Marketing SkillMap TM Assessments

1. MarketingSkillMapTMAssessments

2. Webcast Agenda • Quick review of the SkillmapTM “value proposition” • Two common marketing/selling cycles • Reactive (prospect recognizes a need, we respond) • Proactive (before prospect perceives a need) • Marketing strategies • Lead/prospect generation • Leveraging technology and the web • Selling tactics • Getting a “foot in the door” • Client discussions that change the “trajectory” of the sale

3. Our Target Market 30% 70% Internal Resources Training & Development Needs

4. Our Target Market – Decision Makers • Business performance issues • Budget constraints • Career concerns

5. Two common selling cycles • Client controls when engagement occurs, and pace of advancement • Majority of prospecting calls are essentially hoping the prospect has a current/active perceived need relevant to the offering. • Often reaches out to current vendors • Drives a “bake off” decision process • Initial engagement is DIFFICULT to achieve, but worth the effort • Provides an opportunity to adjust the “trajectory” of perceived needs • Eliminate or minimize the “bake off” competition with other solution providers • Client perceives a need • Introduction or Initial Contact • Needs Analysis • Presentation and Proposal • Proposal and “Bake Off” • Decision • Initial Contact (Client perceives NO need) • Early stage (pre-need) dialogue, value delivery, relationship building and informal “needs analysis” • Adjust the TRAJECTORY of client needs and wants • Client perceives a need • Formal Needs Analysis • Solution Recommended • Decision

6. Reactive Selling Cycle • When the client perceives a need, we want them to think of us first. • Or when the client receives a communication from us, we want them to immediately link us to a need they already know they have (but have not yet been able to address adequately).

7. The Value Proposition • Our prospects: • Business performance issues • Budget constraints • Career concerns • We want them to think about: • If your training expenditures were not fully aligned with the deepest training needs of your organization, how would you know? • If your training initiatives cannot show a provable ROI with tangible impact on the business, what will happen to your training dollars? • When every element of a business is being re-evaluated and re-rationalized, will that help or hurt your career?

8. The Value Proposition • Know your training dollars are being targeted for maximum positive impact on the business. • Assess specific training/development needs: • Individual • Departmental • Organizational • Immediately act upon assessment results with an integrated blended learning solution which can include: • Individual coaching • E-learning • Audio podcasts / CDs • Group workshops • Video reinforcement • DvD Videos

9. The UNIQUE Value Proposition Have you considered a broad assessment of your entire organizational culture? Has the significant investment required to do this been an issue?

10. The UNIQUE Value Proposition If your employees were 20% less productive than they could be, how would you know?

11. Prospect/Lead Sources • Local Business Groups and Associations • Offer free resources or services if they will notify ALL members via newsletter, email or announcement • Volunteer for a project aligned with your expertise • Local Unemployment Services Agencies • Offer free resources or services if they will permit press releases and news access to the events or activities • Local Shopping Mall Management Companies • Offer free customer service training for employees of mall stores, if they will provide the training venue and allow press access

12. Prospect/Lead Sources • Local ASTD Chapter • Offer free resources or services • Volunteer for projects aligned with your expertise • Local Press Releases • Develop email list of local press contacts • Send brief press release regarding EVERY significant training initiative • Emphasize the intended RESULTS of the training • Local Schools, Sports Teams, Tournaments, etc. • Offer free resources or services

13. Linked In - Prospecting Strategy • Web links on your profile • Link to “Free Resources” pages on your website • Example: www.FreeSalesTraining.com • Search for target prospects based upon geography, job title and company size • Custom invitation message, highlighting the free resources • Join Linked In Groups that your prospects would join • Send out MASSIVE numbers of invitations • Carefully craft the invitation (see above) to minimize rejections

14. Massive Referral Strategy • Develop a profoundly valuable introductory offer • Should have value for both prospective and current clients • Contact every existing/former client • Detail the intro offer • Ask them if they know of any organization that could possible benefit from the offer • Can they provide a contact person / referral? • If they express interest for their own organization, go ahead and offer it to them

15. Free Assessment Previews • Create a preview link for the Workplace Productivity SkillMap and send to EVERY current/previous client, EVERY friend and acquaintance, EVERY other person on the planet you know. • Explain briefly what it is and encourage them to forward the link to ANYONE who might be interested in improving their workplace productivity. • Whenever you are notified of an assessment completion, follow up with a request for feedback, ensure they have your contact information, and encourage them to forward the free preview link on to others.

16. Proactive Selling Cycle • We want to engage with a prospectiveclient who doesn’t yet perceive a ‘need” to engage with us. • Through a series of engaged conversations, we will: • Provide unexpected value to the client • Help them think in a new way • Change the “trajectory” of their needs/expectations • Act as a catalyst to activate dormant needs

17. Engaging early is hard because… • They don’t WANT to engage early • They are apathetic • They are not motivated to help you “build a relationship” with them

18. Average Sales Intros • “We are the biggest…” • “My background is…” • “We offer the most…” • “Our products are…” • “We are the best at…” • “We are known for…”

19. What They Hear… “Hello, my name is Greg Jones and I’m with Ultra Training Solutions, Inc. and…” “… flarfl grog hula shumragonistfrakplonksShrilaoiscatjssjscjaocsocjcsoccjxcoscohoaishccpahcscshhcshhccshasoacposhso….”

20. Our Conundrum Until the prospective client has decided they have a need, they are not interested in our learning anything about our “solutions.”

21. I Won’t Be IGNORED Dan…!

22. So you need to be DIFFERENT…

23. You need a COMPELLING value offer

24. And you need a POWERFUL “hook” • Internal referral • External referral • Recent/surprising company or industry news • Counter-intuitive facts (with valid research) • Competitor facts (the PROSPECT’S competitors) • Other examples…

25. Prospecting Process May all occur during a single interaction lasting just a few minutes May occur as an initial telephone call followed by a face-to-face meeting • The First Date • The Elevator Speech • The Hook

26. Prospecting Process May all occur during a single interaction lasting just a few minutes May occur as an initial telephone call followed by a face-to-face meeting “NO” Reinforce benefits with more evidence worst case scenario Ask again for first date Acknowledge apathy Reinforce benefit with evidence Ask again for first date “NO”

27. Your “Elevator Speech” A short (but compelling) message thatsuccinctly and memorably introduces you. Followed by a modest request for a “first date.”

28. Exceptional Elevator Speech Open with BENEFITSthat address Primal Buying Motives

29. Primal Buying Motives • Desire for gain (usually financial) • Fear of loss (again, usually financial) • Comfort and convenience • Security and protection • Pride of ownership (ego satisfaction) • Satisfaction of emotion (love, anger, stress, joy, etc.)

30. Which needs should be the target of our elevator speech? We need to aim for the broadest target… We don’t yet know the customers actual needs Yet still be differentiated…

31. Exceptional Elevator Speech • Opening Benefit Statement • “We help organizations like yours target their training dollars and activities to ensure maximum positive impact on the business” • Brief Example or Evidence • “For example recently a supply chain management company was able to improve the productivity of two divisions by more than 18% through a series of targeted workshops and e-learning courses - without any added expense – because they shifted dollars from areas where they determined training was having less business impact. • Request for a “First Date” • “Do you have some time to talk about this in more detail?”

32. Exceptional Elevator Speech Emphasize Benefits (Results You Produce) • Don’t focus too much on how you produce those results

33. Exceptional Elevator Speech The natural response to a great elevator speech should be “hmm… how do you do that?”

34. Too Little Optimal Too Much Productivity Tension / Pressure Prospecting Exercise

35. A Great “First Date” • Begin with the end in mind. What should be the outcome of this first substantive discussion? • The customer is left thinking: • “That was time well spent” • “They are more/better/different than what I expected.” • “I’m looking forward to meeting again.”

36. The “First Date” • How you handle the first substantive conversation will determine: • If you ever have a SECOND conversation • The “ground rules,” and • The “trajectory” of the selling cycle

37. The “Ground Rules” • Most prospects begin a sales engagement with assumptions regarding the relative power between you and them. (They have it, you don’t) • Unfortunately many salespeople have similar assumptions. • Power relationships are always negotiable • Once the relative power in a relationship is established, it becomes increasingly difficult to adjustYour sources of power include: • Deeper knowledge • More strategic thought process • Willingness to invest time

38. The “Trajectory” Where does this lead to…?

39. The Ideal “Trajectory” Deal Opportunity Identified

40. 5 Steps to a Great First Meeting Just enough to earn the right to ask great questions about the customer • Sell Yourself • Sell Your Company • Ask GREAT questions • Provide/create value • Confirm the next ADVANCEMENT action step