Generation of demand in the crisis of 2020 | 24.06.2020
In a crisis situation is changing rapidly, sometimes radically. Sellers have to be able to discuss these changes with potential and existing customers. Such dialogue is more likely to lead
to the emergence of the real deal than working with the lead on the script. Simple scripts to generate b2b irrevocably. Customers read them in the first seconds of the conversation and
passionately hate about it openly Salem. Now is the time case studies-stories about implementations and time correct smart conversations Seil their application in the changed times of crisis. In
this article serves to understand how Salem is now to sell, negotiating with clients in a crisis situation and delving into his pain. To prevent system errors discussed below is a brief algorithm
improvements to lead generation in b2b.
How to change the situation for clients in crisis?
The situation of crisis 2020 for us was similar to the situation in 2015 – 2016, especially as responded to the business. That’s when we honed expert crisis offers for lead generation with
conversion to 58%. A graphic illustration is the case of generation of demand in the three regions of the Russian Federation on the background
General decline in the market at that time.
In our country already developed a conditioned reflex to the crisis. Customers our customers again suspended the development projects indefinitely. Again drastically reduced budgets
30-50%. Again focused on the maintenance of current activities. Especially large followed a set course and worked “no change”. And few again rapidly started to grow.
The key difference lay in the fact that all of these changes have occurred because of a pandemic or in the background of the pandemic. “Self-isolation” and “is” are two key words spring 2020. Even the theme of global
the economic crisis pale in the background of the “crown”. Customers are primarily solved the problems rapidly adapt to changing conditions, and solved them often “on the knee”. The main thing was
to change quickly, and not change qualitatively. The quality of work began to embrace and adjust when he solved the problem of survival, after the first stupor of uncertainty. Rethink
not only had the quality of adaptation, but in General the situation which happened.
In the spring of 2020 sounded different predictions of events, as the situation with coronavirus, exchange rates and oil prices were on the eyes. The most reasonable view of events broadcast Herman
Gref. Here is his interview. The basic tenets of transition was repeated in the press, speakers on
major online forums such as SAP NOW ONLINE. He suggested that the probability that the crisis will last long enough. Therefore, it is necessary
continue to work in the new environment. Wait, when it’s all over pointless. The depth of the changes is unknown. If the crisis is short, we will keep the acceleration of the digitization, if the crisis
long, it will change the business model.
Why Salem to seriously talk with customers about the critical changes?
Once customers had recovered somewhat, talking about the impact of the crisis on the company was the most urgent reason to start a serious dialogue with the customer in b2b. That is serious and not
style mining of objections “come after coronavirus”. Focus on the details of this account, as in one of the projects someone from Salem in may threw in General chat a link about the rules of testing
objections about the coronavirus from the Internet. Moreover, with the message “Look how cool!” In examining the evidence it appeared that these rules are written according to the principle of mining objections transactional b2b sales, although claimed as universal. In complex sales simple rules of working off of objections, can not do,
this approach is not a panacea. Recall that a complex sale is distinguished from a transactional product of complex, long cycle transactions, a large number of participants in sales and the high cost
transaction, and customer value. Although the crisis with clients it is useful to consider now any sales. A flock of “black swans” continues to spin, and all b2b had to work and
will not only work, but thrive in this growing uncertainty.
Someone reading the text now comes to mind the thought that this statement from the “Captain Obvious”! I thought at the beginning of projects. However, in practice it turned out that Salem is not
unable to correctly structure a serious dialogue about the crisis, and sales of different levels of qualifications in sales of IT solutions.
We conducted a number of projects generating demand in April-June in large and medium-sized businesses. Customers were companies that sell products and services related to IT infrastructure. Pool solutions
wide: from the optimization of the physical IT infrastructure to its virtualization customers have very different scale.
Sales in all projects necessarily initiated discussion about how the crisis has affected customer. The result of hundreds of conversations analyzed, 90% of customers are willing to
discussed this vital topic. No one gave out trade secrets, in the process of talking to potential and existing customers are very clearly laid out Salem the situation
the company, the industry and the market in General.
For example, one representative of the retail grocery chains very accurately identified their connection to optimise understanding failure not only spring, but already the fall season. In connection
with the coronavirus one of the manufacturers did not order the new collection in China, sell all of the old remnants. Another representative of the production company said that the crisis has affected the
of course, but not so much. He has created some difficulties with the relocation of some employees to udalenku, but the main development plans in the construction of a new plant are not violated. The third lead of
the transport company said that in a crisis they’re like dentists, feel good, and they have big development plans. At the same time, the attention, all of the above about the business Salem told
IT Director, like clean water technical experts. A few years ago, the majority of IT Directors could still be considered as merely technical experts, but now they
close to the business and clearly understand the relationship of business and it-tasks, and in large companies understood a long time ago. Of course, not to sin against the truth, it should be added that he had met among the leads and
those who spoke only on the technical tasks. But those who are “from his place can not see what is happening in the business” was no more than 10 %.
It is clear to talk Dita (the CIO) is not always enough to only question about the impact of the crisis. It needs to find and correct examples of case studies and to teach Salem on business, without water. But overall potential customers are willing to talk with
unfamiliar Salem, discussing the situation, task and pain for 10-15 minutes on the phone.
What mistakes sellers make when discussing the crisis clients?
The main problem was the sellers, or rather in how they perceived and filtered information received from the clients valuable information.
A pool of errors made by experienced sellers and beginners when discussing the impact of the crisis on the company’s activities can be divided into three categories.
1. Methodological deafness. The sellers do not remove the information and take the discussion about the crisis just as a reason, that is not listening, that they,the client does
continue to develop legacy-calowy algorithm is a ruthless Eviscerate client set to death entrenched in the minds of grocery issues.
At the same time potential customers is the discussion of the impact of the crisis in some detail described the events with them the changes that were brought to the discussion of specific relevant
task lead.
For example, the client says right out that they are one of the few clinics in the region, which is now actively involved in telemedicine, but the sale is not even trying for this topic to catch on and, in principle, to associate it with
the need for infrastructure changes.
2. Technical deafness. The sellers information is removed only partially, limited to the crisis changes in the IT infrastructure, not clarify at all the situation with the business. It is already
long been clear that any major IT infrastructure changes associated with the a priori value to the business. Very illustrative, when the lead in response to the question of the sale about the impact of the crisis says:
“You about the business or it to tell?”, sale says, that is certainly about it. Although this begs the answer: “And about that other must!”.
3. System deafness. Sellers remove information about the business in crisis and about the state of it, but can’t tie these two components together, do not see the relationship. The customer declares
many processes had to change-related training activities and this has affected the quality of the work.
Sale instead of having to specify “How to change? As far as the question of the quality of training critical now? How will these changes impact on IT infrastructure?”, begins to figure out for all whether it meets its
the source.
The term “deafness” is purely conditional, taken as a basis because the analyzed conversations took place mainly by telephone. In the process of dividing into categories there was a strong feeling that the above
the levels of different degree of manifestation of a big problem.
In the above passages of dialogue come out of the ears of an acute shortage of consulting competences in the average modern (there is a suspicion that not only urban) b2b-shnyh of Salem.
Competence consists in the ability to think systemically, or at least to understand the causal connection business-it. “Smart”, but rather of consulting competencies that the experts are being acquired
years of experience in different businesses and projects. In projects, the vast majority of sales of such experience was not, and the performance of the first “smart talks” with the customer was under threat.
How quickly pump “smart” competences about business customers from sellers?
During the project we gained the experience of successful actions that helped Salem to get rid of the “deafness” of different degrees. Here are the main ones.
1. Packed in brief case studies to generate a clear and intuitive connection between IT objectives and business objectives and details specifically discussed this a bunch with the sellers. As a result, they learned
in a timely manner to carry out correct examples leads who provoked the comparison situation. Worked fine for the most advanced of Salem, the rest of the cases it was necessary to disassemble very
detail.
2. Analyzed expert calls Salem at the stage of maintenance in a group chat. The most useful was the format of the analysis under the “find What?”, “How to really sale asked?”,
“What was the client?”, “How are we supposed to ask?”, “What is necessary to pay attention to the speech of the client.” The results of the analyses are seen in the following dialogue, all of Salem, as worked
the synergistic effect of the disassembled listen to the calls of colleagues. Reception worked well for the vast majority. Plus he accumulated a library of reference calls.
3. Made the mandatory preparations for the first call with the search and analysis of information about the situation in the client’s business. It worked, but often not as intended. If sales and
found information is not always helpful. Or useful, but to understand how to communicate and time to paste it into the dialogue could not. These turned out to be more than half, so they introduced mandatory fourth
method.
4. Taught to ask the correct questions. If the sale is not aware of the client’s business and its relationship with the IT infrastructure, then just ask, let these questions and will look
naive. Worked after the sellers recorded a positive customer response and saw the sincere curiosity and questions, if something seems strange or illogical, cause leads
adequate reaction.
5. Generated demand consistently, selecting a narrow target audience clients across industries and scale. Embroidered thus one of the bottlenecks for Salem now – understanding
the current situation at the client, since it changes faster. It worked when Salem was able to narrow down your audience by industry. Several productive 15-minute dialogues with
the client is allowed, if not become an expert of the client’s business, it is much more accurate to understand the situation in the business, the impact of the crisis and routine tasks of business and IT and more productive to build the following
dialogs.
Salem, mastered and regularly employ these techniques of “intelligent conversation” about the crisis with clients showed the conversion rate for lead generation of 70%-78% with an average conversion projects 55%.
What conclusions led the analysis of the results of the Salem crisis in 2020?
1. Complicated situation. The situation with b2b sales is complicated not only due to the complexity of the products during digital transformation. The crisis, which is forecast to last until may
2 years, has tightened competition, and the pandemic has changed the ways of communication with customers, dramatically by going online.
2. Complicated tools of generation. In this sharply again complicated by the reality of b2b sellers, and sellers in complex sales especially need the tools to work
qualitatively more complex level. Just memorized the scripts to generate b2b, without an understanding of the product and the situation the client is not working. Now is the time “smart” (from the first minute!) talks about business
client and proper discussion of cases in relation to the client’s business in terms of growing uncertainty. Such instruments, even in a crisis allows you to quickly obtain qualified
leads with a high conversion rate.
3. Complicated training of salespeople. Salem must be specially trained to apply intelligent tools generation. In order to quickly and efficiently get rid of methodical, technical
and or system “deafness” it is important to combine training with actual work with clients. To provide training on lead generation or customer communications, and to introduce the company system tools
to adjust their use by Salem, to track weekly results of the conversion, to make them above the average of 55%.
Tatiana KORNILOVA, expert in sales of complex
products, b2b, managing partner at Pragmatic Sales
PS About “withall to action”
We do these projects within a month. In the result of helping b2b customers get real leads, to improve sales and the quality of generation, which they then transformerait in different
sales channels. If you want to increase a constant flow of leads, especially in complex b2b sales, willing to share details and numbers of fresh cases.
formation of sales Department, PC sales
Journal: Journal IT-News, Subscription to magazines
