Finding the decision maker and getting them to respond can be one of the hardest things a sales rep faces during the sales cycle.  Sales intelligence data can give you insights on who the decision maker might be, what questions to ask, and how to respond to his or her questions. However, you can’t expect to find the decision-maker easily. You must employ tactful strategies and ask questions to qualify that person as the budget holder or if he or she is just a user or influencer that wants your solution, but can’t sign on the doted line.

The decision maker is usually a VP- or C-level employee that likely won’t be using your solution, but the people reporting to him or her will manage and work with the solution. Sales reps first need to get three types of authorities on-board: the user, the influencer and the decision maker. The decision maker holds the key to the budget and has the power to say yes or no.

These executives are typically the hardest to identify and contact. If someone refers you to someone else, the person you were referred to is usually the decision maker. If the person you contact responds saying the solution is a great fit, they’re probably not the decision maker, but rather the influencer or user who needs or wants your solution. Also, if you get pointed to the same person multiple times, than they are usually the decision maker. Contacting all three is a must, but putting more energy towards finding the decision maker and aligning their business needs with your solution is most critical.

Decision makers want specific evidence of previous success so they can clearly understand how your solution is going to solve their business problem. They need to see a measurable ROI and want reference data in order to identify how the solution can affect their bottom line. If you can or have determined that the decision maker has a budget, you’re one step closer to qualifying a prospect. But, for the prospect to meet the necessary BANT criteria, you need to have answered two out of the three remaining criteria. Using sales intelligence data can decrease your research time in trying to find the prospect’s business problems, what people’s titles and functions are, and whether or not your solution is budgeted.

Top 20 CRUSH Use Cases

The document will teach you how sales intelligence can help develop strategic account plans, identify competitors & build target account lists, and track customers, prospects, and competitors.

Download the CRUSH Use Case PDF

- Mark Kilens
mark.kilens @ salesquest.com
978.749.9999 ext. 118

©2012 Sales Intelligence Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Asking the right questions during the prospecting process, whether it be through outbound marketing, like e-mail blasts, or on a prospecting call, can help you save time and money by shortening your sales cycles and freeing up more time to spend with qualified leads and prospects. Understanding how decision makers qualify spending their limited budget is invaluable for two reasons: one, being empathetic to your prospect’s needs will build more trust with your potential client, and two, aligning your solution with a defined need within the company will show a clear-cut and more accurate ROI.

The best way to approach your research to ask the right questions is “backwards,” from the point of view of the buyer rather than the seller. Mark McDonald highlights the four drivers of IT budget that CIOs consider when making spending decisions on the Gartner Blog—approaching your pitch from the standpoint of the person that is spending the money will only strengthen your case. McDonald cites that:

• customers and markets,
• products and services,
• business process, and
• organizational structure

are the main drivers of IT spending. In creating a pitch, you should focus your research on which of these business problems your solution helps to resolve. Then, determine much as you can about the specific issues your prospect is having, whether it be a management restructuring or a new product implementation that is not going smoothly.

When you finally get a decision maker on the phone, you can fill in the blanks by asking specific, targeted questions. This will not only save you and your prospect time by avoiding introductory and basic questions, but your understanding of their needs will be clear, and your pitch will automatically be empathetic rather than “pitchy.”

Even in 2009, CSO Insights found that buyers felt that more than 25% of reps “needed improvement” in aligning their solution with the buyer’s needs, and less than 25% exceeded their expectations. Taking this approach to your sales pitch will not only ensure that you avoid falling into the “needs improvement” category, but it will help you to impress your prospect, earn their trust, and bring you that much closer to finding a perfect match and closing the sale faster.

- Carolyn Sebasky
carolyn . sebasky@salesquest.com
978.749.9999 ext. 107

©2012 Sales Intelligence Blog. All Rights Reserved.