A strong sales process will identify what you intend to discover and what you intend to disclose at each step. Of course your plan is subject to modification depending upon the whale’s agenda; however, the more you control the timing and the content, the better your company will be positioned to make a big sale.
Now is the time to keep in mind that whale buyers are not usually looking for the best or most creative or most innovative idea. They are looking for a reasonable solution that will work, meet their budget, cause the least resistance and the least internal disruption. In other words, a safe choice.
What does this mean to you? Your early disclosure should focus on these points:
- ease of transition–how many things will NOT change if they hire you
- short term ROI–what benefits can they expect to realize in the first few months that will make the buyers’ team look good
- safety factors–what qualities of your company are persuasive that you are solid, predictable, stable, and financially sound
- how much your company and the whale company have in common re: sales and implementation processes, standards, systems etc.
Smaller companies tend to lead with their benefits and advantages in sales presentations. Whale buyers have a hard time attending to your advantages until they know more about your safety factors. So whether you are disclosing in an RFP, and/or presenting yourself as a certified women business enterprise or minority business enterprise or a small business enterprise, your sales and business development team needs a good roadmap for what to disclose, and when, in order to win new business from whales.
