By Laurie Weed, Solutions Consultant, Print Audit
My background prior to Print Audit was Sales/Sales Management, Training and Development. What I have witnessed in many sales organizations is the lack of a clear understanding or direction on how to sell MPS. There are pockets of sales professionals that ‘get it’, but overall, unless the leadership in the organization has defined the MPS program most of the sales team will tread water getting nowhere selling MPS.
Below are five basic steps in the selling cycle we use to sell almost any product or service. The names of the sales step could be changed but the activity remains the same.
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1. Prospecting – In order for a sales representative to be successful selling anything, it is imperative they have a clear understanding of the offering. As the saying goes “when people are confused, they do nothing.” Have you provided a clear ‘unconfused’ definition of your MPS program? Better yet provide a value proposition that sales can use when cold calling or telemarketing.
2. Discovery/Investigation – Gone are the days of pen and paper discovery. Your sales professionals should have their tablet to record the customer interview. Then an excellent assessment tool to gather data must be available to identify the customer’s current situation. Not just speeds and feeds anymore either! This tool must include user data (who is printing to what, to where and how much or how often).
3. Propose – When the assessment tool has collected the valuable data, your sales professional should have access to assessment reports for evaluation of the data. They will then be able to provide an excellent solution for their customer, demonstrating a cost savings initially and a plan to continue monitoring for additional cost savings.
4. Close – By the time the representative gets to this step in the sales cycle it should be a natural progression. Your sales team should have an easy acquisition program to propose and, of course, sales incentives to sell MPS.
5. Grow – Arguably the most important step. We all know that it costs so much more to gain new customers than it does to keep your current customer base. Through your MPS tools, you should have a sales regiment that encourages your sales representatives to revisit their customer on a regular basis, reviewing reports of the data that is being monitored for additional cost saving opportunities.
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If you are a leader in your organization, it is really up to you to help your sales professionals succeed with your MPS program. Defining your program and providing the right tools will create a win-win environment for your sales professionals, and everyone will benefit from it!