How to work out connection architecture

1.     How much individualization and customization is needed

1.1.      In  locating / contacting / accessing stage : Min ¡  Med  ¡ High  ¡ 

1.2.      In  sensing / discovery stage : Min ¡  Med  ¡ High  ¡ 

1.3.      In strategy / Diagnosis and Design stage : Min ¡  Med  ¡ High  ¡ 

1.4.      In making, pre-during-after-selling / fulfillment stage : Min ¡  Med  ¡ High  ¡ 

1.5.      In persuasion / acquisition stage : Min ¡  Med  ¡ High  ¡ 

1.6.      In customer feedback stage Min ¡  Med  ¡ High  ¡ 

2.     The more the individualization and customization is needed …

2.1.       The less needs to be the size of the target audience

2.2.      The higher needs to be Average Order size

2.3.      The higher needs to be the profitability for each order

2.4.      The higher needs to be the close-up visibility of the customer

3.     The factors that determine the task of the connection architecture….

3.1.      If B2B what level of hierarchy the customer units is from

3.1.1.      C suite (Budget Creator ) ( He has many options for spending money on)

3.1.2.      B suite (Policy Creator) ( He can shape the policy in many different ways)

3.1.3.      A suite (Activity Creator) (He can undertake actions )

3.2.      Do  we have a clear idea of the customer’s unstated payoff?

3.2.1.      What does he want to achieve

3.2.2.      What does he need to fix

3.2.3.      What does he want to avoid

3.3.      How many different types of Customer Unit mindsets / behaviors. Which of these are priority personas : ABC analysis

3.4.      For each persona unit, what is the customer’s  buying  journey : Through what stages and sequence the customer wants to go? The more the number of stages, the more is the number and variety of people and time needed. 

3.5.      The sales effort required is higher when

3.5.1.      the category is complex to explain

3.5.2.      the category is unknown

3.5.3.      the need is latent

3.5.4.      the customer will need to make extensive changes to his assets / behaviors

3.6.      Ease of getting / providing access : How to tackle the gatekeepers / barriers

3.7.      Perceived risks and unfamiliarity for each buying persona. The more the risk the more the time, assurance, trust, warranties,  proofs,  testimonials needed

3.8.      What is the selling strategy and organization of competitors

3.9.      How habituated  are the customers to solutions / vendors to buying the category from the current vendors at current specifications because the habits die hard and special efforts are required to break it

3.10.  How experienced are the customers to the category because the inexperienced customers are wary, slow, not trusting, take time and many times they abandon plans

3.11.  How formal / rigid is the buying process of the customer. This decides the extent to which the customer will drive the process. Particularly if they are far bigger .

3.12.  The more educated  / objective the customers are in specifying / checking; the more involvement of technical / back office is needed

3.13.  Size and complexity of Decision Making Unit : More number, more variety, of people and time needed.  The more the complexity, the  more the number and variety of people and more the time needed 

4.     Sales Architecture development

4.1.      BUYING PERSONAS : Identify priority personas and document them

4.2.      BUYING JOURNEY : Develop  for each persona

4.3.      SALES PROCESS : Map your “Sales Process” onto these journeys

4.4.      TOUCH POINTS MATRIX : Create a “Touch Points Matrix” 

4.5.      ENABLEMENT OF EACH TOUCH POINT : Staff, Skills, Script, tools, milestones

4.6.      ORGANIZATION : what positions, designations, Job Descriptions, People Specifications and reporting structure : needed to execute these touch points properly

4.7.      SYSTEMS : Metrics and SOPs for appropriate touch points

4.8.      ORG DEVELOPMENT PLANS : setting goals ,  reviewing, coaching, incentive