Barry S.
Recruiting & Matching Software Developers (not pushing square pegs in round holes)
For the computer & network security salesperson, what are your best sales strategies (and/or tips)?
I am producing a white paper on security sales, and any help would be appreciated. Tips, Strategies and Technologies useful to you all welcome. Thank you in advance for your help!
Good Answers (3)
Hello Barry,
I am in business development and my answer is based on my current responsibilities in the company I work for.
Single biggest rule in sales is your belief in the product and service. All the successful companies eventually know that.
The way I approach is, I pick-up any two opportunities per week, for example Dual Factor Authentication and SSL-VPN. Then I start with questions, like why this product came into existence, what real problems it can solve. I go to vendor’s portal site get trained on the product position and an ideal customer situation this applies to.
Gartner Magic Quadrant and Forester Research are some of the resources I use to get a bigger picture. The rest I have listed in the resources section.
Linkedin Answers is of great help too. I make list of leading question to ask, to engage the customer.
Pre-call planning is very critical in sales; you really need a sensible reason to call the customer.
It’s all about a conscious thought with real intentions to improve the customer’s situation, taking actions and experiencing success.
Sales is an addiction. The only way you can get addicted is through experiencing success.
Let me know if this helps.
Thanks
Bharat Tomar
Links:
Bharat T. also suggests this expert on this topic:
Flyn P.
TeleSales Skills Webinar – Last chance to register for Unique Selling Propositions webinar on 5/22►bitly.com/usp_webinar
Best Answers in: Sales Techniques (44), Using LinkedIn (32), Business Development (19), Internet Marketing (15), Lead Generation (14), Search Marketing (12), Customer Relationship Management (10), Professional Networking (6), Small Business (4), Career Management (3), Regulation and Compliance (2), Economics (2), Compensation and Benefits (2), Staffing and Recruiting (2), Advertising (2), Writing and Editing (2), Web Development (2), Car and Train Travel (1), Freelancing and Contracting (1), Job Search (1), Mentoring (1), Government Policy (1), Personnel Policies (1), Exporting/Importing (1), Direct Marketing (1), Public Relations (1), Corporate Governance (1), Change Management (1), Planning (1), Bond Markets (1), Manufacturing (1), Quality Management and Standards (1), Personal Real Estate (1), Wealth Management (1), Branding (1), Product Design (1), Positioning (1), Communication and Public Speaking (1), Professional Organizations (1), Ethics (1), Business Plans (1), Energy and Development (1), E-Commerce (1), Information Security (1)
Barry ...
I would suggest to you that there may be two parts to your question.
The first is re "selling" and the answer is sales is sales and all the things that make a salesperson good will be good for the computer and network security salesperson -- they need to have a self-development program of their own and the need to be well read and studied in the area of sales and communication.
The second part of your question may actually be what you were looking for and that is the tactics of selling computers and network security. Unfortunately, the only people that could help you hear are other in that line as this has to do specifically with the sales process that has been implemented.
The first answer in this line of thought is do you top-down or bottom-up sell. Just in case -- what I mean here is do you go to top management first as opposed to going to the users or their managers to start the selling process.
Not having a direct experience in security I could only guess -- but the problem is you my not be able to get these answer as they require someone giving away their sales process.
You may actually get some answers here but they will likely be on the "selling" side. Additionally, the answers to the process side of the question are going to be very "individually" specific to the specific product and sales process in place -- they my not be very useful to someone in a different situation -- or they will actually be "selling" answers and not process ones.
I hope this is useful.
Tristan L.
Marketing Manager at HandyTrac
Best Answers in: Internet Marketing (1), Small Business (1)
My company is a partner with Cisco and Microsoft, so I get up-to-date information on the latest technologies generated from these companies. One thing to remember is that you have to sell the VALUE of your product - this will help you succeed over the competition if you know what makes your product / service / solution more valuable than theirs. In any sales position, I believe the top priority should be building a relationship with your prospects. Be someone they trust. Don't talk to them like the average salesperson...get to know who they are and be interested in their needs. Ask open-ended questions! Find out all you can about their networks, servers, number of employees, workstations, routers, switches, models, brands, etc.
Lastly, Envision yourself making the sale. You have to believe in yourself and foresee closing the deal. If you get frustrated it will be known whether through your calls or in face-to-face meetings.
Good Luck! Also, I'd love a copy of the whitepaper once it's finalized!
