Summary of Meeting Held Thursday, November 5, 1998

"Controlling the Selling Process"

As a consultant, are you satisfied with the amount of business your company
has? Do you find yourself saying, "I could close more contracts, or make
more money, if only I could _______(fill in the blank)"? How much do you
estimate this issue has cost you? How much more could you have made? Chances
are, many of the answers to your questions relate to a change in sales
technique.

Members of the Consultant's Forum decided to contact a sales expert for
guidance. We held our November meeting on Thursday, November 5, 1998 at the
Sandler Sales Institute in Manchester, NH. Our host and guest speaker was
Kevin Hallenbeck, sales trainer and owner of the Sandler Sales Institute
franchise. Our thanks go to Kevin for having us at his facility. Before the
summary of the meeting begins, there are a few announcements.

[Announcements]
====================
1- There is no meeting scheduled for December. The next meeting will be held
in January,  hopefully at NSS Corp, "our usual meeting place". An
announcement will be posted to the email list and the Consultant's Forum
website.
2- The SwANH organization is on the move. Check out the rejuvenated SwANH
website at www.swanh.org to see what SwANH has to offer. Currently, the new
president of SwANH is negotiating fee discounts for VITTS network services.
Other benefits are expected to follow.

[Summary of Meeting]
====================
Consultants are in the business of selling their services, and by default,
themselves. Most consultants, however, are not well-versed in sales
techniques. Kevin Hallenbeck presented an abridged sales seminar which was
geared mostly for the individual consultant who provides a service to a
targeted market. An engineer by training, Kevin was able to pinpoint many of
the specific problems consultants face, and guide us with humor as we
explored how we can control the selling process, instead of the Prospect
controlling it.

Let's quickly review what happens when the Prospect assumes control of the
selling process. That is the typical situation. It generally has us (the
consultants) proposing solutions to poorly stated problems, as a method of
establishing credibility. We do not know who is in charge, how much the
prospect is willing to pay, etc. At the close of our "presentation", we wait
(and wait) for an acceptance. The Prospect is clearly in control, and we end
up on the "short end of the stick", no matter how well we negotiate at the
end of the sale. In other words, it could have ended better for us.

When the Consultant takes control over the process (see below for steps to
follow), he is able to quickly assess whether a situation is a quality
prospect, which in turn provides greater control over the selling and
delivery processes.

Description of the Process when Consultants *Take Control* of the Selling
Process
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=======
Step 1- Establish Rapport. Some of the components which should be controlled
are non-verbal (visual and verbal cues such as tonality and pacing).
Technical professionals generally dislike this part, but it breaks the ice.
Step 2- Determine the true Interest/Pain/Desires at play. Choosing one
company over another is frequently guided by issues that are not
intellectual. If you can uncover the pain or desires which are influencing
the Prospect, you can give specific, pointed answers regarding the
prospect's problems. If there is no discernable pain - leave! This is not a
true prospect. A small caveat: don't be so eager to show off your skills by
introducing possible solutions too early in the selling process.
Step 3- Determine the Budget for solving the problem. Is there enough money
to reasonably work without discounting your usual price? Can you get a
higher fee?
Step 4- Determine What the Decision Making Process for the Prospect is:
"Who, What, When, Where, How and Who else" is the way Kevin put it. Target
the correct people in the appropriate spot of the process before you present
your proposal.
Step 5- Give the Presentation or Proposal. If you have controlled the
process up to this point, you will be presenting to the true Prospect - A
person with a defined "Pain", a suitable Budget, and Decision-making
Responsibility.
Step 6- Give the Post-Sale. This is a confirmation that the prospect/new
client has, in fact, chosen you to solve the problem. If the client is going
to back out of the deal, you will want that to happen before you've invested
a lot of time and effort.
Step 7- Ask for referrals, up front. Simply ask the new client to think of
other companies they work with, which may require your services.

At this point, Kevin ended the mini-seminar, and we began the networking
phase of the meeting. Again, our thanks go to Kevin Hallenbeck for providing
excellent sales advice. It was only a small taste of the Sandler Sales
Institute program. If you'd like additional information, Kevin Hallenback
can be reached at 603-668-6800, email at nowimps@gsinet.net.

The Consultant's Forum is anticipating scheduling our next meeting in
January. Look to the email list and website for an announcement.