The document discusses three types of conversations needed to win customers: creating value, elevating value, and capturing value. It emphasizes that executive conversations require demonstrating business knowledge, customer insight, financial acumen, building a compelling ROI case, and executive engagement skills. Successful conversations involve making the status quo unsafe, defining new needs, aligning with company strengths, and describing how those strengths resolve issues and generate value for the customer.
15. DISTINCT POINT OF VIEW
Status Quo
Threatened
Identify
NewNeeds
Define
Solution
Identify
Viable Vendors
Review
Approaches
Make
Decision
74
“Why Change?” “Why You?”
COMMODITIZED CONVERSATION
26% %
BUYING VISION BAKE-OFF
-3 -1 +1 +2 +3-2
• Make the status quo unsafe
• Define new set of needs
• Align w/your Strengths
• Here’s what you say you need
• Here’s what we do different
• Here’s the benefit you will get
18. 18
Didn’t appreciate…. The
problem is as big or coming
as fast as you say?!
Didn’t realize… there was
even something to fix that
issue or annoyance?!
Didn’t know… that was a
problem I was having until
you pointed it out?!
Under-Valued
Un-Met
Unknown
19. Customer Status Quo
Identify executive desired outcomes
and strategic objectives
Reveal potential threats, problems and
missed opportunities that put those
outcomes at RISK
Define a new set of needs and
requirements that point to your relevant
and advantaged strengths
Describe how your strengths RESOLVE
to the situation and generate positive
business change and value
Define your target “status quo” why
it’s safe and where there are gaps
Threats
Misses
NewNeeds
Desired
Outcome
Problems
Strengths
Value
Story
RISK
RESOLVE
Point of View
20. CFO
CMO
CIO
More than typical Personas
M
Old Automation SS & DB New Competitor
SITUATIONDISPOSITION
Point of View ……………………………….. Lives Here!
21. Changing someone’s mind isn’t a question of
pushing new information on people and trying
to explain it in words. It’s more about helping
people see the inconsistency in themselves
and then all of a sudden the mental model will
shift naturally and easily.
Gary Klein, scientist and author
“The Power of Intuition” and “Seeing What Others Don’t”
“
“
22. New Brain
Designed for Analysis
Old Brain
Designed for Survival
Decision-Making Engine
Neuroscience
23. Social Psychology
Kahneman, D. and Tversky, A. (1984). “Choices, Values, and Frames.”
American Psychologist 39 (4): 341–350
GainLoss
Value
3X stronger preference
to avoid loss vs. acquire
gains = “Loss Aversion”
Prefer risk that might
mitigate a loss =
“Risk Seeking”
Outcome
“PROSPECT THEORY”
32. Business
Knowledge
Customer
Insight
Financial
Acumen
ROI/
Business
Case
Executive
Engagement
Executive Conversations core competencies
1 2 3 4 5
Identifying the
key industry
business trends,
topics, and
emerging issues
impacting
companies in
that market
Determining the
prospect’s top
initiatives, how
those connect
to business
trends and
ultimately tie
to your solution
Knowing the
“metrics that
matter” most to
determining
budgets,
building a
business case
and triggering
a decision
Building a
simple,
compelling
financial story
that shows how
your solution will
drive positive
business impact
Experience telling
your story to a
real executive
decision maker
and what it
takes to deliver
engaging
conversation
33. Business
Knowledge
Customer
Insight
Financial
Acumen
ROI/
Business
Case
Executive
Engagement
Executive Conversations core competencies
1 2 3 4 5
Identifying the
key industry
business trends,
topics, and
emerging issues
impacting
companies in
that market
Determining the
prospect’s top
initiatives, how
those connect
to business
trends and
ultimately tie
to your solution
Knowing the
“metrics that
matter” most to
determining
budgets,
building a
business case
and triggering
a decision
Building a
simple,
compelling
financial story
that shows how
your solution will
drive positive
business impact
Experience telling
your story to a
real executive
decision maker
and what it
takes to deliver
engaging
conversation
Fluency
target
50%