Not all software companies with great products are growing at a pace they are satisfied with. Efforts to improve products (through new development or acquisitions), hire more and better salespeople, and changing marketing strategies could help but may still not be enough. Management teams and investors move around tired strategies and questions. Everyone works hard, the products are great. But the sales are not where it could be.
Other than great products, they all have a winning sales process. One of the most overlooked areas of improving a business is how to setup, manage and execute a winning sales process. Executives that have figured this out often create companies that easily bypass competitive businesses that had the market opportunity much earlier, but just couldn't get it going. And they can repeat the success again. Look at the ex-Oracle execs that started Netsuite, PeopleSoft, salesforce.com. Think they learnt something at Oracle?
Products and Services
They need to fit the decision-making criteria in your target market. More features or better platforms do not equal more sales unless prospects want it.
Marketing Processes
Solutions need to be targeted to markets where you can win. Brands do not generate leads until you are successful - focus on lead generation first - brands follow successful sales.
Sales Processes
You cannot manage what you cannot measure. Get your processes to measure and manage right. Then put it into a system and manage the weak areas - every week.
Following a storied career including awards for IT/Software Company of the Year and Product of the Year, Marius is now focusing his energies on helping CEOs and investors in software businesses adopt winning sales processes.
His experience as a CEO, dealing with Venture Capital and Private Equity investors, developing products and being in the field allows him to work well with management teams, sales and marketing resources to identify the elements that will make a winning sales process possible.
As a believer in the power of a motivated workforce, he will energize management and sales teams and help implement a repeatable, scalabale and winning sales process.
Marius Swart has successfully used the Seven Sales Steps process over the past 15 years to develop business value exceeding $300M.
Often competing against much larger software companies, Marius has sold solutions in a variety of disciplines to most Fortune 500 companies at an enterprise level, and also achieved tremendous success at the mid-market level.
In November of 2001 (in a very challenging economy due to 9/11) Marius completed a $20M contract with New York City, illustrating that a consistent sales process will show value where it exists, regardless of the economic environment.
In the industries he participated in, several companies preferred solutions offered by Marius' companies over the larger, perhaps more obvious players.
Sales team structure – 15%
Territories / named accounts / existing customers / enterprise accounts / SME accounts set up
Quota effectiveness for new / existing business
Sales support in terms of product knowledge/contracting/account management
Commission structure
Account Management – 10%
Account ownership policy
Portfolio and pipeline management
Business development relationship between sales, marketing, implementation, support
Customer support relationship between sales, implementation, support
Customer retention
Sales process – 30%
Process comprehensiveness
Process execution
Sales cycle
Winning ratios
Loss Analysis
Sales Management process – 45%
Process adoption and training
Process measurement
Results management
Forecasts, sales reporting review
CRM effectiveness
Solution match to target market – 60%
Target Market review: All, SME, Mid-market, Fortune 500, Global 500
Competitive positioning
Product effectiveness to positioning
Product Roadmap
Pricing plans and policies
Value proposition
Sales Team effectiveness to target market
Marketing program effectiveness – 40%
Collateral (Brand, Web, print, email)
Web presence (Call-to-action, Search Engine Optimization, Process Integration)
Industry event effectiveness
Channel Strategy (Required?, Effectiveness)
Lead Generation effectiveness
Budget analysis
Each Assessment includes 4 hours of post-assessment support, to be used by the management team as required.
Workshop sessions can be used to augment strategic off-site meetings for management or sales team retreats. Sessions are matched to budget constraints but will always be energizing, motivational, hard work...and fun!
Selling is hard - individual events lift the spirits and re-energize the team.
Sales & Marketing Strategic Planning
2-day off-site session with CEO and senior management team (event-based)
Moderator of strategic sessions relating to sales / marketing
Review elements of assessment topics (optional)
Review assessment recommendations (optional)
Quarterly “Bootcamp” sessions
1 Day high-octane motivational kick-off for the quarter (event-based)
Low-cost, high impact, improves quarterly performance
Sales process training
Quota review
Energizing event
Specific Account Q&A sessions
On-demand review sessions (typical half-day in-person or conference calls)
Sales Team Training
7 Steps Sales Process
Closing Techniques
CRM Setup and Training
On-demand setup, fine-tuning or implementation
Sales Blitz
High-energy regional 2-day event – recommended twice per year per region
Immediate revenue results
(Sample Assignments)
Assessments for Revenue Growth
Assessments for Process iImprovement
Investment / Expansion Due diligence
Staff Augmentation
Sales Team Coaching
Motivational Sessions
2-week process / 3 days on-site
Online surveys
Supplemental conference calls as needed
20-30 Page report
2 printed reports
Electronic copy (pdf)
Report review with management
Report review with investors
4 hours post-assessment support
3-week process / 5 days on-site
20-30 Page report (per assessment)
4 printed reports (2 per assessment)
Electronic copies (pdf)
Reports review with management
Reports review with investors
6 hours post-assessment support
12 Hours per month Conference Calls
On-demand (sample of services listed)
Sales/Marketing management coaching
Proposal/RFP preparation
One-on-one sessions with sales team as needed
One on-site visit per month (any location)
Sales Training
Quarterly Bootcamp Kick-off
Strategic Reviews/Sessions
Sometimes the hard questions are not asked often enough, or in some cases, not at all!
Before a company moves to the next level, either by considering funding, extending a bank line or hiring a new sales team, the tough questions need to be asked.
The Sales and Marketing Effectiveness Assessments ask those questions, and many more. Some examples of issues that repeatedly impact software company performance are listed below.
Often these arguments persist throughout the lifetime of a company...a sure way to never reach high levels of success.
Are we ready to sell "enterprise" systems?
Should we sell to smaller companies?
Why are we always developing software but still not making our numbers?
Why can we never believe the pipeline?
Is our sales team good enough?
More answers at my blog.
See answers to real , everyday sales challenges.
7SalesSteps.com
25876 The Old Road
Suite 90
Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381
marius_7SalesSteps.com
Why wonder if you will ever be that great next hot software company?
Lets have a discussion. You will probably save the cost of the project on marketing dollars cut out of a program that serves ineffective processes.
If this is a pre-investment due diligence need, the process will help you answer questions now - and help spend your money most effectively.
Did you want
that in writing?
Measure
Use Assessments to score current Sales and Marketing effectiveness.
Adjust
Identify action items and create a plan to adjust inefficiencies.
Perform
Enable systems and people to manage performance.
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