'Better To Sell Peanuts On The Roadside'

Now this is something I can relate to very well...from elearningpost:

"Yesterday I had to give a presentation - a pitch actually - to the director of training of a very large organization for developing an e-learning course. Here's what happened:

PLAN: this guy, being a director, would be strategic in thinking. He would want to know about the benefits of the course and the design and how to make it all work. Right?

THE PITCH: collaboration and decision-making are key. E-learning needs to be made meaningful, and by that we mean social and interesting. Learners want to see different perspectives from the ground-level not subject-matter level... and so on. Basically trying to paint the e-learning 2.0 picture without using any of the jargon.

OUTCOME: After half an hour, he says, "Can you show me animations with smooth transitions? The last vendor showed some nifty ones."

It's situations like these that make me want to pull my hair out. Screw all this e-learning bit; better to sell peanuts on the roadside. At least I'll retain the dignity of having decent conversations. "

Click here to read the complete post.

Comments

[thelearnedman]

Harold, I agree with you. In fact I even looked up 'Question Based Selling' and it seems that the book titled 'Secrets Of Question Based Selling', by Tom Freese, seems to be selling quite nicely. Check out this post on a sales & marketing blog called Revenue Roundtable that talks about this approach as well: http://revenueroundtable.com/2005/06/22/how-to-get-more-calls-returned/

[Harold Jarche]

That's why you shouldn't try to pitch; you should be there to listen. When you pitch, you're seen as a vendor.

Here's what I've remembered about an approach called "Question Based Selling"

First, you should:

1. Establish credibility
2. Ask Diagnostic questions
3. Remember that buyers are either running toward or away from something

In order to close a deal, you have to ensure that:

There is a recognized client need.
It's a viable solution.
The value justifies the cost.
There is a sense of urgency (on the client's part).
The client has the authority to buy.