Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

The Selling Game

Page:

The "they" Edd refers to are, of course, corporate executives. The CEO, CIO or senior VP of whatever, and Solution Selling has this buyer mapped.

Solution Selling was founded by Mike Bosworth, an ex-salesman who based his courses around research into the buying and selling process. (The company was recently acquired by Provant, a Boston-based provider of performance improvement services and products.) According to Bosworth's research, 13 per cent to 20 per cent of the companies that buy software are innovators or early adopters, and sales reps don't need to fight their way into these places; the software sells itself. Sixty-eight per cent are either early majority or late majority buyers. It takes a skilled salesman, an "eagle", to open this person's purse. The rest, 5 per cent to 16 per cent are laggards who aren't worth the bother.

Only 20 per cent of all companies are even looking for software. The other 80 per cent are window-shopping. Boot camp is all about getting that 80 per cent in the store and buying. If the salesperson can get a sponsor inside the company, 70 per cent of the time that sponsor will introduce the salesperson to the "power sponsor" - the one with the money and influence to buy software.

Page:

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: Verbatim

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • Focus & Invest in Business & Customers
    In an ever-changing economy, organisations are challenged to develop and maintain technology investment strategies that maximise process improvements and cost savings without compromising future growth. These organisations will emerge leaner and more competitive through economic cycles. And they will more likely have a firm technology foundation capable of adapting over time. Read more.
    Learn more »
  • Stella Travel Services embarks on a strategic refresh of print operations
    Stella Travel Services embraces Managed Print Services (MPS) to deliver savings, centralise and consolidate print operations in order to gain control of print costs and streamline IT support. Read more.
    Learn more »
  • Simplifying branch office security
    Securing your business network is more important than ever. Malware, botnets and other malicious programs threaten your network—at your central offices and your branch offices alike. Yet enforcing consistent network security throughout your enterprise can be challenging—especially for those of you with branch offices with few users and no IT expertise. This paper introduces a new standard—an innovative, unified, cost-effective solution for managing branch office security, with centralised reporting and a clear process for determining return on investment (ROI).
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments