Sales and Marketing Assessment Training

What you need to know to pass the SBSC assessment

and get your certification this weekend……

Disclaimer

I am over 50 miles from home I do not know it all, or even what

I need to know I lead a team of 78 folks who

serve the SMB market I am still in business after 22

years You are on your own………….take

what I share and make it your own

Who’s Here Are not already SBSC certified?

Are using the assessment toolkit?

Have someone dedicated to marketing in your company? (>50% time)

Goals of the day

Give you all the information you need to pass the assessment for SBSC

Share key ideas about sales and marketing you can take back and use

Help you grow your business and achieve your goals

It all comes down to EXECUTION!

Our Agenda

A Quick History Lesson on HTS Cramming for the Exam The Power of a System Business and Technology

Assessment Toolkit High Speed Training

Marketing 101 Other Important Stuff

A History Lesson on HTS

Business is all about the relationship

“People are really what matter. At the end of the day, it’s all about the people you are around and touch.”

My Philosophy

We sell technology but we are in the people business. Sales and marketing are all about how we relate to the people around us with consistency and predictability.

Life in a Corn Field

Market Opportunity

25,000 people within 30 mile radius

Harlan

HTS Timeline 1985 – began business as a hobby 1990 – incorporated and became a real business 1991 – hired first employee 1999 – peak before the Y2K bust – 36 people 2001 – formed Heartland Tech Group (partner peer group) 2001 – acquired Denison company (2 employees) 2002 – acquired Shenandoah company (4 employees) 2003 – merged with Connecting Point Joplin (10 employees) 2003 – acquired Beacon Micro (10 employees) 2005 – new partnership with Blue Space (former employee) 2006 – merged with BCC Wichita (30 employees) 2006 – formed Heartland Tech Group 2 & 3 (partner peer

groups) 2007 – formed/forming HTG+ – 12 (partner peer groups)

HTS Today78 employees

8 offices

5 states

And growing

Two Unique Things

www.heartlandtechnologies.com

ww2.htgmembers.com

Step One on the SBSC Trail

Passing the Sales and Marketing Assessment Exam

So What is Required

To become SBSC you must: Pass the Sales and Marketing

Assessment Pass one of three MCP exams Have an Action Pack

Let’s look at the process

Sign up to be an Small Business Specialist

Where to start the SBSC certification process

Online Training

The Assessment Current test live until FY08 but

likely changes in August Scenario based exam

5 scenario’s with 4 questions in each

Customer examples with questions about how a small business partner would address their needs

Let’s Pass The Assessment

The Opportunity The Small Business Market

includes 77 million worldwide small businesses and 40 million worldwide PC-using small businesses.

Our Market Defined Small business is 1-24 pc’s

with 50 or less employees Low Mid Market is 25-50

pc’s Core Mid Market is 50-250

pc’s Upper Mid Market is 250-

1000 pc’s

Know This Material

Small Business SegmentationIT LightIT BasicIT DependantIT Strategic

Small Business SegmentationIT Light•14%IT Basic•28%IT Dependant•22%IT Strategic•36%

Business PrioritiesIT Light•Sales and cash flow

IT Basic•Sales, cash flow and marketing

IT Dependant•Sales, control costs, track time, cash flow, marketing

IT Strategic•Enhance all from the IT Dependent list

Business AttitudesIT Light•Risk AverseIT Basic•Moderate Risk TakersIT Dependant•Moderate Risk TakersIT Strategic•Risk Takers

IT AttitudesIT Light•Not IntegralIT Basic•ToolIT Dependant•EssentialIT Strategic•Strategic

IT DriversIT Light•Improve Life of Owner

IT Basic•Straight Forward Answers to Questions

IT Dependant•Improve Process and Efficiency

IT Strategic•Make Money and Grow

IT Light

IT Basic

IT Dependent

IT Strategic

Who Cares

It matters because the level the prospect or customer is in determines how you approach them

It also matters because it gives you an indication of the type of customer they will be

The HTS Client RelationshipType of Service

Time and Materials Block Time Managed Complete

Characteristic React Maintain Direct Control

RelationshipAd Hoc(Playing the field)

Advisor(Dating)

Consultant(Engaged)

Business Partner

(Married)

Risk Client Client Centric

Service Partner Centric

Service Partner

View Cost Center

Efficient Cost Center

Business Enabler

Strategic Success Factor

Speed of Change Months Weeks Days Minutes

Process Chaotic Reactive Proactive Agile

Factors That Control Purchases

Price

Trust

Software performance

Compatibility with existing systems

Attracting and Selling to Small Businesses

Attract

Propose

Close

Support

Key Truth to Remember

Nothing happens until the sale is made!

It doesn’t matter how good you are at being an engineer or consultant, if you don’t sell something you will fail!

Proposal and SaleDifferent technology solutions will be required for each segment

Create a winning sales message

Use a value proposition

Uncover your customer’s hidden concerns

Ask for the order

Provide solutions for their pain points

Be their business partner

Sample Question

Sample Question

Success

Now you are ready!

Go pass the exam as step one of your SBSC journey!

The Power of a System

Having a real system is what makes sales happen

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Microsoft Business and Technology Assessment

ToolkitWhat you need to know to be

successful

Why Assessments? Create a foundation for lifelong client

relationships Understand their business – short and long

term business goals Build win-win relationships “Peel the onion” and create a source of

ongoing opportunities that continues to grow

Get a seat in their “boardroom” for decision making processes

Gain insights into how they do business every day

Business Opportunities in Small Business

Opportunity is NOWHERE

Opportunity is NO WHERE

Opportunity is NOW HERE

Perspective makes all the difference in the world

Business Opportunities in Small Business

Business Services

InfrastructureInstallation andMaintenance

CustomizedClient and Server

Software

Installation of LOB

Software

Configurationof LOB

Software

RequirementsAnalysis

Business ProcessAnalysis

Entry Points

Technology Services

Source: IDC

New Opportunities to Leverage – One Example

What’s New in the Toolkit? Design Concepts

Templates targeting different sizes of end users and focus areas for assessment

Ability to customize the assessment Ability to create and add new questions Expand the question bank to cover more areas

that impact SMB clients Self-updating feature that enables the toolkit to

automatically check for and download new revisions

Built upon InfoPath 2007 to provide a more robust platform for growth

Toolkit Readiness Center – online resource to all things partner around the toolkit

NEW

What the Toolkit and Readiness Center Contain

Six templates for Business Assessments Three templates for Technical Assessments One template for Vista One template for Office 2007 One template for Mobility One template for Messaging One template for SWOT Three-year planning template Sample proposal template Customizable sales and marketing tools Datasheets, presentations, white papers and more

Assessment Steps Perform the appropriate assessment(s) Create an executive-level deliverable

High level summary Designed to call attention to areas of concern

Review summary to prioritize Have client determine focus Need to identify available budget

Create solution proposal to address needs Keep it simple Break it into sections they can “eat”

Build a 3-year plan Living document Continue to go back and adapt

Defining and Marketing Your Assessment Offering

Defining Your Offer What are you going to do?

Type of assessment and deliverable Follow-up activities

Business assessment – never give it away Free means little or no value to many Make it free without calling it free

Rebate back cost toward services Provide a gift to the prospect upon completion

Technical assessment – always has value $500 - $5,000 being charged by partners Pricing depends on deliverable being presented

Before You Are in the Door Prepare your prospect

Set proper expectations before the visit Provide documents to gather information ahead

of the assessment Gain access to the right resources – need the

owner for 15-30 minutes Prepare yourself

Do your homework Know the toolkit well – it is a guide – not the main

event Know what you are planning to provide for a

deliverable so you can gather the information necessary

Before You Are in the Door Practice a few times

You need to be able to read people and adapt the conversation

Understand all the questions you have selected so there are no surprises

Add questions that are important for your company to ask

Set aside proper time For small businesses – 1-2 hours on-site with 2-4

hours in prep and reporting For larger businesses – 2-4 hours on-site with 8-

12 hours in prep and report

https://partner.microsoft.com/assesssmbneeds

Ready for Action

Now That You Are in the Door

The key to delivering the right solution is to fully grasp your prospects’ business Understand their business Dig deep for their key pain points Introduce short-term solutions but drive toward

long-term planning Key areas of the business assessment Goal is to understand the prospect so you

can create a solution that is customized to their particular situation and needs

Find the Pain

This Stuff Really Works Partner Testimonial – Mitch

Miller Dynamic Computer, Topeka KS

“It's amazing how many additional opportunities we uncover when we do a Technology Assessment. The customer feels like we've really built a partnership, instead of just a computer company trying to sell them a bunch of hardware and software. Our salespeople have a complete list of opportunities to solve, not just stuff to sell.”

Impact of an Assessment Customer Testimonial – Bob Irr,

Barker Implement “The assessment process has helped us identify and

eliminate basic shortcomings that existed within our IT systems. We had potential problems that we were not aware of. In every case we were shown the potential issue, and then we were part of the process of deciding which items needed attention and with what priority. The assessment has helped us to define a vision for how we want to use technology and with this vision we have helped our company be more efficient, productive and profitable.”

Performing theTechnical

Assessment

Technical Assessment Step by Step

Technical Assessment Impact Shortens the sales cycle

Do a complete assessment, complete proposal Creates a more professional image

Reports change customer impressions Opens a broader/deeper communication

channel The partner knows much more about their

business Technical Assessment for the IT guy

Involve the technical guru and make him part of the process

Assessments are a good filter for customers Lets you weed out the undesirable customers If they won’t pay for this, they likely are not

serious

Why a SWOT Assessmentis Important

SWOT

S

O

W

T

Key Pieces of SWOT Advice Practice on your own business first, then

use the assessment within your business. Perform the SWOT assessment after the

Business assessment, or with clients that you know well.

Don’t rush to jump directly from a SWOT topic to an IT solution.

Remember that different people will have different opinions about the SWOT answers.

Don’t be afraid that business topics are beyond the reach of IT professionals.

Examples of Follow-up Questions

Could any of your weaknesses threaten your business?

What are the most positive opportunities facing your business?

What obstacles does your business face? What are the key trends in your industry? Why do prospects choose your business

over others? What resources are available for you to

leverage in growing your business? Do you have some examples of how

________________ is a S,W,O,T?

Customizing the Assessment

Building a Custom Template Design of toolkit allows you to build your

own customized templates Can select groups of questions, general

technology areas, or customer size Also have the ability to add your own

questions Can customize the assessment to individual

customers or specific focus areas for your business

Create and save customized templates for key verticals or product areas you want your team to assess

Ways to Improve Your Assessments and Deliverables

Utilize the Toolkit and Readiness Center

Three-year planning template

Sample proposal template

Server deployment guide

Customizable sales and marketing tools

Datasheets and presentations

White papers and more

Four Currently Posted; 6 will be soon

Using the Data to Close Business

Out the Door Analyze your findings

Review your notes immediately after the assessment process and fill in any details you may not have noted during the interview

Compare the clients’ current environment with their stated goals and needs

Carefully compare the needs of the client with the existing resources and determine the gaps

Remember to verify that all resources are compatible with your solution

Provide guidance in areas that are not up to industry standards or best practices based on your experience

Draft the executive overview report in plain English and use terminology that the audience will understand and relate to

Out the Door Prepare your summary and

connect the dots Build the solution proposal in logical

groupings Provide detail as to how these sections will

achieve the goals identified in the assessment

Build the proposal along side a 3-year IT plan which is based on the prioritization of the assessment findings by the prospect

Real Results Out of 230 Survey Respondents over 4

months: Approx. 72% of partners that conducted

assessments closed new sales Over 70% of prospects who participated in

assessments converted to customers Bigger deal size including other Microsoft

products for small businesses

Source: SB Technology Assessment Toolkit Survey Mar-Jun, 2006

The really good stuff

Assess and Win

Plan of Action for New Partners

Join an SBS User Group or peer group http://ww2.htgmembers.com http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/en-us/wi

ndowssbs/usergroups.mspx

http://www.sbsgroups.com/default.aspx Attend industry events Attend TS2 and TechNet events Become an SBSC partner Organize and plan your marketing Participate in the Go To Market Campaigns Execute events, mailings, seminars, etc. Get involved with your local office

Summary The Microsoft Business and Technology

Assessment Toolkit enables you to: Understand your clients’ business objectives Help clients understand their ongoing investment Propose the right technology solution Identify new opportunities Create the foundation for a long-term relationship Be a strategic partner, not just another computer

guy Download and use it:

https://partner.microsoft.com/assesssmbneeds

Sales and Marketing 101

What I need to know to make it work for me

Sales and marketing

Management

Finance and accounting

Service delivery

Inventory ordering

and control

Mowing the grass

The Many Hats We Wear

The Sales Role

Hunters look for opportunities to acquire new clients

Farmers continue to capitalize on opportunities in an existing client base

HunterFarmer

Target

The Customer Lifecycle

Vision

Vision is seeing the future

Vision is taking your passion and purpose and putting it

into a plan of action

Vision comes from dreaming dreams

Development Steps

Defines Your Answers Changes

Purpose Passion Why do you exist? NeverPrinciples Values What do you believe? Never

Picture Dream Where are you going? Periodically

Perspective Vision What do you see in your future? Periodically

Process Mission &Structure

How are you going to get there? Periodically

PlanActions & Objective

sWhat will you do today? Regularly

Pulse Success How are you doing? Regularly

Strategic Future by Tony Morgan

Steps to your Vision

Define Target Who is your customer?

Who are your existing customers? Who is your target customer? What defines an "ideal" customer prospect?

What is your value proposition? What is your value proposition to the customer? What kind of ROI can your customer expect? What pain are you eliminating?

How are you selling? What does the sales process look like? How will you reach the target customer? What does it cost to "acquire" a customer? What is your sales and marketing strategy?

Customer Expectations

What do we want?

Service!

When do we want it?

Now!

Where do we want it?

Any where,

any place, any time

Business is all about the relationship

Profitability is directly related to customer retentionCost of acquisition of new customers is far more than cost of retention

= Customers Matter

Who really cares?

Market• Getting

mindshare• Have a plan –

schedule it• Multiple methods

• Direct mail• Electronic mail• Seminars• Large events• Newsletters

Sales and Marketing Management

Lead generatio

n

Lead conversio

nSolution delivery

Customer satisfacti

on

Referral (lead)

generation

The Process of marketing and selling

The Challenge of Marketing

It takes time

Have to have a plan

Need consistent execution

Hard to measure

Requires a different skill set

Just not as fun as selling or installing

Can be effectively outsourced

Why a marketing plan?

Develop objectives to meet measureable goals

Develop strategies to achieve objectives

Develop and implement tactics to support strategies

Select strategies that fit your market, product/service mix and resources.

Marketing ResourcesLeverage vendor investments to be

successful marketing as a partner PartnerReach Microsoft Partner Events Microsoft Across America Van Click to Attend Microsoft Custom Collateral Tool Distributor resources provided by Ingram

(CAP funds, DFE, BDM) Performance Based Market Development

Funds Field resources from MS

Assess• Systematic way to help a client evaluate

their situation• Creates a deep and lasting relationship• Continual source of opportunity – peel the

onion• Allows the client to budget and make

strategic investments

Build a Plan

Stages in Customer Bonding

Awareness bonding - make the customer aware of your firm's product or service

Identity bonding - the customer begins to identify with your firm's product or service

Relationship bonding - customer move from an arm's-length relationship to an interactive one

Community bonding - company brings its customers into relationships with one another based on their shared interest in the firm's products and services

Richard Cross and Janet Smith in Customer Bonding

Educate Newsletters

Interactive Viral Simple to Modify Easily Tracked Targeted/Personalized

Lunch & Learns Seminars Vendor Events Joint Sales Calls with Vendors

Marketing Idea E-Newsletters

Monthly newsletter emailed Purpose is to educate and

create awareness Use Constant Contact to

measure success – tracks click throughs

Service we offer to other partners – currently over 110 partners reaching over 100,000 end users

Take Control Quote from Tom Peters, management

guru

“Don’t just listen to the consumer and react; lead the consumer”

Our role is to educate the customer around the technologies that will positively impact their business and then lead them to the place where they want to pay you to procure and implement them in their business

Acquire Resist the urge to sell a client

what they ask for Make sure they fit your target

profile Once you have them as a client

– keep them for life Goal = LIFELONG CUSTOMER

RELATIONSHIPS

Invest in Tools CRM/Service

Management Connectwise

Quoting Quotewerks

Accounting Dynamics

Managed Services Zenith Infotech Kaseya

Implement Standards = become predictable

Same every time Installation Customer experience Billing Support process

Document in detail Inform continually Interact

Many different faces throughout the process

Train Structured

Have a plan Schedule it Communicate it clearly Charge for it

Continual Create an expectation of continued

growth with the solution Professional

Have syllabus, learning objectives and surveys

Maintain

Quality of service is what keeps a customer

Build business with customer loyalty The customer is always right. Be honest with your customers. If you

can’t do something, be honest about it

Add value by bringing ideas that will help move their business forward and lead to growth

The HTS Client RelationshipType of Service

Time and Materials Block Time Managed Complete

Characteristic React Maintain Direct Control

RelationshipAd Hoc(Playing the field)

Advisor(Dating)

Consultant(Engaged)

Business Partner

(Married)

Risk Client Client Centric

Service Partner Centric

Service Partner

View Cost Center

Efficient Cost Center

Business Enabler

Strategic Success Factor

Speed of Change Months Weeks Days Minutes

Process Chaotic Reactive Proactive Agile

Measure Do routine surveys

• Electronic• Phone by someone other than the normal company

contacts Record information to build history Respond quickly to any issues Create a system to track resolution Have executive management involved in

monitoring satisfactionGoal is not customer

satisfactionGoal is customer SUCCESS

Evaluate

Go back on at least a quarterly basis to continue to execute the plan

Use three year plan to keep client focused

Update the plan at least twice a year

Customer Relationships are a process. You have to continue to stay disciplined to take the relationship farther. It does not happen automatically.

Benchmark

Get involved in affinity or peer groups to compare your business with others

Share best practice ideas Learn industry trends and

coming opportunities Avoid mistakes made by others

Peer InteractionDistributor Affinity Groups

-Venturetech Network (Ingram)-Tech Select (Tech Data)-SMB Alliance (Ingram)Membership Groups-The ASCII Group Inc.-ComptiaFocused Peer Groups-True Profits Group-Heartland Tech Group Industry Events and Activites

- User Groups- Xchange- Vision Events ww2.htgmembers.c

om

Execute

The Execution Gap is the greatest unaddressed issue in the business world today.

- Ram CharanAuthor – Execution The

Discipline of Getting Things Done

Contact Information

www.heartlandtechnologies.com

asorensen@heartlandtechnologies.com

Other Areas to Consider

Things you need to address to be successful long term

Quoting Value of a quality Quote

Partner Customer

Quoting tools Quoting techniques Quoting process Integration with 3rd party

resources and systems

Scoping work Value of a Scope of Work

Partner Customer

Scoping process between Sales and Service

Scoping document options Internal reviews External reviews Sign-offs and change orders

Vendor management programs

Vendor selection processVendor programsVendor engagement process

Vendor trainingVendor reporting

Pricing and gross marginLaborProductManaged ServicesHow is pricing determined?What are common grow margins for the industry?

Compensation

Base salaryBonus or commission programsSpecial incentivesConsistency

Sales team management

Split responsibilities Dedicated Sales Manager Employee goals and objectives Employee reviews Coaching Training Regular meetings

Metrics and Key Performance Indicators

Activity points Appointments per week Average deal size Gross margin dollars Campaign ROI

CRM tools

Standalone applications ACT Goldmine

Integrated systems AutoTask ConnectWise SalesForce.com

Thank You

Q & A