If we cannot explain to somebody why we exist , then theres no point to kill them with powerpoint slides. Products will have a list of features and most of which will not matter to the customer, so instead of getting bogged down with the features list, the magic statement from Steve Blank is to use “We help X do Y using Z”. One of the examples will be: “We enable Technology teams to save time and money by automating mundane daily tasks using AI powered software”. Did it ignite a spark within you or your collegues, if yes then it might rope in your customer also.
In order to sell any product, there are certain guidelines/steps that will help to sell better. These can become the topics for the presentation slides to the customer. Have a read-through if this interests you.
The Value Proposition
In plain English, its the list of reasons or summary of why the customer should choose a product or service. To break it down into questions to be answered: Which customers need to be served, What needs are to be solved, and What price will provide acceptable value. If its not clicking with you yet, let me frame it another way: Who we are, What we do and How we do it. Example can be: We are a global team comprising of R&D, Software Engineers, DevOps and SRE services center (not just an ordinary consulting). We enable customers to adopt Cloud ecosystem, and consume it in a cost optimal manner. We integrate, automate, scale and extend the customer enterprise multi-cloud platform and IT operations.
So for the customer, is the offer around cost savings, or offering a better option at premium, or meeting a need that has not been realized in the market yet like the iPad.
For the sales pros, here are the factors to consider:
- Benefits to Customer
- Product Features
- Customer Experience
- Customer Wants/Fears/Needs
Line of Business/Area of Expertise/Domain
A Line of Business solves a particular business need or transaction. Ex: Telco, Infra Modernization, Product Development (R&D), Labs/Trainings. Multiple LOB shows that the team is mature and has expertise into multiple domains and toolsets. Here the numbers can be showcased for each LOB, for Ex: number of project completed each quarter.
Identity/Focus
The team offers complete range of automation solutions and integrations on top of community driven softwares and supports extensibility. The focus is the offer end to end solutions for enterprise customers across the globe and throughout the entire lifecycle of operations.
Capabilities/Offerings/Catalogs
The tam has a comprehensive list of pre-defined catalogs that can be leveraged for any customer throughout the globe and the R&D team is continously working to enhance new features/plug-ins to cater for agile adoptions.
Key Facts/Numbers
Showcases the head-c0unts, the Customers, the Succes stories, the credit ratings, the community contributions, the recognitions, the initiatives/incubations, the best of industry practices, collaborative approach due to geo-location, minimal failure rates, profit margins
Some BS
For we have all sinned, so time for some industry jargons that will turn your stomach into mulch.
We achieve Excellence through people/process/Agile approach/Industry Best Practices resulting in accelerated delivery, consistent quality.
The support Model (cost, period of support, how L1/L2/L3 is segregated, entensions, whats excluded like upgrades, fixes, onsite travels, )
Toolchains Used
Delivery Model: Defining Use cases/Outcomes, Program Management, Environment Readiness, Customer Onboarding, Design Workshop, Solution Documentation, Coding/Packaging/Deployment, Support
