Xerox Sales Process

There has been quite an interest in the Xerox Sales Training article that I wrote as one of my first blog entries. Most of it sadly has been negative. In order to clear up any misconceptions about Xerox and their phenomenal sales training(Ranked 13^th best in 2005 per Business Week) let me first explain a few things:

• I will not do their sales process justice in one entry, or even one entire blog. I cannot replicate in text the experience I had in Lewisville, Tx
• This is based on their sales process in 2005 called Client Centered Selling – NOT based on anything else or anyone else’s sales process
• I am not using all of the information I learned because it would probably get me into trouble and hey, I could be competing against you some day!
• Finally it is not exhaustive, complete, or anything more than a fantastic conversation piece. I learned a ton from going through their sales training and it has made me successful now at two different companies.

Finally, I want to be clear. I hope that this causes MORE conversation rather than less. I do not want to discourage interaction, however if it is not constructive, I will not post your comments.

So after that unfortunate, but needed, disclaimer let me go a bit more into depth about the Xerox sales process and exactly why, as long as you follow the steps, it will make you successful

They have a 6 Step sales process and many of you will simply read this and say “duh”. I did too. The devil is in the details. Not many of you sales “professionals” actually follow this entire process every time. I would imagine it is that same group that wonders why they are not doing so well, or why they are continually being beaten by a peer who, “Does the exact same thing that I do”.

There is no mystery to it: Just have the discipline to actually follow the process every sales call.

Step #1 Identify Opportunities

You need to find any changes that have been made in the company recently or since the last time you spoke. Uncover the needs: Current state versus desired state of the client.

Step #2 Clarify

You need to position your questions to build the entire scope of the call around the benefits your client is seeking and how they align to what you, and only you, can offer. Clarify all of their needs based on the opportunities uncovered in Step #1. Then agree on the action needed and summary close on the next step needed. Be sure to zero in on their points of pain.

Step #3 Develop Requirements

Discuss the decision making process and what is needed to make that decision. Make sure that criteria favorable to your product are included and get the customer to rank order the criteria if possible. Make those favorable criteria to your product a requirement for the sale.

Step #4 Recommend Solution(s)

Review the criteria, check for any additional needs (or if anything has changed if time has passed between Step 3 and 4) and for each of the needs highlight the business value that Xerox can offer that no one else can. After this, agree on the solution to be offered moving forward.

Step #5 Gaining Commitment

Summarize the unique value you will deliver. Ask for commitment, then agree on the terms and next steps in the process.

Step #6 Managing implementation

Finally go over and agree on the timeframe for the implementation plan. Make sure that you under promise and over deliver. Adjust the plan should it need to be amended.

So that is it. Notice that you preliminarily close (trial close) at the end of each of the 6 steps to move forward to the next step. So, at the end the decision is easy because you have handled each objection in the appropriate phase of the sales cycle. All of these six steps should be completed in every sales cycle at some point depending on the client’s specific situation and need.

Be flexible and Great Selling.

The process of buying a car

I have decided to buy my first car. After seeing the cost and frequency of repairs increase for my 1992 Cadillac Seville over the past two years I have come to the decision that it is time.

Being in the auto industry you would think I would have some fabulously sneaky insider knowledge about how to bend over dealers and get a screaming deal. Unfortunately, even though I have been through extensive training on dealerships, it basically comes down to sales and a basic working knowledge of the structure of dealerships. There really are no tricks.

Here is what I have heard from truth or rumor:

• Do not tell them the final price you want to pay
• Do not tell them you have a trade until after the price is negotiated
• Tell them you have been shopping around
• Get 3rd party financing from your local bank or credit union
• Come to them at the end of the month to get a better deal
  

This list is certainly not exhaustive, but I am sure it is nothing new to anyone reading this. We are all basically clueless. In order to minimize my cluelessness I tried to find out more.

How I began my search:
I did a ton of research on www.automotive.com which is a site that makes its money by dealers and private individuals listing their cars for sale. They have some of the best and most accurate listings that I have found when comparing competitors sites. They also have an exhaustive analysis of just about every single car being sold on the market.

Further Research:
After my research was complete I took a stroll to a dealership last Sunday, when they were closed, and looked at the brand of car that I wanted and what they had on the lot. I am looking for a 2003 so there was naturally a limited selection.

Why I made the decision to look now:
I was not planning on doing anything until I received my tax return, typical I know, but alas my car broke down again. Another $500.00 for the water pump. I guess I would break too if I had to pump 160,000 miles of water. Regardless that was my reason to contact the dealership. I was fearing that next big repair that would be the big repair. So there you have my buying motivation: Fear.

First Contact:
This morning, after driving my car to the shop and consequently arriving late to work, I got a wild hair and contacted the local dealership via their lead generation tool ...err website. you know the drill. You can click to view their inventory and if you do not see what you want you can fill out their form with all of the information. I clicked send and not one minute later I got a generic e-mail from the dealership telling me I would be contacted in 24 hours. It was probably 5 minutes after that that Shawn, my dealership representative, sent me an e-mail requesting more information. Impressive.

First quote:
I responded to his further inquiry and let him know what I wanted:(this is basically verbatim the e-mail I sent)

• 2003
  
• 30-50k miles
  
• price range of $18,000 to$ 24,000
• Anything but Red exterior
  
• Sunroof, Brembo brakes, spoiler, leather, no Navigation, 19inch performance wheels etc...
  

Based on my research there are probably 30 of these cars listed as of today in Dayton/Cincinnati/Columbus. Not exactly a rare car. Shawn responded back within an hour with a 2006, Red, 18 inch wheels, no spoiler, stock brakes, with Navigation and the price was $41,000.00 and was only good until 8:00pm today. Final offer.

Here's your test as a consumer: How did he do meeting my stated, specific requirements?

Idiots:
I politely responded that while I am sure that car was great, it met none of my requirements. It is not hard to imagine what happened on his end. The dealer probably told him that he has some 2006 that didn't sell and he is simply pushing it on everyone possible. It is the typical sales technique of "one size fits all" or "throw it on the wall and see what sticks". I filled out the form they specifically created for lead generation and they did not use any of that information.

*Insert rant*

Unfortunately that is where I am currently in the sales process and this article is getting quite long.

To be continued...

Woot!

Woot! Stands for " I Want One Of Those"

Woot! is probably the best example of the power of the internet that I have found for consumer products. It is also the perfect example of the power of economies of scale. For those of you who do not know here is a little about Woot!

Woot! is a website that offers only one product every day at Midnight for discounted price. They give pictures, descriptions, even a clever blog that talks about the product. Most of these products have some kind of technical theme. I have seen everything from headphones to padlocks listed. Every day it is some new surprise.

In regard to price, I have checked around and it is almost always the best deal going no matter what product. How can they do this? Volume. Their economies of scale are phenomenal. Every day there is a different market and a different consumer base that is attracted to that market. Products that seem to have no real place anywhere else fly off of the shelves of Woot. Some of these products are sold out before I get to work at 8:00AM.

They are also very clever in the information that they give out. You never know exactly how many they have in stock, but they do have histogram graphs letting you know how man people purchased this product and at what time.

I am not sure if this was intentional but Woot! has built this off of the QVC phenomenon we are all so familiar with. QVC sells one product for a limited period of time, and they have written the book on television sales. Not only do you get to view the product, learn a little bit about it, but it is also entertaining. Woot! has captured all three of these aspects.

What is next...Woot! TV?

Stay tuned to find out.