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 | In a Downturn Provoke Your Customers |
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Harvard Business Review Heft 03, Jahrgang: 2009 48 - 56 Philip Lay / Todd Hewlin / Geoffrey Moore |
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| Marketing |
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In a Downturn Provoke Your Customers As the article states: “This is a tough time to be selling to business customers.“ However the authors detail a method which they argue will enhance your chances of making sales. They call the process PROVOCATION-BASED SELLING. They see it as a step beyond the ’’tried and true“ product-based selling (where features and benefits are the main platform) and more recent solution-based selling (where a Q & A dialogue with the client finds problems for which the vendor provides solutions). So what is PROVOCATION BASED SELLING? Put simply it is an attempt to help clients “see their competitive challenges in a new light that makes addressing specific painful problems unmistakably urgent.“ (The concept sounds like the very old method of selling once taught to this reviewer which was to “disturb, reassure, provide solutions“.) A number of examples are given of the method and they could be summed up as follows: The vendor identifies a critical process for the customer in the current evnvironment, develops a compelling view on how its broken and the cost impact on the customer, then connects the problem to a solution provided by the vendor. Provocation-based selling differs from other methods in finding an ’angle’ - a way to look at the business - that is new; it works best when the vendor outlines a problem the customer has, but has not yet put a name to. There are three things that must be done well if this method is to be successfully used:
The hard part appears to be developing an original point of view about the issue. This requires time a methodical approach and often cross-functional discussion within your own organisation. The goal is stated as “disturb the executive’s equilibrium without putting him on the defensive“. This can be done if the provocation is practised with client staff further down the decision ladder, prior to the meeting with the executive who counts. Another tool to assist in getting buy-in is a diagnostic study of the business which can be of value to both vendor and client. The authors even suggest that the client may happily pay for this study. A side bar gives tips on how to conduct the all-important face-to-face meeting with the decision maker. Finally the authors state that the method sounds like that often employed by consultants because it is: they have always needed to be engaged in provocation-based selling. They also admit that this method is not for every sales situation. It is time and man-power intensive and is best used when times are difficult and sales are hard to achieve. The article, while adding yet another phrase to the selling lexicon (Provocation-based Selling) provides little that is new. As mentioned, this is the method that many will be familiar with as their own companies have already been subjected to it by a variety of consultants. The best advice given is to take time and be careful in preparation, try to understand the client’s business deeply and be well prepared for a meeting with those who make decisions. However such advice has always been relevant is any sales situation since selling began. |
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(Laurie 23.03.2009) |
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