Aka the ‚Hot #Potatoe‚ of the software enterprise sales ๐ฅ
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 ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐, ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฑ, 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 ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ which are involved in the process in the first place. This demands from us in sales and solution engineering to ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป-๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ 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.
โถ๏ธ Have similar purchases or decisions been made in the past? If so, who was involved in those decisions?
โถ๏ธ Who must be presented to or convinced to move the decision forward?
โถ๏ธ Who will ultimately be responsible for making the final decision?
โถ๏ธ Who are the key decision-makers or stakeholders involved in the decision-making process?
โถ๏ธ Who are the influencers who may have a say in the decision?
โถ๏ธ Who are the end-users who the decision will impact?
โถ๏ธ 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.