Today's buyer has been forced to do-more-with-less, and has less time than ever before to uncover their issues, and explore solution options. How can you sell to a prospect if they are unaware of the opportunity or priority of the issues you can address, and that indeed a remedy exists?

1. TOM PISELLO, Chairman & Founder
Blog: http://blog.alinean.com
Twitter: @tpisello
http://www.alinean.com
http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com
Diagnosing Customer Issues:
Connect and Engage with Provocative Selling &
Assessment Tools

2. Today’s Economic-Focused Buyer
http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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3. Successive Downturns Cause Fundamental & Permanent Change
B2B Spending Annual Growth
12.0%
10.0%
Tech Bubble
8.0%
6.0%
Great Recession
4.0%
2.0%
0.0%
-2.0% 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
-4.0%
-6.0%
-8.0%
IDC 2010
IDC historical spend
Forecast compiled from IDC, Forrester, Gartner and Goldman Sachs
Two successive downturns in past 10 years have permanently changed buyers
Affected technology marketplace first:
 Prior: Innovation, growth, time to market, features / functions drove purchases
 After: Saving money, bottom-line impact, best value and fast payback
“Great Recession” downturn reinforcing / accelerating this fundamental change
 All areas of economy impacted for all of B2B purchase decisions © 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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4. The Economic-Buyer
• Size
More Leads to Close Same Executive Scrutiny Reduced Deal Size
Amount of Business
Longer Sales Cycles Increased Competition
More Stakeholders
Stalled Deals
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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5. Internet Fueled Buying Cycles
• Buyers do more research independently and online
• Arm themselves with ideas, solution, competitive product knowledge
• Firmly in control of buying process
• Using online vendor content + 3rd party sources / social groups
• Inviting sales later, after set strategy, budget and solution roadmap
At Same Time, Perceived Sales Readiness Is
On the Decline
Not Prepared
Well Prepared
29%
35%
Somewhat
Prepared
36% IDC 2010
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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6. CFOs & Executives: Large and In Charge
• #1 Reason for NOT Meeting Sales
Quotas – Inability to Communicate Value
Messages (27%) – SiriusDecisions 2010
• Only 38% of sales reps understand the
customer’s issues and can identify how
vendor can help – Forrester 2010
• CFOs responsible for more groups
• Taking control of strategy + buying-
cycle
• More financial due-diligence on all
purchases
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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7. A New Selling Approach is Required
http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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8. Fight Frugalnomics with Value Selling & Marketing
Product Focus Solution Focus Value Focus
Discussion: Discussion:
Discussion:
• Customer knows issue • Prescriptive & Quantified
• Customer knows issues &
• Tie features / functions to desired outcome • Discover… Is customer
needs aware of issue?
• Questions to discover pain
• Compares product points
alternatives • Diagnose… How bad is it?
• Feature • Function • Price • Recommend solution to • Quantify … Value of change
solve pain
• Compare … Value vs. Status
Drive: Sales Led: Product Drive: Sales Led: Pain-Point Quo / Competition
Driven Driven
Drive: Diagnostic Led: What
is issue & value of change?
Solution
Vendor Trusted Advisor
Provider © 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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9. Product / Solution Selling Still Reigns
Forrester Sales Enablement Forum- 2011
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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10. Strategic Vendors Reap Rewards
More Opportunities
Greater Deal Size
Shorter Sales Cycles
Greater Competitive Advantage
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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11. Facilitating the Buyer’s Journey
BUYER’S JOURNEY
Loosening Exploring Committing Justifying
Committing Making the
of the possible to a the
to change selection
status quo solutions solution decision
DISCOVERY CONSIDERATION DECISION
Content Marketing & Sales Enablement Strategy
Help Align
Align buyer solution Validate/
Create reinforce
problem with identify with Make the
awareness choice
business needs in specific business case
around a new
issues; drive solving sets of for change Prove best
problem
urgency the business value
problem needs
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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12. Loosening the Status Quo
BUYER’S JOURNEY
Loosening Exploring Committing Justifying
Committing Making the
of the possible to a the
to change selection
status quo solutions solution decision
DISCOVERY CONSIDERATION DECISION
Content Marketing & Sales Enablement Strategy
Help Align
Align buyer solution Validate/
Create reinforce
problem with identify with Make the
awareness choice
business needs in specific business case
around a new
issues; drive solving sets of for change Prove best
problem
urgency the business value
problem needs
Buyers Are:
Risk adverse / overloaded
Easier to do nothing than change
Don’t have time to fully understand issues
Executive driven / CFO aligned
Internet fueled / Sales often not engaged yet
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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13. Provocation-Based Selling
Prospect’s Don’t Buy a Solution For a Problem
They Don’t Know They Have - Seth Godin
In a Downturn, Provoke Your Customers (Geoffrey
Moore)
1. Illuminate issues, of which they might not have
been aware
2. Confirm the symptoms they were aware of, but
could not easily put a name on
3. Prioritize which issues require the most ardent
pursuit
4. Quantify the competitive or other value which
may be achieved by resolving the issue (creating
urgency)
5. Recommend, based on priorities, a solution
roadmap to stepwise remedy the issues.
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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14. Implement Provocation-Based Selling
with Diagnostic Assessment Tools
http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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15. Discovery - Diagnose with Assessment Tools
– Connect and engage early in sales
process
– Stimulate change and loosen status-quo
– Survey current spending and practices
– Diagnose issues
– Benchmark status quo versus
competition and leaders
– Recommend improvement strategies
– Map solutions to improvement strategy
– 3rd party validation to improve credibility
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© 2011 Alinean, Inc.

16. Profile for Benchmarking
Benchmark comparisons
Typically by industry, location and size
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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17. Survey
Survey Questions – Multiple Choice, Pulldowns, Quantifications, Rankings
Spending, Sentiment or Current Practice Questions
Don’t Force Customer to Fill All In prior to Seeing Some Results © 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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18. Diagnostic Assessment Results
Compare current responses vs. peer averages and leaders
Drive priorities through benchmark comparisons
Collaborate with customer / teammates to complete / refine © 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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19. Detailed Drill Downs
Drill into details, layer by layer via pop-ups / drill downs
Confirm where doing well, illuminate areas needing improvements
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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20. Roadmap and Next Steps
Intelligently recommends solutions to resolve most pressing issues
Recommends next steps in buying lifecycle
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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21. Personalized Report
Results expanded in Word report. Can be further personalized.
PPT and PDF options available as well.
Multiple report options in single tool. © 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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22. Discovery - Diagnose with Assessment Tools
– Reason to connect & engage earlier in
decisions
– Earn right to call higher with
executives
– Help set strategies, budgets and
roadmaps
– Establishes urgency of resolving these
issues over others
– Reduces time to realize issues and
commit to change
– Elevate relationship from Vendor to
Trusted Advisor
– Improves competitive position
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© 2011 Alinean, Inc.

23. Other Examples
Trend Micro Risk and Compliance Assessment
Sage Pacer Survey
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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24. How to Create a Provocation-Based Selling Program
http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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25. Identify a Critical Problem
• Find the critical issues the buyers / decision making executives may be
facing
• Industry, company specific challenges
• Group / day-to-day challenges
• Aligned with what your solutions can help resolve
• Examples:
6.0%
• Spending Levels
5.0%
• Goals and Priorities
4.0%
• Tactics
3.0%
• Capability & Maturity
2.0%
• Governance & Risks 1.0%
• Effectiveness 0.0%
IT Spending vs. Revenue
Your Company Peer Average Leaders
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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26. Formulate your Provocation
• The provocation can be formulated into a diagnostic / assessment
methodology and tool.
• Key Diagnostic Assessment Tool Components:
1. Survey
2. Benchmark Comparison
3. Diagnostic Assessment
4. Roadmap Advice
5. Outcome / Value
6. Next Steps
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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27. Lodge you Provocation – Marketing & Demand-Gen
• Centerpiece of engagement campaigns
• Offering a free assessment to respondents:
– ―We’ve worked with companies in your peer group and have seen how
the leading players are experiencing this painful problem.
– We think it’s possible that your company is at risk in this area as
well."
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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28. Lodge your Provocation – Sales Enablement
• Assessment Workshop
• Facilitative discovery process versus confrontation or a sales pitch,
– Helping the customer to uncover the issues that might be preventing them
from reaching their goals
– Helping them realize that change would ―do them good‖
• ―The goal is to disturb the executive’s equilibrium—and make the status
quo untenable—without putting him or her on the defensive.‖ – Geoffrey
Moore
• ―Presenting specific, well-supported concerns and remedies in a
forthright manner keeps the focus on business performance for an
executive who is accountable for it.‖ – Geoffrey Moore
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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29. Alinean: Facilitating the Buyer’s Journey w/ Interactive Sales &
Marketing Tools
BUYER’S JOURNEY
Loosening Exploring Committing Justifying
Committing Making the
of the possible to a the
to change selection
status quo solutions solution decision
DISCOVERY CONSIDERATION DECISION
Content Marketing & Sales Enablement Strategy
Help Align
Align buyer solution Validate/
Create reinforce
problem with identify with Make the
awareness choice
business needs in specific business case
around a new
issues; drive solving sets of for change Prove best
problem
urgency the business value
problem needs
PROVOCATIVE APPROACH VALUE APPROACH
Interactive White Diagnostic Assessment
ROI Analysis Tools TCO Comparison Tools
Papers Tools
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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30. Next Steps
Alinean powered tools can significantly upgrade the quality of sales interactions
throughout the buying process, allowing prospects to drive at the beginning
through simpler, self-service tools and sales to provide greater depth as the buying
process proceeds – SiriusDecisions 2010
1. Your Sales & Marketing Ready to Do Business with Frugal Buyers?
Take this Diagnostic Assessment to Find Out.
2. Research White Paper: Sales Enablement and the Economic Buyer
3. Over 200% ROI from a Value Selling Program Sound Impossible?
Find Out for Yourself
4. Why Alinean? Alinean Vendor Profile (SiriusDecisions)
http://www.fightfrugalnomics.com
© 2011 Alinean, Inc.
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