Shipley Tips

  In complex sales, buyers purchase benefits, not features. Buyers want to know whether the benefits generated by specific features of the seller’s solutions will address their issues and deliver the benefits they seek. Getting this right starts in the Capture phase – listening and making sure you really understand the buyers needs. And more

 …Prospects must explicitly acknowledge or confirm the value of a feature, to convert its advantage into a benefit. Sellers that claim to know the benefits of their offerings before collaborating with the prospect are guessing. The risk of failing to test your assumptions about benefits of your solution features – to the specific customer –

…a thematic summary to align with the prospect’s vision. Brainstorm a high-level strategic theme that encompasses: • the prospect’s strategic direction • this specific opportunity • your overall strategy to address needs Your Executive Summary is often the only document Decisions Makers read. Avoid the risk of them losing interest and failing to read it

  Executive summaries are powerful internal tools when developed early. Your Executive Summary (especially when developed early) can: • Build trust with customers by sharing with them in pre-tender (Capture) phase • Help refine your bidding strategy based upon customer feedback • More quickly gaining senior management buy-in to your win strategy • Better communicate

  Many procurements have been lost because the seller assumed the reason they won the last contract still applied. The relevance and power of a discriminator to an individual or an organisation may vary over time or change completely. Re-visit and update your Discriminators early, particularly with re-bid situations, especially if your are the incumbent.

…your prospect, your competitors and yourself. A discriminator is a feature of your offer that differs from your competitor’s offer and is acknowledged by your prospect as important, to them. Two key issues to appropriately determine your Discriminators: 1.Ensure you have assessed these from the point of view of your customer, not just what you

 ….your organisation in each sentence, and name them more often. Strive to mention the prospect as many or more times than you mention your organisation. Include all pronouns in your count.

  Think of every customer as a new friend that you are trying to help. Expect to adapt your agenda to their requests and actions.  

  Use discussions, white papers, site visits, presentations, documentation reviews, and other means to test your solution with the customer. Assess their readiness to purchase and the alignment of your solution to their needs.  

…control and add value to your BD process.  Documents are the only evidence that an intellectual task has been completed.