Fit Calls for Focus

I had originally thought I could cover Fit Calls, Demoes, and Trickle/Nurture together as they are a potent 1,2,3 when determining where to focus. As with so many ideas I bit off more than one short article could chew so I’ll spread into 3 and I believe they are linked both in timing (quick succession) and concept (one leads to the other). 

Let’s focus on the Fit Call and go from there.

If you’re watching star wars or any great movie hope is a key element to the story line and it’s compelling. In the real world of business I don’t know any stakeholder that likes a plan with hope or pray associated with it. it’s not that these are bad things it’s that they aren’t predictable.

So why are fit calls so important? They are a critical step in a sales process. People buy from people and they buy from people they like and respect. So the problem comes down to subjective vs objective decision making.

I like most people I meet whether on the street or a gathering. Most people are interesting and pleasant and I enjoy the interaction and company. So how do I know if I have an objectively qualified opportunity in business?

You guessed it the fit call.

TL DR Summary:

• Businesses want predictability (great book on it here: https://fromimpossible.com/) and that means focusing on opportunities that are likely to close and finding those requires objective qualification.
• Fit calls help you make objective decisions about investing time along with the audience and this can and should be done early (first 3 meetings).
• Good or bad direct feedback from a decision maker is the most objective way to test your belief and assumptions.
• Paint the picture of the outcome and how to get there together and ask for agreement.

Fit calls

There are flavors here and I’m not claiming to cover all of them and I’ll focus on two. Large accounts and prospects.

In my post on research as a tool for qualification (read more here) one type of fit is large enterprise with multiple levels of decision making that can require build up.

The second is the new account or new group within an existing account.

What’s the difference?

For large accounts it’s unlikely the decision maker acts alone and they rarely have a discrete budget to spend without other input to the decision making progress. This means fit is by buyer persona and will need to be done more than once (3 on average).

For prospects some are large accounts (see above) some will have a discrete project budget with a single decision maker to decide on fit.

When bringing something new to a prospective buyer and asking for time to discuss you will be unsure of motivation or real intent to buy. The goal is to get to this information as soon as possible for all parties.

I think you can qualify a deal in 3 hours of meeting. That includes first touch to set a meeting, discovery, and fit. Let’s not get hung up on the duration, my point is this can and should be very early in the cycle and this can be the first conversation if you connect with the decision maker directly.

What you won’t have done during fit is prove the value of the solution, design the solution fully, or sort out commercial constructs.

What you will do is determine there is a clear and agreed problem statement, you have a solution that can achieve the desired outcomes and meet initial requirements. 

Achieving agreement results in everyone investing in the remaining steps of the process. 

Uncover whether there is real buying intent; the question is how? 

Simply ask. Example: “Dear [decision maker/potential customer]: Now that we have clearly identified the challenge(s) and we’ve agreed on potential solutions, it seems we're a good fit. Would you agree? And if so, what are all the steps we have to take to help make this happen?” 

Then stop and listen.

In most cases your client or prospect will be able articulate the steps needed to go through in order to deploy a solution including acquiring the solution.

Sometimes they need help.

In this case let's help you help them. Here’s some steps and questions to help talk it through with the client/prospect:

1. Figure out the roadmap of steps it's going to take to deploy the solution and work backward. 

• When do you have to have a solution in place and signed off?
• How long does an average deployment take in your organization?
• How long does procurement take for sign-offs and issuance of PO?
• How many people are involved in the decision making process, when do they have to decide and what information is required for each to make an informed decision?

2. Discover major red flags and issues that will slow down or sabotage acquisition for your client, while ensuring the chosen solution is a good fit. 

• What could happen to prevent you from acquiring a solution?
• What deal breakers exist in your process or decision making?
• Have we considered all aspects of decision making and potential issues: technical, business, financial, company, people, emotional?

3. Educate your customer/prospect through all the steps he or she will have to take to acquire the solution.

• What information do you need for each step we have discussed?
• What help do you need creating the internal business case? 
• Imagine and visualize a future where you have solved the challenges and achieved your desired outcomes. How would you describe that success, what could you measure to show that success to other stakeholders?

When you ask for a fit you might get a no. That’s ok you have determined objectively where to focus your time and energy.

With an agreed fit you can move forward through the remaining steps to help your client/prospect acquire the solution they need by proving value (Demo/POC/POV), aligning needs and outcomes (business case), and following up to ensure things are on track (trickle/nurture).

I summarize this way:

• Businesses want predictability (great book on it here: ) and that means focusing on opportunities that are likely to close and find those requires objective qualification.
• Fit calls help you make objective decisions about investing time along with the audience and this can and should be done early (first 3 meetings).
• Good or bad direct feedback from a decision maker is the most objective way to test your belief and assumptions.
• Paint the picture of the outcome and how to get there together and ask for agreement.

Thanks for reading. What do you think?