Nov 15 2007
Selling Beyond ROI
KJ’s recent post on ROI suggests that one way for Cleantech vendors to move beyond a straight ROI pitch is to sell higher in the organization where other factors can affect the decision process. After reading her post, I started thinking about what selling higher entails. It’s absolutely true that the needs, and the ability to make a “risky” decision (one not based entirely on ROI) vary greatly by position. It’s challenging to find the different kinds of buyers in an organization until you understand what the goals and strategies of your customer’s business are. This is true not only in Cleantech but in any industry. In the end, it all comes down to this: the customer must have a problem that needs to be solved, which in most cases, means that there must be some economic advantage to solving the problem. That means that ROI is always relevant, even if not the sole condition for the decision. Even in cases where there are other drivers, like compliance, or addressing environmental concerns, if it’s not good for the bottom line, it’s really going to be a tough sell, particularly for Cleantech vendors with innovative, yet unproven products.
How do you sell high?
- References
- Networking
- Chutzpah
- By understanding your own product well enough to describe the problem it solves to a variety of different people.
- And finally, by understanding your buyer’s buying process, and where in the organization the value of your product is most relevant.
Start your selling process at the highest level you can find, with the knowledge that you will get pushed down eventually, but that by then it will be with sponsorship from above, which carries clout and gives you credibility. Use your network to find someone that can make an introduction to the person you want to talk to, or find someone who knows someone in the right position to make a “risky” decision. And be ready to tell your story, with the benefits tailored specifically to that person’s needs.