Discover in this article, an example of application of the method to advance your sales!
The challenges of the software sector
To address the challenges of the software sector, 5 criteria must be taken into account: the players, the specificity of the sector, possible substitutions, competitive intensity, and finally the point of view of the employee.
Actors : the software sector brings together all software publishing companies.
Specificities of the sector : the specificity stems from the fact that the purchasing journey is not going to be the same for all companies. Indeed, the temporality for example, will not be the same depending on whether it is a first purchase of the company or a renewal.
Possible substitutions : for paid software, the substitution means are free software (Excel-type spreadsheet, etc.) and physical transcription supports (paper sheets, etc.)
Competitive intensity : competitive intensity is strong in this sector because there are many companies.
Customer 's point of view: from the customer 's point of view, the software meets efficiency needs. Depending on the price of the software, the purchase is viewed as a long-term investment.
Use the Canvas Acquisition to build your customer journey in software publishing
The Canvas Acquisition is an analysis tool that encourages you to ask yourself the right questions about the behavior of your client and his journey, in order to explore the latter in detail. You can now and start completing it.
In our example, the Acquisition Canvas shows that the discovery of the problem (ineffectiveness of work processes, bad tools, etc.) is generally carried out by the people in charge of directing the trades. This discovery is generated by a finding of ineffectiveness, a search for time savings or even a desire to centralize the data.
Then, the problem circulates gradually in the company. It goes up to the management committee because it represents a significant investment. The cost varies depending on the software, but in general it is around several tens of thousands of euros.
The implication in the problem is carried out by research on the internet (blog articles, studies, white papers, etc.), by talking with peers and also using paper books. Then, once the decision to invest is made, the search for solutions is done through comparators (Appvizer, G2 Crowd ..), consulting companies. There may also be the alternative of developing the software in-house.
Long tail and intentional keywords differ in their degree of acuity. In the former, we note that they reflect generic questions (“how to reduce costs”, “how to centralize data”), while in the latter, there is an intention to select software (“software benchmarking / benchmarking”). ”,“ Software for + need ”…).
The software customer journey gives a global vision of the main stages and actions carried out by the company. In its journey there are 6 stages: awareness of the problem, internal evangelism, decision to invest, choice of service provider, signature of the contract and finally the start of the project.
Awareness of the problem
The problem is generally discovered by the business management, who notices a lack of efficiency or a waste of time with the tools used. The desire for an overall improvement then generates a first exploration of the problem.
Internal evangelization
Once the problem has been deepened, a first search for solutions is carried out. This research is done individually by the person who discovered the problem. Then the problem will be shared and evangelized internally. The objective here is to raise awareness of the issues at stake and the need to find a solution.
The decision to invest
Following its evangelization, the search for solutions to the problem is done collectively because more people are involved in its resolution. This search for solutions is accomplished in particular by writing requests for information and by consulting with competent people or entities. This will also allow considering an amount to allocate for the purchase of a solution. Then, to reach the decision to invest, a project plan is created and presented to the management committee which will give its agreement.
Choice of service provider
Following the decision to invest, the company actively conducts research to find a solution that will meet its needs. Consequently, it draws up tenders and searches for service providers via its internal or external network. The company then gives oral presentations to the candidates who responded to its call for tenders.
Signing the contract
Once the defense is over, the company chooses the service provider and then proceeds to draw up the contract, during which the legal and financial clauses are studied and established. However, it is possible that certain internal barriers to the company (people reluctant to change, financial reasons, etc.) may hinder the signing of the contract.
The start of the project
When the contract has been signed, the relationship between the company and the service provider, as well as the project, can begin.
The acquisition matrix of the software customer journey
Once your purchasing journey understood and completed in detail, the acquisition matrix will allow you to develop actions to advance your target towards the desired objective.
In accordance with our example, the objective of the actions to be undertaken will be to sign the sale of your software solution with the client company.
To develop the actions to be taken to advance the company along its path, it will be necessary to take into account its actions and find the most suitable means of dissemination.
Position yourself first in consciousness when discovering the problem
During this stage, it is to be the cause of awareness of the problem. This can be done by communicating about your software, its functionality, and what it brings to your customers. The actions to be carried out are the creation of content improving referencing (blog articles, press reviews, posts on social networks, etc.) as well as participation in events (such as fairs and conferences).
Contribute to internal evangelism
Here it is important to give information that can be used to evangelize the problem. All types of informative and educational content should be highlighted (analyst reports, video demonstrations, white papers, client cases, etc.).
Facilitate investment decision-making
This stage is the longest of the customer journey and many actions are possible. On the other hand, the objective is always the same: to facilitate the decision to invest. To do this, you have to take into account what the company does internally and externally. When starting new research, it may be appropriate to create educational content that is more solution-oriented. Then, when it starts writing a request for information, it would be useful to propose a solution evaluation grid. Finally, in its phase of budgeting and creating a project plan, setting up comparisons of mass solutions and what they could cost internally, would be of great help for the company.
Being chosen as a service provider
Once the project plan has been approved by the management committee, the company will issue tenders in order to find a service provider. From the drafting of tenders to the choice of the service provider, the acquisition matrix encourages you to plan actions to optimize your chances of being chosen. Thus, in the tender writing phase, it would be relevant to create tender writing guides. Then, in his search for a service provider, create SEA ads to gain visibility, and work well on his network of partners. Finally, during the defense, the best way to gain credibility in the eyes of the company is to share customer cases similar to its situation, and to show how you helped solve their problem.
Dealing with possible barriers
Before signing the contract, it is possible to encounter barriers that were then invisible: several people with a strategic role can oppose the changes. We must then convince them of the need for such a change. To do this, Adhoc-type stories, “cost not to do”, and “when things go wrong” are to be shared without restraint.
Start the relationship on a good foundation
Once the contract is signed, a good way to start the new relationship is first to reassure the company on its choice, that is to say you. Therefore, a Welcome Program including for example start-up documentation and a note congratulating them on their choice should be considered. Finally, once the project is launched,
it is possible to set up training courses and encourage them to follow them, in order to maintain a good commercial relationship.