𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀

Aka the ‚Hot #Potatoe‚ of the software enterprise sales 🥔

In enterprise sales, it is becoming increasingly challenging to close deals due to the rising number of stakeholders involved in the purchasing decision on the customer side.

To overcome this challenge, a critical success factor in enterprise sales is about 𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱, which can complicate the decision-making process and make it difficult to move the sale forward.

But to get to this point, it is imperative to 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 which are involved in the process in the first place. This demands from us in sales and solution engineering to 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 based on previous sales.

Your know-how makes sure that all relevant stakeholders are included, and no one important is left out. By providing this guidance, you can significantly reduce the risk of jeopardizing the sale due to a critical stakeholder needing to be included in the decision-making process.

Below is my favorite list of questions to ask that provide intel about my prospects‘ decision-making processes. This iterative approach goes on, on, and on… far beyond the initial #discovery call.

▶️ Have similar purchases or decisions been made in the past? If so, who was involved in those decisions?

▶️ Who must be presented to or convinced to move the decision forward?

▶️ Who will ultimately be responsible for making the final decision?

▶️ Who are the key decision-makers or stakeholders involved in the decision-making process?

▶️ Who are the influencers who may have a say in the decision?

▶️ Who are the end-users who the decision will impact?

▶️ Who are the budget holders or finance teams that need to approve the purchase?

By advising who needs to be involved in the #decision-making process, you can help your customer make an informed decision considering all relevant perspectives and priorities. This can help speed up the #sales cycle and increase the likelihood of a successful sale.