Revenue Coach Kristin Zhivago presented proven strategies to increase sales to Newport Interactive Marketers. Attendees learned how their current customers can help them attract prospective customers.

1. Proven Strategies to
Increase Sales
Kristin Zhivago
Revenue Coach
Newport Interactive Marketers
March 1, 2012

2. What you need to know about your buyers
1. Why they bought from you
2. How they bought from you
Hint:
ain’ you’ thinkin’
It ain’t what you’re thinkin’
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3. 1 What you’re doing now
you’
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4. Channel & Fad Obsession – gets in the way
Channels and Fads
• What are others
doing?
• What’s “hot”?
• What have we
done before?
• What do we think
will work?
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6. Flawed sources of data
Salespeople No one tells a salesperson what they’re really thinking when
they’re being sold to and salespeople don’t think in trends
Social Media Situation-specific; doesn’t uncover the buying process and
decision tradeoffs; can magnify less-important issues
Focus Groups Dominators vs. wall flowers; dominator can change perceptions;
participants withhold information; top influencers never attend
Surveys Questions are based on assumptions about what they want and
how they buy; you never uncover nuances
3rd Parties Doesn’t uncover perceptions of YOUR company and YOUR
products and YOUR salespeople and YOUR customers. Note:
Case studies are almost worthless. Your company, perceptions,
and situation are unique.
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7. Let’s say I am a home-based business with a wireless phone.
I have come to Verizon.com to pay my bill.
What am I supposed to click on?
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8. 2 What they’re doing now
they’
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9. Buying has changed - radically
Customers are totally in control
80% of their questions –
answered by others – not you
First friends; then websites; then
Google
Your content is very important,
but . . .
It’
It’s not what you say that leads
It’
to new business. It’s what you
DO.
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10. buying”
What is “buying”?
It’s a decision to exchange money for something of value.
The decision involves a set of tradeoffs.
The buyer has questions about those tradeoffs.
The seller who answers those questions successfully
will make the sale.
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11. What are the real questions?
• Who are you? Specifically?
• What can you do that no one else can do?
• What have others thought of you?
• What’s going to happen to me after I buy?
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12. buyer’ journey”
The “buyer’s journey”
They ask certain questions in a certain
order.
They have a buying process
If you map it out – you will be able to
support them at every step
They will buy if you answer their
questions, at every step
If you guess, you lose
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13. The four types of products/services
Light See it Buy it
Scrutiny
Medium Ask Buy it
See it
Scrutiny ????
Ask
Heavy Involve Involve Test Sign
See it ???
Scrutiny Others Sales Drive Contract
???
Ask
Intense Involve Involve Test Sign Get
See it ?????
Scrutiny Others Sales Drive Contract Married
?????
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14. 3 How to sell the way they buy
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15. The Secret
Your current customers will teach you how to sell
to your prospective customers,
if you ask them the right questions
in the right way.
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16. Why current customers?
They know you
They like you
They want to help you
They will tell the truth, now that you are no longer
selling to them
They succeeded in buying something from you!
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17. The Roadmap To Revenue
Discover Debate Deploy
Stop trying to Resolve the Map out their
sell”
“sell” and differences buying process so
market.”
“market.” between what you can support it
they want and at every step.
Interview,
Interview,
what you sell; how
create reports, Build an Action
they buy vs. how
summarize, Plan.
you sell; and what
analyze,
you promise vs. Stay on the
recommend.
what they want Road.
delivered.
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18. Discover
Interview current customers
by phone (yourself or
another)
Ask open-ended questions
Record and transcribe
Anonymize and categorize
Analyze, summarize, and
recommend
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19. What should you ask them?
How do you feel about our product/service?
What was your buying process?
Are our prices fair?
What is your biggest problem/challenge?
What trends do you see in your/our market?
If you were the CEO of our company tomorrow, what
would you fix?
What did you type into Google when you first started
searching? How would you refine?
Anything I should have asked?
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20. What will you learn?
Why they bought and how they bought
Concerns and questions
How you satisfied those concerns
What they now tell others
What they typed into Google – FIRST (not what is in your web
logs)
Trends and challenges (your opportunities)
Weaknesses of competitors
What you should be saying and where you should be saying it
What is broken, what should be fixed
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21. Analysis/Summary of the interviews
Identify the main themes – they always emerge by the 7th
phone call
Identify their Critical Characteristic
Identify the promise they want you to keep
* * *
Create a Conversation Report and an Executive
Summary/Recommendations Report
Use the data in a Brainstorming & Planning Meeting
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22. The Roadmap To Revenue
Discover Debate Deploy
Stop trying to Resolve the Map out their
sell”
“sell” and differences buying process so
market.”
“market.” between what you can support it
they want and at every step.
Interview,
Interview,
what you sell; how
create reports, Build an Action
they buy vs. how
summarize, Plan.
you sell; and what
analyze,
you promise vs. Stay on the
recommend.
what they want Road.
delivered.
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23. Debate
Discuss barriers to the sale – and how to remove them
Build the promise you will keep (your brand):
Product/Service
Passion
Policies
People
Processes
Create copy that is relevant and specific
Agree on what you will be doing/saying and where you will be
saying it
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24. The Roadmap To Revenue
Discover Debate Deploy
Stop trying to Resolve the Map out their
sell”
“sell” and differences buying process so
market.”
“market.” between what you can support it
they want and at every step.
Interview,
Interview,
what you sell; how
create reports, Build an Action
they buy vs. how
summarize, Plan.
you sell; and what
analyze,
you promise vs. Stay on the
recommend.
what they want Road.
delivered.
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25. Building a Buying Process Map
Example of an Intense Scrutiny Buying Process Map
Ask
See it Involve Involve Test Sign Get
Stage ?????
Others Sales Drive Contract Married
?????
Who’s
Involved
Their
questions
Answers that
satisfy them
Tools &
channels
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26. The Action Plan
• What you will promote and how
• What you will fix in the background
• Assign projects to get this done
• Build a Marketing Machine
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27. Customer-Centric Market Leadership
Customer-
Your customers know what they
want and how they want to buy it
You can anticipate and satisfy
You can know specifically what
pleases them and causes them
to rave about you
You will lead your market (in
other words, you will sell more)
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28. Stay on the Road
• Continue to interview
• Get everyone on board
• Assume it will be tough
• Don’t forget: Current
customers will teach you
exactly how to sell to new
customers
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29. Thank You
Kristin Zhivago
Zhivago Management Partners, Inc.
401-423-2400
kristin@zhivago.com
Blog: RevenueJournal.com
Site: Zhivago.com
Twitter: @KristinZhivago
LinkedIn: KristinZhivago
Skype: KristinZhivago
Book: RoadmapToRevenue.com
Book Excerpts:
Buying Process Map Guidance – Light, Medium, Heavy, and Intense RoadmapToRevenue.com/Resources
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