blossoming client- consultant relationship. Nothing sells work like doing good work, 20% of the work is sold this way. blastx.com | 25 blastx.com | 26 KEY TAKEAWAYS 1. Consultative selling is a new concept, which will require ”testing your limits” 2. Think growth mindset, consultative selling, is about a shift in thinking. 3. Consultative selling is not just about new sales efforts, it is about helping clients succeed throughout their lifecycle. blastx.com | 27