Background
Vivisimo, which was founded in 2000, developed and sold software products to improve search on the web and in enterprises. Despite the fact that it offered innovative, award-winning products, for years its sales were not what management knew they could be. As a result, in 2008 Vivisimo contracted with Selling to Zebras to improve its sales process.
The Challenge
Enterprise-level software is a significant investment for companies. Sales cycles tend to be long and complex with many people, departments and management levels represented in negotiations. And product differentiation can be difficult. Consequently, sales cycles often end in non-decision.
Results
The Zebra methodology was introduced at Vivisimo in October, 2008. Salespeople quickly learned how to identify their perfect prospect, engage the person with budget-level authority early in the process and sell the product’s business value rather than its features and benefits. This represented a seismic change for a sales team that had traditionally pitched products to mid-level technology managers. But Vivisimo saw fast and dramatic results. Sales increased significantly within three quarters and over the course of thirty months:
- Average sales price increased more than 400%
- Installed base revenue increased 55%
- Year-over-year revenue increased 31%
Vivisimo achieved these results because Zebrafi changed its sales paradigm. The company no longer competed feature-for-feature with its competitors. It didn’t chase every prospect or respond to every RFP. Instead, Vivisimo sought out its most desirable prospects, got access early on to executives with budget authority and spoke in a language that they understood – business value.
Our Clients Love Us
Todd Schneider
CFO & COO, Serigraph
“Through the first six months of this year we have sold more than we did all of last year, and I attribute that entirely to our new process.”
Steve Hirt
President, Optima
“In our first year alone, our sales improved over 20% and our bottom line increased by 350%.”
Steve Davis
COO, Author-it
“A higher percentage of sales cycles close because sellers identify Author-it Zebras and have an early meeting with Power to gain sponsorship to verify a pre-prepared value proposition.”