Focus Questions Using the Successful Sales Formula Pain: “What high priority pain has the prospective buyer admitted to you?” “What is it costing them today?” Power: “Have you met with the person you believe is the Power Sponsor and why do you think he/she is Power?” “Can we gain access to and influence them?” Vision: “What is the vision you created or reengineered with Power?” “How is it differentiated from competition?” Value: “What is the quantifiable value of the solution?” “Is that quantifiable value sufficient for them to act?” Control: “What have you done to get a Evaluation Plan in place or otherwise control the buying process?” “Who is in control of the buying process?” Purpose: To provide high level debrief questions for the variables in the successful sales formula Key Instructor Notes: Review this focus question and explain how it could be used to start a dialogue with the seller. Several things are included in each question. For example, just within the pain question there are three important aspects… a valid Pain (personal) High-priority customer has admitted to you The bolded questions (in orange) tend to be the easier question to ask. This gives you a quick snapshot of where the opportunity is. Transition: “Because these are important factors, we want to improve the quality or strength of them as we progress through the sell cycle…” 1

Opportunity Review Checklist Check these items and outcomes below to verify status Plan and Engage Conduct opportunity planning Conduct opportunity assessment Create interest Gain initial meeting Name and title of potential Sponsor Business development approach and job aids used Appointment or call logged in calendar 0% Opportunity Created In Sales Online Diagnose Get pain admitted Diagnose and document admitted pain and create or reengineer vision of Sponsor Negotiate access to power Diagnose and document admitted pain and create or reengineer vision of Power Sponsor Determine evaluation criteria and propose next steps Confirm dialogue and agree upon plan of next steps Pain articulated by potential Sponsor Differentiated vision and value articulated by Sponsor Power Sponsor’s name and title Sponsor Letter/e-mail sent and content agreed upon Pain articulated by potential Power Sponsor Differentiated vision and value articulated by Power Power Sponsor Letter/e-mail & draft Evaluation Plan sent Evaluation Plan modified or agreed upon 25% Gain agreement with Power Sponsor to next steps Propose and Close Execute Evaluation Plan steps Engage appropriate overlay Present solution Refine value proposition Agree upon transition plan Identify success criteria Create RFP to reflect Office Depot differentiators or Respond to RFP or Bid Engage bid team Finalize T’s & C’s First step accomplished (Go/No Go Step Letter) Customer approval process understood? Customer key players identified and engaged (as applicable)? Transition issues identified and addressed? Negotiating Worksheet and Get-Give List Who is negotiating? What is agreed upon? 75% Signed contract / Gain verbal agreement to buy Implement Engage implementation manager Execute implementation plan Engage IT Integration manager Test order placement and billing Implementation activities have been followed up When? Who? Status? 100% First Orders Placed Purpose: To introduce the Opportunity Review Checklist - a management job aid that extends activities of the sales process (pipeline milestones) to specific points for inspection – both at the activity level and the Verifiable outcome level. Key Instructor Notes: the columns are: Stage or Step name with associated Yield percentages Activities required to move from one milestone stage or step to the next Lists of items subject to inspection including the verifiable outcomes This checklist is a guide for the review dialogue – It is combined with the key questions just discussed. The first question is used to determine the status of the opportunity: “What is the accurate status of the opportunity – i.e. in which milestone does the opportunity lie?” Depending on the response given, the seller may be asked to verify it by “inspecting” the appropriate item in the right column. For managers that want to conduct the coding of opportunities, they can still use this as a personal tool to guide them through independent analysis. Key Facilitation Notes: For example: during a dialogue a seller may indicate the status of an opportunity to be "DEVELOP”. Upon request to see the Power Sponsor Letter and Draft Evaluation Plan (for verification). If this cannot be produced, the logical questions then leads to the last verifiable activity: and associated item of validation. In response to the question, of the last activity, the response may be: “The Power Sponsor has admitted Pain”. In which case the manager asks for his Power Sponsor’s Pain - not what the seller thinks the pain to be, but what the customer articulated in their admission of pain. If the seller cannot answer the questions with “items of proof” the progression is “up the activity list” and possibly upwards past a previous verifiable outcome. The questions progress until the seller “proves” an activity, and if appropriate, the opportunity should be regarded in the CRM The closing part of the dialogue then centers around the next “real” set of activities to be executed. Transition: “As a manager inspects the evidence, it is important to recognize some difficulties associated with writing and executing …” 2

Pipeline Analysis Worksheet Annual View Quota: B Average sell cycle length: C Average opportunity size: D Months left in the year: E Year-to-date attainment not reflected in the completed step “Fulfill”: Step completed Revenue X Yield % = Yield Diagnose 25% Propose & Close 75% Implement 100% Pipeline revenue total: F Pipeline yield total: G Projected yield for the year (F / B) x (D): H Gap * (A – G – E): * Gaps are negative I Additional “Diagnose” opportunities required to close the gap (H / C) x 25: Purpose: To provide a worksheet for the exercise Key Instructor Notes: Debrief by finding out what answers participants came up before revealing the answers on the page that follows It may be appropriate to provide the Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet version and allow participants to conduct the exercise using it Key Comment:  Customization  – This page should be customized to reflect the client’s sales process and win odds Transition: “Here is the answer you should have arrived at…” 3

G R F A GRAF Coaching Model GAP REASONS FOLLOW-UP ACTION Understand / acknowledge the GAP between what is wanted or expected and the reality of the situation (Admit the Pain) Understand / acknowledge the REASONS for the GAP FOLLOW-UP to ensure that the ACTIONS were satisfactorily completed (Determine if the GAP has been addressed) Commit to a joint plan of ACTION to address the GAP (What will be accomplished to remedy) Purpose: To describe the 4 components of the GRAF Coaching Model Key Instructor Notes: This GRAF Coaching Methodology is not dependent on Solution Selling® (although the underlying principles are compatible), it is relevant for any sales process being used Read each component clockwise starting with “G” – Gap This model can be applied in both opportunity and skill coaching Key Facilitation Notes: On a flip chart write: OPEN CONTROL AND CONFIRM These are elements of good questioning etiquette Remind that the G R A F Model is in reality a questioning technique Transition: “This model provides us the components by which to both hold a coaching session but also to prepare for a coaching session …” FOLLOW-UP ACTION 4

GRAF Coaching Preparation: Notes / Worksheet Salesperson Name: Coaching Type: Opportunity  Skill  Date of Coaching Event: Opportunity Description: GAP REASONS What is the GAP between performance expectations and actual results? What are the REASONS for the GAP? Expectations: Reasons: Results observed: Who is involved: Salesperson’s perspective: FOLLOW-UP ACTION What FOLLOW-UP will you and the salesperson agree to in order to close the GAP? What ACTIONS does the salesperson agree and commit to do? Specifics of follow-up actions (evidence of completion): Options to close the gap: Salesperson’s commitment: Date for completion: Time for follow-up: Help needed: G R F A Purpose: To introduce a worksheet and thought-process designed around the GRAF Coaching Model Key Instructor Notes: This worksheet (which actually is as much a mental model as it is a literal worksheet) is designed around the GRAF Coaching Model The manager may use this to prepare for a coaching session or they might segue from analysis to coaching with little prep time. This would be an instance where the manager uses the methodology but not the worksheet The approach clearly shows that the salesperson’s input is valued Not all of the fields will need to be covered or have information provided (e.g. “who is involved” may not be applicable. The “salesperson’s perspective” may not be used very often during the preparation but more so for note-taking later) This is also an excellent documentation – this is backup information. It allows a sales manager to identify seller follow-up issues. This worksheet follows Human Resources Best Practices Transition: “Let’s apply the coaching techniques in an exercise…” 5

Ideal Time in Step 6 Ideal Time in Step (approximate # of days) Step 3 month sell cycle 4 month sell cycle 6 month sell cycle 8 month sell cycle 9 month sell cycle 12 month sell cycle Plan & Engage 9 15 0% Diagnose 18 24 40 25% Propose & Close 30 42 80 120 150 180 75% Implement 33 39 45 65 125 100% Note: When a salesperson spends “days in step” they are allotting those number of days toward executing the sales activities leading to the next milestone (denoted here by win odds) Purpose: To offer a view of Ideal Time-in-stage values Key Instructor Notes: Key point: Based on experience with Solution Selling® these are typical (ideal) numbers of days an opportunity spends in each stage. Why is the most time spent at in the PROVE step? Again, this is when the Evaluation Plan is executed There are no # of days associated with CREATE (completed) because the true time measurement of the sell cycle begins when the opportunity is identified and interest has been stimulated The # of days (4) after CLOSE (completed) is a reflection of “revenue not yet recognized” – the period of time between a “win” and “recognition” – obviously this too can change from organization to organization These metrics are certainly only a starting point. There are many exceptions to these numbers but as a whole they provide a realistic, useable starting point for good analysis. We will use this information later as we do more pipeline analysis. Knowing these averages helps pinpoint stalled opportunities Key Comment:  Customization  – This page should be customized to reflect the client’s sales process and win odds Transition: “Let’s look at an application…” 6

Pipeline Milestones Worksheet™ Time in Step OPPORTUNITIES PIPELINE MILESTONES WORKSHEET™ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Latent or Active (L/A) Potential sale amount ($K) 9 Plan & Engage Conduct planning activities (new or existing) Create interest Gain initial meeting 0% 18 Diagnose Get pain admitted Diagnose admitted pain and create or reengineer vision of Sponsor Negotiate access to power Confirm dialogue and agree upon next steps Diagnose admitted pain and create or reengineer vision of Power Sponsor Determine evaluation criteria and propose next steps Confirm dialogue and agree upon plan of next steps 25% 30 Propose & Close Execute Evaluation Plan steps Engage appropriate overlay Present solution Refine value proposition Agree upon transition plan Identify success criteria Create RFP to reflect Office Depot differentiators Engage bid team Respond to RFP or bid (if appropriate) Finalize T’s & C’s 75% 33 Implement Engage implementation manager Execute implementation plan Engage IT Integration manager Test order placement and billing 100% * Premature delivery of a proposal is not a sign of progress

Opportunity Coaching or Skill Coaching? Characteristics Problem identified in opportunity  Problem is pervasive across multiple opportunities Short-term, immediate actions Long-term sustained actions Specific to opportunity General Quick results Delayed Improvement Goal: Opportunity Win Goal: Competency Improvement Often done coupled with Opportunity Analysis Often done as a result of Pipeline Analysis Key Question: What is needed by this person at this time? Purpose: To contrast opportunity coaching with skill coaching and skill coaching. Key Instructor Notes: Review each of the rows Select several rows and compare –foe example: results at the opportunity level tend to be immediate (advancing an opportunity) vs. results at the skill level which tend to be long term and sustainable (ability develop value and offer an investment case) To summarize: Long term impact – helps grow the individuals You will notice a longer term impact for skill coaching Short term impact – helps advance opportunities When analyzing a gap – consider application to a specific opportunity or a skill. Transition: “The GRAF coaching model applies to skill coaching as well as opportunity coaching.