Just Said It

The sales process that we all knew from 20 years ago has changed.  Why?  Quite simply its because the buying process has changed.  The Internet has created a very educated and informed buyer.  This shift is true in all business to business sales, but it is even more important that professional service firms acknowledge this change.  Gone are the days when you could rely completely on relationships fostered by one or two of your associates.  In today's world everyone must be a part of the sales process and you have to embrace the modern knowledge base and communication tools of email, LinkedIn, blogs, Twitter, and the like to be effective against your competition.

Here are some basic "must haves" that I think apply to every technology, accounting, legal, and consulting firm:

First, create a consolidated sales and marketing plan.  Your plan should be in writing, it should be concise and it should be understandable by everyone at your firm.  It should spell out your firm's value proposition, your target market, and your criteria to qualify or disqualify prospective clients.  The sales plan should outline a basic sales process and the marketing section should outline your tactical timelines to meet measurable market objectives. The plan should embrace the use of social media technologies, which in today's world are an important part of the sales process, to engage in electronic conversations with prospective clients.  You can choose to execute the strategies in house or outsource the tasks, but the written plan is critical to making sure your sales and marketing dollars are spent effectively and that you will have a measurable return on your investment.

Second, train those who will be engaged with the sales process regardless if they have a primary or secondary role with each prospective client.   Client decision processes today are multi-faceted and often include several people who will make the decision to choose your firm or to disqualify it.  The training plan doesn't mean that every associate has to attend a three week Sandler course.   Training for most associates can be conducted at in house "lunch and learn" sessions where  you won't lose precious billable time and so that the "sales resistant" associate  won't feel like they are being forced into changing who they are.

Third, manage the process every day.   Someone at the firm must fulfill the role of "Sales Manager".  This person will champion the sales process and keep everyone on track with your sales and marketing plan.  Ideally, this is a senior associate that has attended additional sales training and likes being involved with the process.   Not every associate will be good at taking on even minor sales roles.  The sales manager has to make decisions on who will get locked in the back room and kept away from perspective clients and which associates should commit additional time to the  process.  They have to be able to coach the other associates and let them know when it is time to disqualify a prospective client before they spend too much valuable time on them.

  

Marty Michael is an entrepreneur, investor, and senior executive who has been involved directly and indirectly with many software, technology, and professional service firms.   As the Executive Vice-President of sales and marketing at Avanceon he was forced to face the dilemma of a changing sales process head-on to ensure that the company made the transition in an unpredictable and shifting market place.  He has embraced the effective use of the modern marketing tools of email, blogging and LinkedIn, but still personally has a hard time saying the word "Twitter" with a straight face.  Never the less, they are all effective technologies when used in combination with a well thought out and structured sales and marketing plan.

Please check out his profile on Linked in at:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/martym9400