Mastering technical sales : the sales engineer's handbook

Intro -- Contents v -- Acknowledgments xvii -- 1 Introduction: Why Study Sales Consulting? 1 -- 2 An Overview of the Sales Process 7 -- Definition of the Market 8 -- Marketing Campaigns 8 -- Lead Qualification 9 -- Request for Proposal 10 -- Discovery and First Customer Engagement 10 -- Propose and Demo 11 -- Evaluation (Optional) 12 -- Negotiations: Close or LoseŠGetting the Deal 12 -- Ongoing Account Management: Upsell Opportunities and Postsales Support 12 -- Summary 13 -- 3 Lead Qualification 15 -- Lead Quality 17 -- Effective Lead Qualification 20 -- Internal Roles in the Lead Qualification Process 23 -- Lead Qualification in Action: Three Common Scenarios 25 -- Summary 27 -- 4 The RFP Process 29 -- Creation of an RFP 29 -- Basic Rule of RFPs 30 -- The Go/No-Go Decision 31 -- Handling Deadlines 33 -- Strategies for Avoiding an RFP 34 -- Completing the RFP 35 -- Presentation and Follow-Up 36 -- Summary 37 -- 5 Needs Analysis and Discovery 39 -- Overview 39 -- Why Discovery Is Critical 40 -- The Seven-Step Needs Analysis Approach 41 -- Customizing the Discovery Process 53 -- Summary 56 -- 6 Successful Customer Engagement 59 -- First Contact 60 -- Identify the People You Need to Know 63 -- Coaches 65 -- Credibility 69 -- Summary 70 -- 7 The Perfect Pitch 71 -- Nonverbal Delivery Skills 72 -- Verbal Delivery Skills 74 -- Developing a Focused Message 76 -- Special Situations 78 -- Using Nervous Energy to Your Advantage 81 -- Summary 83 -- 8 The Dash to Demo 85 -- Why Does the Dash to Demo Occur? 87 -- What Is The Product ? 87 -- Failing to Plan Is Planning to Fail 88 -- Logistical Implications 90 -- The Agenda 91 -- Preparing the Way 91 -- The Audience 92 -- Checkpoint Charlie 95 -- Summary 96 -- Appendix 8A: Sample Agenda 97 -- 9 Evaluation Strategies 99 -- Developing the Strategy 99 -- How to Win: Determining the Success Criteria 101.