“Sales reps who engage decision makers close 20% faster than selling at lower levels” 
CSO Insights

After sales has done months or quarters of laborious, time-consuming work in researching a new account, crafting their best emails and value props, prospecting via social and networking, accessing and engaging with buyers and committees, and delivering their proposal – they still need to close and on time. The #1 obstacle to getting a signature in a predictable timeframe is the lack of a vendor’s PROOF of business outcome. It supports your “why buy and why now” premise. Business outcomes win over decision makers as it reinforces their performance goals, and the C-Suite is actively involved in more deals than you imagine.

Why Decision Makers stall deals

Doubt to buy your solution will rise when the urgency to sign by the buying committee lacks the promised business outcomes or value. Value is center stage to the C-suite core: improve revenues, lower cost, or avoid risk. They are paid to deliver shareholder value, and this is how they deliver on that promise. A vendor’s unsubstantiated value can evaporate a provider’s status as a trusted resource or partner very quickly. Executive confidence can be fleeting.

Every signature equals another signature

Getting signatures from a Director or VP, and moving up the chain is a great accomplishment. The higher up they go for approval and funding release on your proposal, the closer you get to the final signature. The buying committee and your sponsor carry tremendous weight, especially after an exhaustive evaluation of vendors, technology, capabilities, and costs. The C-suite when presented with your proposal may find internal justifications adequate and sign. Alternatively, they can question the strategic alignment of the vendor, the alignment of the financial gain over other competing projects: does the vendor deliver enough business outcome “as promised”, and to their core initiatives? The lack of this can delay decisions for a quarter or until the following year.

The risk to sellers

“62% of 500 mid-market execs have C-suite is involved in technology adoption.” 
“46% say C-suite is “actively” engaged.” 
“33% CEOs vs. 20% in 2014 lead the charge.” 
Forbes, Sept. 12th Should You Trust Your CEO With Cloud Computing Decisions? 

Why Sales struggles with business outcomes

Sales teams whether in the Enterprise or SMB all have difficulty garnering support to help them build more opportunities selling to decision makers. Some of the key reasons are:

Large Enterprise “value validation” teams typically only support the most prominent deals, chargeback, and require VP approval for access

92% of vendors are unable or unwilling to discover and state business outcomes

If they can, they fail to align with an account’s strategic initiatives and P/L required by C-Suite “Passing the football”

slows down coordination and agreement between marketing, product management & sales

Typical ROI models are complex, cumbersome, and prospects prefer to do them with their CFOs

C-Suite proofs

Business outcomes are highly desirable by Sr. decision makers and C-suite and illuminate your competitive differentiation. It proves with data your willingness to “think & act” as a trusted, consultant. The following graph (Independent research – Value of B2B Thought Leadership Survey, What FTSE 350 C-Suite Realy Think, GRIST) shows how the C-suite thinks when deciding on your solution. It is how they view you not just as a vendor but as “thought leader”!

How to build Business Outcomes

Sales teams have access to case studies, white papers, customer references, social commentary, and more inside their sales cycles. However, to sell to Sr. decision makers or C-suite, you need more. To help you build business outcomes, seek out your company’s business consultants who have strong industry expertise, and many have finance backgrounds. They can help you define value. Additionally, ask your finance team to share some insights on measuring value.

Revenue Accelerators believes so strongly in this that we encourage any sales or marketing person to call us. We will help you think this through and find resources to tackle this critical problem and have fun in the process of becoming a better seller. That is our promise to you.

Revenue Accelerators^TM is the ONLY provider empowering Vendor Sales & Marketing teams to easily and more rapidly acquire high-performing opportunities from accessing and engaging Decision Makers and C-Suite. By defining the Vendors solution’s financial value, aligning it into Target Account objectives and business initiatives and using 1:1 ABM value messaging in SPEEDSHEETS; we transform Product to Value selling overnight for faster and easier selling. www.revenueaccelerators.com