How to Run a Sales Call

Alex Salazar, @SalaTzar

Founder & CEO, Stormpath

About Alex

• CEO and co-founder

• Former IBM Sales Exec

Sales Rep of the Year

$30M/year quota

$200M+ career sales

• BS Comp Sci, Georgia Tech

• MBA Stanford University

@SalaTzar

About Stormpath

• User Management Platform for your App

• Login & Registration as a Service

• Facebook & Google Integration

• Single Sign-on

• Oauth Key Management

• Free to Start

Agenda

• Objective of session: to take you through a sales call

• The buying and selling steps

• The sales call model• Prepare

• Open

• Needs

• 9-block call model

• Handling objections

• Closing the call

Aligning the buying and selling steps

Customer Buying Process

Evaluate Environme

nt

Develop Business Strategy

Recognize Need

Evaluate Options Decide

Customer Agreement/Alignment

Vendor Selling Process

Understand Customer

Develop Account

Plan

Establish Buying Vision

Articulate Benefits Close Sale

Sales Call Model

Preparation

Open

Needs

Propose

Close Ha

nd

le O

bje

cti

on

s

Preparing for the Call

• Research• What we need to know about the customer, the

industry, and our own company and products

• Set Objectives• What we want to get out of the call

• Prepare to Manage• How to ensure the call goes well

• What are possible objections/challenges

Example - Preparation

• Customer: William Shakespeare• Famous Playwright

• Owner of Globe Theatre

• Product• Mechanical Pencil

• Objective• Sell a Pencil

Opening the Call

• Manage Your Behavior• Appearance, sensitivity to customer behavior,

reliability, responsiveness

• State Your Intent• Reason for Calling

• Check Alignment with Client

• Confirm Your Competence• Why the customer should speak with you

• Relevant reference stories are powerful

What is Need?

NeedAn existing, unsatisfactory

or unacceptable situation…

Active Need…of which your client is aware and wants to do

something about

Understand

Customer

Needs Question Types

• Open Questions• What are your highest priorities

• Control Questions• Leading Questions

• Do you have a problem with it…?

• Quantifying and Qualifying Questions• How much does this impact sales?

• Confirming Questions• Yes or No Questions

• So you are most concerned about price?

9-Block Call Model

Reasons Impact Capabilities

Open What is causing this (pain)

Who else is impacted?

How can you fix this problem?

ControlHow much do you

think (pain) is costing you

What impact does this have on

them?

What if (capability vision)..?How much do you

think you could save?

Confirming

So, the reason for your pain is … and it’s costing

you $X?

You’re saying that division B would save $Y if you

could solve this problem?

So, if you could (capability vision)

then you could (achieve goal) and

save $Z

Pain

Buying Vision

V V

V V

Proposing Next Steps to Progress the Sale

• A future meeting

• A meeting involving other key players

• A chargeable consultancy/short study

• A demonstration or event

• Closing the deal

Handling Objections

Objection

False

Genuine

Clarify

Empathize

Test Return to Processing Vision

Misunderstanding

Disadvantage

Confirm that Objection is Resolved

Closing the Call

• Outstanding Questions

• Summarize• Compelling Reasons to Act

• Unique Business Value

• Key Selling Messages

• Gain Commitments to Next Steps• Who, What, When

• Thank Your Audience

Follow Us on Twitter

@SalaTzar @goStormpath