12 Steps to a Successful Proof of Concept - Part 3
12 Steps to a Successful Proof of Concept - Part 3
Step 9: Run through a checklist
When you first arrive at the customer’s site, you need to get organized in order to make the most of the day. I recommend running through the same checklist you went through over the phone in Step 8. This will help you learn where things are and give you a way to introduce yourself to some of the other people who will be assisting you.
The other reason you want to run through a checklist is to identify any surprises the customer is going to throw at you. Yes, usually there are one or two things that are not what the customer told you over the phone. You need to identify things that are going to make your installation harder and come up with a plan for addressing them before you begin.
Step 10: Spend Quality Time with the Customer
Most proof of concept installations that I did took about six hours to complete. Much of that time was spent watching a progress bar go from zero to one hundred percent while the software installs. This is a great time to get to know your customer. You can install the proof of concept with your eyes closed. But talking with the IT guys you are working with and taking them to lunch can help you with your proof of concept and give you valuable information you need to close the sale.
When installing proof of concepts, I have learned about concerns that they did not raise over the phone. This allowed me to make some adjustments from my original plan to address these issues. I have learned about what competitive solutions they are looking at and how they feel about them. It was a great opportunity to tell them why my solution was better and why the competitors would fail.
Step 11: Follow up Call
IT departments vary on how much involvement they want from a vendor during a product evaluation. Regardless of their preference, you should set an expectation that you will be giving them a call within 3-5 business days. During the call, you have two goals. Determine what problems they are having using the proof of concept. Many issues can be resolved over the phone. Often during these calls, you can identify some of their early concerns. Keep in mind, they probably haven’t read the manual, so customers can still have a lot of misconceptions because they are trying to learn your product by stumbling across features.
Step 12: Define Next Steps
The last thing you need to do is close the loop on your proof of concept and begin working with the customer to complete their product evaluation. First, you need to make sure that you have completed all the tasks needed to meet the expectations that your proof of concept was successful. Additionally, you want to start actively addressing all the technological objections that will affect your product evaluation.
Through this whole process, the customer is sizing up you and your company. They look at four things to determine how they want to continue working with you. They gain respect for you from the conversations you have had with them and how knowledgeable you are. Your organizational skills and preparation will show that your company truly understands the solution and knows what it takes to be successful working with that solution. Finally, your installation and training gave them the confidence in your solution they will need to continue with their product evaluation and support a positive review. When it is all said and done, you are well on your way to closing that sale.
12 Steps to a Successful Proof of Concept Part 3 - To learn more about this author, visit Andy Piper's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
This series of articles is designed to give you a repeatable process for installing a proof of concept at a customer site in a manner that leads to a successful product evaluation and ultimately a sale. The first article focused on building a repeatable process for delivering a proof of concept. The second article explained how to understand what the customer needs, properly set their expectations and make sure everything is ready before you show up at the customer’s location. This article explains what to do during and after the customer visit to ensure a successful installation and keep the sales process moving forward.
Step 9: Run through a checklist
When you first arrive at the customer’s site, you need to get organized in order to make the most of the day. I recommend running through the same checklist you went through over the phone in Step 8. This will help you learn where things are and give you a way to introduce yourself to some of the other people who will be assisting you.
The other reason you want to run through a checklist is to identify any surprises the customer is going to throw at you. Yes, usually there are one or two things that are not what the customer told you over the phone. You need to identify things that are going to make your installation harder and come up with a plan for addressing them before you begin.
Step 10: Spend Quality Time with the Customer
Most proof of concept installations that I did took about six hours to complete. Much of that time was spent watching a progress bar go from zero to one hundred percent while the software installs. This is a great time to get to know your customer. You can install the proof of concept with your eyes closed. But talking with the IT guys you are working with and taking them to lunch can help you with your proof of concept and give you valuable information you need to close the sale.
When installing proof of concepts, I have learned about concerns that they did not raise over the phone. This allowed me to make some adjustments from my original plan to address these issues. I have learned about what competitive solutions they are looking at and how they feel about them. It was a great opportunity to tell them why my solution was better and why the competitors would fail.
Step 11: Follow up Call
IT departments vary on how much involvement they want from a vendor during a product evaluation. Regardless of their preference, you should set an expectation that you will be giving them a call within 3-5 business days. During the call, you have two goals. Determine what problems they are having using the proof of concept. Many issues can be resolved over the phone. Often during these calls, you can identify some of their early concerns. Keep in mind, they probably haven’t read the manual, so customers can still have a lot of misconceptions because they are trying to learn your product by stumbling across features.
Step 12: Define Next Steps
The last thing you need to do is close the loop on your proof of concept and begin working with the customer to complete their product evaluation. First, you need to make sure that you have completed all the tasks needed to meet the expectations that your proof of concept was successful. Additionally, you want to start actively addressing all the technological objections that will affect your product evaluation.
Through this whole process, the customer is sizing up you and your company. They look at four things to determine how they want to continue working with you. They gain respect for you from the conversations you have had with them and how knowledgeable you are. Your organizational skills and preparation will show that your company truly understands the solution and knows what it takes to be successful working with that solution. Finally, your installation and training gave them the confidence in your solution they will need to continue with their product evaluation and support a positive review. When it is all said and done, you are well on your way to closing that sale.
12 Steps to a Successful Proof of Concept Part 3 - To learn more about this author, visit Andy Piper's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
Great content and it's free so that tells me it's objective because no one paid to put it there and I don' t have to pay to see it
Commented on 12 Steps to a Successful Proof of Concept Part 3. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
|||
Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
|||
Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Andy's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
 |
 The Flowing Point Getting Past Your Past EQ SUCCESS STORIES Sample Credit Application Powerful Living |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Blogs For Startups
Top Blogs To Watch In 2009 | |
 |
Top 50 SEO Posts - 2007
Top SEO Posts of the Year | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||