Because of the multitude of stakeholders typically involved in
closing a business-to-business (B2B) sale, selling technology to
businesses is a complex process. For early-stage technology start-ups,
selling B2B is doubly difficult since both the technology and the
company are new to the market.
Understanding the nature of technology sales is key to managing successful sales processes and sales organizations. Entrepreneurs must involve themselves in sales from the start to appreciate both how customers relate to the offering and how the sales process unfolds.
In general, the following factors (and the extent to which they apply) characterize the complexity of B2B technology sales:
Stakeholders: The more stakeholders involved, the more time will have to be spent both preparing and conducting sales calls. Often stakeholders from various departments will be involved, which may introduce a degree of political maneuvering into the stakeholder management process.
Information gap: The less familiar potential customers are with your technology, the more time you will have to spend educating them. They will need to understand your technology, its inherent advantages and how well your company has mastered it.
The presence of choices: Technology sales usually involve a number of decisions on the parts of both customer and seller. These decisions relate to the final delivery of your offering and any implementation process involved.
Customer-specific requirements: Every technology sale is unique, due to different customer organizational and technological environments. Sellers must learn how to recognize these differences and determine how they will impact the sales process.
Lack of track record: In addition to the factors above, early-stage technology start-ups have little or no track record. The technology being introduced may also be radically new. This means that entrepreneurs must devote more time and effort to credibility-building activities during the sales process than would otherwise be necessary.
Because of these complicating factors, successful B2B technology sales depend heavily on your company’s capacity to build and maintain personal trust.
Technology sales require you to do a great deal of upfront preparation before you book a sales call.
http://www.marsdd.com/
Understanding the nature of technology sales is key to managing successful sales processes and sales organizations. Entrepreneurs must involve themselves in sales from the start to appreciate both how customers relate to the offering and how the sales process unfolds.
In general, the following factors (and the extent to which they apply) characterize the complexity of B2B technology sales:
Stakeholders: The more stakeholders involved, the more time will have to be spent both preparing and conducting sales calls. Often stakeholders from various departments will be involved, which may introduce a degree of political maneuvering into the stakeholder management process.
Information gap: The less familiar potential customers are with your technology, the more time you will have to spend educating them. They will need to understand your technology, its inherent advantages and how well your company has mastered it.
The presence of choices: Technology sales usually involve a number of decisions on the parts of both customer and seller. These decisions relate to the final delivery of your offering and any implementation process involved.
Customer-specific requirements: Every technology sale is unique, due to different customer organizational and technological environments. Sellers must learn how to recognize these differences and determine how they will impact the sales process.
Lack of track record: In addition to the factors above, early-stage technology start-ups have little or no track record. The technology being introduced may also be radically new. This means that entrepreneurs must devote more time and effort to credibility-building activities during the sales process than would otherwise be necessary.
Because of these complicating factors, successful B2B technology sales depend heavily on your company’s capacity to build and maintain personal trust.
Technology sales require you to do a great deal of upfront preparation before you book a sales call.
References
Heiman, S.& Sanchez, D. (1998).The New Strategic Selling.New York: Warner Books, Inc.http://www.marsdd.com/
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου