Autopsy of a Failed Solution Sale

By Darrell Amy, Dealer Marketing Systems
From Office Technology Magazine

If there is one thing that I have learned from watching reruns of "Law & Order," it is that to solve a murder, you need to take a close look at both the victim and the scene.

Many dealers are not enjoying the degree of success that they had hoped for in selling software-based solutions like document management, automated capture or electronic forms. Some are selling none at all. At the same time, there are other dealers who routinely take down software deals, many of which pull through profitable hardware.

If you are a salesperson or dealership that is disappointed with your results selling solutions, you have two choices: quit or change. The problem with quitting is that your key competitors may not quit and will end up with an upper hand of insurmountable competitive advantage. So if you have failed in your efforts, it might be worth the time to take a look at why you have not been successful to see if you could make some changes.

What is the difference between failure and success in selling solutions? To get to the bottom of the crime, let us do a thorough autopsy of a failed solution sale. In doing so, we may also find patterns that reveal the source of a failed solutions program.

Before I conduct the autopsy, I should probably give you some background. The observations in this autopsy are based on my personal experience. This includes failing miserably at selling solutions and then finding what worked. Now for the past four years, I have worked with small and large dealerships across the United States and United Kingdom. In the process, I have seen some dealers enjoy success while others experienced frustration. In the spirit of "Law & Order," "here are their stories..."

No Problem, No Solution

The first and most prevalent cause of failure is pretending to sell a solution to an unqualified pros-pect. By definition, a solution requires a problem. If you have not uncovered a business problem, you cannot have a solution.

How could this happen, you ask? Easily. For years we have sold copiers based on cool demos. As a copier salesperson myself, I have toner in my blood. I love the showmanship of a demo contest. I used to live for the "feature, advantage, benefit, close" routine.

The problem is that when prospects come to look at a copier, they already have a problem: they need a new copier. Maybe their lease is up. Maybe their old system is too small and always breaks. Maybe they are opening a new facility. In any case, they have a problem. They came to your demo to seek a resolution to that problem. Hopefully, you rise above the competitive dogfight and close the sale by wowing them with an intoxicating combination of amazing features backed with fast service response — all for one low monthly payment.

When it comes to software, we tend to fall in a trap. We hold technology shows to demonstrate a document management system. We assume that if attendees let us show them a demo, they must be a prospect. In a few cases, that may be true. But in the vast majority of cases, those who come to a technology show or to see a software demo are simply coming to be educated. That is why many of them say "thank you for the informative presentation" and we never hear from them again.

Even worse, demonstrating software (especially at the beginning of a software cycle) can actually hurt your chances of closing the sale. According to Geoffrey Moore's landmark study about marketing technology, "Crossing the Chasm," only 15 percent of the buyers you encounter are technical decision makers — people who love technology. The rest are mainly skeptical of technology. He calls them pragmatic buyers.

If you show a pragmatic buyer a software demonstration, he (or she) is going to ask two questions: "Will it be too complicated for us to use?" and "Will it mess up my business?" More often than not, these pragmatic buyers leave a software demonstration with the answers to their questions. Unfortunately, the answers reinforce their confirmation that though the software looks amazing, they are not ready for it yet.

The key to selling to the pragmatic buyer is actually much less technical than you ever dreamed. (Tenured, non-technical dealership owners and sales reps, rejoice!) Instead, the key is to have a practical conversation about the client's business problems. Once we uncover a business problem, we can ask the all-important first closing question: "That sounds like a problem to me — is it a problem for you?"

Only when we have identified a problem and the client has acknowledged that it is a problem to them, do we have a real solutions prospect. The next step is simple: ask the client if he wants the problem solved. Until a problem is identified and the client wants it solved, you are wasting time, expensive specialist resources and electrical energy proceeding with the sale.

When training sales reps on how to find business problems to create real solution sales, I often have them write out their solutions hot list. Then I ask them to identify the business problem in each one of the potential accounts. If you have a software sale on your hot list and cannot quickly identify the business problem, it is not a hot list. It is a fantasy list.

The first step of the solutions autopsy is to be honest about your prospects. If there is no problem, there can be no solution sale.

Action for the future: Equip your non-technical sales reps to talk to their non-technical buyers about their business problems.

No Client Buy-In, No Solution

Let us assume you have found a business problem. Now it is time to make sure the client buys in to your idea to solve the problem.

Many failed solutions sales I have observed go like this: First, the sales rep finds an opportunity. Then, he brings in the software guy to do a demonstration. The software person conducts a flawless demonstration; however, as the non-technical decision maker is watching the demonstration, he starts thinking about technology. He recalls the good old days when things were not so complex. Then he remembers the time last year when his company hired a large software firm to come install an ac-
counting system. It took them offline for six weeks and the company lost its biggest customer. All of the employees complained. It was a bad experience.

To make matters worse, the masterful software demonstrator is now showing off every feature of the software. While any key operator might appreciate the information, the decision maker begins to see the system as complicated. As a non-technical person, awash in the regret of a previous bad experience with software, his resolve not to purchase the software grows with every minute of the demonstration.
Finally, with the demonstration over, the technical person asks what he thinks. Or, maybe the sales rep chimes in with a brilliant closing question: "Can you see how this could fit into your enterprise?" Not wanting to be rude, the buyer politely responds with one of the solutions-killing objections we have all heard one too many times:

• "This is really amazing software. However, I just do not think we are ready for it yet. Why don't you touch base with us next year."
• "Thanks for the demonstration. It was really informative. I need to put you in touch with our IT person."
• "We appreciate the session — it was very educational."
• "You guys are amazing but we are not ready for this — can we talk about the copier?"

Now, do not get me wrong. The last objection is fine. Get the hardware lease signed. But doing technical demonstrations to non-technical people almost always yields the same result: no decision. And, in the world I come from, no decision does not pay commission so it might as well be a "no." And here we have yet another dead solution sale.

So, how could we do it differently? If we had identified the business problem up front, then the presentation to the client could have been less about the technology and more about the business problem.

In BTA's ProSolutions course, I teach solutions specialists how to create a vision for the solution. The presentation could go like this:

• Slide One: Review the client's current business problem and business goals.
• Slide Two: Present potential costs related to the current problem (remind them of the pain).
• Slide Three: Present potential risks related to the problem (more pain).
• Slide Four: Title this slide, "A Vision for the Solution" (propose a better way).

Slide Four is blank. Your job now is to sketch out the vision for how the situation could be different if the client adopted your solution. This is not a demonstration. Instead, it is a word picture of the ideal world. Tell the story of how he does it now, then tell the story of how it could be. Be descriptive. Get the client involved. And, for icing on the cake, tell a story about how you helped another client solve a similar problem.

Then, ask the client if he likes the idea. If he does not like your vision for the solution, you either find a different one or go on to the next sale. Until he buys in to the vision, you are wasting your time configuring software, writing proposals and doing a proof-of-concept presentation.

Only when the client has said that he likes your idea is it time to show him the software. Amazingly, in many cases you do not even need to show the software. Many clients do not care. They delegate this to their IT staff. What they want to know is:

• Do you understand my problem?
• Do you have a practical solution?
• Do you know what you are doing? (Have you helped someone else?)

If you do have to show software at this point, there is only one rule: make the software look easy. If the solution involves search and retrieval, show the client how he can find a document — period. Do not show him the login screen. Do not show the administrative interface. Do not talk about structured query language and Boolean searches. Just show him what he needs to see.

Then, close. "Understanding that we will likely need to meet with your IT staff to discuss the technical details, based on what you have seen today, do you feel like we have a good potential solution to your problem?"

Action for the Future: Make your solutions presentations about your vision for the solution, not a software demonstration.

If the Client Is Nervous, You Lose

Most of your clients (and your potential clients) probably know you as the copier company. That is great when you want to sell gear, but this can be a potential liability when you want to sell software.

After your salesperson presents his vision for the solution, the buyer's job is to do due diligence. Here is what he is likely thinking: "I know this company is great at copiers, but do its employees really know what they are doing when it comes to implementing a software solution?"

With this question in mind, the buyer goes to the source of all information and knowledge: Google. He searches for your company and finds your Web site. What he sees when he gets there can help you get a "yes" or it can put a bullet in your hopes to close the deal.

If a solutions buyer arrives at your site and finds nothing about the solution you are selling, he gets nervous. I was recently working with a client who was struggling in his solutions program. He had a great solution specialist. His sales reps had been trained. He had amazing software partners. The only things that were missing were the sales.

One of the main culprits was my client's Web site. On the home page there was a very large picture of a color multifunction system. There was no mention of document management. No problem, let us look at the main menu: About Us, Products, References, Contact Us. Still no information about document management.

If this describes your Web site, put yourself in the shoes of someone considering investing money in a software-based solution with your company. You would probably be nervous, too.

It is important that your Web site help potential clients feel confident in your ability to implement document solutions. There are two ways you can help: have the right content and include case studies.

When our Web development team is working on a dealership's Web content, one of the first things we consider is the home page. Is the site visitor able to quickly see everything that you do: multifunction systems, managed print services and document management? For the client considering a solutions purchase, this helps him feel comfortable that solutions are a core part of your company and not something you are just getting into — or may drop next month.

Then, your site should have some in-depth content that proves you know what you are taking about. A section on document solutions should have more than a paragraph. Instead, it should provide enough information to show you know what you are talking about. Sure, most clients will not read every word. But they will get the feeling that you know what you are doing.

In the spirit of finding business problems in the sales process, most of your Web content should be dedicated to how your solutions solve business problems. Technical details are fine, but the really important issue is to prove that you understand how to apply the technology.

The next key to building confidence with your potential clients is case studies. A case study proves that you know what you are doing and that you have actually pulled off a solution in the local area.

National case studies from your software vendors do not cut it here. The client does not care what the technical geniuses who designed the software have done. He cares about what you have done. Now, I know case studies are not fun to write. They often get put at the bottom of the list of marketing priorities. However, the dealer who takes the time to do case studies can yield big dividends.

When we are writing case studies for dealers, we usually keep them fairly brief. In one or two pages, we want to explain the challenge, the solution and how the client benefited. Typically, we can accomplish this with a phone interview of the sales rep to get the scoop and a 15-minute phone interview of the client to get some juicy pull quotes. From there, we are able to write up the case and put it in a nice color graphic format.

These case studies can be handed out during the early stages of the sales process. They can also be posted on your Web site. However, the most important use of a case study that I have found is for the sales rep to be able to relay the story in the sales process. "That reminds me of ABC Company. Here was the challenge they had ... "

During my training, I regularly challenge sales teams to share success stories with each other. If you shared one success story at each sales meeting this year, you would end up with a repertoire of powerful verbal case studies that could help you sell document solutions, as well as hardware and managed print services.

The Verdict: Take Action

If you have failed in your solutions efforts, ask yourself these questions:

• Are we really finding business problems? If not, training your sales reps to have these non-technical conversations could pay off big time.
• Are we giving a vision for the solution or just demonstrating software? If not, consider BTA's ProSolutions training to equip your solution specialists to do more than just show software.
• Do our clients see us as a credible source of solutions? If not, update your Web site and start writing case studies about the solutions you have sold.

Ask the hard questions. Then, take action. Taking these steps could help you transform a dying solutions program into a big success.

Darrell Amy is president of Dealer Marketing Systems, a firm providing sales training, Web site development and marketing services to help dealers succeed in selling managed print services and document management solutions. He can be reached at (214) 224-0050 or damy@dealermarketingsystems.com. Visit www.dealermarketingsystems.com.