How to Run a Sales Call
Alex Salazar, @SalaTzar
Founder & CEO, Stormpath
About Alex
• CEO and co-founder
• Former IBM Sales Exec
Sales Rep of the Year
$30M/year quota
$200M+ career sales
• BS Comp Sci, Georgia Tech
• MBA Stanford University
@SalaTzar
About Stormpath
• User Management Platform for your App
• Login & Registration as a Service
• Facebook & Google Integration
• Single Sign-on
• Oauth Key Management
• Free to Start
Agenda
• Objective of session: to take you through a sales call
• The buying and selling steps
• The sales call model• Prepare
• Open
• Needs
• 9-block call model
• Handling objections
• Closing the call
Aligning the buying and selling steps
Customer Buying Process
Evaluate Environme
nt
Develop Business Strategy
Recognize Need
Evaluate Options Decide
Customer Agreement/Alignment
Vendor Selling Process
Understand Customer
Develop Account
Plan
Establish Buying Vision
Articulate Benefits Close Sale
Sales Call Model
Preparation
Open
Needs
Propose
Close Ha
nd
le O
bje
cti
on
s
Preparing for the Call
• Research• What we need to know about the customer, the
industry, and our own company and products
• Set Objectives• What we want to get out of the call
• Prepare to Manage• How to ensure the call goes well
• What are possible objections/challenges
Example - Preparation
• Customer: William Shakespeare• Famous Playwright
• Owner of Globe Theatre
• Product• Mechanical Pencil
• Objective• Sell a Pencil
Opening the Call
• Manage Your Behavior• Appearance, sensitivity to customer behavior,
reliability, responsiveness
• State Your Intent• Reason for Calling
• Check Alignment with Client
• Confirm Your Competence• Why the customer should speak with you
• Relevant reference stories are powerful
What is Need?
NeedAn existing, unsatisfactory
or unacceptable situation…
Active Need…of which your client is aware and wants to do
something about
Understand
Customer
Needs Question Types
• Open Questions• What are your highest priorities
• Control Questions• Leading Questions
• Do you have a problem with it…?
• Quantifying and Qualifying Questions• How much does this impact sales?
• Confirming Questions• Yes or No Questions
• So you are most concerned about price?
9-Block Call Model
Reasons Impact Capabilities
Open What is causing this (pain)
Who else is impacted?
How can you fix this problem?
ControlHow much do you
think (pain) is costing you
What impact does this have on
them?
What if (capability vision)..?How much do you
think you could save?
Confirming
So, the reason for your pain is … and it’s costing
you $X?
You’re saying that division B would save $Y if you
could solve this problem?
So, if you could (capability vision)
then you could (achieve goal) and
save $Z
Pain
Buying Vision
V V
V V
Proposing Next Steps to Progress the Sale
• A future meeting
• A meeting involving other key players
• A chargeable consultancy/short study
• A demonstration or event
• Closing the deal
Handling Objections
Objection
False
Genuine
Clarify
Empathize
Test Return to Processing Vision
Misunderstanding
Disadvantage
Confirm that Objection is Resolved
Closing the Call
• Outstanding Questions
• Summarize• Compelling Reasons to Act
• Unique Business Value
• Key Selling Messages
• Gain Commitments to Next Steps• Who, What, When
• Thank Your Audience
Follow Us on Twitter
@SalaTzar @goStormpath