The Cold Acquisition

Framework
(how to get new B2B clients faster and easier)

15 Dec. 2023 - Only for Copy Squad

introduction
 The methodology at a glance

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Motivating Identifying
Focusing on Approaching Conducting
Prospects the right
right Customers Strategy rst meetings
to meet you Persons

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The Target Customer Pro le

If you target Prospects with right attributes

you can maximize the results of your sales
process

Identify the set of attributes that your ideal

customers have and target prospect with
similar characteristics

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The Example of Ekis Corporate
TARGET CUSTOMER PROFILE:

• it’s a medium/large company (with 200 or more

employees)
• it’s a complex organization, subject to frequent
changes (in products or organizational structure)
• has a geographically dispersed structure
• it’ a multinational corporation
• operates in a market where we have case-studies
• operates in a thriving market
• has a large sales team
• is part of a group
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 De ne your TCP

• select your “best” and “worst” customers

• list the attributes of your best customers
• list the attributes of your worst customers
• develop your target customer pro le

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A tactical approach that doesn’t work:

Hi this is [name],
I’m an expert in [area] and I help [target client] to
[bene t].
I’ve worked with [client list].
And I would like to meet you because [reason why]
…

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 The inconvenient reality:

They are not interested in who you are.

They care what you can do for them…

…after you grab the attention…

… of the right person

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Using Value Areas as door openers

Value Area:
a potential challenge or need,
in your solution area,
that the customer is facing right now

Typically an hypothesis that must be

validated in rst meeting

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 How to identify Value Areas

• Observation of industry trends, media and third-

party analysis

• Conversation with and tips from existing customers

• Internal information sharing
• Company speci c research and analysis (press
release, LinkedIn Page, FB Page, corporate
magazine, etc…)

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 How to analyze Value Areas
STRENGHT
Factors internal to the customer
that constitute an advantage
Impact Questions:
what bene ts can be derived
by the customer from this strenght?
OPPORTUNITIES
Factors external to the customer that could
have a positive impact on their business
(market trends/change, competitors, legistlation,
technology,…)
Impact Questions:
what new business potential
could this create for them?
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WEAKNESSES
Factors internal to the customer
that constitute a disadvantage
Impact Questions:
what e ect does this weakness
have on their business?
THREATS
Factors external to the customer that could
have a negative impact on their business
(market trends/change, competitors, legistlation,
technology,…)
Impact Questions:
what e ects could this threats
have on their business?
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 Example of Software Vendor
STRENGHT WEAKNESSES
Ineffective sales process
Market leader in their core business
Impact—> High discount, inaccurate forecast 3
Impact—> Strong installed base to sell new products
Skills to build an deliver value proposition
2
Integrated solutions for vertical markets Impact—> Purchased decision delayed, high discount
Impact—> Low-risk and cost effective for customers Lack of relationship with decision makers
4
Impact—> Buying decision delayed

OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
Product vendors struggling to survive SME Market perception
Impact—> Easier to target competitor’s account Impact—> Customers hesitant to invest
Market shift toward standard software Saturation in traditional markets
Impact—> Opportunities to replace bespoke application Impact—> Reduction in license and consulting revenues 1

Customers prefer one-stop-shop Growing expertise in consulting competitors

Impact—> Increased demand for consulting services Impact—> Customers exert more pressure on consulting fees

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Concepts for Door Opener Argument:

Saturation in traditional markets Support to develop new competitive

1 Impact—> Reduction in license and strategies to enter market and
consulting revenues di erentiate

Skills to build an deliver value proposition

2 Impact—> Purchased decision delayed, Systematic approach to understand
high discount customer needs and position solutions

Ine ective sales process Pragmatic sales improvement program

3 Impact—> High discount, inaccurate supported by ongoing coaching
forecast

Lack of relationship with decision makers Program focused on gaining access

4 to top executives
Impact—> Buying decision delayed

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 The relevance of these concepts…

…the power they have to open doors…

…and the chance to get a new client…

… depends on the person you target.

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 Who you should target:
• the person with “pain and power” for the concepts
you identi ed

• leverage existing contacts to identify the right

person and contact approach

• build your hook message based on the target

person’s point of view

• prepare appropriate references

• remember that is always better to go down the
stairs than to go up then…
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 Approaching Strategy:

• build your hook (I don’t have anything to tell you about this!)
• de ne the media to contact the target person
• write the message (or the phone script - I advice it!)
• plan the follow-up strategy
• Make it Happens!

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What doesn’t work:

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 Let’s put all the pieces together:
Subject: Your interview on Milano Finanza

Good Morning Dr. Rossi,

the decline of shareholder confidence due to inaccurate sales

forecasts is the reason for my contacting you.

In your interview in Milano Finanza, you explained that a

number of large opportunities your sales organisation was
pursuing did not close as expected.

Moreover, you pointed out that heavy discounting due to

aggressive competition has significantly reduced average
order size.
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 Let’s put all the pieces together:
Ekis Corporate specializes in helping companies win their
most important sales opportunities and improve the accuracy
of forecasts through better control of the sales process.

Our experience working in your industry shows that the most

common reasons for sales forecast inaccuracy are:
a) Focusing sales efforts on people who are not the real
decision makers
b) Using discounts as a substitute for developing strong
value propositions
c) Poor qualification resulting in the wrong opportunities
being pursued
d) Inadequate tools for effective opportunity reviews.
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 Let’s put all the pieces together:
Since 2002, we have worked with companies like Alcatel-
Lucent and SAP to improve their forecast accuracy through
improved sales process control.

SAP, for example, was able to reduce quarterly forecast

variance by 25%.
As the person responsible for revenue reporting to
shareholders, I would like to discuss whether and how we
could address your key issues in this important area.
Please reply to this email to share how much you are interested
doing the next step right now.

Kind regards…
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 Remember
to plan and execute
the follow-up sequence
(it drastically increase conversion rate)

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 Conducting First Meetings:
• Propose and agree the meeting structure:
• validate understanding of business and challenges
• description and bene ts of your solution
• Q&A
• de nition of the next step
• earn the right to ask questions
• lead the meeting with your S.P.I.N interrogation
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 S.P.I.N Interrogation technique:
• Situation Questions - used to gather informations
that are not available from other sources
• Problem Questions - designed to uncover and
develop needs areas where you can o er solutions
• Impact Questions - designed to expand the
customer’s perception of the problem
• Need Questions - designed to get the customer to
quantify the potential bene t of addressing the
problem
• Add Credibility Statements every now and again
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 S.P.I.N Interrogation example:
CREDIBILITY Based on my experience working with professional service firm,
there are different ways to organize the sales function.
+ SITUATION How is it organized in your firm?
What are the typical stages of the sales process from lead
SITUATION
generation to contract signature?
Where in that process do you see the most significant need of
PROBLEM
improvement?

IMPACT How much does this cost to you in terms of losing business?
Clients for whom we have worked have been able to increase the
number of opportunities identified by as much as 30% if these
NEED problems are addressed ... How many more opportunities do you feel
could be identified? Based on the average opportunity size, how
much additional revenue could this generate?
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 Conducting First Meetings:

• demonstrate ex pertiseby presenting relevant case

studies and references (connect them to
customer’s needs)

• overcome esitation proposing a test-drive

• make a short, concise and focused question about
what to do next

• keep the right of leading the next step (if the

customer have to think about your proposal)

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 Guys and Gals,
now it’s up to you

Let’s make
them buy