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Collaboration Strategies to Accelerate

   Your Sales Cycles
   How to increase revenue and reduce costs
   through innovative communications




                                              ENERGIZE YOUR CONNECTIONS™
Collaboration Strategies to Accelerate Your Sales Cycle




             Table of Contents

             >> Contents...................................................................................................... 2

             >> Virtual Meetings.......................................................................................... 3

             >> Improve Internal Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing. ........................... 4
                                                                    .

             >> Close Business More Quickly and Easily...................................................... 5

             >> Enhance Customer Support and Build Customers for Life........................... 6




   The information contained in this document represents the current view of Premiere Global Services, Inc (PGI) on the issues discussed as of the date of publication.

   Because PGI must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of PGI, and PGI cannot guarantee the

   accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication.


   This White Paper is for informational purposes only. PREMIERE GLOBAL SERVICES MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO

   THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT.


   Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be

   reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,

   or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Premiere Global Services.


   Premiere Global Services may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this

   document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Premiere Global Services, the furnishing of this document does not give you

   any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.


   © 2010 Premiere Global Services, Inc. All rights reserved.




                                                                                     2
Collaboration Strategies to Accelerate Your Sales Cycle




It’s safe to say that there has never been a company   departments, and with their prospects and
completely satisfied with its sales process. No        customers. Closing business and answering
matter how good your people are, no matter             prospects’ questions is dependent on clear
how successful your efforts, there are always          channels of communications. Building customer
demands for “just a little more.” Sales leaders        loyalty through ongoing dialogs keeps customers
face questions from management, investors,             informed, enthusiastic and receptive.
board members and associates:
>> Could we find ways to bring more sales leads 	 Virtual Meetings
	   into the cycle?                                    Hosting audio and web conferences for sales
>> Could we use our sales teams’ time more 	           discussions, from smaller team events (such as
	   effectively?                                       sales planning calls or product demos) to large
>> Could we reduce costs while bringing in more 	      events (such as product launches and customer
	   revenue?
                                                       training sessions) is an effective way to conve-
>> Could we speed up the time it takes to              niently and quickly to communicate. This white
	   convert a prospect to a customer?
                                                       paper will focus on how meeting technologies
>> Could we make it easier for people to do            can help accelerate the sales cycle. We will look
	   business with us?
                                                       at four key areas:
>> Could we make our existing customers
	   happier, so they would act as references, 	
	   recommend us to colleagues, and be
	   receptive to follow-on offers?                        1	 Improving internal collaboration and shared knowledge

                                                          2	 Closing business
In a very direct way, efficient and effective com-
munications are key to each of these concerns.            3	 Supporting customers and building loyalty
Bringing sales leads into the system starts with
reaching and communicating with your target
audience. Sales teams need to communicate              In each stage of the sales process, we will look at
with each other, with management, with other           conventional approaches to accomplishing key
                                                       tasks and investigate how they can be accelerated
                                                       and improved with always on collaboration tools.




                                                                                 3
Collaboration Strategies to Accelerate Your Sales Cycle




Improve Internal Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing



     KEY QUESTIONS:
     >> Are team meetings eating into your sales group’s budgets and time in the field?
     >> Do salespeople get information easily and clearly communicated from product teams and upper management?
     >> Can your field sales members work with other groups in the company to collaborate on customer documents,
     	   even when away from a computer and printer?

     >> Do sales teams know when new corporate information or policies are announced?



Companies often overlook the importance of           the frequency of sales meetings and training,         events such as product training sessions
internal collaboration as a part of the sales        but this leads to gaps in up to date knowledge        delivered to the entire field sales force at once.
process. Sales teams regularly schedule meetings     and a reduced sense of team cohesiveness.             The ability to archive meetings for on-demand
with regional and departmental management            Salespeople in the field may have a difficult         playback makes the information available for
to discuss progress, territories, incentives, and    time working with electronic documents on             later review and reference, as well as providing
strategies. Salespeople need to get training on      ever-shrinking mobile devices that act as their       a fallback for team members whose schedules
new and upgraded products. Work on RFI or            main communications technology when away              do not permit attendance at the live event. Web
RFP submissions for prospects typically require      from their office computers. Conferencing helps       collaboration allows everyone to see the same
input and collaboration with individuals in          to bring people into contact, but requires them       visual materials at once, and let a presenter high-
other departments.                                   to coordinate versions of documents locally and       light items of interest or draw the audience’s atten-
                                                     can make it difficult to reference details that are   tion to a specific detail on the screen or the page.
Conventional approach:                               best expressed visually.
                                                                                                           Working on collaborative documents such as
Training and departmental meetings have tradi-
                                                                                                           RFI’s and RFP’s is made easier by the ability to
tionally been arranged as in-person gatherings.      Advanced thinking:
                                                                                                           scan documents and convert them to electronic
Travel costs are just one downside to bringing       The PGiCOS platform allows remote teams to meet
                                                                                                           images that can be emailed, annotated, and ar-
sales teams together on a frequent basis. Time       without traveling, share valuable information,
                                                                                                           chived. Salespeople in the field can use any local
away from prospects and customers in their own       and transmit documents to and from any
                                                                                                           fax machine as their personal computer printer
territories reduces the effectiveness of the sales   location. Premiere Global’s Conferencing and
                                                                                                           to get a hardcopy of the latest document version.
relationship and impacts the potential for reve-     Collaboration solutions can be used for collab-
nue and customer goodwill. Companies may try         orative team meetings such as weekly regional
to minimize these negative effects by reducing       update sessions, as well as for larger structured




                                                                             4
Collaboration Strategies to Accelerate Your Sales Cycle




Close Business More Quickly and Easily



     KEY QUESTIONS:
     >> Are customer signoffs often delayed while multiple decision makers are brought up to speed?
     >> Do your salespeople spend too much time making multiple trips to customer locations?
     >> When prospects ask detailed questions, is there a delay in getting answers from your product experts,
     	   slowing down the closing process?

     >> Is it difficult for traveling salespeople to stay involved in legal contract negotiations with their customers?



Turning a prospect into a customer is the core       from upper management and legal teams at              Because sales teams do not have to travel to
function of the salesperson and the lifeblood        both companies. Documents are typically faxed         customer sites repeated times, they can contact
of your revenue stream. Complex customer             back and forth between legal departments,             more influencers and more prospects during
approval processes and signoffs from multiple        leaving the salesperson out of the loop and           each work day. They no longer have to group
departments lengthen the sales process and           unable to keep the sale moving forward. If a          customer visits according to travel convenience,
make it more difficult to gain consensus from        salesperson is on the road without a printer,         but can work with them based on their stage
the proper decision makers. Once the customer        important documentation may have to wait              of the buying cycle. Expert resources at your
has made a decision to purchase, there may be        until it can be produced in hardcopy format.          company who are in demand by multiple sales
multiple rounds of negotiation on pricing, terms,                                                          teams can more easily get involved in the close
and contract details that involve management and     Advanced thinking:                                    process, since they don’t need to travel and
legal professionals from your company and theirs.    PGiCOS makes it easier to communicate with            they can hear the customer’s questions directly,
                                                     all parties involved in the closing process. Sales    rather than getting a condensed and restated
Conventional approach:                               teams can set up web conferences that bring           version from the salesperson.under revision,
Sales teams need to meet several times with          together the decision makers at the prospect’s        and reduce organizational costs and lost time.
different stakeholders. Each meeting requires        company no matter where they may be physically
travel and repetition of key sales points and        located. Product experts and upper management
benefits. Specialized questions about product        from your company can also attend, ensuring
details, integration and installation, or usage      that all questions are answered immediately
terms may force the salesperson to communicate       and removing barriers to a fast decision.
with an expert at your company and get back to
the prospect at a later time. Multiple revisions
of legal documents require edits and approvals




                                                                             5
Collaboration Strategies to Accelerate Your Sales Cycle




Enhance Customer Support and Build Customers for Life



     KEY QUESTIONS:
     >> How often do you communicate with your customers about new products and services?
     >> Are your sales representatives always aware of problems in their customer accounts?
     >> How can existing customers help you grow revenues through additional sales?
     >> Is it easy for your customers to get informtion from you and provide input and feedback to you?




Closing a sale with a new customer is a wonderful     company. An annual user meeting that requires        When customers feel that they are a respected
feeling, but it needs to be the start of an ongoing   paid registration, travel costs, and time away       and informed part of your business operations,
relationship. Satisfied, informed customers act       from the office for your customers is not the same   they become key allies in finding new channels
as positive sales references for other accounts       as keeping an open ongoing dialog with them.         to increase your revenue.
and present opportunities for potential up-selling
and cross-selling in the future. Obviously you        Advanced thinking:                                   Case Study:
don’t want to risk losing your existing custom-       PGi’s suite of applied communication technolo-       OneCoast is a national wholesaler that markets
ers to your competitors, but more than that,          gies lets your company be proactive in your          and sells more than 300 product lines to a wide
you want to become a strategic vendor for your        ongoing communications with your customers.          variety of retailers in the home décor, gift and
customers going forward.                              Product development teams can work with              bookstore industries. With a team of nearly 400
                                                      marketing to send out data sheets, product           geographically-dispersed sales executives,
Conventional approach:                                brochures, and other materials through PGi’s         OneCoast uses Premiere Global’s Conferencing
Customer support is all too often left as a           eMarketing solution. Customers can always be         and Collaboration solutions for employee training,
reactive function, dealing with complaints            up to date on the latest offerings and advances      in management business reviews, in customer
and product questions as they come in from            in your product set.                                 presentations, and to keep its sales force energized.
each customer. Salespeople may go for long
                                                      You can use PGi’s Conferencing and Collabora-        This highly successful company has integrated
periods without contacting a customer until
                                                      tion solutions to bring together large communi-      web conferencing so completely into their
they need reference help for a new sale. At this
                                                      ties of customers without regard to physical         corporate culture that, on an average day,
time they may find that they have a dissatisfied
                                                      location. You may wish to schedule chats with        OneCoast may have as many as 20 web meetings
account, frustrated with slow response from
                                                      product managers, to make customers feel             scheduled. “It’s definitely a part of the culture at
a technical support department that doesn’t
                                                      actively involved in the development and direc-      OneCoast,” says CEO Ted Teele, “At one point, I
see them as a priority.
                                                      tion of product enhancements. You might offer        told my management team not to have a meeting
Up-selling and cross-selling is easier when your      advanced training to your customers so they can      unless they were using web conferencing.”
customers are informed, engaged, and enthusiastic     make more extensive use of your products and
about developments in your products and your          apply them to new applications.




                                                                              6
Learn More                                                                         PGi
Visit us today at www.pgi.com. View customer                      The Terminus Building
videos, product demonstrations, and get the                    3280 Peachtree Road NW

details on all of our global meetings and                                   Suite 1000

communications solutions.                                            Atlanta, GA 30305


                                                                           pgi.com
About Us
The world collaborates with PGi.
Our advanced meeting, conferencing and
collaboration solutions energize people and
organizations to connect more meaningfully
and work together more productively. PGi is
headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with
operations in 24 countries worldwide.




                                              ENERGIZE YOUR CONNECTIONS™




                       7

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PGi White Paper Accelerating+Sales+Process V05

  • 1. Collaboration Strategies to Accelerate Your Sales Cycles How to increase revenue and reduce costs through innovative communications ENERGIZE YOUR CONNECTIONS™
  • 2. Collaboration Strategies to Accelerate Your Sales Cycle Table of Contents >> Contents...................................................................................................... 2 >> Virtual Meetings.......................................................................................... 3 >> Improve Internal Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing. ........................... 4 . >> Close Business More Quickly and Easily...................................................... 5 >> Enhance Customer Support and Build Customers for Life........................... 6 The information contained in this document represents the current view of Premiere Global Services, Inc (PGI) on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because PGI must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of PGI, and PGI cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This White Paper is for informational purposes only. PREMIERE GLOBAL SERVICES MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Premiere Global Services. Premiere Global Services may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Premiere Global Services, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property. © 2010 Premiere Global Services, Inc. All rights reserved. 2
  • 3. Collaboration Strategies to Accelerate Your Sales Cycle It’s safe to say that there has never been a company departments, and with their prospects and completely satisfied with its sales process. No customers. Closing business and answering matter how good your people are, no matter prospects’ questions is dependent on clear how successful your efforts, there are always channels of communications. Building customer demands for “just a little more.” Sales leaders loyalty through ongoing dialogs keeps customers face questions from management, investors, informed, enthusiastic and receptive. board members and associates: >> Could we find ways to bring more sales leads Virtual Meetings into the cycle? Hosting audio and web conferences for sales >> Could we use our sales teams’ time more discussions, from smaller team events (such as effectively? sales planning calls or product demos) to large >> Could we reduce costs while bringing in more events (such as product launches and customer revenue? training sessions) is an effective way to conve- >> Could we speed up the time it takes to niently and quickly to communicate. This white convert a prospect to a customer? paper will focus on how meeting technologies >> Could we make it easier for people to do can help accelerate the sales cycle. We will look business with us? at four key areas: >> Could we make our existing customers happier, so they would act as references, recommend us to colleagues, and be receptive to follow-on offers? 1 Improving internal collaboration and shared knowledge 2 Closing business In a very direct way, efficient and effective com- munications are key to each of these concerns. 3 Supporting customers and building loyalty Bringing sales leads into the system starts with reaching and communicating with your target audience. Sales teams need to communicate In each stage of the sales process, we will look at with each other, with management, with other conventional approaches to accomplishing key tasks and investigate how they can be accelerated and improved with always on collaboration tools. 3
  • 4. Collaboration Strategies to Accelerate Your Sales Cycle Improve Internal Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing KEY QUESTIONS: >> Are team meetings eating into your sales group’s budgets and time in the field? >> Do salespeople get information easily and clearly communicated from product teams and upper management? >> Can your field sales members work with other groups in the company to collaborate on customer documents, even when away from a computer and printer? >> Do sales teams know when new corporate information or policies are announced? Companies often overlook the importance of the frequency of sales meetings and training, events such as product training sessions internal collaboration as a part of the sales but this leads to gaps in up to date knowledge delivered to the entire field sales force at once. process. Sales teams regularly schedule meetings and a reduced sense of team cohesiveness. The ability to archive meetings for on-demand with regional and departmental management Salespeople in the field may have a difficult playback makes the information available for to discuss progress, territories, incentives, and time working with electronic documents on later review and reference, as well as providing strategies. Salespeople need to get training on ever-shrinking mobile devices that act as their a fallback for team members whose schedules new and upgraded products. Work on RFI or main communications technology when away do not permit attendance at the live event. Web RFP submissions for prospects typically require from their office computers. Conferencing helps collaboration allows everyone to see the same input and collaboration with individuals in to bring people into contact, but requires them visual materials at once, and let a presenter high- other departments. to coordinate versions of documents locally and light items of interest or draw the audience’s atten- can make it difficult to reference details that are tion to a specific detail on the screen or the page. Conventional approach: best expressed visually. Working on collaborative documents such as Training and departmental meetings have tradi- RFI’s and RFP’s is made easier by the ability to tionally been arranged as in-person gatherings. Advanced thinking: scan documents and convert them to electronic Travel costs are just one downside to bringing The PGiCOS platform allows remote teams to meet images that can be emailed, annotated, and ar- sales teams together on a frequent basis. Time without traveling, share valuable information, chived. Salespeople in the field can use any local away from prospects and customers in their own and transmit documents to and from any fax machine as their personal computer printer territories reduces the effectiveness of the sales location. Premiere Global’s Conferencing and to get a hardcopy of the latest document version. relationship and impacts the potential for reve- Collaboration solutions can be used for collab- nue and customer goodwill. Companies may try orative team meetings such as weekly regional to minimize these negative effects by reducing update sessions, as well as for larger structured 4
  • 5. Collaboration Strategies to Accelerate Your Sales Cycle Close Business More Quickly and Easily KEY QUESTIONS: >> Are customer signoffs often delayed while multiple decision makers are brought up to speed? >> Do your salespeople spend too much time making multiple trips to customer locations? >> When prospects ask detailed questions, is there a delay in getting answers from your product experts, slowing down the closing process? >> Is it difficult for traveling salespeople to stay involved in legal contract negotiations with their customers? Turning a prospect into a customer is the core from upper management and legal teams at Because sales teams do not have to travel to function of the salesperson and the lifeblood both companies. Documents are typically faxed customer sites repeated times, they can contact of your revenue stream. Complex customer back and forth between legal departments, more influencers and more prospects during approval processes and signoffs from multiple leaving the salesperson out of the loop and each work day. They no longer have to group departments lengthen the sales process and unable to keep the sale moving forward. If a customer visits according to travel convenience, make it more difficult to gain consensus from salesperson is on the road without a printer, but can work with them based on their stage the proper decision makers. Once the customer important documentation may have to wait of the buying cycle. Expert resources at your has made a decision to purchase, there may be until it can be produced in hardcopy format. company who are in demand by multiple sales multiple rounds of negotiation on pricing, terms, teams can more easily get involved in the close and contract details that involve management and Advanced thinking: process, since they don’t need to travel and legal professionals from your company and theirs. PGiCOS makes it easier to communicate with they can hear the customer’s questions directly, all parties involved in the closing process. Sales rather than getting a condensed and restated Conventional approach: teams can set up web conferences that bring version from the salesperson.under revision, Sales teams need to meet several times with together the decision makers at the prospect’s and reduce organizational costs and lost time. different stakeholders. Each meeting requires company no matter where they may be physically travel and repetition of key sales points and located. Product experts and upper management benefits. Specialized questions about product from your company can also attend, ensuring details, integration and installation, or usage that all questions are answered immediately terms may force the salesperson to communicate and removing barriers to a fast decision. with an expert at your company and get back to the prospect at a later time. Multiple revisions of legal documents require edits and approvals 5
  • 6. Collaboration Strategies to Accelerate Your Sales Cycle Enhance Customer Support and Build Customers for Life KEY QUESTIONS: >> How often do you communicate with your customers about new products and services? >> Are your sales representatives always aware of problems in their customer accounts? >> How can existing customers help you grow revenues through additional sales? >> Is it easy for your customers to get informtion from you and provide input and feedback to you? Closing a sale with a new customer is a wonderful company. An annual user meeting that requires When customers feel that they are a respected feeling, but it needs to be the start of an ongoing paid registration, travel costs, and time away and informed part of your business operations, relationship. Satisfied, informed customers act from the office for your customers is not the same they become key allies in finding new channels as positive sales references for other accounts as keeping an open ongoing dialog with them. to increase your revenue. and present opportunities for potential up-selling and cross-selling in the future. Obviously you Advanced thinking: Case Study: don’t want to risk losing your existing custom- PGi’s suite of applied communication technolo- OneCoast is a national wholesaler that markets ers to your competitors, but more than that, gies lets your company be proactive in your and sells more than 300 product lines to a wide you want to become a strategic vendor for your ongoing communications with your customers. variety of retailers in the home décor, gift and customers going forward. Product development teams can work with bookstore industries. With a team of nearly 400 marketing to send out data sheets, product geographically-dispersed sales executives, Conventional approach: brochures, and other materials through PGi’s OneCoast uses Premiere Global’s Conferencing Customer support is all too often left as a eMarketing solution. Customers can always be and Collaboration solutions for employee training, reactive function, dealing with complaints up to date on the latest offerings and advances in management business reviews, in customer and product questions as they come in from in your product set. presentations, and to keep its sales force energized. each customer. Salespeople may go for long You can use PGi’s Conferencing and Collabora- This highly successful company has integrated periods without contacting a customer until tion solutions to bring together large communi- web conferencing so completely into their they need reference help for a new sale. At this ties of customers without regard to physical corporate culture that, on an average day, time they may find that they have a dissatisfied location. You may wish to schedule chats with OneCoast may have as many as 20 web meetings account, frustrated with slow response from product managers, to make customers feel scheduled. “It’s definitely a part of the culture at a technical support department that doesn’t actively involved in the development and direc- OneCoast,” says CEO Ted Teele, “At one point, I see them as a priority. tion of product enhancements. You might offer told my management team not to have a meeting Up-selling and cross-selling is easier when your advanced training to your customers so they can unless they were using web conferencing.” customers are informed, engaged, and enthusiastic make more extensive use of your products and about developments in your products and your apply them to new applications. 6
  • 7. Learn More PGi Visit us today at www.pgi.com. View customer The Terminus Building videos, product demonstrations, and get the 3280 Peachtree Road NW details on all of our global meetings and Suite 1000 communications solutions. Atlanta, GA 30305 pgi.com About Us The world collaborates with PGi. Our advanced meeting, conferencing and collaboration solutions energize people and organizations to connect more meaningfully and work together more productively. PGi is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with operations in 24 countries worldwide. ENERGIZE YOUR CONNECTIONS™ 7