What It Takes to Win Business

2015 Global Report: What it takes to win business whitepaper / 1
Discipline,
Courage &
Curiosity /
2015 Global Report ‘What it takes to win business’
Peter Griffith
Executive Director
Nikki Hobin
Executive Director
rogenSi, APAC
May 2015

“You are what you repeatedly do.
Excellence is not an event – it is a habit.”
- Aristotle

Executive Summary
Death of Formulaic Questioning
Discipline is the New Black
Courage & Curiosity to Shift Thinking
The Real Cost of Discounting
Conclusion
About rogenSi
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Contents /

4 / Discipline, Courage & Curiosity
There is no silver bullet for winning
business. In today’s complex, highly
competitive selling environment
customers have set an incredibly high
benchmark in their expectation of Sales
Professionals, such that only a handful
of organisations are likely to meet - let
alone exceed these expectations. The
professionals and organisations capable
of mastering certain sales disciplines
are the ones who are creating significant
competitive advantage.
Every three years we conduct global research
into “What it Takes to Win Business” based on
the perspectives of 178 global Buyers and Sales
Professionals from a range of industry sectors.
We use the findings to help our clients understand
how their customers make their buying decisions,
become more customer-centric and improve their
win/loss ratio.
The 2015 findings show a shift in Buyer
expectations and suggest the need for increased
discipline in sales. Buyers are asking sales people
to do more, listen more, find out more and be
more disciplined in their approach. They expect
Sales Professionals to be genuinely curious about
their business and to be more courageous by
challenging them with knowledge relevant to them.
The findings from our most recent study highlights
four insights and how they can be applied:
Executive Summary /
Insight #1 ‘The Death of Formulaic Questioning’
Customers clearly want a conversation, not an
interrogation. The stark difference between the
value customers place on ‘listening’ as opposed to
‘questioning’ shows the criticality of conversation
skills in sales. Great Sales Professionals will
always be prepared with a set of questions that
demonstrate understanding and prompt insight; it
is the ability to listen and drill down that is critical
in today’s sophisticated selling environment.
Insight #2 ‘Discipline is the New Black’
Customers are putting a premium on a
salesperson’s credibility, knowledge of their
business, and the ability to communicate
value. This requires discipline in researching,
reviewing and rehearsing that many sales
people don’t possess.
Insight #3 ‘Courage and Curiosity
to Shift Thinking’
Customers are drowning in information, but
thirsting for insight. The in-depth understanding
of the customer’s situation and challenges must
be heard and felt in every communication and
interaction. Smart sales professionals will need
to have the courage and curiosity to create
compelling, customised communication - great
storytelling - that will help shift buyers’ thinking
and buying behaviours.
Insight # 4 ‘The Real Cost of Discounting’
It is a simple fact: discounts are costly. Increased
customer price sensitivity means that salespeople
have to be increasingly savvy at ‘getting the price
right’. They must have an intimate knowledge of the
commercial and emotional drivers of customers so
they do not give away too much. Most salespeople
will give away far more than they need to because
they do not know enough about what the customer
is really prepared to pay and why.

The 2015 data also suggests Sales Professionals
are not leveraging what they say they know.
It is not in the knowing but the doing that makes
the difference. To win business they are not
changing their approach with the discipline and
commitment that our fast-moving, sophisticated
business world demands.
What is fascinating about these insights is that
they are business agnostic, simple and sensible
to execute. It is about replicating what Sales
Professionals already know, doing it more
consciously and with the desire and discipline
to win more business, more often.
Common Sense,
Not Common Practice
To stay in business today, almost every
organisation in the world, regardless of size or
sector, needs to win more business, more often.
Contrast this with the fact that we are operating in
a truly global marketplace where Buyers are spoilt
for choice. In most industries, customers have
three or four highly reputable brands to choose
from, which means they can, and do, demand
more of their suppliers. The bar has been raised
when it comes to winning business. Much of what
customers are asking for is good old-fashioned
common sense, which is just not common
practice. Sales teams are not evolving at the rate
the market demands.
The research indicates that most organisations
have not kept pace with customer expectations
and have still not taken bold enough steps to
transform their sales functions.
Respondents By Industry
Banking,Finance&Insurance
Healthcare&Pharmaceuticals
ConsumerGoods&Services
Media
Transport&Automotive
Commercial&ProfessionalServices
Telecommunications
InformationTechnology
Energy&Utilities
Other
19%
6%
4%
13%
5%
21%
9%
8%
5%
10%

This requires evolving their customer engagement
strategies so they are loaded with the discipline
and commitment that today’s fast moving,
sophisticated business world demands.
We challenge sales organisations to go beyond
what they know and really test what they are
doing to create competitive advantage because
it is the doing that makes the difference. Buyers
are demanding sales people do more, listen
more and find out more. They expect them to be
more disciplined in their planning, to be genuinely
curious about their business and to be more
courageous in developing insights that can help
them grow their business.
Put on your Buyer’s hat for a moment. Do you
go looking for the best product at the very best
price, but still end up paying the ‘buy it now with
assurances’ price to a supplier who appears
organised and reliable? Do you prefer dealing with
someone who understands you, gives you a great
product or service, offers convenience, peace of
mind and a low risk option, and charges you just
below the price tag so you feel like you’re getting a
good deal? Is this the experience your entire sales
team is consistently giving your customers? If
not, your revenue is increasingly at risk as Buyers
become less tolerant of mediocrity.
What is interesting about these research findings
is that they suggest solutions that are easy and
simple to apply regardless of your industry or
company size. The challenge lies in mastering
them with consistency. It can be easy - and risky
- to underestimate the competitive advantage
created by getting these things right. Almost
universally, we find organisations that have a clear
vision and strategy for sales disciplines and quality
customer engagement, combined with strong
execution disciplines, will inevitably lift their win
rate significantly. Most have a clear roadmap for
creating a cultural shift in how their organisation
approaches winning and retaining business,
particularly major bids and tenders, making this
part of their embedded processes.
If you are not sure where to start, we suggest
asking your customers. More than likely they
will be happy to tell you where you are getting
it wrong. We would suggest taking a structured
approach and engaging with a large, broad sample
of customers – those that seem to love you or hate
you and those who are indifferent to you. If you
ask enough people, you will tend to find that the
sum of subjective estimates is often the truth.
Many organisations have one or two significant,
consistent Achilles heels that are holding them
back. When you have identified your key gaps,
there are a number of the Top Tips we recommend
in this paper that can help get you back on
track. Just remember, it is not about knowing it,
it is about creating a culture where everyone is
consistently doing it.
For those doing most of these things well, there
is real opportunity to create daylight between you
and your competition by taking your discipline,
courage, and curiosity to the next level. We wish
you all the best on the journey.
The Gap Between
Knowing & Doing
Before publishing the results of our research, we
shared the insights with a select group of Sales
Leaders and asked them what they thought of the
findings, to which some responded, “Nothing we
did not already know” or “Nothing much new here”.
We then asked them how many of the insights and
recommendations they had specifically developed
a strategy for. The response was very different.
None of them could articulate what they were
specifically doing to address the issues raised.
They knew what they should do, but they were not
doing it.
This ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’ gap is limiting the
performance potential of most sales organisations.
You may have seen the Nike poster that says,
‘Everyone loses games, few change them’.
The findings from our research show that there
are some simple and powerful ways for sales
organisations to ‘change the game’.

The Death
of Formulaic
Questioning
Conversations, not interrogations
Insight #1

The Death of Formulaic
Questioning /
Conversations, not interrogations
If you have been “sold to” in the past, you
will remember being subjected to inauthentic
salespeople operating from a prescribed list of
questions. They were not really listening, just
waiting to pounce on anything you said that
opened the door to a sale. Those days are over.
Sophisticated, informed Buyers are looking for
authentic, knowledgeable Sales Professionals
who can conduct a meaningful conversation.
Compared to our global findings in 2012, there
have been a number of significant changes in
Buyer expectations. It is now evident that the
thought of being ‘sold’ to or participating in an
obvious, contrived sales dialogue is not an
experience Buyers enjoy or even respect.
The latest research highlights the need to sell
through the art of conversation. Exceptional and
effective Sales Professionals must demonstrate
both unique knowledge and genuine curiosity
about the Buyer - more than anyone else selling
to them. In 2015, exceptional sales people are
great researchers who leverage the vast ocean
of information available to them and turn this into
insight that engages and excites their customers.
They also use this intelligence to develop better
negotiating positions based on value rather than
price. All of this is underpinned by the desire
and ability to continuously improve the level of
discipline they apply to their sales approach.
2015 heralds the death of formulaic questioning.
Customers clearly want a conversation, not an
interrogation. The research highlighted a spiked
difference between the value customers place
on ‘listening’ as opposed to ‘questioning’.
This reinforces the importance of great
conversations skills throughout the customer
engagement life cycle.
Good research that identifies topics of
conversation, combined with genuine listening, is
the ‘mining equipment’ salespeople need to subtly,
naturally, and effectively ‘drill down’ in order to
understand customers better than anyone else.
The ability to gather key nuggets of information
and turn them into relevant insights makes the
pitch for business much more effective.
Interpersonal
Skills
The most important
interpersonal skills in securing
major pieces of business.
Humour
SubjectKnowledge
Credibility
QuestioningSkills
Leadership
Personality
PersonalAppearance
CommunicatingValue
<1%
Rapport
ListeningSkills
7% 19% 20% 21% 8%3% 4% <1%17%

Asking questions in a relaxed and authentic
manner, rather than in an overly structured
and formulaic way, is a fine balance of art and
science. Great salespeople will always have a
set of carefully crafted questions that demonstrate
understanding and prompt insight and they will
have the ability to truly listen and carefully
probe - essential in today’s sophisticated
selling environment.
This gives companies seeking to win new business
a distinct advantage. In an existing supplier
relationship, it is easy to fall into assumptions
about the customer’s needs and it may even feel
uncomfortable conducting deeper conversations
because “we should already know this”. Existing
suppliers need to thoroughly examine what
customer knowledge is assumed and what is
explicitly known, or find their bread and butter
accounts at risk.
At many of our keynote presentations at sales
conferences, we pose the question, “Who likes to
buy things?”, to which almost every hand in the
room goes up! When we ask, “Who likes being sold
to?”, the response is much less enthusiastic. As we
discuss why this dichotomy of preference exists,
there is almost universal agreement that it is mostly
down to how the sales conversation unfolds.
As ‘Buyers’, we want to feel we are in control of the
conversation. We ultimately make the decision on
what to purchase based on our own preferences,
supported by insight and advice. There is a fine line
between feeling we have ‘bought’ something and
feeling we’ve been ‘sold to’ – ultimately it is about
ownership of the decision. An authentic, organic,
and professional sales conversation is the key to
navigating the Buyer towards owning their decision.
Sales Professionals are often sceptical about
the role emotion plays in the sale: “Surely, at the
end of the day, it’s about getting the price right?”
This is not surprising, given that they continuously
find themselves in conversations around price,
delivery, warranties, and product or service
specifications. To test this belief, we asked our
Buyers if they agreed with the statement: “Emotion
is playing a smaller role in the buying decision”,
60% of Buyers responded this was NOT the case.
This is a strong endorsement of the importance
Buyers are placing on organic, connected
conversations, rather than a thinly veiled attempt
to sell them something. Price does play a role in
the decision, but it is not the only factor.
“60% of buyers
disagree that emotion
plays a smaller role in
the buying decision.”
Trends
Select whether you agree (A)
or disagree (D) with the
following statements.
Ourcompetitorsarepitchingmuch
betternowthanever
Organisationsexpectmuchmorefor
theirspendthantwoyearsago
Emotionplaysasmallerroleinthe
buyingdecisionnow
Buyerdecisionmakingisfarmore
rigorousthaneverbefore
60%
D
40%
A
27%
D
73%
A
7%
D
93%
A
13%
D
87%
A

Compared to our 2012 report, ‘chemistry’ as a
key buying criteria is up significantly, rising from
13% to 25%. We believe the verdict is in: formulaic
questioning is dead.
Teach ‘conversation skills’, rather than
‘diagnostic skills’ – focus on listening and
drilling down on responses.
Limit the use of contrived, ‘formulaic’
questions – never ask the customer:
“Tell me about your business”.
Coach and develop listening skills as
a critical competency.
Ensure enquiry is tempered with insight –
lead with a point of view, then discuss how
this fits with the customer’s circumstance.
Practice conversation skills in team
meetings – practice difficult conversations.
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
We Recommend...
5 ways to improve the
Sales Conversation.
Decision
Making
2015 Research Findings.
Key factors in the customer
buying decision.
Offerbestsolution
Politics
29%
Understandingmysituation
Chemistry
30% 25% 16%

Discipline is
the New Black
Dare to prepare
Insight #2

Have you ever been called on to make a wedding
speech? If so, before the big day you probably
did some homework on the person you were
talking about and talked to others to find stories,
anecdotes and evidence. Subconsciously you
would have considered how to make it relevant
to your audience. No doubt you also practiced a
few times, editing your notes as you went, until
you were happy with the final result. Why did you
bother? Probably because you knew you had one
chance to make a great impression. You spent
time preparing and the investment you made in
time and preparation created a better outcome.
How often do we apply the same thoughtfulness
and disciplined approach to sales situations?
Discipline is as essential to the sales process
as the presentation of the solution. Without it,
sales people will not measure up to the exacting
standards their customers are now expecting.
The sales process has become more sophisticated
and competitive, demanding a more deliberate
and focused approach. There is no room for
improvisation. Our research shows that credibility
and understanding carry as much as 50% of
the vote in the decision process. That requires
disciplined and authentic interactions with every
customer. Like a good wedding speech, our
business conversations must be organised and
authentic, not engineered.
What the buyer wants
The research tells us the Buyer is looking for value
in the conversation and that interactions need to
have a sense of purpose and intent.
More than half of respondents identified that a key
part of their decision making process was based
on the sales professional’s deep knowledge of
the Buyer’s industry, business drivers and needs.
Each interaction needs to be considered and
prepared - but not scripted, because the Buyer
will be continuously assessing your credibility and
ability to bring value.
Discipline is
The New Black /
Dare to prepare
Face
To Face
Interactions
The most likely reasons that
would reduce your willingness to
buy from the seller.
Talkingaboutthemselvestoomuch
Poorqualityquestioning
Lackofawareness
Lackofcompatibility
Lackofresponsiveness
Poorpreparation
10%
Notlistening
Lackofsubjectareaknowledge
25% 23% 3% 8% 5% 10% 16%

1
Imagine the Buyer drafting an advertisement
for a Sales Professional with the headline:
‘Only disciplined people need apply’. What
other selection criteria do you think a Buyer
would list as the qualities they most wanted in
their salespeople?
The Buyers in our survey listed the top four
attributes that had the most positive impact on
their buying decision. These were: credibility,
knowledge, listening skills and an ability to
communicate value. If you’re in sales, you need
to ask yourself: “Am I the Sales Professional my
customer wants?”
The people winning business today are disciplined
as well as driven. Their customers trust them to
have knowledge - and to deliver.
Earning trust
Trusted Advisor is a much-lauded phrase in
business. It is a label that salespeople often apply
to themselves with a fair bit of poetic license.
In reality, Trusted Advisor is a title bestowed
upon them by their Buyers; trust is earned by
demonstrating credibility, reliability and intimacy.
The phrase was popularised by David Maister,
author of ‘The Trusted Advisor’ (Maister, Green
and Galford, ed.2001 Simon & Schuster). He
summarised how to earn trust in the formula:
Maister’s formula highlights that the level of trust
we gain can be significantly diluted if there is
evidence of self-interest on the part of the Seller.
Today’s winning business conversations are all
about the Buyer. Our research confirms the need
to demonstrate understanding of the customer’s
situation. As much as 75% of the decision to
purchase is based on the same qualities Maister
identified, and highlights the role that trust plays
in winning and retaining business.
Building credibility and intimacy requires research,
knowledge and curiosity. Sales Professionals can
demonstrate curiosity and kick start conversations
that gain a better understanding of the Buyer’s
need through a few considered rich questions.
Trust = Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy
Self Interest
Theirabilitytobringinnovationintotheirsolution
Theyunderstoodmyneeds
Thelevelofinsightsprovidedintheirsolution
Awarding
Business
On a scale from 1 to 15, the
importance of the following
statements as the reasons why
a seller is awarded a major piece
of business.
Most Important
Average response
Least Important15

If a customer says to you, “That’s a good question”,
it probably is. Stay focussed on the customer
and ask questions that shape a conversation as
opposed to following a prescriptive questioning
formula aimed at enabling you to tick boxes
against the appropriateness of your solution.
Any level of self-interest will probably be fairly
obvious to the Buyer, so the conversation needs
to be genuinely about them. The conversation
should be memorable for all the right reasons.
A few years ago we were having an important
first meeting with a large global company within
a sector that was known to be traditionally male
dominated. Our pre-meeting research revealed
the company had recently won an award as
the “Employer of Choice for Women”. We also
noticed their competitors had single digit figures
for gender diversity. As we explored ways to
grow the capability of their team we were able to
say, “Congratulations on winning the employer of
choice award for women. What is it that you have
initiated in the business that has put you so far
in front of your competitors?”. By demonstrating
awareness of a key strategy, the information
they went on to share with us gave a much
deeper insight into their culture, strategy and
focussed activity. This helped us respond with
a very specific and appropriate solution for their
business. We still work with them today. Why?
Because this approach does not only apply to the
first interaction: you must remain curious and add
value throughout your tenure with a customer.
Being a “one-hit wonder” may win you the
business, but discipline, courage and curiosity
will help you keep it. Purchasing and Procurement
Officers tell us that complacency of the incumbent
is the single biggest reason why they look for
alternatives and issue new tenders. This means
that we cannot risk improvisation at any point in
our relationship with the Customer.
Coming back to the Maister principles, intimacy
demonstrates an understanding of the customer
that is more substantial than anyone else. It also
helps with authenticity, connectivity and your
ability to put your customer at ease. This practice
does not happen without discipline and research.
Be curious, be prepared, and demonstrate
appropriate intimacy. Be the person your
Buyer wants to deal with and enjoy memorable
conversations that resonate with your customer.
This will drive your credibility and increase your
probability of winning their business.
Create an evidence bank you can draw
on to support your case.
Develop simple, consistent disciplines pre
and post sales calls – send agendas and
follow up emails capturing actions, owners
and time frames.
Leverage company profile report services
to assist with researching, or develop an
internal system.
Ask yourself before every customer
interaction: “what do I want them to think,
feel, and do as a result of this meeting?”
Rehearse the first five minutes of the
meeting – this creates clarity and confidence.
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
We Recommend...
5 activities for a more
disciplined approach

to Shift Thinking
Courage & Curiosity
Deliver insight, not just information
Insight #3

The 2015 research findings indicate that 75%
of the buying decision relates to how well you
communicate your knowledge, understanding
and value.
Buyers are drowning in information and thirsting
for knowledge and value. In this environment,
it is essential sales professionals have the ability
to provoke new thinking and buying behaviours.
Much has been written and discussed in recent
years about the need to transform sales teams
from a solution selling approach to an insight-
led approach. As the science of this approach
has evolved, there is more and more evidence
to suggest that the discussion is insight led and
brought to life by a crucial ingredient - the ability to
tell a great story. While some people
are natural storytellers, this is an art form that
often needs to be developed in terms of how
sales professionals communicate both verbally
and in writing.
We often tell stories to children because they
have a point – a lesson that is creatively packaged,
told in a spellbinding way, yet subtle and powerful
enough to provoke new thinking and behaviours.
This is the challenge and opportunity for sales
professionals today. Even the most experienced
Buyer can have out-dated beliefs and buying
behaviours based on previous situations, advice,
or experiences which may not be relevant in
today’s marketplace. The rapid pace of technology,
social change, communication, and globalisation
means that many buyers are still taking a 2005
approach to solve a 2015 problem. This can be
frustrating for some sales professionals who
then resort to a ‘velvet sledgehammer’ approach,
drowning the customer in rational arguments, facts
and figures and hoping to convince them to adopt
new buying behaviours.
Smart sales professionals are taking a much
more subtle and creative approach to help buyers
upgrade their thinking and update their approach
to solving problems.
This involves striking the right balance of courage
and curiosity. Curiosity comes in the form of
disciplined research and preparation, combined
with clever, insightful questions that truly make
customers think and consider new possibilities.
Curiosity really pays off when the knowledge
gained about the buyer is leveraged to tell a
compelling story. The story must have a strong
point or lesson for the buyer, or it is unlikely to
create a strong case for change.
Great stories, not cut and paste
With a growing emphasis in the sales process
on written submissions, applying cut and paste
from your company template is not enough to get
you through to the final stages in the decision-
making process. Often the written document is
all the person reading the proposal has to form a
perception of you, your business and your brand.
Imagine your document is passed to a senior
executive with considerable influence over the
buying decision.
Courage & Curiosity
to Shift Thinking /
Deliver insight, not just information
“If you can’t explain
it simply, you don’t
understand it well
enough.”
- Albert Einstein

Most Important1
What reaction will your proposal provoke? If your
document draws them in and gets them thinking:
“They really seem to understand our business and
our challenges”, and, “I’ve never looked at it that
way before...we’ve been looking at this the wrong
way”, then you’re on the right track.
Proposals
On a scale from 1 to 9, the
importance of the following
aspects in generating a
successful proposal.
If your document leaves them thinking: “So what?”,
then the point of your story is missing and you are
unlikely to find yourself in the winner’s circle.
Once you submit your response, you have no
power: no power over who reads it, how they
read it, when they read it or even if they read it. It
sounds terrifying, but it is true! What you do have
power over is how you present your document.
Do you remember the last time you picked a book
off the shelf at the airport? Was it the intriguing
title or attractive jacket design that got your
attention? You may have turned the book over to
read the synopsis of the story on the back cover.
If you liked what you read, you would flick to one
of the inside pages to assess if the writer’s style
appealed to you before deciding to buy.
Clearexecutivesummary
Succinctness
Linkedofferingtomyneeds
Easeofreading
Average response
Least Important9

“Next time you tell a
story, have a point!
It makes it so much
more enjoyable for the
listener.”
- Steve Martin
(Planes, Trains and Automobiles)
Writing a good story can be challenging when a
response document dictates a specific question
and answer structure. Follow the same principles
an author would when writing a book. Compile
the information and research into a page-turner
that will sell. The art to great storytelling is having
a story, making a point and making it relevant.
Winning stories have great structures that work
like a roadmap, taking your reader on a journey.
Include rational data and insight-led evidence
to help you reinforce your point. Think about
the emotional connection created through the
technique of story telling that will bring your
solution alive.
Aim for writing a best seller that will give you a
better chance of getting a return on investment
and keeping it on the best seller list. Make your
document the one that connects and compels.
If you tell a story, have a point. Make it memorable.
Make it recommendable.
Develop a key insight for a targeted
customer segment, supported by evidence
(statistics, case studies, anecdotes).
Create frameworks (not formulas) for quickly
and effectively producing customised
documents and collateral for customers.
Check how often documents reference the
customer’s company name as opposed to
your own – theirs should appear at least
twice as often.
Engage with marketing and data analytics
to support the insights and points of view
you take to market.
When reviewing documents, put yourself in
the customer’s shoes and ask yourself if it
answers the “so what?” question.
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
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buyer’s thinking

The Real Cost
of Discounting
The best price isn’t always the right price
Insight #4

Today’s demanding and informed Buyer knows
the asking price is usually the starting point. Our
research shows that over the last decade ‘Price’
as a key selection criteria has risen from ninth
position to occupy second place in the rankings.
Think about your retail experiences. Many of
us now use the vast ocean of information at our
fingertips to research the product or services we
want. We read the online reviews, and get advice
and referrals from people in our network. We find
the right product at the best price and armed with
this information, we may then go down to a local
retailer and see if we can beat the price we have
found online.
The Real Cost
of Discounting /
The best price isn’t always the right price
Smart retailers have prepared their salespeople
for this scenario. They give you the ‘buy it now with
assurances’ price, which factors in the reality that
you are already there, you probably want it now,
and you would prefer the comfort of a warranty
from a reputable bricks and mortar retailer that
you can return to if you have any issues. This is
better than the risk of getting it shipped from afar
through a web retailer you’ve never heard of and
will never see.
Your friendly local retailer gives you a good
discount from the ‘sticker’ price, but it is still more
than your best online price. They are confident you
will pay a premium for the convenience, peace of
mind, and instant gratification of taking it home
today. And even though you paid a bit more than
your lowest price, you feel as if you have got a
‘great deal’ you can tell your friends about.
This same scenario plays out in B2B transactions
every day, yet salespeople are far less equipped
to deal effectively with it. Increased customer
price sensitivity means salespeople have to be
increasingly savvy at ‘getting the price right’. If not,
they risk giving away far more than they need to
because they do not know enough about what the
customer is ‘really’ prepared to pay and why.
Given the expectations of today’s Buyers, Sales
Professionals need a new level of confidence and
capability to develop intimate knowledge. This
ensures they understand the commercial and
emotional drivers early on in the buying cycle.
While some of this relates to the conversation
skills required to avoid recreating an interrogation
scene, there are some fundamental operating
guidelines and frameworks organisations can
deploy to arm their team for price conversations.
For a number of years we have worked with a
fuel company selling to large mining, transport,
and construction firms – customers who are used
to asking for and getting discounts. Imagine the
level of price negotiation they expect when they
are buying what they believe is a pure commodity
– they can get it anywhere! But the fact is they
Price
#9
2005 2015
#2
2015 (versus 2005) research
findings. Ranking of ‘Price’ in the
top 10 criteria.

cannot. They operate 24/7 operations in remote
locations spread across countries around the
globe. If one of these locations stops operating
for even one hour because of supply problems or
maintenance issues, the cost is astronomical.
Any discount they might get is insignificant
compared to the cost of even a brief operational
shut down. Much like the person in the retail shop
seeking out a discount against the ‘best price on
the market’, they are subject to the ‘buy it now with
assurances’ principle. The value they get from a
supplier who has a highly reliable supply chain, a
track record of delivering into remote locations, and
a product designed to reduce costly maintenance
trumps the discount almost every time.
In a fine margin game like fuels, it is essential
to arm every salesperson with the strategies,
messages, and skills to deal with the buying
tactics and price conversations they face on a
daily basis. Good negotiation and price handling
strategies are only part of the equation and ignore
the critical early stage engagement with the
customer. Knowing the customer’s business, their
industry, competitive advantage, risks, and market
opportunities is essential to positioning value that
is a strong counter-balance for price.
As a simple measure, companies can give their
sales teams a better understanding of the real cost
of discounting. Depending on the margin of the
product or service, even a discount of 5% across
the board means you may need to sell at least
20% volume to make up the difference. When we
ask salespeople if they believe they can increase
sales by 20% as a result of a 5% discount, most
of them get pretty uncomfortable! This simple
education process works wonders. As an added
measure, we sometimes see companies effectively
linking remuneration and bonuses more closely to
gross margin or profit, rather than pure volume.
Giving away even a few more percentage points
than absolutely necessary, particularly in major
deals, can have a significant impact on any
business. Businesses need to arm their sales
teams with the strategies, messages, and skills to
‘get the price exactly right’. Salespeople need to
know that discounts cost money and ultimately it’s
up to them to hold the line – and it helps if they’re
incentivised to do it.
Like the savvy retail shop owner who knows their
customers intimately and achieves the ‘buy it
now with assurances’ price, the best salespeople
understand and act on the basis that most Buyers
will pay at least a small premium to suppliers who
provide convenience, peace of mind, added value,
and mitigated risk for their business. The best
price is not necessarily the right price.
“Even a discount of
5% across the board
means you may need
to sell 20% or more
volume to make up the
difference.”

Hip
Pocket
Tips
Reward and recognise your sales team
on margin and profit, not just volume
and revenue.
Educate the sales team on the cost of
discounting and practice handling price
objections in team meetings.
For complex sales, provide negotiation
training so your sales teams can trade
value effectively.
Educate the sales team on the competitive
alternatives and relative value of each one.
Develop a bank of insights related to the
key business drivers that your offer enables
- focus on reputation, risk, profitability,
efficiencies, and asset utilisation.
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
We Recommend...
5 ways to win on price.

Conclusion /

Conclusion /
The research in the 2015 Global Report on ‘What it
Takes to Win Business’ indicates that winning is not
about doing one thing 100% better; it is about lifting
performance in a selected number of key areas and
applying them consistently, with discipline. Placing
your Buyer at the centre of your sales approach and
helping them make a stronger emotional and rational
connection with your brand and your sales solution will
win you more business.
The clients we work with span financial services,
building and infrastructure, commodities, media
and professional services. Without exception, they
have all increased their conversion rate significantly
by leveraging the advice and insights detailed in
this paper. Our clients that are really driving for
competitive advantage are now smartly focussing
on creating a cultural shift in how their organisations
approach bids and pitches, making it part of their
embedded processes.

What is absolutely clear is that Buyers are
demanding more disciplined, courageous,
and curious Sales Professionals.
We challenge you to give them what they’re
asking for and shape a different result when
we next undertake this research.

Established over 45 years ago, rogenSi is a training &
consultancy firm committed to inspiring organisations
and their leaders to achieve exceptional performance.
Operating out of hubs in London, New York, and
Sydney we have a strong presence in Asia and
the Middle East. Our clients include leading global
players from financial and professional services,
telecommunications, media, manufacturing and
healthcare. With our focus on leadership & learning,
we partner with clients who want to execute customer-
centric strategies to unlock the value that will grow
their revenue, transform their organisations, and drive
tangible results. In 2014 we integrated with a globally
recognised Customer Strategy Consultancy to form
TeleTech Consulting. As part of the TeleTech family,
our purpose is to bring humanity to business.
About rogenSi /

What It Takes to Win Business

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