This is slide deck from the Webinar on 3/3/15 presenting the new concept, Financial Impact, that builds upon the fundamentals learned in CustomerCentric Selling®. There is a replay with audio available from the CCS® website: http://www.customercentric.com/news-and-resources/presentations To take advantage of the FREE financial impact assessment, email mhiggins@sellatclevel.com and select which choice you'd like, for individual or team.

1. How to Win More, Higher Margin
Opportunities through Financial
Impact
March 3, 2015
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Today’s Speakers
S John Holland, Chief Content Officer of
CustomerCentric Selling® (CCS®)
S Michael Higgins, CEO of Selling at the C-level

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The Fifth Evolution
The Fifth Evolution: Salesperson as business consultant (nationwide survey
sponsored by the Association for Talent Development):
S Current state of sales evolution.
S Salesperson must understand the economics of his/her own products and services
and the the economics of competitive products and services.
S Salesperson must be able to explain his/her product’s advantages in terms of net
savings and cost reduction (and impact on crucial assets).
S This is a major shift in the salesperson’s skill set. Most salespeople have little, if any
financial training.

4. Why Is CCS® Championing
This Mini-MBA?
S CCS® Concept #1: No Goal, No Prospect.
S The primary goals that SDMs are interested in are financial
ones stated in “financial impact” language.
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5. Why Is CCS® Championing
This Mini-MBA?
S CCS® Concept #2: It’s not what where you show up, it’s
what you say when you get there.
S What you need to say to SDM’s is, “This is my impact on
your crucial metrics.”
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6. Why Is CCS® Championing
This Mini-MBA?
S CCS® Concept #3: You get delegated to people you sound
like.
S You sound like SDMs (people above the “Power Line”)
when you talk about (and understand) crucial metrics such
as Days Sales Outstanding (your product’s impact on Cash
Flow) or Interest Coverage Ratio (your product’s impact on
improving EBIT).
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7. Why Is CCS® Championing
This Mini-MBA?
S CCS® Concept #4: People buy from people who are
sincere and competent and empower them.
S With SDMs, part of the competency equation, in addition
to your subject matter expertise, is speaking in the language
of numbers and metrics. You don’t have to be an expert; you
do need to be good enough.
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8. Why Is CCS® Championing
This Mini-MBA?
S CCS® Concept #5: Take time to diagnose before you
offer a prescription.
S Again, the diagnosis needs to be in the language of business
which is finance.
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9. Why Is CCS® Championing
This Mini-MBA?
S CCS® Concept #9: You can’t sell to someone who can’t
buy.
S In any meaningful deal, the financial approvers are SDMs
and their native tongue is finance.
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10. Why Is CCS® Championing
This Mini-MBA?
S CCS® Concept #11: Make yourself equal, then, make
yourself different.
S There are different ways to be equal, e.g., with unique
industry knowledge or a focus on company or industry-
specific concerns. An “easy” way to foster equality is to
speak in the same financial language as the financial buyers.
In a situation where you are in the “B” column or up
against tough, competent, comparable competition, a
distinguisher like financial acumen can be a game changer.
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Today’s Speakers
S John Holland, Chief Content Officer of
CustomerCentric Selling® (CCS®)
S Michael Higgins, CEO of Selling at the C-level

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What We’ll Cover
S The Miyagi Factor
S Two questions that must be answered to secure face-time with
any high-level company decision maker.
S How to succeed (win more) in the land of SDM (Senior
Decision Maker) with financial impact tools and approaches.

13. Why does this matter?
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From: David LaDue (National Sales Manager)
To: Jay Costello
Subject: Requesting your thoughts on use of a learning curriculum
Jay,
My first thought is: to avoid FEAR and PAIN!
I believe that the #1 reason our National Accounts salespeople do not
attempt to engage at the C-level, P-level, VP-level or D-level (and perhaps
any other level that isn’t purchasing or maintenance) is based on their FEAR
of being asked financial questions that they CAN’T answer…or the
avoidance of the embarrassment of not being able to answer. That equals
PAIN and FEAR of loss of the sale.
If you were in their shoes, which you have been, wouldn’t you feel the same?
David

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The Miyagi Factor
S How financially literate do salespeople need to be?

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Two Key Questions to Win
More SDM Face-time
S Question #1: How does your
product or service support my
strategic objectives (and make
sure you explain it to me in my
language, not yours)?

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Two Key Questions to Win
More SDM Face-time
S Question #2: What impact
does your product or service
have on my crucial metrics
(and, again, if you don’t talk to
me in my language, I will
quickly lose patience and
interest)?

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#1: How Does This Product
Support My Strategic Objectives?
S What are strategic objectives? Big-picture, often enterprise-
wide, concerns of every senior manager that guide their day
to day actions and decisions.
S The more closely a salesperson aligns their competitive
advantages to a decision maker’s strategic objectives and
can speak about those advantages in the language of
business, which is finance, the more likely they are to be
seen as an equal or trusted advisor.

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Approach #1: Use of Financial
Impact Testimonials
S The Surprise: We have discovered that customers are
willing (and able!) to tell you with often amazing precision
and accuracy what the actual financial impact of your
product is on their Income Statement, Cash Statement and
Balance Sheet concerns.

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Process Must Be Precise

20. In each of the impact categories are sample questions that open up a
“financial impact” conversation around that issue:
1. Elevate the discussion to the more strategic, financial level where
competitive advantages can be financially quantified and financial
impact is as or more important than price or even features and
benefits.
2. Make the customer realize that you as a salesperson have a
strategic view which broadens the conversation to issues that
were hidden or not obvious.
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Approach #2: Deploying
Strategic Objective Q’s to Open/
Move a Sale

21. *Growing sales, revenue or market share:
S When talking to senior decision makers, how would it impact your
sales if your salespeople could confidently speak at every step in the
process in the financial language of those buyers?
S Given the capability that my product provides, how could market
share be improved by helping your sales team feel more confident
and competent to focus on your customer’s more senior decision
makers?
*The language of the questions will match your specific offering.
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Examples of Using Strategic
Objective Questions

22. *Improving costs and expenses:
S When approaching a new customer, how could your Cost of Sales
efficiency and Gross Profit be improved if your salespeople felt
confident to approach more senior buyers for whom talking about value
and financial impact is more important than pricing and discounts?
S In prospecting for new business, what would be the potential impact on
your Operating Margin if salespeople went directly after your
customers’ senior buyers and were able to communicate with some
fluency in their financial-impact language?
*The language of the questions will match your specific offering.
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Examples of Using Strategic
Objective Questions

23. *Increasing operating cash flow:
S On an ongoing basis, how would your operating cash flow be
improved if your sales force understood the impact of their
negotiations on your own company’s Days Sales Outstanding or
Receivable Days? By how much?
S When reacting to and plotting forecasting, could your sale managers
help their counterparts in Operations better manage your company’s
Inventory Days on Hand if they knew that the forecasts from
salespeople were more accurate?
*The language of the questions will match your specific offering.
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Examples of Using Strategic
Objective Questions

24. S What are key measures (and what are the key measures/metrics /
ratios that are driving this decision maker?)?
S Key measures take two or more of the raw numbers from a company’s
financial statements to give a snapshot of a crucial financial area.
S For SDMs, key measures are the shorthand of every interaction. Key
metrics tell a story.
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#2: How Does This Product
Impact My Key Measures?

25. Here’s an example of what we do – and you could do – to guide that discussion:
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Example of Key Measures

26. Another example of how to graphically show an SDM your precise financial impact:
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Example of Key Measures

27. S Option #1: We’ll send you a FREE assessment to measure your own
financial/SDM acumen.
S Option #2: We’ll setup for your team to take a (FREE) confidential
assessment and give you a summary of the results.
Ready? Send an email to: mhiggins@sellatclevel.com and ask for the
option of your choice above.
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