One question I got asked often from prospects is: “We have a solid sales process, what value do you bring?“

It is a valid question indeed.

My answer is: “With the ‘ZL Accountability System‘, I provide you the solution that maximize the opportunities to reach your sales strategic goals, and a framework to differentiate yourself from competitors.“

Throughout sales cycle, you do not know which day will be the most important day of the sale. The day you make influence of the buying decisions. You have to be consistently engaged and continuously providing value to the customers. When that day comes, they will call you. Because you are at the front of their mind. Every touch point you are adding value for the customer, that builds trust. Therefore, you managed throughout the permanent engagement to put yourselves in front of their mind.

If you do not put sales through an accountability system, they may not recognize the opportunity when they arrive. The biggest risk in sales is missing he window of opportunity. Which is when the customer recognizing a specific need that you can solve. If you are not there being ready for it, you will not get it.

“The deals will always close, it is whether you are in it or not.“

One of the biggest value of sales is response time. With “ZL Accountability System“, sales team have front load the sale work in a structured way to be ready to respond quickly. Prioritize the time/focus on the high impact lead generating actions. Achieving closing the deals with limited time.

The solution to add structure for sales team is NOT simply by deploying best practice project management process in the sales team. Project teams work with a good structure based on well-defined processes. The day to day operation often happens in a team. Sales teams are unlike project teams. Sales often works out in front with the customers on their own. They probably have a support structure in the back office. But in their day to day critical actions are often alone. Sales often have a target within a timeframe, they are the ones manage the progress to achieve it. This is very much different from a task driven team approach like in Project Management. Therefore, holding sales accountable with fixed deliverables/due date as a traditional waterfall project management process is not realistic. When I work with sales team for sales strategy execution, I choose agile approach and focus on progress monitoring.

The typical sales process helps the organization to process the activities required from receiving an RFQ to delivering the quotation, across the different organizational units involved, e.g. sales, engineering, purchasing, project management, manufacturing, costing. These sales process are primarily focusing on how to manage sales internally in an organization instead of managing customer interface. The sales process does not define how sales can differentiate themselves with a targeted value proposition to the customers. The technology differentiation is also no longer the ultimate buying decision making factor for customers.

“Competition today is no longer about technology, it is about business model.”

As businesses are transforming into “experiences led businesses“, it is the customers’ feeling towards a brand influencing the buying decisions. That feeling is created by every touch point with the sales person. How can a sales person leave an impression with the customer among all competitors to leaving a positive impression with the customer is what “ZL Accountability System” enhanced solutions (Customer Journey & Customer Discovery) provide to the sales team – a framework to equip the team with different view points to approach customers effectively.

If you have a solid sales process in place, it is great in respect of protecting the sales documentation and contractual agreement. It is internal focused, not customer centric. But “ZL Accountability System” brings exactly a great method complimenting the sales process that enables suppliers to differentiate themselves from their competitors. In the way they engage with the customers leading to customer loyalty…