This document outlines sales best practices that can be applied to career and job searching. It discusses that selling originates from scarcity of resources and reliance on others to meet needs. When pursuing opportunities, one should identify a compelling event for the customer, understand how to uniquely address the customer's needs, determine if the opportunity can be won given relationships and credibility, and decide if it is worth winning based on value. Developing a mentor within the customer organization and focusing on the customer's interests are emphasized as important tactics.

1. Sales
Best
Practices…
And
How
They
Can
Be
Applied
To
Your
Career
and
Job
Search!
Prepared
by
Ken
Wood
Triangle
Execu6ve
Careers
Group
May
20,
2015

2. The
Origins
of
Selling
• Scarcity
of
specific
resources
and
talent
• Rely
upon
others
to
meet
our
needs
• Opportunity
to
benefit
from
others’
resources
and
talents

3. Selling:
Four
Key
Questions
• Is
there
an
opportunity?
What
is
the
Compelling
Event
for
the
Customer
to
act?
• How
do
we
compete?
What
is
the
Unique
Business
Value
that
we
deliver
to
the
Customer?
• Can
we
win
the
opportunity?
• Is
the
opportunity
worth
winning?

4. Is
there
an
Opportunity?
• What
is
the
“Compelling
Event”?
• We
need
to
understand
the
Customer’s:
• Applica6on
or
project
• Business
profile
• Financial
condi6on
• Access
to
funding

5. What
is
a
“Compelling
Event”?
• “A
compelling
event
has
an
economic
owner,
a
defined
date
and
is
a
direct
response
to
a
business
pressure.
The
ac;on
is
expected
to
deliver
a
significant
business
result
(either
improving
opportunity/capability
or
reducing
pain).
The
compelling
event
defines
the
reason
for
the
economic
owner
to
act.”

6. Identifying
a
Compelling
Event….extremely
valuable!
• Reduces
compe66on
• Reduces
sales
costs
• Sales
efforts
are
much
more
focused
• Gain
credibility
with
Customer

7. Can
We
Create
A
Compelling
Event?
• An6cipate
our
Customer’s
specific
needs
• Clearly
explain
the
personal
impact
that
our
product/service
will
have
on
their
business
• Result:
Change
the
nature
of
our
conversa6ons
and
with
Customer
and
poten6ally
create
a
Compelling
Event

8. How
Do
We
Compete?
• Customer’s
formal
decision
criteria
• Does
our
solu6on
solve
the
Customer’s
problem?
• Sales
Resources
required
• Current
status
of
our
rela6onship
with
the
Customer?

9. The
“Value
Proposition”
Concept
• A
clear
statement
that:
• Explains
how
our
product
solves
the
customers’
problems
or
improves
their
situa6on
(relevancy)
• Delivers
specific
benefits
(quan6fied
value)
• Tells
the
ideal
customer
why
they
should
buy
from
us
and
not
from
the
compe66on
(unique
differen6a6on).
• Value
has
to
be
expressed
in
the
Customer’s
terms!

10. Value
to
the
Customer
is……
• Increasing
Their
Revenue
• Reducing
Their
Costs

11. Can
We
Win
The
Opportunity?
• Inside
support
(i.e.,
Customer
advocate)
for
our
solu6on?
• Execu6ve
Credibility?
• Compa6bility
with
the
Customer’s
corporate
culture?
• Informal
decision
criteria?
• Poli6cal
landscape
within
the
Customer’s
organiza6on?

12. Formal
Customer
Roles
In
The
Buying
Process
• Approver
• Decision-­‐Maker
• Evaluator
• User

13. Key
Customer
Player
Status
• Mentor
(or
Advocate)
• Supporter
• Neutral
• Non-­‐Supporter
• Enemy

14. What
is
a
Customer
“Mentor”?
• An
individual
that
will
stand
up
and
fight
for
our
cause
(should
be
also
for
the
greater
good
of
the
Customer).
• Provides
debrief
on
internal
mee6ngs
• Helps
navigate
the
poli6cal
landscape
within
the
Customer
organiza6on.
• Coach
on
who’s
ego
to
stroke
• Coach
on
Internal
Enemies
• Should
be
an
“unofficial”
member
of
our
sales
team
• Value
they
provide
is
priceless.

15. Is
The
Opportunity
Worth
Winning?
• Bring
Short-­‐Term
Revenue?
• Future
business
poten6al
with
the
Customer?
• Profitability
associated
with
winning
the
opportunity?
• Risks
if
our
solu6on
fails?
• Strategic
value
associated
with
winning
this
opportunity?

16. Summary
&
Key
Take-­‐Aways
• Become
genuinely
interested
in
your
Customer.
• Smile…be
posi6ve
and
upbeat.
• Remember
that
a
Customer’s
name
is
to
that
person
the
sweetest
and
most
important
sound
in
any
language.
• Be
a
good
listener.
Encourage
your
Customers
to
talk
about
their
issues/challenges.
• Talk
in
terms
of
your
Customer's
interests.
• Make
your
Customer
feel
important
–
and
do
it
sincerely.

17. Suggested
reading….

18. Bibliography
• Target
Marke6ng
Systems.
Target
Account
Selling
Atlanta,
GA:
Target
Marke6ng
Interna6onal,
2007
• Carnegie,
Dale.
How
To
Win
Friends
And
Influence
People
New
York,
NY:
Simon
&
Schuster,
1981
• Dixon,
Mam
&
Brent
Adamson.
The
Challenger
Sale:
Taking
Control
Of
The
Customer
Conversa6on
New
York,
NY:
Pornolio,
2011

19. Thanks
for
your
time!!
Ken
Wood
Sale/Marke6ng/Business
Development
Leader
woodzsan@earthlink.net
(919)
802-­‐0065