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Seven Greatest Ideas for Helping a Business Customer to Buy Wisely • 65

issues the supplier is aware of which may be unknown to the customer.
From previous experience, the supplier can anticipate some pitfalls and prob-

lems, and avoid unnecessary surprises. It can be tempting to duck some of these
issues and leave customers unaware of something they will probably have to face
and solve in the fullness of time. Once again competitive edge is available here. Your
pointing out an additional factor unplanned by the potential customer can damage
the credibility of your competitor.

It is not possible to overstate the importance of getting this phase right and
assisting the prospect to plan the project from the start, right through to successful
completion. You can use an assumptive close in working with the prospect on the
outline implementation plan by including the placing of the order in the project
plan.

Step 5 - Select theexact functionality

This is the part of the project plan that the technical enthusiasts in the customer
tend to enjoy. They survey the market for new technologies, study other implemen-
tations and talk to lots of suppliers. From these ideas they produce the detailed
functionality.

Salespeople are also well aware of the work done at this time. They have two
concerns: using time wisely and meeting the customer specification.

Firstly, is the customer using your time wisely or are you wasting valuable sell-
ing time? Avoid the pitfall of two technicians, one the salesperson and the other the
customer, spending lots of time looking at all the options now and in the future. It's
all very well demonstrating all the possibilities, but if the customer has no commit-
ment to doing something at all levels of management who will be involved in the
decision, then you are better off elsewhere. I have seen salespeople spend ages with
an enthusiast only to find that the decision makers of whether the project happened
or not were miles up the organisation.