We’ve all been there: stuck on a phone or sitting in a meeting listening to someone struggle through the company’s latest product spiel. More often than not, the conversation taking place is not accomplishing what the person who crafted the “dialogue” intended.
That stilted, synthetic type of conversation is also the image that many envision when they hear the term “sales playbook,” though despite that image, it’s actually meant to have the opposite effect. Like a sales script — written to guide the conversation and help both parties understand all the essentials — a sales playbook is a comprehensive action plan designed to help build a better dialogue with prospects and customers. While messaging definitely plays a part, the ultimate goal is to create a deeper, long-term business relationship instead of the old, one-time “sign-here-on-the-dotted-line” close.
Sales Playbooks Boost Close Rates
When properly designed and implemented, a sales playbook can significantly boost the contract close rate for channel organizations. That’s especially important when managed and cloud services are added into the mix. As solution providers increase their dependence on recurring revenue streams, they have to change up their sales strategies and skills. They have to be able to foster deeper, long-term business relationships to keep in tune with not only their customers’ current needs, but their future objectives as well.
Does everyone in your organization understand the correlation between relationship building and contract close rates? Does everyone understand his or her role in the sales strategy and what to do to enhance the revenue stream coming from current and prospective customers? A sales playbook truly is a company-wide strategy for enhancing success in particular vertical markets or with specific solutions. When properly designed, a sales playbook can improve your organization’s ability to differentiate and communicate its message to a more diverse audience.
The sales playbook should spell out why your company or solution is truly unique. It should give employees a distinct plan for communicating those attributes with customers and prospects. That’s why everyone in the organization must be familiar with each specific play and be ready, willing and — most importantly — capable of doing his or her part. From the executive and the sales teams to technicians and HR staff, each player has to know the expectations of the position.
You Get What You Give
The value of a sales playbook is proportional to the effort each company puts into it. Successful sales organizations take time to regularly discuss its contents in company meetings, and reinforce its importance as often as possible. It’s often the first thing handed to new sales team members and becomes one of their most essential training tools.
Of course, before any organization gets to enjoy a sales playbook, it has to be built. The process isn’t difficult, but it does require a dedicated team effort and cross-team communication to make it a worthwhile resource. Many solution providers perfect one play before moving on to others, developing a repeatable process that can be applied to other markets and business segments.
When first tackling a sales playbook, you can start by addressing five key points:
The Play. Give it a name and a simple description. You can use straightforward terminology, like the K-12 UC Solution, or have a little more fun by calling it School Chat. Either way, it should be easy for everyone to remember.
Game Plan. What’s your strategy? Describe the approach, the end-user situation your solution will address and the benefits they’ll receive after implementing the technology.
Equipment. What does your team need to successfully complete the play? The scope of those tools may be expansive, from sales materials, case studies and other collateral, to workforce-enablement solutions, training programs and an assortment of other resources.
Position. Does every employee know his or her specific role in the sales process? That includes everyone who comes in contact with customers or is involved with proposals and program development.
Team. Who are the players on both the provider and customer sides? List everyone involved in the decision making process, key and secondary, as well as the issues they typically care most about.
The main point is to ensure all employees understand your special sauce, or those elements that make the company so unique. Selling the value of your services, skills, solutions and support shouldn’t be the sole responsibility of the sales team and the playbook should be designed with that in mind. It should be a collaborative team effort, with everyone pulling together to increase current and future revenue opportunities.
CompTIA Playbooks
If you need some help getting started, CompTIA offers a variety of comprehensive design resources for solution playbooks in the 2014 IT Channel Training Catalog. Craft your playbook from tools and tips, plus a number of workshops and template materials. CompTIA offers resources for solution providers focusing in advanced communications, cloud telephony and mobile device management, as well as cloud backup and recovery. CompTIA is actively encouraging channel companies to explore the materials or sign up for a session.
Feel free to copy, paste and utilize these resources to help build and document your own unique sales playbook. CompTIA’s done the hard part — all you have to do is add a little “special sauce.” Explore your options.
Brian Sherman is principal consultant at Tech Success Communications, an IT channel business development and marketing firm. He served previously as chief editor at Business Solutions magazine and senior director of industry alliances with Autotask. Contact Brian at Bsherman@techsuccesscommunications.com.
