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There is a lot that goes into selling an IP PBX system and you need to make sure that you are being as effective as possible. As most of us who have got into selling phone systems come from the data world and not the telephony world, we often don’t think about the sales process for a phone system the way we should. I am going to share some of the things that have really helped me over the years to improve my sales and help make sure my customers were happy when everything was finished.
The Consultation
The sales process begins with the initial consultation. Remember, this isn’t like selling a server, there is a lot more to selling a phone system because it is a primary tool that the people in that office will use everyday so it has to be what they want, and what they need.
I find it to be very effective to not just talk to the executives about what they need in a phone system but also the receptionist since she will spend more time moving calls around than anyone else.
You need to ask what they really like about their existing phone system, how do they use it, and what are their favorite features. If you go and put in a different system and it is missing a key feature that they had before, you are heading for disaster.
You then need to find out what they don’t like about their current system. Keep in mind the main two reasons why people change their phone system is that they have outgrown their current system or that they have significant pain-points with their current system. If you can indentify and solve those pain points while not causing grief about losing features that they do like, then you are much closer to making the sale.
The Site Survey
Before you can give an accurate quote, you need to know exactly what you are getting into with their network. Unless the customer is already your own IT customer, there are going to be surprises along the way. Some of the most important things to consider are:
- Is the firewall in place VoIP-Friendly? Do you have access to it to make port forwarding rules?
- Do you need to run a separate network for phones and data? Is this possible from a wiring point of view?
- Do you want to replace the current switches with PoE switches or possibly use mid-span power injectors?
- Do they have a need for paging and intercoms?
- Will there be remote users? If so, what do their networks look like?
- Is there room in the server rack for another system?
- Do the users use headsets?
The Design Meeting
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I recommend that the design meeting be a completely separate meeting from the initial consult, and it is critical to do this BEFORE giving a final quote. In this meeting you need to flowchart out the exact call flow of the system in order to understand how much time and effort is going to go into programming the system.
When I do trainings, I really stress how important a good call flow is to the success of a system. If callers cant get to the people they want, the callers will be frustrated and the system will be a failure.
I find the best way to design the call flow is to whiteboard it with all major players involved. This would include all department heads who have a stake in it as well as management and the receptionist. Designing the call flow is always a balance of what people think they want, what would work best, and what is actually possible. I have come into these design meetings and seen flowcharts laid out that you could design on a drink napkin and others that filled three walls of a conference room. This can be the difference between a few minutes of programming time and literally a couple of days of time, that is why this design meeting is crucial to do BEFORE the final quote is prepared.
The Quote
Finally, you are ready to prepare your final quote. You have picked out the best phones for your client’s needs, you know what networking gear, servers, and wiring will be needed. As data people, we often overlook many opportunities to add to our total sale and can even quote things poorly without thinking everything through. Here are a few examples of things to consider:
- Does anyone need a headset
- Headsets are an easy add-on sale.
- Does the customer need overhead paging
- Very often overlooked with IP PBX systems and yet HUGELY popular with older legacy systems
- Did you account for the installation labor?
- On average it takes a full minute to unbox a phone, put it together, and plug it into the network. With 60 phones you have added an hour of time just to assemble phones.
- Will you need to work after hours and weekends?
- Often you cant be doing an install during business hours, will you need to pay people overtime?
Don’t Forget the Support Agreement
You should strive to not let a phone system be sold without a multi-year support agreement. This can be as simple as a couple hundred bucks a month for software upgrades to including time every month for adds/moves/changes or even replacement warranties. Regardless of how much you want to put into a support agreement, you should always try to sell one with every system. This locks you in with the client and ensures that you have money coming in on a regular basis.
Help the customer pay for the system
A phone system can be a huge outlay of money for a company, especially in the current state of the economy. Leasing can be a huge opportunity to help your customers to afford the purchase. We recently posted a complete article on using leasing to help sell phone systems that will give you a lot more information on this topic.
Be the resource
The most important thing you can do is to be the resource that your clients look to for expert advice. If you know what you are doing, if you have the answers, and you are guiding your customer down the sales path as I have explained it here, you will be worlds ahead of the competition. When others are just trying to sell a product, you need to build a trusted relationship with your customers so that they believe you are providing them with the right solution to their needs and requirements.
I hope this has helped you to look at your sales process and find some ways that you can improve and help close more business. Remember to be a consultant and not just a sales person.