I’ve talked a lot about simple applications being the key to selling UC. Today, I want to give you 5 key reasons for leading with applications when you are selling UC:

1) In order to sell applications effectively, you need to be having conversations about the issues faced by the customer. Just having these business conversations will differentiate you from many of your competitors in the marketplace today, building credibility and trust and positioning you as a consultant or advisor rather than a salesperson.

2) The revenues and the margins you can make from addressing business issues are significantly higher than those available from simply replacing a phone system – and you can upsell higher-end phones, additional line-cards and higher-specfication switches too.

3) It is much easier to quantify Return on Investment on applications than it is on the ‘personal productivity improvements’ often quoted when justifying UC spend.

4) It is easy to explain… UC sales have become so complex, so entwined with technology, that its easy to lose your customer and their business. Applications are not only easy to explain, but are so close to the customer’s business that they can easily envisage the benefits.

5) Applications can be developed quickly, rolled out fast and they deliver rapid payback… exactly what enterprise customers are looking for in the current economic climate and an ideal first step into the world of UC.

This is why some of the top salespeople in Cisco, Avaya, etc. evangelise about applications – even though in many cases they don’t even get paid on them. Like us, they are convinced that applications are the key to the sale.

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