Developing Organization Capabilities to Sell High End B2B Services

Today's hardware, connectivity and software has dramatically altered the equations in the world of B2B buying and selling. Hardware like smartphones and computers, anywhere connectivity offered by mobile networks, and search capabilities offered by Google and others have created a new world which did not exist before ten years.

Today, it is common for a salesperson to find that the client - even before their first serious meeting - has already found out a lot about him and his company. He has seen your facebook, linked in, twitter accounts. He has seen your websites and blogs. He probably has even found on the web what people say about you and your company and your products. In short, you may be meeting him for the first time but are not really a complete stranger to him. He knows a lot about you.

Most sales management books of today still are based on the mindset of the buyers as prevailed 30 years ago ...tell me who you are, which company you come from, what does your company do, who are your customers, what do they say about you ....AND NOW TELL ME WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO SELL TO ME. Those days are gone. The buyers already have a pretty decent idea to many  of these questions EVEN BEFORE YOUR FIRST MEETING.

These days many clients want to quickly get into how you will work through their issues and whether you can, and will, do what you say. These days the sales meetings get to the heart of issues more quickly, and clients' expectations for results are higher. Therefore, from the seller's side you need salespersons

• who are more knowledgeable
• who are more solution-savvy
• who are more responsive 

In short, today's client needs to see a B2B Business Developer as someone who knows the subject-matter well enough to see the whole picture quickly, understand his problem, and collaborate effectively to design a workable and effective solution. This has important implications on the type of organization you need to create to sell well in today's environment.

New age B2B Business Developer needs to play following roles :

1. Business Consultant : Your objective is to find the best answer for the client's issue, even if your service isn't part of the solution. Study the client's current business and future objectives, stay on top of developments in the client's industry, and work to become a valued client resource instead of just a seller.
2. Creative Ideator : Selling professional services always begins with ideas clients can use. You must go far beyond the traditional advice such as sending relevant articles to clients. Dig below the surface to explore the relevance of ideas for your clients. Then, find innovative ways to get those ideas in front of your clients.
3. Win-win Strategist: You can never lose track of the big picture—foremost for the client, but also for your own business. As you envision a solution, focus on results for the client, assess whether the opportunity makes sense for your business, and decide how you will both win.
4. Project Leader: A services sale is a project in itself, with its own objective, scope, timing, staffing, and budget. Buyers rightly view the sales process as a dress rehearsal for how you will operate if you win the work. So manage the sales process with a vision, communicate widely, and manage tasks to meet your objectives.
5. Change Manager: Your ability to guide clients through change is as important to the sale as the quality of your service. In the past, too many clients watched the erosion of promised value when a seller's implementation approach resulted in delays or worse, project failures. Now, they're not just asking questions about what will change; they want to know what you will do to bring about that change—and minimize disruption to their operations.
6. Relationship Builder : None of the seller's roles is more important than the others, but without the ability to build strong client relationships, you'll struggle to stay in the game. The other roles you play provide the necessary foundation for relating to clients. And those who master those other roles are usually also the best relationship managers.
7. Communicator: The seller's primary responsibility is to negotiate the sale with favorable terms, and that requires highly tuned communication skills. Each of the roles above offers ways to strengthen client relationships and manage the sales process, but those roles only facilitate the sale. To take a prospective sale from a lead to closure demands expertise in persuasiveness, building trust, and, at just the right time, asking for the sale.

Hence what matters is the improvement in the following skills which makes the selling effort less complex to manage

1. Client Relationship Development: Think strategically and plan for clients' long-term benefit; establish trusted client relationships based on recognized expertise, innovative ideas, competence, and a mutual exchange of value.
2. Interpersonal Communication: Lead discussions and influence direction and outcomes; exhibit active listening and questioning skills; communicate effectively at all levels in client organizations.
3. Client Interviewing: Prepare for and conduct insight-based discussions with client executives and others to gather relevant facts to support the development of a winning services offer.
4. Problem Diagnosis: Use analytical techniques to uncover the root cause of client problems; envision a range of viable, sustainable solutions.
5. Sales Proposal Development: Convey a persuasive written view of objectives, approach, economic terms, and expected value.
6. Project Leadership: Plan and direct the sales activity of the seller and client teams, from initiation of the sales process until the sale is completed—and beyond.
7. Personal Selling, Negotiating, and Closing: Offer compelling reasons to spur action, in both one-on-one and group settings. Propose and obtain agreement on terms and conditions that serve the client's needs and preserve your profit.