Summarized...

Let me propose a replacement for BANT. I call it PAM – Persona qualification, Account qualification, Motivation.

Persona Qualification

First, provide a process-level and a prospect-level value proposition.

The process-level value proposition answers the question, “Why should I listen to you at all?” The prospect-level value proposition frames your value proposition from a buyer-persona perspective.

For example, you might say, “We have some new research that marketing executives faced with lead follow-up and lead conversion challenges find very helpful. With this new approach, companies are seeing 30% to 40% increases in lead conversion.”

Now you have possibly earned the right to ask them a question or two. Explain that you don’t want to waste their time and so you’d like to ask two questions. Ask what their role is in the company and how the company makes decisions about the kinds of solutions you sell.

Account Qualification

Next, make sure the account meets the criteria you look for. Again, frame your questions in terms of not wanting to waste the time of the prospect.

A good database marketing strategy and solid CRM implementation is critical.

But persona and account qualification say nothing about when the account might actually buy, and that’s the reason for the final area of qualification.

Motivation

Is the person you’re talking to motivated enough to help you get to the people or person who matters?

What pain do they have that maps to what you sell?

How big of a priority is eliminating that pain, both for the person you are speaking with and for the others involved in the decision process? Insight into motivations can tell you a lot about the probability of a purchase and timeline for purchase.

Digest...

One of the fundamental challenges going forward in building out solution selling organizations is its original premise was that the sale was driven by a ‘non-expert to an expert’ and that is no longer the case. Many sales approaches start from the assumption that the salesperson is the primary source of knowledge and customers rely on sales to educate them on what their ‘solution’ could do for their business. Nowadays, the buyer is in much more control and has knowledge or knows how to get it from sources unmanaged, uncontrolled and unable to be influenced by the seller.

Whereas these high performers have found a way to not only sell more effectively, but sell differently. They have found the right formula to engage customers in a way they find meaningful and create value far beyond ‘supplying’ their ‘product’ at the best price.  The “sellers dilemma’ continues to manifest itself in many ways. And providing customers true business value thru the sales process and beyond is just another example of how challenging it is becoming to be a successful in today’s B2B market.