ACME Job Trial Scenario
The candidate is a Sales Rep working for ACME. Thegoal is to engage prospects that have been classified as a Qualified Opportunity. Candidate should attempt to uncover:
- The key reasons they are in the market for a solution
- How they will evaluate said solution
- Who else will be involved in the evaluation
- A timeline to accomplish their objectives
- Have them agree on next steps
What is a Qualified Opportunity? A qualified opportunity is an opportunity with a determined Need for ACME, and meets the requirements for 2 of the following: Authority, Budget, and Timing. (This is called BANT qualification). A good rep does not ask BANT questions overtly, but works them into the casual conversation.
This scenario assumes theBANT(Budget, Authority, Need, and Timing) requirements are:
Need: Prospect is looking to (insert market need your solution/product helps solve).
Authority: You believe the CFO ultimately signs off. However, the information provided does not indicate who will be part of the evaluation team.
Budget: Has purchased similar equipment from ACME or a competitor in the past, or has a stated budget of at least $40,000.
Timing: You are not sure when they are looking to implement the solution.
Scenario:In this scenario the prospect is an existing customer that has generated interest to merit your engagement with them via the telephone. You’ve received the information below, Name, Company, Position, Website Activity, and “I Want to _____” (this is a field they can fill out telling you why they are looking).
Name: Harold Wong Company: Johnson MedicalPosition: IT Manager
Activities: Spoke with an inside sales resource. Indicated he is looking for (insert info from Need section above). Said he has $40,000 to spend.
“I Want To” Field: Improve how we (insert solution area your product provides)
Objective: The candidate’s goal is to achieve the 5 objectives from the above list.
ACME Job Trial Guidance
Background: You have been at Johnson for 24 years and have an IT background. You hold your cards close to the vest and think sales people are idiots. You are looking for a problem solver. Product pitchers aren’t welcome in your office.
Your Objectives: You need to reduce your IT budget by 10% in 2013. Your sales budget is declining, but you told ACME you have $40K to solve this issue. The CTO is investing in product improvements, taking dollars from your cost center.
Your Obstacles: Your current systems are inefficient. They are costing you extra dollars for power, labor and support. Maintenance contracts are also escalating. You need a solution to resolve this.
Next Steps: If the rep is able to uncover your objectives and obstacles and takes a problem-solving approach, give them meeting #2.
5 Bonus points: The rep convinces you to bring in additional stakeholders from your internal decision-making team.
If the rep does not do this well, be evasive and tell them you’ll give your feedback to the boss.
Scoring: A total score of 20 points are possible. 3 points for each of the 5 above-listed objectives. 5 points for the bonus if the rep convinces you to involve additional stakeholders.
Scoring is tabulated as follows:
1 – Candidate does not broach the subject. It is a miss.
2 – Candidate brings it up, but the objective is not accomplished. Tried but not successful.
3 – Candidate addresses the objective and obtains a definitive answer. Success.
5 – Bonus for involving additional stakeholders.