Solution Matrix • Cost-Benefit-Analysis

Sales & Support

sales_3.jpgYour customer’s decision to buy is, increasingly, a business decision.

In today's economy, most major sales close when they can be justified to the customer CFO or other management. The Business Case Solution for Sales equips you with a proven approach for establishing the business value of your proposal, with credibility and compelling impact, even if you are not a financial specialist.

Not every sales process calls for a customer business case, of course, but you know that you must respond when your customer:

  • Asks serious financial questions
  • Has to justify the sale internally, to the CFO or to an internal review board
  • Has heard the economic argument against you from your competition
  • Has serious financial problems (net loss or cash flow problems, for instance)
  • Cannot differentiate your proposal from the competition in terms of features and functions alone
  • Seems listless or allows the sales process to stall

How do respond in such cases? How do you lead the customer to see, in compelling, credible terms, that your proposal is the better business decision? Most sales people, marketers, and sales consultants, know that any vendor-produced business case faces serious challenges. You know that the customer knows:

  • You want the sale and have an interest in producing a business case that favors your proposal
  • You are not a financial specialist (but your proposal will be given the acid-test by their financial specialists)
  • You don't have time or resources for a full-blown business case analysis project

Good sales people know that barriers like these are blessings in disguise if you let them stop the competition and turn them to your own advantage. Make no mistake, however, this requires more than a single training, a good "ROI tool," or an inventory of business case success stories and "proof points" — no matter how good.

Creating a successful business case selling capability requires a serious program of actions and resources—some of which come from your own management and some of which can come from Solution Matrix Ltd. The good news is that 10 years of hard-won sales experience with some of the world's leading sales teams and a sure path to successful implementation are accessible to you through the Business Case Solution for Sales. We look forward to showing you how to take this path in your own company.

For more information about the Business Case Solution for Sale, or to request a formal proposal, please contact Solution Matrix Ltd.

The Business Case Solution for Sales

The Business Case Solution for Sales

The Business Case Solution for Sales should not be seen as "one more thing" the salesperson has to do. Instead, it is always customized to enable your sales force to excel at what they are already doing and to succeed where they may be failing.

The Solution is tailored to recognize:

  • The products and services you sell
  • The background, strengths, and weaknesses of the individuals on your sales team
  • Your own selling methodology, sales forecasting, and sales reporting structure
  • The customers and industries you sell to
  • Your competitive strengths, and your competition's
  • Immediate, near-term, and long term sales goals

The Business Case Solution for Sales may include any or all of the following:

  • Practical training in business case selling
    • Basic business and financial knowledge to build your confidence
    • How to position the case with your customer, get  enthusiastic commitment to case-building, and bring about a "transfer of ownership" (it becomes the customer's case, not just your case).
    • How to build credibility and keep the focus on meeting customer business objectives
    • How to build a professional quality case that will stand up to CFO or boardroom scrutiny—even if you have no background in finance or business planning
    • How to package and present to senior management
    • Handling objections, re-starting the stalled sales process, and taking advantage of your competition
  • Business case selling tools and templates. Easy to follow guides and scripts leach you to the professional quality results.
  • Industry analysis and development of business case selling strategy
  • Coaching and mentoring of sales teams throughout the sales process

Please see our clients page for a list of some of the world-class companies that have used the Business Case Solution to increase sales productivity, shorten the sales cycle, increase the average sale size, and exceed sales goals.  

Typical calendar time to plan, deliver, and implement  the Business Case Solution for sales:  

1 week    Planning and background research
1 week    Interviews with sales management, experienced 
                sales people, and product/service experts
2-3 days  Onsite training, focused on real account situations that have
                not yet closed, and ending with "next steps" planning and
                commitment
6-8 wks   (Or shorter, when key sales situations close in less time)
                 Follow-up coaching and mentoring 

In brief, the typical "Business Case Solution" client wants or needs to see sales improvements in the current month or quarter. For more information about the Business Case Solution for Sales or to request a formal proposal, please contact Solution Matrix Ltd.

 

<< IT Justification

Emerging Technologies >>

The Best Selling Authority on Business Case Analysis

Business Case Essentials, 3rd Ed

The concise, complete guide to what belongs in a business case and why. The trusted authority on business case analysis assumes no prior background in finance or business planning. Essentials provides clear, practical, step-by-step guidance for building a compelling business case. Special focus on

  • Financial metrics including Retun on Investment (ROI), NPV, and total cost of ownership (TCO).
  • Non financial benefits.
  • Measuring / minimizing risk.
  • Real world examples from industry, government, and non profit settings.

Order the printed edition online. Or, download the e-book today.

Business Case
Professional Seminars

Learn case building at the premier business case seminar

Two days hands on learning and practice with the leading source for business case training. Join more than 16,000 professionals on five continents who successfully completed Building the Business Case seminars. Qualify for professional education credits!

Register online and download business case books and tools immediately.
Request detailed seminar contents and agendas.

Business Case Guide

The Recognized Standard

Business Case Guide The practical in-depth Guide to successful cost benefit analysis and business case presentation. Download the recognized standard source.

Business Case Sites

Solution Matrix Ltd

Solution Matrix Germany

Solution Matrix Asia

Solution Matrix Pacific

Business Case Newsletter

Read newsletter past issues

  • ROI Users Survival Guide
  • Getting a Yes from the CFO
  • Business Case Critics:
    De-Clawing the Cat
  • Do "Soft" Benefits Belong in a Business Case?
  • And more...

Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter and receive a free
e-mail course: "5 Days to Success with Your Business Case"



We value your privacy
Read newsletter past issues

The Solution Matrix site is

SecurityMetrics for PCI Compliance, QSA, IDS, Penetration Testing, Forensics, and Vulnerability Assessment

Credit Card Processing

Official PayPal Seal