S&MM SoundOff

What Makes Selling to Government Different? Part I

Selling is selling, right?  Well, hold on just a minute there partner.  Sure there are fundamental sales skills that apply across the board, but selling to government is a bit of a different animal than selling to corporations.  In our years of experience, we have seen great B2B salespeople struggle in the B2G world, and vice versa.  So what is the difference?  Let’s begin looking at some basic ideas on what makes government so different from other selling environments.

Procurement Processes

Program managers and officials within government are spending funds received from taxpayers.  Despite the fact we've all heard horror stories about $400 toilet seats, procurement processes are in place to help provide accountability to taxpayers.  As such, buyers and vendors are required to jump through a number of procurement hoops to ensure waste, fraud, and other nasty practices are limited.

Unfortunately, these processes are also geared toward eliminating as much salesmanship as possible.  Buying committees, RFPs, contracting officers, all are in place to take any emotion out of the buying decision and focus on “just the facts.”  This adds a layer of complexity not found in B2B or B2C sales situations.  One has to learn ways to navigate these turbulent waters and support accountability processes while building recognizable value.  (We can show you how to thrive in this type of complexity and turn it to your advantage in our selling workshops).

Contract Vehicles & Teaming

Contract vehicles are simply pre-approved agreements that make it easier for government agencies to buy goods and services.  They can be both a blessing and a curse.  If you have access to the right contracting vehicle, your sale can go more smoothly.  If you don’t, you’ll need a solid teaming partner with the right contracts in place.  This adds to the complexity a bit, and you’ll give up a percentage of the sale, but it may be your only way in.  In the future, we’ll discuss teaming partners and how to manage relationships in order to achieve the greatest market coverage and benefit.

Long Sales Cycles

If you’re in government sales hoping to make a quick buck, you’re probably going to be in for a disappointing ride.  Government sales can be highly lucrative, but winning those deals don't usually happen overnight.  The same processes that add to vendor and buyer accountability also tend to stretch out the sales cycle.  It is not uncommon to see sales cycle range from one to three years.  For very large-ticket items within Federal government, five to ten years is more like it.

You need to enjoy the selling process and have some serious patience to be successful.  Fortunately, these long sales cycles provide opportunity for relationship development while serving to keep certain competition from playing.  Also, government customers may find ways to keep you around to avoid some of the re-bid headaches.

In future blogs, we'll look at other key differences between B2B and B2G selling.  Until then, happy hunting.

If you need help in building or developing your government sales team, let Galain Solutions assist.  See our blog at "www.sellingtogovernment.wordpress.com" or visit us at www.galainsolutions.com.

Sales Relationship-Building Strategy 1: Promoting Shared Values

Earlier we introduced five strategies for building stronger relationship commitment and trust in the selling process.  Now let’s dig a little deeper into one of these strategies:  promoting shared values.

What are “Shared Values?”

Shared values are simply beliefs or principles commonly agreed upon between exchange partners (customers, prospects, channel partners, etc.).  Strong shared values indicate two people are like-minded with regards to what is important or unimportant, and what is right or wrong.  While “shared values” sound like deep, complex sets of beliefs (they may be), they may also be fairly mundane interests like sports, hobbies or activities if they are truly important to the exchange partner.  Interestingly, shared values is the only component research has shown to impact both relationship commitment and trust at the same time. 

It’s a concept with which we’re all familiar.  Each of us has met people with whom we’ve “hit it off” very quickly.  Many times, the connection is made due to the discovery of some belief, practice or principle shared between us.  This can be as superficial as recognizing the person sitting next to you on a plane uses the same brand of computer, or as deep as finding yourself in the middle of a crisis and discovering another person  shares your same religious views.

Leveraging Shared Values for Enhancing Sales Performance

If you’ve been in sales for any length of time, you’ve probably heard the advice that upon entering a prospect’s office, you should look for ways to connect with what is important to him/her on an individual level.  Pictures of family on his desk?  Talk about your kids.  Golf trophies on her bookshelf?  Tell her about your trip to Pebble Beach.  Mercedes Benz emblem hanging around his neck?…(kidding).  All of these are indicators of some personal interest or value that could provide a connection point.  The goal, according to traditional thinking, is to establish personal rapport through aligning oneself with the prospect’s interest.  It’s sound advice, as honing in on personal interests is clearly an effective method for easing initial introductions. 

However, deeper relationship building requires expanding this practice beyond the initial meeting.  Salespeople should move past thinking of the method as just an ice-breaking gimmick, and instead, focus on ways to build a deeper shared value framework between them and their prospect or partner over the long-term.   

 Practically, what steps do we take to make this work?  Here are some key steps in the process:

• Observe.  Make a concerted effort to become more aware of the interests and values of prospects and partners. 
• Capture.  Make notes about the interests/values you uncover and capture these in your contact database for future reference. 
• Review.  Revisit the values for your entire prospect list regularly so you’ll keep them fresh in your mind.
• Collect.  Be on constant lookout for things you know will pique your prospects’ interest or tap into mutually shared values.  Simple things like news articles or pertinent websites are great.
• Share.  Commit to passing along content that will be of interest to prospects and reinforce any shared values.  Don’t make a big deal out of your efforts, and don’t try to squeeze in a heavy sales pitch.  Just an “I saw this and thought of you” will suffice.

A word of caution is in order.  Trying to “force” shared values where none really exist will most likely backfire on you.  It is certainly fine to appear interested in your prospect’s passion for Bavarian enamel dinner plates, but pretending to have that same love without any real emotional tie will be easily detected, ultimately working against you.  Even if you don’t have a mutual level of interest in something, recognition of its importance to the prospect will go a long way.

You’ll be amazed at how much mileage you’ll get from tuning into shared values.  Practicing the simple steps outlined here will impress prospects and customers with your attention to detail and your personal interest.  Over time, you’ll build the relationship commitment and trust you seek, creating a long-term customer and a continuous source for new prospects and referrals.

All the best,

Lorin

For a FREE report entitled “Five Sales Rules to Break when Selling to the Government” email [email protected] or visit www.galainsolutions.com.

Presentation is Everything

From time to time I enjoy watching a TV program called Sell This House. The basic premise of the show is home owners who have been unsuccessful in selling their house. A designer takes over their house, removes clutter, repaints, and stages the house so it can sell. What fascinates me about this program is the reluctance of the home owners to de-clutter and remove—in most cases—an overwhelming amount of ‘personal junk.’

So, how does this relate to sales?

Initial impressions are critical when meeting a prospect for the first time and your personal presentation can influence their decision to do business with you. This might sound fundamental but I can tell you from personal experience that many sales people make a host of mistakes. Consider these:

-          A window and door sales rep showing up for an appointment with a home owner with the distinct odor of marijuana emanating from his clothes.

-          Slathering on so much cologne that the prospect smells it on his hands for several hours.

-          Arriving late for a scheduled appointment.

-          Wearing tired, outdated clothing or shoes that are dirty and unpolished.

-          Using a cheap pen.

You have exactly one opportunity to make a positive impression with a new prospect. Failure to accomplish means you will have to work harder to gain credibility and respect.

Get your FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to Kelley’s free newsletter, “59 Seconds to Sales Success” at www.Fearless-Selling.ca.

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals close more sales at higher profits. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. Contact him at 905-633-7750 or [email protected].

 

 

Are You Taking Responsibility?

During the Winter Olympics I read an article about an athlete who had been disqualified in his event. His bitterness was evident as he blamed the judges, volunteers and even his coach. The crux of the issue was the time he arrived at the venue and was fully prepared to go. Apparently, he failed to properly prepare his equipment in the allotted time; officials said he was three minutes late in his preparation, he argued that he was only one minute late.

 

Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t one minute late, still late? Especially when competing at an Olympic level?

 

This is an athlete who has been competing for years and knew the rules. In my opinion, his behaviour was unacceptable and officials were completely justified in their decision.

 

Unfortunately, I see this type of behaviour in many sales people, too. They blame their company for not allowing them to discount or for changing a compensation program. They blame a competitor when a customer changes vendors. They blame as many people as they can.

 

Successful sales pros that they are ultimately accountable for their sales and they take responsibility for their actions AND results. Do you?

 

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals close more sales at higher profits. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.

Don't Keep in Touch with Prospects This Way!

Several years ago I approached a PR firm about enlisting their services to promote my second book but after an initial conversation with the owner I declined to use their services. However, every six or seven months, I receive an email that states:

 

“I just wanted to touch base with you to see if you’re still interested in getting more publicity.  If so, please give me a call so we can set up a time to chat. I’d love to speak with you about how our company can assist you get the results you want faster and easier. You can send me some of your available dates and times in the next couple of weeks and my assistant will get back to you to confirm a date.”

 

While it is critical to keep your name in your prospect’s mind this email missed the mark because it does not give a compelling reason why I should respond and it is obvious that it was part of a generic email campaign.

 

A more effective approach is to send your prospects information that will help them solve their business challenges. Provide insights to help them improve their results. Personalize everything to their specific situation. Give them a compelling reason to call you back or do business with you.

 

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals close more sales at higher profits. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.

Is Social Media Ruining Your Sales?

In today’s Sales 2.0 environment, sales professionals, consultants, and small business owners are told that they need to create an online presence if they expect to achieve their sales goals and targets. However, too many people take this advice to the extreme and end up spending far too much time on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and the plethora of other social media sites.

It is very easy to spend several hours a day reading posts, adding comments to discussions, tweeting your actions, and sorting through scads of information. However, it is critical to realize that social media should not replace your other sales building activities. You still have to find other ways of marketing your business. You still need to actively prospect. And you still need to schedule face-to-face meetings with clients and prospects.

While I believe a strong social presence can help you, you need to guard your time wisely. Otherwise, you can fritter away too much valuable time while believing that you are proactively moving your business forward.

Allot a specific amount of time each day for social media activities. Choose whatever time works best for you. The key is to limit yourself to that allotted time and to not get sucked into the social media vortex.

 

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals close more sales at higher profits. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.

It's All About Timing

I was recently reminded how important timing is in sales. You can approach a potential prospect with the greatest idea in the world but if your timing is off, you likely won’t move forward in the sales process. This presents a potential problem because if a competitor approaches your prospect when they ARE ready to buy, then you will miss out on a valuable sales opportunity.

 

So, how can you manage this? You certainly can’t be calling your prospect every week to ask them if they are ready to meet or move forward. You can’t read their minds (at least I know I can’t!). And you can’t rely on them to call you when they’re in the position to buy.

 

Here’s a simple concept that can help: develop a plan to keep your name in their mind. Here’s what you do.

 

Develop a file or repository of valuable, industry-related information and regularly send your prospects something. At least monthly, perhaps every couple of weeks. Use a variety of approaches including; email, snail mail, fax, voice mail, courier, and face-to-face contact. This keeps your name in their mind while demonstrating that you are a resource, not just a supplier.

 

One word of caution: this strategy requires forethought and planning. It’s easy to start and difficult to maintain. The key to results is to keep the plan in action.

 

Get your FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to Kelley’s free newsletter, “59 Seconds to Sales Success” at www.Fearless-Selling.ca.

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals close more sales at higher profits. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. Contact him at 905-633-7750 or [email protected].

Is That a Real Objection?

People are often mislead by a request for information, a condition of sale, or a block or stall. Many sales people mistakenly think these are objections when, in fact, they are not. Here’s the difference:

 

A request for information is simply that. The buyer wants additional information to aid them in making a decision. The challenge is that many times it comes across as an objection because of the way it is presented by the buyer.

 

A condition of sale is an element of the decision-making process that you have no control over. The most common example is when a person wants a specific product feature or perhaps a service that you don’t offer. It won’t matter how much you try to overcome that issue, if the buyer is set on having that particular feature or service, you will not likely close the sales.

 

Lastly, a block or stall is usually an excuse to postpone or avoid making a buying decision. You will frequently hear this expressed as, “I need to think about it” or something similar. This is most often a result of failing to effectively position your solution.

 

Listen carefully to what people say. If it sounds anything like these chances are you are not dealing with a true objection. If you are unsure, ask an additional to clarify before you automatically start offering a solution.

 

Kelley Robertson helps sales professionals close more sales at higher profits. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.Fearless-Selling.ca. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.

Selling to Government: Getting the Most from a Pre-bid Conference

This morning, I attended a mandatory pre-bid conference for a client.  The project is a massive undertaking—one of the largest of its type in the country.  As I sit in the airport waiting for my plane home, I thought it might be interesting to describe some of the lessons we’ve learned over the years on attending pre-bid conferences such as this one.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Get there early.

You never know exactly what you’ll encounter with these types of meetings.  Parking may be tight.  Facilities and seating may be limited.  Get to the meeting at least 30 minutes prior to stake your claim at the table.  Interrupting the session because you are late is not the way to make a good first impression.

Dress well.

Even though you are not making a presentation, dress as if you are.  Again, first impressions count (for prospects, potential partners and competitors).   It may not make or break a deal, but why not command the most respect possible and let them know you're serious?

Strike up a conversation.  Work the room.

It’s interesting to watch how people act when competition is thrown together in a small room.  Many people choose to keep to themselves or huddle solely with their own group.  Break the mold and introduce yourself.  Sure you might be talking to a competitor.  Who cares?  You may realize some benefit down the road of making the connection.  And, if you are looking to serve as a subcontractor, don’t be bashful.  Stepping out is a great way to identify teaming opportunities.

Have questions ready.

Asking intelligent questions illustrates you’re prepared, serious and knowledgeable (of course, asking stupid questions probably has the opposite effect).  Do your homework with the RFP.  Even if you never get the opportunity to ask, you’ll be prepared.

Be prepared to submit your questions in writing after the meeting.

Some pre-bid conferences will go into detail and allow deep technical questions.  Others will stay at a high level and expect you to submit questions in writing (the latter is particularly true when prospect agencies are not comfortable with the project).  Don't be frustrated with this process.  Craft your questions carefully and you'll be prepared either way.

Don’t ignore junior people in the room.

When scouting for teaming opportunities in a pre-bid meeting, it’s often easy to bypass the young, junior professionals in favor of the seasoned senior-level people.  You might find, however, that the younger representatives are more forthcoming with information (or at least lead you to a great introduction).  Such a moment occurred today as I noticed a young man wearing the logoed shirt of a company that could make a great potential partner for our client.  I snagged him as he walked by and told him why we were there.  Within minutes, my team was being introduced to the company’s lead account executive. Our client is well positioned to fill a needed gap thanks to a junior-level guy. 

Don’t make the buying organization look bad due to oversights in the RFP.

Invariably, mistakes in the RFP document will be made, or confusing--possibly conflicting--statements may be made.  Do not hesitate to ask clarifying questions (if given the opportunity), but watch your tone and demeanor when doing so.  Some vendor representatives seem to delight in surfacing these inconsistencies.  While I suspect their motive is to appear knowledgeable and discerning, they come off as being critical “know-it-alls.”  The lesson:  don’t let your ego outpace your brain.

None of these tips on pre-bid conferences are earth-shattering.  However, applying them just may open new doors or provide a competitive edge.  We could all use a little more of that.

All the best,

Lorin

Rick and Lorin help companies increase government sales and marketing effectiveness through their firm, Galain Solutions, Inc.  For a FREE report entitled “Five Sales Rules to Break when Selling to the Government” email [email protected] or visit www.galainsolutions.com.

Keep the Competition Out

I don’t know many businesses that have LESS competition than a few years ago. And many of these competitors are beating at YOUR customers’ door in an effort to get their business. Here are three strategies you can employ that will help you keep your competition from gaining a foothold.

 

1.       Increase face time. You don’t need to increase the number of appointments sales calls you make. Instead, think of networking events, conferences and trade shows your customer’s may attend and make arrangements to be there too.

 

2.       Increase touch points. Increase the number of times your customer receives contact from you. This can include; email, telephone, face-to-face meetings, direct mail, etc. Many of your customers will accept more contact from you. The key is to provide some type of value in each of these contacts.

 

3.       Increase the value you bring to the equation. Every time you see, meet, connect or interact with a customer, make sure you add value to the interaction. Industry insights or information to help them achieve their goals and objectives or trends in the marketplace can all add value.

 

Although these strategies sound simple, the execution requires planning and forethought. However, the investment will pay off when your competitors hear, “We love our vendor.”

Get your FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to Kelley’s free newsletter, “59 Seconds to Sales Success” at www.Fearless-Selling.ca.

 

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals close more sales at higher profits. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. Contact him at 905-633-7750 or [email protected].