Case 2 – Structure and Process
Background
A niche software developer with a national presence and established market share within its sector, needed to lock in upgrade contracts with existing clients and secure software licences with new clients.
Although the company had established its reputation on system functionality the user interface had become dated. Consequently following significant investment in redeveloping the systems “look & feel”, they were primed for a market push.
The company sought our assistance after six months of unsuccessful attempts at converting clients to the new system and with little progress in acquiring new clients.
Core issues
The company did not have a dedicated sales team with sales opportunities managed by the CEO and senior software development engineers, none of whom understood sales processes.
Business development consisted of responding to inquiries (generated by marketing) with presentations, demonstrations and tender submissions.
Solution
A new sales structure was implemented consisting of:
- newly hired specialist sales staff, with experience in complex B2B solution sales environments
- dedicated sales support person to interact with marketing team in generating and qualifying opportunities, as well as provide administrative support for sales team
- selected senior software engineer to provide presales technical support
- defined operating structures, standards and policies to support new business requirements
A solution sales methodology was implemented establishing predictable and reliable sales processes. Systems were put in place to measure and track performance levels.
Critical success factors
The optimised sales structure comprised of highly integrated and coordinated functional areas, working towards a common goal. Achieving much more than organising resources to more effectively process sales objectives the company now has:
- a clear picture of sales process with clarity of purpose and direction.
- defined responsibility and areas of specialisation/expertise working towards the sale
- highly qualified leads, understanding of client expectations and capacity to convert opportunities
The company is now better placed to meet their customers’ buying needs and expectations.
Results
Following an induction and training period, client acquisition became systemic with a more than 200% increase in new sales volume.
All clients were converted to the current system over a 18 month period, significantly lowering maintenance overheads.
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