The slides are from the March 2013 webinar Dave Stein delivered for Sales and Marketing Management magazine. Here is the link to the archive: http://www1.smmconnect.com/welcome/davestein_mar5

1. How to Run a Planning Session to Win a Critical
Sales Opportunity
March 5, 2013
Notice: This presentation is copyrighted. Quotation in whole or in part must be
accompanied by attribution to:
“ES Research Group, Inc. - www.ESResearch.com”
Dave Stein, CEO, ES Research Group
@davestei
ESResearch.com/blog

2. © 2013 – ES Research Group, Inc. 2
What We’ll Cover…
All graphics: Fotolia.com

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The Challenges
• Critical opportunities:
make/break a quarter or year
• Most pursued tactically
• Key elements of winning plan
missing
• No process or not coaching to
the process
• Not nearly enough information
• Viewed subjectively

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Planning
The value is in the planning,
not in the plan.

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Foundation: The 4-Part Plan
Situation Assessment
Goal/Objective
Strategies
Tactics

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The 1½ - Part Plan
Goal/Objective
Strategies
Tactics
Situation Assessment

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The Opportunity Planning Session
• Assess and prioritize information that has been gathered
through research, meetings, etc.
• Determine what additional information is required
• Engage in the discipline of planning via working the plan
• Collaborate among rep, manager, and other team members
• Formulate objective(s), strategies, and tactics
• Measure progress since the last session
• Assess risks and rewards for continuing to pursue.

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Process for Running a Planning Session
Rep
Gathers
(More)
Data
Rep
Presents
to Team
Team
Questions
and
Interprets
Set
(Validate)
Objective
Set
(Validate)
Strategies
Set
(Validate)
Tactics

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Customer Data
BANT: The Four Basic Qualification Questions
Basic
Qualification
Budget
Is there
one?
Authority
Who is it?
Need
Is there
one?
Timeframe
When do
they need
it?

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What Other Data is Required?
• Representative customer information
– Business problem(s)
– Condition of their business/market
– Buying process, budgeting, funding,
ROI, etc.
– Key business goals and strategies
– Organizational structure (org chart!)
– Our and competitor’s history in the
account
– Alternatives to us (internal build, do
nothing)
– Decision process, buying criteria.

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Best-Practice for Sales Planning
• Dealmaker / The TAS Group’s 20 questions
– Advanced qualification criteria for pursuing, winning, and value
for the selling company.
• Following slides used with permission: TheTASGroup.com

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Is There An Opportunity?

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Can We Compete?

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Buying Criteria

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Can We Win?

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Customer Executive Contacts

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Political Map

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Is It Worth Winning?

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Assessment Summary

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Where in the Sales Process Are We?
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5
Customer Need Identified Explore Alternatives Validation Finalists Engagement
Us Initial Contact Discovery Engagement Proposal Closing
Who?
Acct Exec Acct Exec
Solution Engineer
Acct Exec
Solution Engineer
Acct Exec
Solution Engineer
Services Rep
Acct Exec
Sales Mgmt
Exec Mgmt
Actions,
Activities,
Events
•Contact made
•Preliminary research
•Initial qualification
•Budget confirmed
•Timeframe confirmed
•Need confirmed
•Real buyer identified
•What are they doing now?
•Further research
•Preliminary meetings
•Further qualification
•Buying criteria understood
•Initial meetings
•Requirements discussed
•Agreement on objectives
•Understand decision process
•Meeting w/ Real buyer
•Situation Assessment
•Set sales objective , strategy,
tactics
•Further qualification
•Changes in buying criteria?
•Sales objective determined
•Sales strategy devised
•Competitive positioning
•Demonstrations
•Further meetings
•Introduction of your execs
•Address objections
•Exec. buy-in
•Solution design
•Further qualification
•Proposal
•Reference checking
•Internal approval
•Address objections
•Pre-test Terms
•ROI completed,
checked
•We have been
selected
•Approvals, legal, etc.
•Negotiation
•Procurement
/purchasing
•Signatures
# of Deals
Engaged
5 deals 4 deals 3 deals 1 – 2 deals 1 – 2 deals
Time to
close
6 months 5 – 3 months 3 – 2 months 1 month 0 months
Attrition
rate
20% 20% 15% 15% 0

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The Basic Sales Planning Model
Assessment
•About their business
•Qualification
Who, what, when,
where, how, why
Objective
Sell $250k solution
By Dec 31
Partners
Recruit Ally
Exec access
Political
Competitive
Tactics
Tactics
Tactics
Tactics
Tactics
Tactics
Tactics
Tactics
Tactics
Tactics
Tactics
Unique Value
Strategies  Tactics

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The Tactical Plan

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Nine Tough Diagnostic Questions for Critical Deals
Process Questions
Sales Planning What are the 3 next steps to advance our position in the account? How are you
going to execute them?
What are the next 3 questions you need answers to in order to take or maintain
the lead?
What are 3 things that could cause you to lose the sale today, and what are
your going to do to prevent any of them from having that effect?
Customer
Knowledge
What are our customer’s 3 most important buying criteria, where do we stand
versus our competition, and what are we going to do as a result of having this
information?
What are the 3 objections each of our contacts will likely raise (or be thinking)
and how are we going to manage them?
What 3 things will the customer request from us next and what will our response
be?
Customer Value What are 3 key financial benefits the customer will receive as a result of our
product/service?
Relationships With which 3 people in the account must you build relationships with so that
they will influence a decision in our favor. What’s your plan once you identify
those people?
Competitive
Plan
What are 3 ways each of our competitors will attempt to advance their position,
and what are you going to do about those?

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What Should You Do Now?
• If you don’t have a sales process,
build one, driven from how your
customers buy
• Use an opportunity planning tool,
e.g. Dealmaker, MH’s Blue Sheet,
preferably integrated with your
CRM
• Coach reps to the process
• Understand the amount of
information that is required
• Make certain your reps are
competent in value-, competitive-,
political-, and partner-selling.
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5
Customer Need Identified Explore Alternatives Validation Finalists Engagement
Us Initial Contact Discovery Engagement Proposal Closing
Who?
Acct Exec Acct Exec
Solution Engineer
Acct Exec
Solution Engineer
Acct Exec
Solution Engineer
Services Rep
Acct Exec
Sales Mgmt
Exec Mgmt
Actions,
Activities,
Events
•Contact made
•Preliminary research
•Initial qualification
•Budget confirmed
•Timeframe confirmed
•Need confirmed
•Real buyer identified
•What are they doing now?
•Further research
•Preliminary meetings
•Further qualification
•Buying criteria understood
•Initial meetings
•Requirements discussed
•Agreement on objectives
•Understand decision process
•Meeting w/ Real buyer
•Situation Assessment
•Set sales objective , strategy,
tactics
•Further qualification
•Changes in buying criteria?
•Sales objective determined
•Sales strategy devised
•Competitive positioning
•Demonstrations
•Further meetings
•Introduction of your execs
•Address objections
•Exec. buy-in
•Solution design
•Further qualification
•Proposal
•Reference checking
•Internal approval
•Address objections
•Pre-test Terms
•ROI completed,
checked
•We have been
selected
•Approvals, legal, etc.
•Negotiation
•Procurement
/purchasing
•Signatures
# of Deals
Engaged
5 deals 4 deals 3 deals 1 – 2 deals 1 – 2 deals
Time to
close
6 months 5 – 3 months 3 – 2 months 1 month 0 months
Attrition
rate
20% 20% 15% 15% 0

25. Questions?
@davestei
ESResearch.com/blog
Dave.Stein@ESResearch.com
Notice: This presentation is copyrighted. Quotation in whole or in part must be
accompanied by attribution to:
“ES Research Group, Inc. - www.ESResearch.com”