Although it can be said that selling, at a fundamental level, is the same regardless of customer, the truth is selling in the public sector is different. To be successful in this space, recognize its unique needs and be willing to invest the resources necessary to address them. 2. Know Thy Value Proposition
To succeed in today's competitive market you must be able to quickly and efficiently differentiate yourself from your competitors to your customer as well as your vendor partners. What makes you different from the solution provider next door, and more importantly, can you and your sales teams communicate those differentiators quickly and clearly?
3. Know Thy Customer
Understand your customers' needs at multiple levels, not simply from a technical or procurement perspective. Deeper and wider relationships with customers allow you to better understand their requirements, which better positions you for addressing them and increases your value with vendor partners when creating joint opportunities.
4. Invest in Key Relationships
Trying to be "all things to all people" usually means you aren't much of anything significant to anyone. The same holds true when selling in the public sector. By focusing your energy, business plan and loyalty around a smaller group of complimentary vendors and a specific customer set, you elevate your expertise and value in both the eyes of the customer and the vendor. Vendors will seek you out within your field of expertise because they won't feel as if you are "batting for the competition" and customers will begin to recognize you as experts when it comes to your set of chosen technology partners.
5. Contracts Are Key
Solution Providers who own contract vehicles are important to both the customer and vendor partner. In the public sector, ease of procurement is sometimes as important as the solution being procured. It can also dictate whether or not you are used as the supplier of choice. Where possible, holding pre-competed and/or pre-negotiated contracts allows for quick and easy buying by the customer. Although small business set-aside classifications such as Woman Owned, 8a, Small or Disabled Veteran Owned, or Hubzone are important differentiators, back them up with other expertise that would be valuable to a customer or vendor.
6. Think Team
Take inventory of your organization's strengths and weaknesses and seek out complimentary partners you can align yourself with. If you face a lack of contracts held look for another solution provider that holds those vehicles and create an alliance. If you need a stronger services presence, look for a services-focused partner to team with. Setting and agreeing to expectations up front helps address potential conflicts.
7. Follow the Money
In today's tight budgetary environment, it's not just about solving technological problems. It's also about helping the customer understand how to pay for the solution. By thoroughly understanding a customer's budget process, funding sources and approval hierarchy, you are in a position to suggest novel methods of covering the cost of the solution from non-traditional revenue sources (i.e. Operating Budgets vs. Capital Fund, etc.).
8. When Working with Vendor Partners...Tell them something they don't know
Chances are, your vendor partners have sales teams calling on the same customer base you do. As a solution provider, you are sometimes at a distinct advantage because you might have a closer relationship or could be privy to useful strategic information outside the scope of that vendor's sales interest. By "sharing intelligence" with vendor partners and helping them understand other potential areas of joint profit, you elevate yourself and create a tighter relationship with the vendor.
9. Leverage All Resources
Apart from the resources available through your key vendors, are you also taking advantage of all the resources your distribution partners and industry sources have to offer when going to market? If not, you are missing out on a wealth of information that will help you succeed.
10. Communicate, Execute and Be Accountable
Business plans are a great tool, but success is based on execution. If you do joint planning with a vendor partner, be willing to commit and be held accountable, and also hold them accountable for their end. Align yourself to your key vendors' internal go-to-market plans. The closer you are aligned and the better you communicate with key vendors, the more they will see you as a "go to" partner in your space.
Autor: Jill R. Aitoro
Quelle: VARBusiness, 02.09.2005
