It can be challenging sometimes when you’re not able to speak the right language to the right people especially when it comes to technical stuff. That’s why I invited Frank DeBenedetto on the show today so he can teach you what you can do to close sales relating to the technical side.
Frank DeBenedetto is the owner of audIT Sales Presentation System, 12-year technology consulting firm in New Jersey and has been in the IT industry for 20 years now. They focus mainly on cloud computing for financial services although they do help other companies of all shapes and sizes.
Here are the highlights of my conversation with Frank:
Why is closing IT sales different from other industries:
- Technology as a complicated stuff.
- Trying to explain these terms to a business owner can dazzle them so they tend to make a decision based on price
- If you’re not able to speak with them on their terms and convey value then sales can be difficult to make
Why NOT sell IT solution based on raw data and logics:
Talking all about bits and bytes to prove your solution is the right one due to all this raw data is a mismatch because your customers may feel too embarrassed to tell you they don’t understand. They smile and shake their hands, but at the end of the day, they still go back to price.
How to empower your team to speak to executives:
- Do an assessment of where you are today.
- A lot of people have a solution and look around looking for the problem. Step back and evaluate where you are today.
- As a starting point, figure how much you’re spending today and what you’re getting for that.
- Start to look at some of your solutions and compare it to where you are today.
- See if there is great increase in value than the increase in price or cost
Check out audIT Sales Presentation System.
- This allows you to take raw data and present it in a way that makes it easier for the prospect to understand
- More on emotional sale with colors so they can review it and exactly see where they are and where they could be while tying the price in.
Bottom line: You think about the prospect’s needs and not just the cost of the proposal.
Why cloud is the better choice:
Business continuity – Without power, you can’t run your business. Electricity is a big commodity. With cloud, you get business continuity because it keeps your business running no matter what the circumstances are.
Best ways for IT prospecting:
- Cyber security is a hot topic.
Being a hot topic these days, cyber security is a great way to get prospects.
- Utilize webinars.
Promote webinars through social media promotion as well as direct marketing
Executive-based selling:
In the businesses’ mind, them knowing that the owner himself is the person who runs the whole show makes them trust you.
Why IT professionals need to think beyond the “break-fix” mentality:
Where the IT industry started wherein if something breaks, you call the IT guy, comes in and fixes it. This is an adversarial type of relationship since getting an IT connotes that something is broken.
Managed services is a much better way to approach this since it puts both the IT company and the prospect on the same side of the table. Pay them a fixed fee every month and all services are included. The IT company then has the incentive to keep problems to a minimum.
How sellers can underline the “unconsidered need” to prospects:
- Use colors to present certain areas.
Make presentations with colors to connote something. For example, use green for good and yellow for deficiency. You’d be surprised how color has an emotional reaction in something. This gives them a visual and an idea of where they are and they’re going to want to change when they see deficiencies.
- Come in with a solution and show them what can be done.
They don’t need to turn everything green. But you’re still going to have to show the red/yellow areas on your report. This allows you to focus on what needs to be moved to green.
Frank’s Major Takeaway:
Selling is an emotional event. If you’re evaluating what it is that you pitch, remember that people are buying based on emotion, not just logic alone. Then you’ll increase your chances of closing.
Episode Resources:
Connect with Frank on www.auditforit.com and www.tworivertech.com (if you’re in the tri state area).
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Nov 4, 2016
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