MarketingSkillMapTM

Assessments

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Webcast Agenda

Quick review of the SkillmapTM “value proposition”

Two common marketing/selling cycles

• Reactive (prospect recognizes a need, we respond)

• Proactive (before prospect perceives a need)

Marketing strategies

• Lead/prospect generation

• Leveraging technology and the web

Selling tactics

• Getting a “foot in the door”

• Client discussions that change the “trajectory” of the sale

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Our Target Market

Training & Development Needs

Inte

rnal R

eso

urc

es

70%

30%

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Our Target Market – Decision Makers

Business performance issues

Budget constraints

Career concerns

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Two common selling cycles

Initial engagement is DIFFICULT to achieve, but worth the effort

Provides an opportunity to adjust the “trajectory” of perceived needs

Eliminate or minimize the “bake off” competition with other solution providers

Client perceives a

need

Introduction or Initial Contact

Needs Analysis

Presentation and Proposal

Proposal and “Bake Off” Decision

Initial Contact (Client perceives

NO need)

Early stage (pre-need) dialogue, value delivery, relationship building and informal “needs analysis”

Adjust the TRAJECTORY of client needs and wants

Client perceives

a need

Formal Needs

Analysis

Solution Recommended Decision

Client controls when engagement occurs, and pace of advancement

Majority of prospecting calls are essentially hoping the prospect has a current/active perceived need relevant to the offering.

Often reaches out to current vendors

Drives a “bake off” decision process

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Reactive Selling Cycle

When the client perceives a need, we want them to think of us first.

Or when the client receives a communication from us, we want them to immediately link us to a need they already know they have (but have not yet been able to address adequately).

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The Value Proposition

Our prospects:

• Business performance issues

• Budget constraints

• Career concerns

We want them to think about:

• If your training expenditures were not fully aligned with the deepest training needs of your organization, how would you know?

• If your training initiatives cannot show a provable ROI with tangible impact on the business, what will happen to your training dollars?

• When every element of a business is being re-evaluated and re-rationalized, will that help or hurt your career?

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The Value Proposition

Know your training dollars are being targeted for maximum positive impact on the business.

Assess specific training/development needs:

• Individual

• Departmental

• Organizational

Immediately act upon assessment results with an integrated blended learning solution which can include:

• Individual coaching

• E-learning

• Audio podcasts / CDs

• Group workshops

• Video reinforcement

• DvD Videos

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The UNIQUE Value Proposition

Have you considered a broad assessment of your entire organizational culture?

Has the significant investment required to do this been an issue?

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The UNIQUE Value Proposition

If your employees were 20% less productive than they could be,

how would you know?

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Prospect/Lead Sources

Local Business Groups and Associations

• Offer free resources or services if they will notify ALL members via newsletter, email or announcement

• Volunteer for a project aligned with your expertise

Local Unemployment Services Agencies

• Offer free resources or services if they will permit press releases and news access to the events or activities

Local Shopping Mall Management Companies

• Offer free customer service training for employees of mall stores, if they will provide the training venue and allow press access

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Prospect/Lead Sources

Local ASTD Chapter

• Offer free resources or services

• Volunteer for projects aligned with your expertise

Local Press Releases

• Develop email list of local press contacts

• Send brief press release regarding EVERY significant training initiative

• Emphasize the intended RESULTS of the training

Local Schools, Sports Teams, Tournaments, etc.

• Offer free resources or services

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Linked In - Prospecting Strategy

Web links on your profile

• Link to “Free Resources” pages on your website

• Example: www.FreeSalesTraining.com

Search for target prospects based upon geography, job title and company size

Custom invitation message, highlighting the free resources

Join Linked In Groups that your prospects would join

Send out MASSIVE numbers of invitations

• Carefully craft the invitation (see above) to minimize rejections

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Massive Referral Strategy

Develop a profoundly valuable introductory offer

• Should have value for both prospective and current clients

Contact every existing/former client

• Detail the intro offer

• Ask them if they know of any organization that could possible benefit from the offer

• Can they provide a contact person / referral?

• If they express interest for their own organization, go ahead and offer it to them

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Free Assessment Previews

Create a preview link for the Workplace Productivity SkillMap and send to EVERY current/previous client, EVERY friend and acquaintance, EVERY other person on the planet you know.

• Explain briefly what it is and encourage them to forward the link to ANYONE who might be interested in improving their workplace productivity.

• Whenever you are notified of an assessment completion, follow up with a request for feedback, ensure they have your contact information, and encourage them to forward the free preview link on to others.

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Proactive Selling Cycle

We want to engage with a prospectiveclient who doesn’t yet perceive a ‘need” to engage with us.

Through a series of engaged conversations, we will:

• Provide unexpected value to the client

• Help them think in a new way

• Change the “trajectory” of their needs/expectations

• Act as a catalyst to activate dormant needs

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Engaging early is hard because…

They don’t WANT to engage early

They are apathetic

They are not motivated to help you “build a relationship” with them

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Average Sales Intros

“We are the biggest…”

“My background is…”

“We offer the most…”

“Our products are…”

“We are the best at…”

“We are known for…”

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What They Hear…

“Hello, my name is Greg Jones and I’m with Ultra Training Solutions, Inc. and…”

“… flarfl grog hula shu mragonist frak plonks Shri laois catjs sjsc jaocso cjcsoc cjxcosco hoaishc cpahcs cshhc shhc cshaso acposhso….”

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Our Conundrum

Until the prospective client has decided they have a need, they are not interested in our learning anything about our “solutions.”

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I Won’t Be IGNORED Dan…!

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So you need to be DIFFERENT…

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You need a COMPELLING value offer

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Internal referral

External referral

Recent/surprising company or industry news

Counter-intuitive facts (with valid research)

Competitor facts (the PROSPECT’S competitors)

Other examples…

And you need a POWERFUL “hook”

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Prospecting Process

The Hook

The Elevator Speech

The First Date

May all occur during a single interaction lasting just a few minutes

May occur as an initial telephone call followed by a face-to-face meeting

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Prospecting Process

Hook

Elevator Speech

First Date

“NO”

“NO”

Acknowledge apathyReinforce benefit with evidenceAsk again for first date

Reinforce benefitswith more evidenceworst case scenario

Ask again for first date

May all occur during a single interaction lasting just a few minutes

May occur as an initial telephone call followed by a face-to-face meeting

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Your “Elevator Speech”

A short (but compelling)

message that succinctly

and memorably introduces you.

Followed by a modest request for a “first date.”

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Exceptional Elevator Speech

Open with BENEFITSthat address Primal Buying Motives

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Primal Buying Motives

Desire for gain (usually financial)

Fear of loss (again, usually financial)

Comfort and convenience

Security and protection

Pride of ownership (ego satisfaction)

Satisfaction of emotion (love, anger, stress, joy, etc.)

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Which needs should be the target of our elevator speech?

CustomerNeeds

Our Value

Competitor

We don’t yet know the customers actual needs

We need to aim for the broadest target…Yet still be differentiated…

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Exceptional Elevator Speech

Opening Benefit Statement“We help organizations like yours target their training

dollars and activities to ensure maximum positive impact on the business”

Brief Example or Evidence“For example recently a supply chain management

company was able to improve the productivity of two divisions by more than 18% through a series of targeted workshops and e-learning courses - without any added expense – because they shifted dollars from areas where they determined training was having less business impact.

Request for a “First Date”“Do you have some time to talk about this in more

detail?”

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Exceptional Elevator Speech

Emphasize Benefits(Results You Produce)Don’t focus too much on how you produce those results

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Exceptional Elevator Speech

The natural response to a great elevator speech should be “hmm… how do you do that?”

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Too Little Too MuchOptimal

Tension / Pressure

Pro

du

ctiv

ity

Prospecting Exercise

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A Great “First Date”

Begin with the end in mind. What should be the outcome of this first substantive discussion?

The customer is left thinking:

“That was time well spent”

“They are more/better/different than what I expected.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting again.”

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The “First Date”

How you handle the first substantive conversation will determine:

• If you ever have a SECOND conversation

• The “ground rules,” and

• The “trajectory” of the selling cycle

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The “Ground Rules”• Most prospects begin a sales

engagement with assumptions regarding the relative power between you and them. (They have it, you don’t)

• Unfortunately many salespeople have similar assumptions.

• Power relationships are always negotiable

• Once the relative power in a relationship is established, it becomes increasingly difficult to adjustYour sources of power include:

• Deeper knowledge• More strategic thought process• Willingness to invest time

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The “Trajectory”

Where does this lead to…?

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The Ideal “Trajectory”

Deal Opportunity Identified

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5 Steps to a Great First Meeting

1. Sell Yourself

2. Sell Your Company

3. Ask GREAT questions

4. Provide/create value

5. Confirm the next ADVANCEMENT action step

Just enough to earn the right to ask great questions about the customer