2 Rules for Selling to a Committee

More often than not, large deals mean that you have to sell to a committee, rather than an individual buyer. In these situations, many salespeople fall back to using the corporate deck to present to the group.

This is a mistake.

Though the corporate pitch deck is designed to cover all bases, it does not account for the emotions and needs of the individuals making decisions.

Rule #1: Include every key stakeholder in the formative stage.

If a group is involved, run through the perfect discovery call with each person.

People support ideas that are their own. When a buyer helps to create the solution, they buy into it.  Since this type of diagnosis requires vulnerability, this is best accomplished in a series of one-on-one meetings.

After all, if even one person on the committee doesn’t want to buy, you’ll have trouble closing the sale. Take the time to understand the needs of each person on the committee, before you create a solution.

Rule #2: Make the intangible more tangible.

Group decisions require objective criteria to achieve consensus. If there are subjective criteria, like ease of use, groups have trouble agreeing.

Translate a subjective claim like “easy to use” to a documented fact, like “average time to mastery.”

Make it easy for a group to pick you.

Need more guidance on how to adjust your tactics to sell to a committee? Consider attending my next Software Sales Bootcamp.