Posts Tagged ‘Account Penetration’
Seven questions about each prospect that can change your business…
Posted by Chad Koser in Selling to Zebras Tuesday, 7 April 2009 22:55 No Comments
As you answer these questions, don’t try to use them to define all customers. Instead, use these questions to define your best customers, which in turn will help you to identify your best prospects.. The best customers are the ones where you win the deal 9 times out of 10.
1. What defines the types of companies that are my best customers?
2. What do these companies look like operationally?
3. Who is the person in a position of power that makes the promises when my deals/projects get approved?
4. What funding was required to get those projects approved?
5. What level and type of return-on-investment did I prove when I won a deal?
6. What role did technology play?
7. What were the service requirements where I won in the past?
Your best prospects will match the attributes defined by analyzing your best customers to answer the previous seven questions!
Catching Zebras… ‘ChangeThis: Manifesto’
Posted by Chad Koser in Selling to Zebras Friday, 3 April 2009 12:22 No Comments
An excerpt from our recently published ‘ChangeThis: Manifesto’…
The Zebra concept itself is simple. Create the profile of your perfect prospect and measure all other prospects against perfection. Zebra score every prospect, decide your tipping point and don’t go over it. This is the hard part. Saying no for sales people is very hard. Yes is in their vernacular. No isn’t even in their DNA. So when we tell you that part of the success of this process is to say ‘no,’ you’ll understand this process will take some inspection to ensure it succeeds. Someone once said you can’t expect what you don’t inspect. Inspection is necessary for the Zebra way to succeed. You can drag a Zebra to water… you get the idea.
Follow this link to download the entire manifesto: http://www.changethis.com/56.05.CatchingZebras
Let’s mix things up with an audio blog!
Posted by Chad Koser in Selling to Zebras Saturday, 28 March 2009 00:10 No Comments
Are you a busy executive? Do you have 15 minutes? Listen to an interview with Lisa Ferrari, SellingPower Live and Jeff Koser. Everything you need to know about us is captured in this interview.
Jeff describes the Zebra methodology by addressing the key components that will help companies close up to 90% of the business they pursue by determining and predicting the value they drive for their customers. Creating and executing your Zebra will put you in a position to achieve long term growth—even in these tough economic times.
Click here to listen: Lisa Ferrari of SellingPower Live interviews Zebra Jeff
Last night Zebra Jeff and I spoke to Marketing Association students at UW-Oshkosh.
Posted by Chad Koser in Selling to Zebras Friday, 13 March 2009 03:33 4 Comments
Zebra Jeff is an alum at UW-Oshkosh… I won’t post his graduation date, or how many years it’s been since he last held status as an “enrolled student” there, but I do want to share a few points that we emphasized to the younger aspiring sales people in the audience.
1. Interviewing for a sales job, or any job for that matter, should be treated as a sales opportunity in which you are selling yourself. This was the example that we used to tie in our sales methodology to something we thought most students would be able to relate to either currently, or in the very near future.
2. Given that this should be treated as a sales situation, we say that you should focus on your “Zebra” (OBVIOUSLY!)… Not only should you be a fit for your prospective employer, but that employer should also be a fit for you in terms of:
i. company culture (do you fit them and vice-versa in terms of lifestyle, philosophy, etc.)
ii. identify with and have sincere respect for the manager you will be directly reporting to
iii. have not only the skills to do your chosen job well, but also make sure you have the love for it, which is the only factor that can truly lead to real success
3. Before you talk too much about yourself and who you are, have a good idea of the unique and quantifiable value you can provide to your prospective employer:
i. research the company’s strategic direction and current business issues found in the CEO’s letter in the annual report
ii. find a way to penetrate that company beyond going through the usual channels (i.e. gatekeepers in HR)
iii. identify what makes you unique in pursuing these critical issues above and beyond your peer competitors
So, to all the young lions out there, make sure you have identified your Zebra (i.e. easy prey) and formulated and effective strategy of pursuit before making the decision to commit your valuable resources to the task. The reward will be a prosperous career step for you, and a fruitful new hire for your employer.
Zebras in any sales game are Fast Food that take dedication and discipline to catch, but are worthy of pursuit!
