How can you optimize your sales process for a long cycle with multiple decision makers?

In small companies, optimizing sales processes for long cycles with multiple decision-makers involves personalized, relationship-driven strategies. It's about understanding each decision-maker's unique needs and tailoring the approach accordingly. Regular, direct communication and flexibility in adapting to changing requirements are key. In larger companies like Amazon, the focus is on leveraging data analytics to understand decision-maker profiles and creating segmented, targeted strategies. It involves a more systematic approach with structured follow-ups, utilizing CRM tools for tracking and coordination across larger sales teams. Both approaches require a deep understanding of the customer's journey and strategic patience.

In a complex sale with multiple buying influences, buyer journeys vary. Think about the different pathes the buyer journey can take. Make sure that you map the CRM to capture the different journeys. Create stages that capture the decision-making process. Avoid using activities as stages. Activities happen insides stages. Some activities happen multiple times across different stages. For example, you might do a demo in the qualify stage with one buyer and then need to do two more demos with different buyers along the journey. You might also find that you create a proposal early in the sales process and then need to revise it several times as different buying influences engage.

When it comes to strategic selling, the prospect journey is complex and messy. I advise opportunity teams to consider what their prospect is doing, thinking, and feeling before every interaction. The answer is the best way to determine what they would find most valuable during the meeting.

1- Make sharing information easy. Key information needs to be clear and transparent so they are able to come to an easy determination. 2- Easily verbalize benefits and differentiators. Being able to understand how something works will move the process along faster. 3- Multiple demos. And, better, customer-led demos as then they are more confident that the solution is right for them. 4- Being able to answer questions effectively and directly. You need to actively "listen" and position yourself in their shoes and answer accordingly. 5- Empathy & Patience. Empathizing with your customer, taking the time to understand their pain points, motivation and hesitations. Put yourself in their shoes and ask why you would hesitate?

Segmentation is the key to organizing your account database, and the foundation for any territory planning, ABM, prospecting, or customer management. Leaders need to realize that this isn't a one-and-done activity. It should be maintained in real time (or at a minimum monthly), and the approach should be evaluated annually.

It is essential to employ effective communication, tailored messaging, and patience. Understanding the decision-making unit, unraveling the decision-making hierarchy, and balancing discussion and focus in meetings are crucial. Besides, embracing empathy, exercising patience, and nailing communication by tailoring the pitch to resonate with each stakeholder can significantly enhance the process. Furthermore, providing key information in a clear, digestible, and easily shareable way, and being willing to conduct multiple demos to impress all decision-makers are also important strategies. These approaches can help navigate the complex world of B2B sales with multiple buyers, ultimately leading to more successful engagements & deal closures.

Durante mi trayectoria en ventas, en una conferencia un expositor resaltó un concepto poco convencional pero crucial en la generación de confianza en transacciones comerciales. Destacó la importancia fundamental de establecer una relación y conexión significativa entre las partes involucradas, respaldando la noción de que "las personas prefieren hacer negocios con amigos". Esta perspectiva subraya la relevancia de construir relaciones duraderas como catalizador esencial para el éxito continuo en las transacciones comerciales.

I agree completely. All of the above builds rapport and credibility. One recommendation I would like to offer that builds trust is making certain you properly ask for and keep commitments. Customers trust salespeople that do what they say they will do. When asking for commitments: 1. Align them with your sales call objectives (which should be defined pre-call) and customer needs. 2. Make sure there are commitments on the part of you and the customer that move the sales process forward that adds value and that are roughly equal. 3. Be honest with yourself and your customer with respect to what you can and cannot commit. A second recommendation is be patient. Building trust and rapport takes time.

Understanding your customer's pain points, challenges, and goals starts with asking the right people the right questions. It's essential to work with as many purchasing decision-makers and influencer stakeholders as possible in order to truly understand the customer's needs. The 5 Why's technique helps sales teams dig in to find the real underlying challenges that a customer is facing. Once the account's underlying challenges are truly understood, it's much easier to align your value proposition and communicate the benefits of your solution to address their concerns.

Communication - or lack thereof - is often the reason things don't go as smoothly as they should. Long, multi-threaded, complex sales require near "project manager" levels of attention and coordination, and someone to "quarterback" all of it. Determine who the "on-field General" is. While they may not have ultimate authority, they're informed and consulted about everything. CRM becomes pivotal in having a central place for contacts and notes to be scheduled and entered. But if your unique team works better using Slack or centralizing things in Sharepoint or a similar platform - go for it. But have a hub that catalogs everything. Once you expand to several platforms, people will miss important updates and documentation.

Creating deal teams is important, starting with the customer buying journey (mapping it out). Once the "collaborators" have been identified, then aligning on the universal method is important. The expectations should be that all communication is captured in the CRM, at the opportunity. So if it's an email with the customer, it must be synched. If it's an internal communication, then it needs to be a chatter or a task on the opportunity. If slack, then the team needs to determine how exactly slack should be used. All of this should be defined up front.

Ensure continuous and meaningful follow-ups during the extended sales cycle. Regularly check in and provide updates to keep your solution forefront in the customer's thoughts, reinforcing your dedication to their success.

Don't make this a box-check type of thing. We want to understand the true forecast and what the CLEAR entry and exit criteria look like at each stage. Closing the deal is no different. Two-way engagement with the prospect is the clearest indicator of a promising deal. The more contacts with the right buying roles, associated with the deal, the better and communication with those contacts.

I'm a big believer in having a Sales Methodology that supports your sales motion. Sales Methodology - whether Solution Selling, MEDDPICC, Miller-Heiman, etc. is not a magic spell that solves poor selling, nor is it something that only bad sales people need. Rather; it helps the best sellers to be even better. Even the best sellers are human, get excited or busy, and miss steps. In a long sale, if you have a prescriptive methodology that defines how you do what you do, and when you do it - they'll be reminded of the important steps that make the magic happen. Your best seller can't outperform a good sales methodology in the long run. In the words of the father of modern process engineering: a bad process beats a good worker every time.