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Optimising the sales process through ‘customer view’ product knowledge

Back to overview 13.07.2022

Our Head of International Carriers Sales, Iain Sinnott, speaks about how to optimise the sales process through customer view product knowledge.

Do more or do better or do differently: those are the three options for any service provider team aiming to survive and thrive in the next few years in the face of increasing competition. Of course, the ideal solution is to remove the ‘OR’ and achieve all three, which requires re-evaluating existing approaches. Having spent the past few months soaking up ideas and networking with people across Europe, I have clarity around how I believe we can help our service provider partners through our product portfolio and people.  

One of the things I have taken away from all my recent discussions and events attended is that taking a different approach to the sales process and team structure is fundamental to future success. The principle is simple and far from new and takes us back to sales 101: it is not what the product is but what it achieves that is valuable. In other words, we need to step into the customer’s shoes. Sounds obvious, right? But this industry has slipped into discussing technology features rather than what matters to the customer.  

Here is an example. At a recent event, I had a discussion with one of our favoured technology partners. I am satisfied with the camera that I have clipped to the top of my screen, but I was interested in the vendor’s video camera, which was around four times the price. My question was simple, where is the value? The answer lay in the use case examples, notably the dual focus on the speaker and a ‘show and tell’ product. That would be an easily missed line in a brochure or web page. However, the value becomes evident if a salesperson explains the benefit to a design agency that traditionally visits clients to show and review physical design concepts. The dual focus can reduce the need for a face-to-face meeting, save travel time and cost (and environmental impact), and speed the time from concept to finished product. Is that camera worth four times the price to that user? Absolutely.  

However, this raises a hard question: how deep do, can, or should salespeople go? Are they able to get down to that level of detail? Readers may be thinking, hang on: these micro products do not justify that amount of sales effort. However, doing so will reduce future churn, increase referrals and endorsements, and benefit the overall portfolio. Optimising the sales process based on the customer’s potential gain from these micro products is worth more than the time you save by skipping that process.  

Another challenge is expecting salespeople to remember the detail of every product to demonstrate the value to the customer, but I have a proposed solution to that challenge. While a service provider still needs its relationship sales experts to sit in front of high-value clients, a vendor’s product specialists can be beamed in via a virtual meeting at any time. Reconstructing the sales process so salespeople can offer a broader portfolio — with the crucial support of the vendor — might equate to an extra 20 per cent of the time taken on each sale but potentially double the lifetime value of each client.  

It sounds like good math to me, and, as well as the salesperson, the customer benefits too. 

That’s my view, and I am always keen to debate how we collectively work together to evaluate and improve our shared go-to-market strategies. I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject, so please contact me via LinkedIn and let me know what you think. 

+ What is the main focus of optimizing the sales process?

The primary focus is to shift from discussing product features to understanding and communicating the value that products bring to customers. This involves stepping into the customer's shoes to identify their needs and how the product can meet those needs.

+ Why is it important to understand the customer's perspective?

Understanding the customer's perspective allows sales teams to tailor their approach, highlighting the benefits and use cases of products that resonate with the customer, ultimately leading to increased sales and customer satisfaction.

+ How can sales teams effectively communicate product value?

Sales teams can effectively communicate product value by using real-world use cases and examples that demonstrate how the product can solve specific problems or enhance the customer's operations, rather than just listing technical specifications.

+ What role do product specialists play in the sales process?

Product specialists can support sales teams by providing in-depth knowledge and insights during virtual meetings, allowing salespeople to focus on relationship-building while ensuring that customers receive detailed information about the products.

+ How does optimizing the sales process impact customer retention?

By focusing on the customer's potential gains and demonstrating the value of products, companies can reduce churn, increase referrals, and enhance overall customer loyalty, leading to a more sustainable business model.

+ What is the potential return on investment for spending more time on sales processes?

Investing additional time in the sales process can lead to a significant increase in the lifetime value of each client, potentially doubling it by ensuring that customers fully understand the benefits of the products they are purchasing.