Commercial Integrator October 2021 - 14

AV BRAINS & BRAWN
lot of cases is contradictory and confusing
to the buyers. It begs the question of what
they really know and believe after attempting
their own due diligence up front. We
also know that the buyers have a set of
internal issues to deal with that are more
complex than ever before. The internal
sales job and gaining consensus among an
ever-expanding group of stakeholders is
daunting to say the least.
Now how do we address this from a
marketing and sales perspective?
The first hurdle that buyers face is all the
digital information they receive. This information
typically comes in the form of a vendor's
or provider's website, but it can also
include email and social media blasts. We
can lump this discussion into the category
of marketing writ large. Just as certainly as
our sales approach needs to change, so
does our marketing approach.
Of course, marketing is a means to amplify
a company's message via advertising, but
to be effective and of real value relative to
what buyers need the information must resonate
with them. Marketing people need
to not only understand the top layer of their
intended audience but also the problems
internal to a company. The message must
be clear, concise, and show differentiation
that is not contradictory and can be used
by the buyers to help in their internal sales
approach to the stakeholders. Marketing is
only part of the equation.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is where the
new sales model comes into play with a
focus on providing and promoting buyers'
confidence in their decisions. But before I
delve a little deeper into sales, let me state
that marketing and sales need to be in
closer collaboration on what buyers want
and need.
All too often marketing and sales are
separated departmentally and never the
twain shall meet. These days are over - or
should be. The digital message and the feet
on the street need to be inexorably linked
and must work in concert with one another.
Marketing delivers the " right " message
and sales makes it believable and closes
the loop.
The ever-evolving role of a salesperson
is a bit contradictory to what has been
traditionally done in the past. The main
role and value perceived by the buyer is
14
no longer the dissemination of information
and the " speeds and feeds " at the core of
our technical jargon. Yes, salespeople need
to be technically savvy, perhaps more than
ever before, but brought forth at the proper
time. Technology itself should not be the
primary focus with clients today.
Keep in mind that technology is a tool to
use. It is ubiquitous and there is an undeniable
and unavoidable level of parity and
commoditization that exists. When was the
last time you saw a truly unique or disruptive
technology?
The holy grail then is for us is to provide
differentiation and value in the eyes of the
buyers. What is unique in a sales situation
within commercial AV is the integrator of
course, but more specifically the relationship
between the salesperson and the buyer.
At InfoComm 2021
this coming October,
AVIXA will roll out a
brand new 8-hour seminar
entitled " Sales, Your Role,
and Importance of You. "
The intent of this program
is to recognize that today
the technologies we sell
are different, but so are
the relationships with our
customers.
It comes as no surprise that clients are
increasingly doing some of their own digital
homework. As they sense a new requirement,
they begin by conducting online
research. Then they research options and
in many cases pricing. Most will discuss this
internally with stakeholders and then come
up with a short list of vendors. Depending
upon the complexity of the application, at
this point as much as 90% of the decision
making has taken place!
As noted earlier the plethora of information
can be confusing and problematic. It
is said that " if you listen to the right voices,
you will make the right choices. " The
problem so many buyers face in their digital
research is in knowing if they are listening
to the right voices. The information that
they received online may be incomplete,
perhaps inaccurate, or inappropriate for
Commercial Integrator OCTOBER 2021
their project, and, in comparison to others,
even contradictory.
This is where a salesperson comes into
the picture. This relationship is the link
between digital information and the human
factor of sales. It is based on building trust
with the buyer and stakeholders and giving
them confidence that they are listening
to the right voices - namely that of the
salesperson.
In the " World's Fastest Sales Training "
seminar we teach that the three ways to
make a sale today are to solve a problem,
improve a condition, and/or give someone
an added capability they need and will
value. The role of sales is one of being a
problem understander, identifier, expander,
and solver. This entails really understanding
the client, their existing situation, and the
implication of their problems on them and
their companies.
This is where trust is built and that cannot
be done online. Solutions come after the
fact. I will note one of my favorite quotes
from Professor Neil Rackham of SPIN Selling
fame and a recognized pioneer of modern
sales performance methodology. His exhaustive
research shows that people don't
buy from someone because they understand
the technology but rather because
they understand them and their problems.
No problems solved means no sale.
In commercial integration we have work
that needs to be done to break free of some
of the constraints of the past. We need to
recognize the importance of the digital
world that so many buyers now rely on for
their information. We need to make our
information resonate and differentiate. We
need to collaborate and connect marketing
with sales.
On the sales side, it is a new era. Professor
Rackham tells us that " The sales profession
is in the midst of a radical change.
Simple sales are inexorably moving to the
internet. The selling that remains is sophisticated
and demanding. The salesperson
of the future will become a business equal
of the customer, a creative problem-solver,
and a value creator. These changes demand
a high level of professionalism. "
Alan C. Brawn, CTS, ISF, ISF-C,
DSCE, DSDE, DCME, is the
principal of Brawn Consulting.
commercialintegrator.com
http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator October 2021

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