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12 Steps to a Successful Proof of Concept - Part 3

Written by: Andy Piper

Article Overview: This three part series outlines twelve steps to installing a hardware or software proof of concept within your customer's IT environment.

12 Steps to a Successful Proof of Concept - Part 3

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.

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  12 Steps to a Successful Proof of Concept - Part 1
  12 Steps to a Successful Proof of Concept - Part 2
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Article Tags: customer visit, great time, lunch, product evaluation, progress bar, proof of concept, quality time, six hours, step 8, surprises



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