Avoid Commoditization: Case Study # 1

The Issue

Our client was working on a deal with a large food service organization. But because our client was selling a commodity type of material, the company had to find an approach to differentiate their product from the competition.

The Solution

The client previously had two of its national sales managers certified to teach Miller Heiman's methodologies. The two managers developed a plan with their sales teams using the Strategic Selling® process to move the sale forward. Using Strategic Selling®, they raised the sale above a commodity level. They filled out the Blue Sheet, a component of Strategic Selling®, which made it possible to identify everyone who can influence the outcome of the sale as well as other information that were critical to closing the deal. With a sales plan, they were able to see the overall picture and how they should approach it. They established action steps - and more importantly, they followed them.

The Result

By maintaining contact and working with the customer they were able to stay ahead of the competition. Our client believes that one of the reasons Strategic Selling® is working so well within the organization is that it is reinforced on at least three levels: with sales managers, at group settings, and at national sales meetings.

print page forward page discuss with an expert license content