What’s different from consumer
- The buyer is an organization: several people decide, with different roles and priorities.
- The journey is long: from need to vendor evaluation, proposal, trial, contract.
- The sources are different: trade press, trade shows, industry portals, LinkedIn, professional forums.
- Value is measured in the customer’s terms: costs avoided, risks reduced, revenue.
Preparing the deal, in five steps
1. Understand the account
Its market, its strategy, its recent moves, its problems. All from public sources: the website, the press, financial statements, job postings.
2. Map who decides
Who has the final say, who influences, who can block. For each of them: what they want to achieve for the company and what they want for themselves — a promotion, one less risk.
3. Build the business case
The value of the proposal in the customer’s terms, with numbers they can check. A proposal that only talks about the product never reaches the CFO.
4. Prepare for objections
For each decision-maker, what they might object to and how to respond. Methods like SPIN or MEDDIC help you not miss anything.
5. Rehearse the meeting
Before you walk into the room, simulate it: who speaks, what they ask, where consensus stalls. And afterwards, prepare the next round.
The most common mistakes
- Talking to just one person. An internal champion isn’t enough if the committee isn’t convinced.
- A business case written from the vendor’s point of view.
- Finding out in the meeting who’s blocking. You could have known beforehand.
- Only one path. When the deal gets complicated, you need alternatives ready.
