I’ve been saying this for years – detection is the most important part, and your managed services program is a critical component of the detection strategy. I just finished up today’s webinar – the second session of, Accelerating Managed Services Sales. Both sessions, March and April, where full, with a waiting list. This article on […]
One of my first experiences with selling cars came early in my marriage when we decided to sell our Dodge van. The vehicle was in great shape, no major problems, and well taken care of. I listed it in the newspaper, and a few days later received a call from a potential buyer. He was […]
August is almost here, and I want to thank Cisco for sponsoring me to speak to a select group of their partners…Seating is limited, but if you sell Cisco and plan to attend either the BlackHat or Defcon conferences this year, you can register here to attend this special session on selling security solutions. We […]
(You might have to turn up your volume on this – the audio is weak)…Why do some deals look good, then stall out? In this short clip I explain what it is that makes deal justification strong, and where things fall apart. I invite you to share your comments and experiences. © 2011, David Stelzl
In a recent sales opportunity we (the seller and myself acting as a sales coach) were charged with providing a competitive quote on unified communications (UC) products. The company already uses UC, so the quote is simply an upgrade. The seller assembled the quote, listing all of the necessary hardware, software, and services to move […]
I was recently talking with an account manager responsible for breaking into a large fast food chain. He could have brought in his PowerPoint slide deck riddled with company statistics, product offerings, roadmaps, and perhaps a list of customers currently using his product. If he had, he would have looked just like everyone else calling […]
As I mentioned yesterday, when someone requires you to deliver ROI or TCO numbers as part of the red-tape process, the sale really isn’t based on ROI or TCO, but rather this is just a protocol the company has for vetting possible providers. In most cases they will have a format or model for doing […]
I was recently proposing a training class for a large manufacturer. My main point of contact wanted the training and had money approved for it. However, they required a certain multiplier as a return on investment(ROI). Is this an ROI sale? No, it’s a competitive advantage sale – training is almost always a competitive advantage […]
A question came in today asking, “What is the difference between ROI and TCO? Our company uses the terms interchangeably.” This is common…but they really are different. Here is some explanation: I use the term TCO specifically to mean that it will cost you less to produce the same or better results. By focusing more […]
Continuing on with operational efficiency sales tactics from yesterday’s post, the problem comes in when the product or service does not directly relate to a business issue. This is common with efficiency gains when considering products that relate more to infrastructure. However TCO numbers can play a strong supporting role here; where product doesn’t necessarily […]
High Tech Business Growth 