The 2008 year end is rapidly approaching us. Whether your business year end occurs at the calendar year or another fiscal ca lender month, there are some things you might consider accomplishing before 2008 is over.

If you are using a Buyer Evaluation Plan with your prospects and accounts that have projects being evaluated, where are you in the completion of the outstanding items left prior to the Pre-Decision Review Meeting?

Are there any steps in the Buyer Evaluation Plan that may be able to be accelerated upon mutual agreement between the prospect and you? Would accelerating these steps create a situation of getting out of personal alignment with the prospect? If not, consider meeting with your prospects to review the current Buyer Evaluation Plan and potentially accelerating completion dates.

If you do not have Buyer Evaluation Plan in place with existing clients, consider meeting with them to mutually determine what remaining steps need to be accomplished prior to their decision. Then aggressively manage the Buyer Evaluation Plan to its completion.

It is generally known that in current economic times such as we are in, senior management tightens spending in many areas.

One of those areas is spending for new products and services. Studies have shown that greater importance is placed on cost justification prior to spending for new products and services.

If a written value or cost justification hasn't been accomplished yet with evaluating prospects or accounts, is it possible to hold a meeting(s) to discuss and document VALUE soon (within a week or so)?

If meeting(s) can be scheduled, go prepared to discuss the current operating environment of your client and what the value would be if appropriate USAGE SCENARIOS or POTENTIAL CAPABILITIES were available.

Clients tell us that the recognition of VALUE in doing something creates urgency to action. We have seen Buyer Evaluation Plans accelerated dramatically once a client/prospect becomes convinced they can achieve significant value by taking appropriate ACTION.

IF THERE IS a written cost or value justification, consider reminding the client of that value and discuss how steps may be accelerated to more quickly help them achieve their goals.

Now is the time to begin your planning for 2009!

Analyze your territory or named accounts to determine where you will take proactive steps to gain access to key players and get decision cycles started.

Prepare a success plan which details the What, Who, Where, When, and HOW's needed to ensure you achieve and exceed your goals for 2009. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE A TEMPLATED SUCCESS PLAN, PLEASE CONTACT ME!

Review your companies products and services offerings. Determine if there are new potential capabilities that can be incorporated into your solution development steps with prospects and existing clients.

If so, then expand your Vision Prompters to include those new capabilities. Along with that, determine with internal experts or with trusted clients what the value of those capabilities could or may be for them.

Please call or email me if you would like to learn more about The Vision Group programs available to your organization.

Our focus is on the following key skills of selling and marketing.

The Vision Group Sales Process

• Successfully executing the Process Steps in a buy/sell cycle
  
  
• Selling Skills - Which skills are needed when?
  
  
• Marketing message  tools and when they should be used
  
  
• Sales Process Deliverables - How do I know the prospect and I are on the same page?
  
  
• Milestones & Probabilities of a sale - How do I know where the prospect is during the sell cycle and when are they ready to buy?
  

Marketing skills

• Preparing messages for Discovery conversations that help buyers conclude I may be their best solution
  
  
• Establishing business value for your solutions with prospects early in a sell cycle
  
  
• Determining your company's market positioning so you are asking sales personnel to go where the GOLD is
  
  
• Preparation of your company's Core Marketing Messages and using a Rifle Shot approach
  

Feel free to forward this e-mail to any associates that you feel could benefit from this type of information.

If you have any ideas or a favorite topic we should write about, drop us a line or give us a call.