COMMENTS
That's an interesting back-story on a sales prospect, and the comment about email being less "painful" (but always less profitable) rings true.
On a certain level, though, the fact that the prospect was going to send the potential sale back to RFP may indicate that the sales rep did not initially establish the true value proposition up front.
RFP means the prospect doesn't see you as the best value, you're merely a point of reference to something else that is.
The initial email doesn't make much sense to me - "something new in decision making process." Anyway, an email follow up is okay, but it depends on what they said - you didn't include that. If you just want to justify not using email that's up to you. I agree that many don't know how to use it effectively - but if you do, then use it.
Dang - used the wrong url. Sorry!
@James. Not sure what you missed...the initial email was the sellers way of determining what had to happen as a next step in the sales process i.e. "what is new?". We did include what the prospect replied. I think it will make more sense to you if you if you go to Dave's blog and read the whole post then come back and reread ours. The point is that objection handling and closing techniques requires real time communication which is the foundation of good selling. If you disagree with that premise, feel free to post and thanks for participating!
After reading the original thread now, I think I have a better idea behind the point of the post.
The point of this was that the rep's email communications were completely ineffectual, because he / she was completely unable to identify the true state of the prospect's mind. These weren't concerns the rep was going to solve via an email discussion--and may not even have solved with a face-to-face meeting.
I'd say the rep wasted a lot of energy on a prospect that was not even close to seeing their solution as a "value proposition."
It may be unfair to base our comments here on this fragment of an email string. The rep's email is arguably vague, but may very well have been right on target, if the context was there. So, I won't comment on the email itself, but more about process and coaching.
To lose a sale and learn nothing from it is a total loss. My reps understand they must always find out WHY. In our weekly 1:1s, if a deal is lost, they know to expect me to ask why. If they don't know why, they are instructed to discuss with it with the client.
Now, that can be a relationship-killer, a whiney rep calling to ask why didn't you pick me? But, they have all been coached to ask the right questions the right way - questions that get to the business reasons for the decision, without putting the client on the defensive.
If you know the WHY, then you can change, adapt or see it coming the next time and avoid the same outcome. But, if you don't, you may be dooming your reps to reinforce failure behaviors.
@Mike. You have hit the nail on the head. If you don't know WHY you lose, you can't avoid the same outcome. In a bit of self promotion, that is why we developed our CloseRate Accelerator Program. We interview our client's lost prospects and tell them what they said about their people, process, product and pricing. We then recommend changes that will allow them to win more business!
But enough about us, would you be willing to share one or two questions that you have coached your reps to use?
Sure, I can share some questions, but these might not apply universally. The questions asked vary greatly, based on the relationship with the decider.
- What were the three most important differences between the proposals that made Brand X seem like the best value/fit? (Closed-end, might be easier to answer and it will give you three different approach possibilities to counter.)
- How could our proposal have better met your needs/been more competitive/been changed to be the winner? (Semi-open, may get a longer, more revealing answer, but should zero in on the key issues from the BUYER's POV.)
The one question you never want to ask is "Why didn't you choose us?" Besides the obviously whiney, self-centered nature of the question, it puts the client on the defensive and will seldom get you the information you need. You must position your questions here as "help me to understand" or "I want to learn" rather then "what do I have to do to get you buy the car TODAY?" See the difference?
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The use of email in this situation seems to be something that I question as a manager right up front. Like you, I believe communication with the client is the most critical selling tool at this stage of the sale. Understanding WHY the client is going to RFP and WHY the current vendor has not communicated a new planned system to them are key issues in determining your ability to show value and ROI on your solution. If the rep (and manager) have not communicated with the client other than email, then they should expect this sale to be lost. Prospecting never ends, even with a good customer. Coaching the rep in this case might involve planning the objective of the 'call' ahead of time. What we know about the client is that they are in a decision making process at this time. (Even though they indicate they are in a wait and see mode.) Looking at the ROI for this situation, how much have they lost in revenue, marketing, customer satisfaction or product development by waiting to see what the other vendor has coming down the road. (Currently 'on paper') Does this rep have a current solution that can help the prospect meet their needs today?
Back to my original statement - you can't find these things out by email. You have to talk to as many people as you can at this company to get a fully rounded perspective of the current and future needs. If you wait for the RFP and it is 'wired', you are out of the game at that point.
@Mike-
Very good point about getting the rep to "learn" and "understand." And quite frankly, if your lost prospect is so disillusioned to not want to give even five minutes of their time to help you learn how to better your skills, then your relationship with the prospect was likely so bad to begin with that the probability of an actual sale was extremely low.
Yes, Steven I think you're right, that the close probability here was low to start with. But, that opens another (very wide) door, which is: determining the close probability, steps/resources required and timeline of the sales in your pipeline. That is another critical skill to master.
So many reps waste time chasing rainbows, while their competition grabs all the less glamorous business right under their noses and eats their lunch. In the end, though acquiring marquee business and working on mega-deals are great and necessary parts of a solid book of business, we are still responsible for driving top-line numbers and 10X1 is just the same as 1X10.
We are pro's. So most of what I say, you already know or experienced. But here is my POV:
I would hope that the rep called a few times to get a status report. The email may have been a reaction to not getting a response from the buyer.
That said, there is no one tuffer then me on holding the buyer accountable to a fair RFP process.
The issue to me seems to be that the "seated" already had an intimate understand of the account both politically and therefore the inside track to future requirements. So, cultural the account is already biased to the seated. Nothing new here. As such, ever organization has to excerise due dilegence in the event the seated fails to deliver the more critical new requirements. Nothing new here either.
What I would like learn is how did the rep get engaged with the opportunity in the first place? Because frankly, it is here and only here can one try to level the playing field or at least learn whether or not the RFP is worth dedicating the company's resources and reengineering the politically and cultural dynamics.
I have won RFP's that were extremely hard to win. But the decision to respond was based on several factors, many that had nothing to do with the rep being able to build value.
The decision to respond to an RFP is not the job of the rep. It is managements.
Just one old gal's thoughts. smile
E-Mails are great for communicating things that cannot easily be remembered, and thus need be in writing. E-Mails should be reponses to specific requests for information that are subject to validation. Facts Figures Qualifications Etc..
Your status in the relationship with the prospect and the overall mentality of their organization to you needs to be validated verbally!
I do not think a prospect ever confirmed I was getting the business via e-mail. They do that when you start becoming their order taker!