Dec 4th, 2008| 
Sales Cycle player
From the sales guy perspective, the sales cycle can often be an exhausting and excruciating road to success. It requires vigilant customer contact, balance between being assertive yet flexible and an exercise of patience. As the sales guy, you want to know the involved players in closing the sale. Knowing them will help you push the envelope until it’s signed, sealed and delivered. Here are the four main players that are involved in a typical small to medium size software sale.
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POC: Your Point Of Contact at the target organization. Usually the IT manager – i.e. a mid-level manger that has been given the responsibility to collect, research, evaluate and recommend a solution. He is your go-to-guy when you want to communicate with the organization. |
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Purse Holder: The CFO (or someone appropriate) who manages the budget and gives the monetary blessing to the sale. I’ve noticed that in North America, $5,000 is a magic budget line. Anything below this amount, a mid-level manager has sign off authority. This reduces the amount of red-tape involved in closing the sale. Anything over, you may have to go through hoops of fire. |
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Decision Maker: Either the “big boss” or a committee that has final say on the sale. Understanding the business goals of the decision maker helps you position your product better. Most of the time you never directly communicate with the decision maker. So you have to often guess on their motivation. |
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White Knight: Sometimes if you are lucky, you get a knight in shinning armor. He is the guy inside the organization that helps you make that sale. Perhaps a former business colleague, or just a nice guy. He wants you to close the sale (i.e. he likes your solution; he wants to be the hero with your solution, etc.) |
This is a very simplified view of the roles involved in a sales cycle. Sometimes one individual can play multiple roles. I’ve noticed that your POC can also become a White Knight for you. If you can identify which roles are being played by whom, it helps you foresee potential roadblocks. Your end goal is to reduce the sales cycle and increase your win ratio. Understanding the players and playing to their advantage should help you achieve it.
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