How to Sell ECM

Atle SkjekkelandChief Operating [email protected]

AIIM – The Global Community of Information Professionals

How to sell ECM?From reactive to proactive solution selling

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.aiim.org/

The Need for Education

www.aiim.org/Training

Insufficient Leads

Poor Sales Skills

Too Many Products to Know

Information Gap (Industry, Solution, Etc.)

Inability to Communicate Value Messages 26.0%

24.3%

21.4%

16.0%

13.3%

Source: SiriusDecisions PMM 2010 Survey

Most Prominent Inhibitors to Achieving Sales Quota

http://www.aiim.org/Training/Certificate-Courses/Sales-Enablement/Overview

3

Change The Way You Sell

“A recent Corporate Executive Board study of more than 1,400 B2B customers found that those customers completed, on average, nearly 60% of a typical purchasing decision—researching solutions, ranking options, setting requirements, benchmarking pricing, and so on—before even having a conversation with a supplier”

Implications? You need to create relationships with an organization before the customer requirements are set.

Source: http://hbr.org/2012/07/the-end-of-solution-sales/ar/1



4

Target Business Leaders, not IT

“While overall corporate tech spending is up by 17 to 20% in our latest data, spending by IT departments is flat at best.”

“It's business leaders, not their IT colleagues, who are driving purchasing decisions”

Ensure your solution is… Simple Scalable Safe Secure Sustainable Sexy


Source: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/07/coming_to_terms_with_the_consu.html

Try to engage customers before they have pinpointed a problem


Leverage Social Media


“According to a recent study by InsideView, over 90% of CEO’s said they NEVER respond to cold emails or calls.”

“Replacing the decline in cold calling is the warmth of social engagement. Buyers are far more responsive to social media messages around relevant topics initiated by the sales person or the buyer.”

“Selling through social channels is the closest thing to being a fly on the wall in your customer’s, prospect’s and competitor’s world.”Source:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markfidelman/2012/11/05/the-rise-of-social-salespeople/


6

Provide New and Unique Insights (1)

Provocation-Based Selling: Compels project investments

outside an existing budget Challenges the prevailing point of

view Addresses unacknowledged angst Targets strategic problems Begins with the business case

and then provides technical proof Starts an executive-level dialogue Uses an insightful hypothesis to

provoke a response Is proactive in leading, and

forcing issues out


Source: http://hbr.org/2009/03/in-a-downturn-provoke-your-customers/ar/1


7

Provides new insights into your business problems

Keeps you up-to-date with the latest product thinking

Is always challenging your existing ways of working

Knows what your competitors and peers are up to

Knows all the latest tech trends and consultant-talk

Has all the latest industry news and gossip

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

AIIM research amongst ECM buyers, Oct 2012, N=88 purchasers

What are the two biggest factors that would make you amenable to a discussion with a sales representative from a non-incumbent at any time in the cycle? (Max TWO)


Provide New and Unique Insights (2)


8

Become a Challenger

According to a global study of sales rep productivity among 6,000 reps across nearly 100 companies by the Sales Executive Council:

1. Every sales professional falls into one of five distinct profiles. Relationship Builders Hard Workers Lone Wolves Reactive Problem Solvers Challengers.

2. Challengers dramatically outperform the other profiles, particularly Relationship Builders.


Source: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/09/selling_is_not_about_relatio.html


9


Customers value the Challenger approach according to research; The biggest driver of B2B customer loyalty is a supplier’s ability to deliver new insights.

Source: Corporate Executive Board

Drive B2B Customer Loyalty


10

Reduce Uncertainty / Increase Value

In the most general and fundamental sense, what the professional service organization really has to offer to corporate clients is the reduction or minimization of uncertainty.

Clients look at the following 3 uncertainties when buying professional services:

1. Identifying uncertainty

2. Confronting concrete problems

3. Identifying true professionalsSource: http://hbr.org/1966/03/how-to-buysell-professional-services/ar/1



The New Role of Sales Professionals

www.aiim.org/training

Source: Sirius Decisions / AIIM


New 1-Day ECM Sales Training What problems do we solve?

Many sales reps or channel partners are not meeting their targets

Improve their ability to spot new opportunities for selling solutions

Provide value and insights when engaging customers; not push products

Why buy sales enablement training from AIIM? AIIM has unique knowledge about why and how companies buy

solutions based on our industry research amongst our 65,000 community members

Domain expertise and training content from our different training programs with 25,000 course attendees

New sales methodology for getting ahead of the RFP by providing customers with new and unique insights while taking control of the sale



Course Structure

1. Foundation• Why Enterprise Content Management (ECM)?• ECM features and functions• Impact of Mobile and Cloud Computing• Selling Enterprise IT in the Age of Consumer IT• Competitors and obstacles• Exercise: What is your opportunity?

2. Identify Opportunities• Opportunities in different vertical and horizontal processes• Visual and verbal cues• Decision makers and stakeholders• Strategies for getting their attention• Exercise: How to spot opportunities? How to get a meeting?

3. Engage Customers• Establish credibility and value• Offer unique perspectives and insights• Demonstrate importance to their business• Educate customers about how to solve their problem or capitalize on the

opportunity• Anticipating objections and how to handle them• Evaluate the sales opportunity to ensure you don’t waste your time• Exercise: How to engage customers? How to demonstrate value and get agreement?



Industry Research

Industry WatchIdentify opportunities and concerns

Custom ResearchDocument benefits

Attendees receive these resources to help them identify and engage prospects

Course Handouts

Guidelines for spotting sales opportunities in different vertical and horizontal processes

Template for offering provocative insights

Template for demonstrating importance of problem or lost opportunity

Template for educating customer about their needs



Engagement Model


1. Define Training Objectives•Product offerings•Target customers

2. Assess Level of Expertise•Domain expertise•Sales experience

3. Plan Course Delivery•Prerequisite online training•Customize exercises

4. Deliver the Course•Course location•Examination

5. Evaluate Impact•Assessment•Report to course sponsor

Sample preparation videos


Option: Ongoing Support

AIIM can support your ongoing sales efforts through: Deal War Rooms to

get Lighthouse customers

Crowdsource Use Cases

Case Studies Video interviews Sales Contests Webinars Mentoring Programs



Sample of AIIM Students

• ABBYY

• Accenture

• AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals

• Bank of America

• Boeing Company

• Booz Allen Hamilton

• Bureau of Engraving and Printing

• Canon

• CIGNA Healthcare

• Deloitte

• Eli Lilly and Company

• Fannie Mae

• HP

• Hyland Software

Inc.

• IBM

• IKON Office

Solutions

• Kimberly-Clark

• Kodak

• Lexmark I

• Liberty Mutual

Insurance

• Lockheed-Martin

• Microsoft

Corporation

• Petro-Canada

• Pfizer

• Philip Morris USA

• Price Waterhouse Coopers

• Progressive Insurance

• Ricoh

• Shell Oil Products US

• US Army Corps of Engineers

• Department of

Transportations

• US Department of Treasury

• US Environmental Protection

Agency

• US Mint

• USAA

• Washington Mutual



Next Step?

Schedule a pilot in-person 1-day ECM Sales Enablement for your sales reps or channel partners Online preparation videos and

assessment 1 day highly interactive training

course with max 12 attendees Customized exercises based on your

solutions and target market

Contact [email protected]

Course details at this link


mailto:[email protected]



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How to Sell ECM