What happened to the days when you sat down and reviewed service contracts for sales leads?
You know, find those accounts you sold that kept renewing their maintenance because the product works so well? Nice and easy, you call them up and sell a multi year renewal for a discount (they win/you win, the commission check clears).
This would also open an opportunity to show them how they could use that money for new product with an included year of maintenance… Man those were the days.
Now it’s a service review to find out what markets and customers to avoid so you don’t call into a market where you are giving yourself bad press and some sales jockey, who changes jobs every 8 months, is polluting the landscape…
Good sales people Sales need to get back to selling a product that meets needs– a good service review will do just that.
Partnership, a real partnership, success breeds success.
By the same token, customers have changed too. How about honestly reviewing a solution that makes good business sense, vs. conflict avoidance. “I can’t buy that, no one will use it, it’s new, let’s just wait until we are in crisis mode and fix it then”.
Software/Hardware, it doesn’t matter anymore. If markets, commercial, industrial, healthcare, would focus on process improvement vs. incentives, buyouts, and self-fulfilling career decisions, everyone would be happy. New technology would get developed with competence, vendors would sell product, and executives could spout their successes.
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I agree — crisis mode is everywhere. Procrastination (fear) rules and something has to be fairly serious to warrant spending right now.
The real problem is companies are only focused on short term P&L type results. Combine that with risk adverse cultures where no one ever got fired for not making a decision. And long term planning and real business decisions go right out the window