[46657] in Zephyr_Bugs
Vol. 69: Interview Your Potential Federal Client
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Fedmarket)
Thu Apr 20 22:15:18 2006
Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2006 19:35:58 -0600
From: "Fedmarket" <noreply@fedmarket.com>
To: zephyr-bugs@mit.edu
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<title>Eileen Kent</title>
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<DIV align=center><B><FONT color=#0000a0 size=4> *** ON THE SALES FIRING LINE: Vol. 69 ***
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Welcome to "On the Sales Firing Line," written by Federal Sales Academy Director, Eileen Kent.
The purpose of this article series is to educate and inspire you to create immediate government
opportunities, through true sales stories and savvy marketing tactics.<br><br><hr><br>
<p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><b>Eileen Kent Brings Federal Sales Training to Chicago, Illinois <br>Dates:
</b><br>
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<ul>
<li>May 31, 2006 - <a href =
"http://www.fedmarket.com/seminars/federal-sales101.shtml"
>Federal Sales 101: Winning Government Business</a> - Our most popular class goes
on the road with speaker Eileen Kent<br>
<li>June 1, 2006 - <a href
="http://www.fedmarket.com/seminars/proposal-writing-seminar.shtml">Writing and Managing Winning Proposals</a> - Learn to strategize your
approach to writing winning proposals
</ul>
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<p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#0000a0"><b>Register
Online</b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> - <a href ="http://www.fedmarket.com/seminars/register-online.shtml"><b>Click
Here</b></a></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">
<br><br>
Visit our <a href = "http://www.fedmarket.com/calendar/index.php"><b>Seminar Calendar</b></a> for more seminar dates and locations.<br>
<br>
Call Suzie White at 301-652-9504 EXT. 10 for details.
<br><br><hr><br>
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<p align="center"><b><FONT color=#0000a0>Interviewing Your Potential Federal Client is Much Easier Than Selling
to Your Client
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<p>Sales executives tend to rush into the offices of federal end users and
contracting officers and start performing the dog and pony show. If the
sales people don't have a power point presentation to pull up on their
computers, they have the perfunctory brochure or binder.
<p>Anyone can tell you that there is nothing more boring or weak than a
rehearsed presentation, a line or a routine. Therefore, you need to
slow down, sit down, and get to know your client before you pull out the
pitch.
<p>How can you do this? Simply write down these questions, leave your
brochure in the car and bravely walk into your next appointment. Take a
a few minutes to get to know them before you get down to business.
Because you have a wide variety of products and services, you may want
to see what their story is before you come back with an angle -- or
solution.
<p>Only pick one or two questions from this list. My favorite two
questions are at the top because I usually get some great stories and gain
great insight on the client.
<p><ol><li>What is your role at this agency?<br>
<li>How did you get here? Tell me about your service (if in the
military).
<li>If you were to name one thing that got you to this point today,
what would it be?
<li>As Donald Trump would ask, was it "street smarts" or "book smarts"
that got you here?
<li>If you were to name one person who influenced you in your career,
who would it be and why?
<li>What was your job before this and how did you get this job? <br>
Who was in this position before you?
<li>When do you think you'll ever get tired of what you are doing? What
is your next step?
<li>Tell me about your family. I grew up in (name of town) and I'm
always curious about where people grew up and to see how they got to
where they are today.
<li>I see that you are really passionate about the success of this
project and your department. Was there one thing that got you into this
extraordinary frame of mind?
<li>I love (cats...dogs...horses)... Do you have a pet? Any photos?</ol>
<p>Now, let's get to know their situation and how you can assist them.
<p><ol><li>My understanding is that you already have a product/process for
this situation. Can you walk me through it?
<li>Who are you using to solve this problem right now?
<li>How is it going?
<li>What purchasing vehicle do you use to make the transaction with
them simple?
<li>Do they have any specific best values that they bring to the table
to help you choose them every time?
<li>Are you currently considering other vendors or are you simply
getting an idea of how I can help with the gaps?
<li>I would love the opportunity to show you how we work. Would you
like to go through a trial run first to see how we would solve this
situation (with either a simulation or a small order)?
<li>When do you think I could present you with a white paper on how our
organization could solve this problem now?
<li>Who else within your organization would be involved in the decision to
try a new supplier? Can you introduce me to this person?<br>
<li>What is the protocol at this agency? Do you have one particular person
in contracting with whom you work to get the paperwork in order or is there
a team in contracting? Would it be possible for me to meet them? </ol>
<p>Try these questions in the field and stop presenting your show. This
disconnects you from the client and from the immediate pain they are
experiencing. Could you imagine your doctor walking in and providing you with
a power point on all the patients they saved? You don't want to see those
gory details. You want her to get to your problem, find a cure and move on
with your life. This is your opportunity to step back and survey the
situation as an expert and on a personal level. Make the appointment all
about them, not you.
<br><br><hr>
<DIV align=center>
<P><IMG height=56 src="http://www.fedmarket.com/images/whitepaper.jpg" width=72> <B><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Free Informative Whitepaper "<A
href="http://www.fedmarket.com/whitepaper_download.php?which_one=training"> Developing a Trained Federal Sales Team </a>" <br>by Eileen Kent.
</FONT></B></FONT></P></DIV><hr>
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<p>
<b>Good luck and see you "On the Sales Firing Line!"</b>
<p>Eileen Kent,<br>
Federal Sales Academy Director
<br><b><a href = "http://www.fedmarket.com">Fedmarket.com</a></b>
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