Gone are the days of the heavy-handed software sales pitches. “Why you ask?”, as you wipe those tears of sadness from your eyes. We are smarter consumers. We know what we are looking for and have access to more information. If you still need a pitch, boy do I have some ocean front property for you here in beautiful Indiana!
Software sales has taken the consultative approach specifically because consumers don’t always know why they are looking for a software change. Software evaluation teams don’t fully understand the scope of requirements, or what they are missing in their current system. It is a challenge to assign value to their current business/operational processes and technical needs are not quantified as to why or how they will benefit the company.
How do you know it is time to make a software change? Well, your business is growing and you really need a solution that will allow your team to easily access information and is easy to learn. This is the most common response that I get to this question. Thanks to an old mentor, not that he is old just a time reference for the sake of it; sorry Gibby, I have to double-click on this response. But how much has your business grown? Is it physically growing, as in more locations? Are you adding more staff, differentiated product offering, or territory? As you can see there are several ways to interpret this statement. Don’t get me started on the, “Easy to Learn” statement. Just because a system is sexy or looks more modern than your current system doesn’t mean it can cook.
The overarching theme to this short outburst is simple; know your business processes and how they affect your business. Understand why you need a solution and how it affects your day-to-day. Is it limiting your growth potential?
As a software provider, it is my job to help you get into the weeds and understand your business. My team has embraced this thought process to the point we have dramatically changed how we approach selling our solution. Yes, we have the initial discussion with you. Yes, we will conduct a discovery call. Yes, we provide the demonstration. But when we present your proposal, we want to discuss our Business Process Review (BPR). Our Business Process Review is simply our industry specialist taking the time to speak with your team to document YOUR processes. Why is this important? We uncover more gaps/needs/challenges and confirm the processes that have made you successful Together, we set a test solution up for you so you can use the product before you make the investment.
Want to learn more about the BPR and how our sales process can help you? Let’s talk.
