Rob Whittaker is an entrepreneur and business consultant with a passion for effective, values-based leadership and sales improvement – helping others to achieve great things for themselves and having fun while doing it! Session Overview In this exciting and dynamic workshop delivered by Rob Whittaker, sales development specialist, he taught about a diverse range of Business Development t o p i c s . To p i c s i n c l u d e ; B u s i n e s s Development Activity Planning, Initial interactions with potential clients, identifying client needs and wants and building value, communicating the gunnercooke value propositions and understanding the decision making process.  

Rob Whittaker

Business Development Workshop www.vistage.co.uk/rob-whittaker

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gunnercooke Business Development Workshop

Rob Whittaker

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QUESTION . . . .

What is the most expensive aspect of any business development/sales operation?

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ANSWER . . . .

•  The profitable business you don’t win

•  The unprofitable business you do win!

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4 Stages Of Development

1. Unconscious incompetence

2. Conscious incompetence

3. Conscious competence

4. Unconscious competence

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Objectives

•  To identify a common framework for effectively selling the gunnercooke services to both new and existing clients

•  To examine various business development, influence & persuasion structures and refine and develop our own key skill areas

•  To produce a Personal Action Plan to use the skills to help us to win more billable work

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“Most companies fail, not in their attempts to be innovative or creative but, in this country, most of them fail because

they undervalue the importance of professional selling” Sir John Harvey - Jones

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A Definition of Selling

Building Customer Commitment

“Seek first to understand, then to be understood”

Dr. Stephen Covey

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Effective Business Development - Key Criteria

1.  Preparation – information, objectives and tactics 2.  Identify the decision-making process 3.  Avoid assumptions, use questions to understand

the client’s world, issues and opportunities 4.  Present a solution based on the situation as the

client sees it, highlighting the benefits to that client

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5. Identify all barriers & concerns & seek to resolve them

6. Gain commitment to next stage

Effective Sales Calls/Visits – Key Criteria

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First Impressions

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression”

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What people really buy

•  Features - facts about your services •  Advantages - the ‘functions’ (potential pay-

offs) which your services can deliver •  Benefits - the ‘pay off’ gained from the

advantages in relation to the specific client’s needs & wants

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What do we really sell?

"What we sell is the ability for a 43 year-old accountant to dress in black leather, ride through small towns and have people be afraid of him”. Harley Davidson Executive

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“Judge a man by his questions, not by his answers” Voltaire

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Questioning Techniques

•  Where . . . . ? •  Why . . . . ? •  What . . . . ?

•  Which . . . . ? •  Who . . . . ? •  How . . . . ?

•  When . . . . ?

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Funnel Technique

A.  Broad open questions (uninfluenced) which leave direction of the answer to the customer

B.  Progressive open questions leading towards identifying specific needs and wants

C.  Closed questions which pinpoint precisely those needs and wants

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Funnel Technique

Letting other people have your way….

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“One of the most important things an organisation can do is to determine exactly what business it is in”

Peter Drucker

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Value Propositions - Analysis

•  List relevant Features & Advantages of your services vs. knowledge of the client’s world, your objectives and any competition

•  Decide on the open questions to establish the value of your Features and Advantages in the eyes of that client

•  Plan broad funnel areas to explore and then group the open questions under each appropriate funnel

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Business'strategy'! What!is!your!vision!for!the!business!next!335!years?!! What!are!the!key!strategies!that!will!help!you!achieve!

your!vision?!! How!confident!are!you!that!you!have!the!right!

strategies?!!! How!is!strategy!determined?!Describe!the!business!

planning!process.!!! Who'tests'your'thinking?'Who'do'you'have'to'bounce'

ideas'off?!Making'decisions'! What!is!the!company!decision3making!process?!! Where!(at!what!level)!do!you!want!decisions!to!be!

made?!! What!are!the!two!most!important!decisions!to!be!made!

in!next!6312!months?'! Who'do'you'have'to'‘sense9check’'your'decision'

making?'Company/Team'effectiveness'! How!would!you!rate!your!top!team!on!a!scale!of!1310?!! How!would!you!assess!their!business!judgement?!!!!! Where!do!you!think!the!most!improvement!is!

necessary?!! What!knowledge!or!skills!is!the!organisation!lacking?!! Where'do'you'go'to'learn'the'latest'thinking?'!!

Relationships'! Who!are!the!key!stakeholders!in!the!business?!! How!are!your!relationships!with!them?!

shareholders,!partners,!family!members,!staff!! Who!do!you!talk!to!who!doesn't!have!a!vested!interest?'! How'lonely'do'you'find'the'role?'Personal'effectiveness'! Which!areas!would!your!staff!and!you!say!you!most!need!to!develop!to!improve!

your!leadership!&!personal!effectiveness?!! Describe!your!leadership!style.!How!well!do!you!delegate?!! What!areas!or!topics!do!you!feel!least!equipped!to!deal!with?!! Who'coaches'you'on'your'own'plans/performance?'Who'holds'you'to'

account?'Personal'life'! Tell!me!about!your!personal!life!and!interests!! What!is!your!personal!vision?!What!is!holding!you!back?!! If!you!had!financial!independence,!what!would!you!ideally!like!to!do!with!your!

waking!hours?!! What!would!you!most!like!to!change!or!improve!in!your!personal!life?!!Facts''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''Opinions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!How’s!that!going?!How!do!you!feel!about!that?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Impact!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What’s!the!impact!(on!business/you)?!

Change'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How!would!you!like!it!to!be?!!

Summary'&'Impact' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' 5'mins'! Summarise'headline'of'all'issues'uncovered'(including'the'impact'and'change'required)'! Can!you!quantify!that!in!time?!Pounds?!How'do'you'feel'about'that?'! What'happens'if'this'doesn't'change'over'next'192'years....to!the!company,!to!others,!to!you?'

“If we are to learn to improve the quality of our decisions, we need to accept the mysterious nature of our snap judgements”

Malcolm Gladwell (Blink)

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Presenting the solution to a client’s needs & wants

•  Refer back to individual needs & wants “You said that you wanted to . ./ . . was an issue for you”

•  Select appropriate Feature & Advantage of your solution using relevant proof(s) “To help you address this, I recommend . . .”

•  Emphasise the benefits of your solution “What this means for you is . . .”

•  Ask a commitment-related question

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Emphasising our benefits

Need/Want 1

Need/Want 2

Need/Want 3

Refer to Individual

Needs & wants

Select the appropriate Feature

Advantage

Emphasise the Benefits of

Your solution

Ask a Commitment

Related

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Business Survey Findings

Question . . . .

“Why did we lose the client”?

. . . . or

“Why did we fail to win the business”?

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Business Survey Findings

Client’s most common answer? “They didn’t understand our business”

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Selling – key summary points •  Understand - what you’ve got, what’s good

about it and its advantages over the competition •  Understand the importance of building rapport and

trust •  Understand and develop – through skilled

questioning - the client’s real needs/wants for these

•  Understand - the real decision-making process

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gunnercooke Business Development Workshop

Rob Whittaker

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Agenda'!Introduction/Background!–!Business!Development!.................!3!

Key!Criteria!for!an!Effective!Client!Interaction!

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Initial!Interactions!.....................................................................!6!

Building!Commitment!B!Questioning!&!Listening!......................!7!

Funnelling!&!the!Gunnercooke!Value!

Proposition.……………….10!

Key!Decision!Process!Questions!..............................................!11!

Presenting!

Ideas/Solutions....……………………………………………….12!

Actions…………………………………………………………………………………1

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Programme Workbook

Gunnercooke!!!!!!

Business'Development

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Introduction/Background'–'Business'

Development'

All!consistently!successful!human!behaviour!has!a!structure!to!!!it.!This!applies!to!business!development!as!much!as!to!any!other!activity.!The!content!of!every!meeting!and!interaction!will!vary!each!time,!but!we!can!use!a!consistent,+structured!approach!every!time,!to!build!some!consistency!in!our!outcomes.!High!performers!in!all!sales!environments!recognise!this!and!so!they!quickly!find!the!processes!and!structures!that!work!for!them!and!then!systemise!them.!You!can’t!manage!by!results,!but!you!can!manage!the!driver!of!those!results!–!ie.!Activity!In!business!development,!the!three!most!useful!elements!of!activity!to!plan!are:!

• Quantity!–!How!much!raw!effort!will!we!need!to!put!in!(How!many!leads!do!we!need?!How!many!initial!contacts?!How!many!meetings?)!!

• Direction!–!Where!should!we!best!be!aiming!this!activity?!Which!sources!work!best!for!us?!Where!will!we!find!the!best!qualified!clients?!

• Quality'–!How!effective!are!we!at!each!stage!in!the!business!development!process?!How!will!we!best!structure!our!calls/meetings?!How!will!we!build!the!value!of!Gunnercooke!services!in!the!client's!mind?!!!!

4'Stages'of'Development'

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Introduction'–'Business'Development'

!Definition'of'Selling?'

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Objectives'

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“Most+companies+fail,+not+in+their+attempts+to+be+innovative+or+creative+but,+in+this+country,+most+of+them+fail+because+they+undervalue+the+importance+of+professional+selling”+! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Sir!John!HarveyBJones!!

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Key'Criteria'for'an'Effective'Client'

Interaction'

A'structured'approach'

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Initial'Interactions'

!Objectives?'

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“You+never+get+a+second+chance+to+make+a+first+impression…”+

How'would'you'like'to'be'described?'' ' Key'Elements?'

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Building'Commitment'H'Questioning'&'

Listening'

Identifying'drivers,'needs'and'wants'

The'‘Iceberg’'Principle'&'The'Power'of'Questions'

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!‘Seek+first+to+understand…then+to+be+understood’++ + + + !!!!!!!!!!Dr!Stephen!Covey!!

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Building'Commitment'H'Questioning'&'

Listening'

Types'of'Question:'basics'

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Listening'Exercise'

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Conclusions'

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“Judge+a+man+by+his+questions,+not+by+his+answers”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Voltaire!

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Building'Commitment'H'Questioning'&'

Listening'

1.'Active'listening'–being'‘present’'

This!really!requires!us!to!make!a!decision,!before!engaging!in!a!conversation,!that!we!will!give!100%!of!our!attention!to!the!other!person.!It!means!‘shutting!down’!our!internal!dialogue,!the!incessant!thinking!either!about!what!happened!in!the!past!or!what’s!coming!up!next,!and!just!being!present,!in!the!‘now’.!As!you!begin!to!simply!focus!on!the!other!person,!you!will!notice!and!hear!everything.!!You!will!be!better!able!to!understand,!not!only!what!the!other!person!is!saying,!but!also!what!they!want!to!say!B!which!could!be!difficult!for!them!to!express.!You!can!begin!to!place!yourself!in!his/her!world!and!see!things!the!way!he/she!does.!You!will!summarise!regularly,!ask!for!additional!information/interpretation,!encourage!and!comment,!while!avoiding!anything!that!might!subdue!the!other!person,!or!arouse!defence!mechanisms.!

2.'Listening'only'for'what'we'want'to'hear'

This!amounts!to!the!'polite'!"just!go!on!talking!B!I'm!listening!.!.!.”!We!listen!and!note!what!we!wish!to!hear!only.!We!listen!as!the!interrogator!(or!prosecutor)!for!the!things!that!strengthen!our!viewpoint!and!perhaps!weaken!the!other!person's!position.!This!listening!approach!can!often!be!heard!in!political!and!media!interviews!(and!in!many!sales!dialogues!)!

3.'Not'listening'at'all'

Many!have!developed!this!into!a!fine!art!!They!look!as!if!they!are!listening,!they!nod,!answer!"yes",!"of!course",!"how!interesting",!etc.!B!but!they!actually!hear!nothing!!This!is!really!just!a!superficial!form!of!'social’!behaviour.!!!!'

'Active'!listening!is!first!and!foremost!a!state+of+mind,+a!state!of!presence.!

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Funnelling'&'The'Gunnercooke'Value''

Proposition'

Funnelling'Technique'

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Cracking'the'iceberg' ' ' ' ' ' '

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'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''OPINION'Questions'

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'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''IMPACT'Questions! !!! ! ! !!!!!!!!!CHANGE'Questions!! ! ! ! ! !

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Logical!Needs!+++Emotive+!Wants!

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! ! Page!10!Key'Decision'Process'Questions'(NLP)'

The!world!of!Neuro!Linguistic!Programming!(NLP)!has!provided!many!new!insights!into!the!ways!in!which!people!make!buying!decisions!and!become!committed!to!certain!courses!of!action.!In!any!sales!or!influencing!dialogue!it!is!useful!to!gain!an!understanding!of!our!client’s!process!for!making!these!decisions.!!The!following!types!of!questions!enable!us!to!gain!that!understanding:!'

1.'Buying'Preferences/Habits'!!• What!made!you!choose!your!existing!service/supplier?!(key+criteria)!• Why!was!that!important!to!you?!(away+from+pain/towards+pleasure)!• How!did!you!choose?!(options+or+procedure)!• What!do!you!like!about!it/them?!(minimum+requirement+to+match)!!• What!would!you!change,!if!you!could?!(opportunity+to+add+value)!

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Presenting'ideas/solutions'

1. Why'–'their!needs!&!wants!(iceberg,!areas!of!pain/pleasure)'

2. What'–'we!can!do!for!them!in!relation!to!those!areas!

3. How'–'it!will!work,!the!process,!supporting!proofs!

4. Which'means'–'the!payB!off!for!them!in!relation!to!their!pain/pleasure'''

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Big!picture/Overview!

Detail!

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Actions'

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