Featured Case Studies and Articles
How Strategic Is Your Sales Strategy?
A new wave of strategic thinking is reshaping sales at some high-performing companies. Bringing high-level corporate strategy to the ground-level sales effort is a challenge for most organizations. Although most high-performing sales teams have a solid sense of company goals and priorities, a sizable gap can exist between the way strategy is implemented in most parts of the organization and its role in sales. And into that gap falls a great deal of potential value. Recognizing that, some companies are infusing their sales efforts with a more vigorous sense of strategy and unveiling promising new methodologies in the process.
Siebel Systems: Anatomy of a Sale
How does a $2 million software sale happen? This case traces efforts by Siebel Systems to sell lead management software to discount broker Quick & Reilly. The buying process is mapped out over 4 years. Covers in detail the last 6 months--from Siebel s initial involvement to a challenge from competitor Oracle to the climax. The structure of Quick & Reilly s buying center is mapped, as is the role of its parent, Fleet Bank. The fortunes of the sale rise and fall as the Siebel account manager faces one obstacle after another. Presented in three parts, with opportunities to debate the account manager s choices and actions at each stage. Part 1 describes the start of the sale from the seller s perspective. Teaching Purpose: To analyze complex buyer behavior and develop a selling strategy at the account level.
Hewlett Packard: Selling to Enterprise Customers
Follow the process as Manuel Diaz, head of Worldwide Sales for Hewlett-Packard Computer Systems Organization, reviews the results of an audit of the HP enterprise customer management approach with the objective of identifying market and organizational opportunities while further reducing sales and support costs. HP current customer management approach, although successful, involved structural changes that forced a deep-rooted overhaul of the traditional regional sales approach. The new recommendations would necessitate another round of drastic changes in the way HP manages relationships with its large enterprise customers. Not wanting to put the sales organization through another round of changes unless they are necessary, Diaz has to figure out whether the organization is ready for more change, and whether the benefits outweigh the costs of implementation. The case provides a detailed review of the audit process and the findings.
Salesmanship as Partnership
For all the uplifting inspirational oratory at most sales meetings, the reality is that many practitioners of the art still view selling as manipulation. The evolving wisdom of selling as a long-term engagement rather than manipulation or coercion is supported by four techniques outlined in this article. First, a salesperson must "diagnose the critical issues facing the buyer, and then align himself with the customer on those issues." Second, salespeople need to listen actively to their customers and demonstrate a willingness to go to heroic lengths to ensure the buyer`s satisfaction. A salesperson must exercise her capacity to customize today`s products and services with the help of information technology. This customization includes developing a complete solution and crafting a unique sales pitch to fit the prospective client. Finally, salespeople "must push themselves continually to gain insight into their own and their company`s capabilities as well as their customers` needs."
Managing Major Accounts
This study discusses issues encountered in the selling and management of major accounts. The topics covered include reasons for the increasing importance of major account management in sales management and marketing strategy; a framework for account selection; a review of concepts useful in analyzing buying behavior in major-account sales situations; an overview of stages in the development of buyer-seller relationships; and key issues in sales coordination.
Making the Major Sale
Strategic selling has become a meticulously planned, total process requiring coordination between the buyer and seller that identifies the customers needs and relates the product to those requirements. Often the selling process requires new organizational techniques. Because a major sale affects many of the buyer’s functional departments, decision making is becoming more involved and the buying criteria more sophisticated.
Humanize Your Sales Strategy
Find out about the new wave of thinking that is reshaping sales strategies at some high-performing companies. ..
Power Base Selling
Excellent book about a strategic approach to selling. The Power Base is about finding and engaging with the correct combination of players at the prospect who drive the major technology acquisition decisions.
- Mark Cranney
EVP Worldwide Field Operations
OPSWARE Inc. - "Euro-Profile has been an instrumental tool for Opsware's expansion into the European market. Euro-Profile has provided an excellent source of comprehensive major account information for our team to shave time to market for our high impact value proposition at the top European companies. The up to date information provided by the tool around European companies people, processes, and IT initiatives has been instrumental to our success in the region."
