The 5 Step Session Approach: Strategic Selling

How to increase your market share,
achieve your business target and train
a whole sales force to do the same.
A practical way to make and implement
your (new) sales strategy:
The 5 Step Session approach
1

Introduction
Increase Market share for existing
products and services
By using a 5 Step Session our
company can filter the customer
segments where we will be more
likely to be successful in increasing
our sales.
When allocating your limited
resources to strategically chosen
segments you can increase our
market share, more likely to obtain
our sales targets and build a long
lasting profitable business model.
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1.
Differentiator
The First step is to make a list of Services or Products where you
clearly differentiate from the competition. Don’t limit yourself to the
whole Product or Service, 1 feature of a service of product can be a
differentiator as well.
Tip: In case of discussion let the differentiator stay on the list.
Don’t forget your customer interviews! Maybe their answers can trigger
a discussion within your group.

4. Tangible
Value
Make the delta, related to your customers P&L, tangible. E.g.: if your
differentiating feature is decreasing Admin time, and thus Admin Costs,
for your customer, try to calculate that Reduction. (Time Saved in hours
x Cost/hour = Total Savings for your customers). If possible make
ranges (e.g. Between 3% to 6% reduction)
Delta’s you can’t make tangible are useless, therefore also your feature
can’t be used. Strikethrough this feature to make this clear to
everybody.
Tip: If you have a hard time finding the cost of your customer try to
think with Cost Pools from your own company. E.g. Ask your HR
department what the average cost per hour is for an Admin worker.

Practical Tips:
Most suitable group size is depending on your estimation of the number of differentiating features.
Ideally is that you can split the group so 1 group can work on 1 differentiator (E.g. if 3 differentiator
split the group into 3 with +/- 4 people per group. The overall number of participants shouldn’t
exceed 20). Let people stand when working in groups, use post-its and different colors when you go
to the next step.
Day planning:
9:00 – 9:15: Introduction of the day by a Senior Manager or Director
9:15 – 10:00: Introduction by yourself as a 5 Step Session Workshop
organizer (Purpose; Goal; Theory of the 5 Step Session,
Customer interview results (optional); Why are you here?; Q&A)
10:00 – 10:45: Group task I: Break up product into features, which feature
is a differentiator?
10:45 – 11:00: Coffee break
11:00 – 12:30: Investigating the DELTA (1 group/Differentiating)
12:30 – 13:00: Lunch
13:00 – 13:30: Linking each Differentiator to a P&L Statement
13:30 – 14:30: Calculating the Value for each delta. Use all available resources to
come up with a value.
14:30 – 14:45: Coffee Break
14:45 – 15:15: Defining Customer Characteristics
15:15 – 15:45: Checking the Sales Portfolio; List potential customers
15:45 – 16:00 END (Closing the day and thanking everyone for their participation)

After you have facilitated the Workshop you now have a number of differentiators that give
additional value to your customers. Train all of your account managers in how you came up
with this added value and what added value your product or service can bring to the
customers. Make a sales story to guide them during their sales call or sales meeting so they
are not selling on price but on Value!
Your sales product or service marketing materials should at least consist of the following
chapters:
1. Introduction (very limited information about your company)
2. Needs of the sector of your customer (based on the interviews and customer
characteristics) => do this in order to create connection with your customer. Let her/him
know you understand what she/he needs.
3. Show the basis functions of your products / What is your service
4. Show the added value (step 4) and explain what feature give this benefit (step 1)
5. Example: show them an example where you have given added value to another
(anonymous) customer.
Go out selling the added value to the customer that have the same type of characteristics
GOOD LUCK !!

1
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The 5 Step Session Approach: Strategic Selling

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The 5 Step Session Approach: Strategic Selling