{"id":1389,"date":"2011-11-04T14:04:34","date_gmt":"2011-11-04T14:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theweekinimaging.com\/?p=1389"},"modified":"2011-11-04T14:04:34","modified_gmt":"2011-11-04T14:04:34","slug":"sales-pitch-the-truth-hurts-cios-dont-like-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/sales-and-service\/2011\/11\/sales-pitch-the-truth-hurts-cios-dont-like-you\/","title":{"rendered":"SALES PITCH: The Truth Hurts: CIOs Don’t Like You"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

David Ramos<\/p><\/div>\n

In planning for an event where I was speaking to a group of owners, I had been talking with several CIOs, IT decision makers (Professional IT Buyers) and doing a lot of research on their likes and dislikes about sales and marketing approaches.\u00a0I was overwhelmed with some rants and stories, but also with some practical solutions and things for sales professionals to think about. We have some work to do, as the \u201cwhat doesn\u2019t work\u201d list was 20 times larger than the \u201cwhat works\u201d list.<\/p>\n

To paraphrase my neighbor who is a CIO for a large insurance company \u201cIT decision makers don\u2019t hate sales people, they hate bad sales people.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a sales guy, I take this personally because I have a true appreciation for the art and science of my profession.\u00a0 So here is some direct feedback \u2013 (some of which is written in a first person narrative of the CIO or IT Buyers for effect from my research) on how to engage these Professional IT Buyers when you are not currently doing business with them:<\/p>\n

1) \u201cFirst, you send in the\u00a0sales guy or a stuffed suit\u00a0to build a \u2018relationship\u2019, when what I really need is a solution to my problems and somebody who\u00a0really\u00a0<\/em>understands what you are offering within the context of what I am challenged by in my company. Offer experts and expertise to help me and my team. I have real issues and have limited amounts of time. Don\u2019t waste it!\u00a0 Secondly, I only take \u2018advice\u2019 from people in my professional network, another CIO, VP of IT, former colleagues, etc.\u00a0 So, don\u2019t think calling me incessantly will work, especially if you don\u2019t have references to back you up. Your sales people need to do a better job leveraging the CIO peer network. The number one decision criterion for the IT buyer is peer feedback. More than anything, we want to talk to a customer of that IT services provider. But we want the whole story. That’s hard to get to right now. If we’re lucky, we get three or four references selected by the service provider as we approach our final decision. And even then we don’t get the full story.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tip:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Make your best and brightest available for prospect and customer sessions, live or via conference technology. Go where they go, focus on events they are attending so it is not another meeting to be scheduled. And think creatively, like arranging a meeting or conversation with another CIO who is a customer of yours with a prospective customer.\u00a0 Referrals and references count for CIOs and IT Buyers because they are highly skeptical of sales due to the billions of dollars spent every year marketing to IT and the CIO.<\/p>\n

2) Marketing stuff is not aimed at the right person. For example, \u201cI get hundreds of e-mails and additionally\u00a0sales people believe that teleprospecting me with unsolicited phone calls\u00a0and hammering me about product-specific details with robotic, generic e-mails and prepared scripts. This is an automatic DELETE or DNC (Do not call list) for me.\u00a0I know of a tier-one software and service provider whose lead generation starts in a call center – 3,000 full-time employees with its own physical and management infrastructure. Those employees come in at night and start calling U.S. and European companies to verify contact information [for corporate IT leaders]. Once they validate the lead, it’s sent to the inside sales organization where someone else makes a follow-up call to determine interest. Then it goes to the channel manager who conducts an interview with the lead. Then it goes to the channel partner for that region.\u00a0The ratio they’re looking at is 1,000 to 1: 1,000 phone calls for one opportunity. And the IT buyer community is doing a better and better job of disguising themselves to avoid the whole process. Some of my peers developed solutions that are very tricky. If a call from an IT vendor comes in, they tell them they’re transferring them to Dan Krueger in the procurement office. The salesperson gets a voice mail greeting, ‘Hi, this is Dan Krueger, leave a message.’ Only there is no Dan Krueger.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tip<\/strong>: Deliver the right content\u2013 both the delivery vehicle and to the person you are targeting. CIOs tell us to aim product issues to his\/her team where there is real expertise and technology chops to evaluate and do something with it. Generally, CIO\/Senior IT areas of interest are new services that address real business challenges and learning what other CIOs and competitive companies are doing.<\/p>\n

3) Sales are enamored with beautiful graphics, professional IT people are not. They appreciate great design, clear and simple (read straightforward, not dumb) communications delivered in an easy to digest format. They are also very mobile and on their smart phone when they receive email and communications. It is automatic \u201cdelete\u201d, if they can\u2019t read it. This includes white papers, Websites and slide decks \u2013 all of which can be useful for them and their team had it been communicated clearly what it was and what they would benefit from reading the material.<\/p>\n

Tip<\/strong>: Simplify your design elements, templates and the organization and delivery of your content. Offer Text e-mail vs. HTML options, simple PDFs and PowerPoint decks with simple graphics vs. big fat files. Be sure to use a decent size font and white space appropriate to the platform. Make sure you\u2019re providing well-organized content that is clearly labeled and searchable wherever possible. It sounds basic, but we are missing the fundamentals.<\/p>\n

4) STOP SPAMMING ME. \u201cDon\u2019t send things to me as part of a \u2018bulk\u2019 mailing or telemarketing effort, if I have not given you permission. If I do \u2018opt-in\u2019, think carefully about\u00a0what\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0how<\/em>\u00a0often you send stuff. Target your message to true CIO-level issues about my industry and my company. I am very aware of your bonus being paid on click through performance and registration measurements. I help my marketing team with the same sorts of things every day. Plus, all your messages are based on consumer advertising models originally conceived in the\u00a019th century. It’s the demand generation model. You put juicy hamburger on the TV screen and you load it up with cheese and bacon. You make it look really good, and put a lot of sex behind it, and people will say, ‘Wow, I want that!’ and go to Burger King and buy it. But that doesn’t work in corporate IT. You don’t have a CIO in the enterprise saying,\u00a0‘I didn’t think I needed storage. But, wow; now I do!’\u201d<\/p>\n

Tip:\u00a0<\/strong>Think before you hit \u2018Send\u2019 and place yourself in the shoes of a CIO. Have clear privacy and opt-in practices and policies that you adhere to all the time. Most importantly, play an active role in your company of guarding and championing this discipline. Focus on nurturing the relationship through very targeted email follow-up and elements you believe will provide value based on previous interest and behaviors. And, where it makes sense, partner with media\/analyst organizations who have opt-in programs that IT decision makers have asked to receive, providing information that have been filtered by the trusted 3rd party organization.<\/p>\n

5) PLEASE SHOW UP PREPARED. \u201cI don\u2019t have time to educate your people on my company, my industry, or how many employees I have\u2026AND DO NOT ASK ME WHAT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT! There are plenty of avenues to conduct research on all them and on me for that matter.\u00a0Sales people that show up and don\u2019t know the basics I just outlined, immediately lose credibility with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tip:\u00a0<\/strong>Here is a basic checklist that I use to test sales on their accounts.\u00a0 Seems like an easy list to come up with, that being said, CIOs tell us that our sales people show up unprepared for meetings. \u00a0So don’t underestimate the power of basic information.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Who is the account\u2019s CEO, president or owner? Who are the key contacts by department (IT, Finance, Facilities, Operations)?<\/li>\n
  2. What is the company\u2019s highest priority goal or objective?<\/li>\n
  3. What is the client\u2019s mission\/ vision\/core values?<\/li>\n
  4. What is their key product or service?<\/li>\n
  5. Who is their toughest competitor?<\/li>\n
  6. What is the biggest problem they face in their industry?<\/li>\n
  7. Is there pending legislation that will affect their industry?<\/li>\n
  8. What is their greatest strength?<\/li>\n
  9. What is their strategy: a) Low Cost\u00a0 b) Differentiation c) Niche Player?<\/li>\n
  10. Who is their largest customer?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You will make you, your brand and your company stand out by executing these fundamentals.\u00a0Take some time to do some research (like I get my information typically from CIO<\/em> magazine or Information Week<\/em> when it comes to IT related business acumen, I also subscibe to reports from IDC, InfoTrends and IDG) and start to come up with some original content vs. listening to all those pretenders out there with their 1980\u2019s talk tracks because IT and the CIOs are tiring of old-school chatter.<\/p>\n

    About the author:<\/strong>\u00a0David Ramos<\/a>\u00a0is sales operations consultant for Strategy Development, an\u00a0industry management consulting\u00a0and advance sales training firm providing sales, service & MPS information, including workshops for the BTA as well as a MPS Sales eLearning program with InfoTrends. He also instructs a selling skills workshop called \u201c<\/em>Sell With Success<\/a>\u201d. You can reach him at\u00a0<\/em>www.strategydevelopment.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0ramos@strategydevelopment.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In planning for an event where I was speaking to a group of owners, I had been talking with several CIOs, IT decision makers (Professional IT Buyers) and doing a lot of research on their likes and dislikes about sales and marketing approaches.\u00a0I was overwhelmed with some rants and stories, but also with some practical solutions and things for sales professionals to think about. We have some work to do, as the \u201cwhat doesn\u2019t work\u201d list was 20 times larger than the \u201cwhat works\u201d list. To paraphrase my neighbor who is a CIO for a large insurance company \u201cIT decision makers don\u2019t hate sales people, they hate bad sales people.\u201d As a sales guy, I take this personally because I have a true appreciation for the art and science of my profession.\u00a0 So here is some direct feedback \u2013 (some of which is written in a first person narrative of the CIO or IT Buyers for effect from my research) on how to engage these Professional IT Buyers when you are not currently doing business with them: 1) \u201cFirst, you send in the\u00a0sales guy or a stuffed suit\u00a0to build a \u2018relationship\u2019, when what I really need is a solution to my problems and somebody who\u00a0really\u00a0understands what you are offering within the context of what I am challenged by in my company. Offer experts and expertise to help me and my team. I have real issues and have limited amounts of time. Don\u2019t waste it!\u00a0 Secondly, I only take \u2018advice\u2019 from people in my professional network, another CIO, VP of IT, former colleagues, etc.\u00a0 So, don\u2019t think calling me incessantly will work, especially if you don\u2019t have references to back you up. Your sales people need to do a better job leveraging the CIO peer network. The number one decision criterion for the IT buyer is peer feedback. More than anything, we want to talk to a customer of that IT services provider. But we want the whole story. That’s hard to get to right now. If we’re lucky, we get three or four references selected by the service provider as we approach our final decision. And even then we don’t get the full story.\u201d Tip:\u00a0\u00a0Make your best and brightest available for prospect and customer sessions, live or via conference technology. Go where they go, focus on events they are attending so it is not another meeting to be scheduled. And think creatively, like arranging a meeting or conversation with another CIO who is a customer of yours with a prospective customer.\u00a0 Referrals and references count for CIOs and IT Buyers because they are highly skeptical of sales due to the billions of dollars spent every year marketing to IT and the CIO. 2) Marketing stuff is not aimed at the right person. For example, \u201cI get hundreds of e-mails and additionally\u00a0sales people believe that teleprospecting me with unsolicited phone calls\u00a0and hammering me about product-specific details with robotic, generic e-mails and prepared scripts. This is an automatic DELETE or DNC (Do not call list) for me.\u00a0I know of a tier-one software and service provider whose lead generation starts in a call center – 3,000 full-time employees with its own physical and management infrastructure. Those employees come in at night and start calling U.S. and European companies to verify contact information [for corporate IT leaders]. Once they validate the lead, it’s sent to the inside sales organization where someone else makes a follow-up call to determine interest. Then it goes to the channel manager who conducts an interview with the lead. Then it goes to the channel partner for that region.\u00a0The ratio they’re looking at is 1,000 to 1: 1,000 phone calls for one opportunity. And the IT buyer community is doing a better and better job of disguising themselves to avoid the whole process. Some of my peers developed solutions that are very tricky. If a call from an IT vendor comes in, they tell them they’re transferring them to Dan Krueger in the procurement office. The salesperson gets a voice mail greeting, ‘Hi, this is Dan Krueger, leave a message.’ Only there is no Dan Krueger.\u201d Tip: Deliver the right content\u2013 both the delivery vehicle and to the person you are targeting. CIOs tell us to aim product issues to his\/her team where there is real expertise and technology chops to evaluate and do something with it. Generally, CIO\/Senior IT areas of interest are new services that address real business challenges and learning what other CIOs and competitive companies are doing. 3) Sales are enamored with beautiful graphics, professional IT people are not. They appreciate great design, clear and simple (read straightforward, not dumb) communications delivered in an easy to digest format. They are also very mobile and on their smart phone when they receive email and communications. It is automatic \u201cdelete\u201d, if they can\u2019t read it. This includes white papers, Websites and slide decks \u2013 all of which can be useful for them and their team had it been communicated clearly what it was and what they would benefit from reading the material. Tip: Simplify your design elements, templates and the organization and delivery of your content. Offer Text e-mail vs. HTML options, simple PDFs and PowerPoint decks with simple graphics vs. big fat files. Be sure to use a decent size font and white space appropriate to the platform. Make sure you\u2019re providing well-organized content that is clearly labeled and searchable wherever possible. It sounds basic, but we are missing the fundamentals. 4) STOP SPAMMING ME. \u201cDon\u2019t send things to me as part of a \u2018bulk\u2019 mailing or telemarketing effort, if I have not given you permission. If I do \u2018opt-in\u2019, think carefully about\u00a0what\u00a0and\u00a0how\u00a0often you send stuff. Target your message to true CIO-level issues about my industry and my company. I am very aware of your bonus being paid on click through performance and registration measurements. I help my marketing team with the same sorts of things every day. Plus, all your messages are based on consumer advertising […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1389"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1389\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}