VAR's Story: Generating New Client Business Takes Planning

Matrix Integration, a Jasper, Ind.-based VAR, formulated a strategy with the help of KLA Group, a Denver-based channel consulting firm, that included getting some funding from a vendor and putting sales staff and managers through a structured training program that culminated in a company-wide "blitz day' to get new clients, said Nathan Stallings, regional sales manager, unified communications and network infrastructure, at Matrix Integration.

As a result of the program, the VAR has closed more than $150,000 in sales from new clients and they generated 31 appointments and four new clients from the blitz day and 91 appointments and eight new clients in the six-month training period prior to the blitz day, Stallings said.

"That may not sound like a lot, but it's customers that six or seven months ago were not doing any business with us and there's more revenue in the pipeline. That's just what we've closed today," Stallings said.

The first thing Matrix Integration did was contact a manufacturer to fund the program, Stallings said. He ended up with $10,000 for the training and another $5,000 for the blitz day, which almost covered the entire cost, he said.

The training included five 1-hour sessions via WebEx held every other week for the less experienced sales staff, while managers met monthly for six months, Stallings said.

The five training session subjects were crafted by Kendra Lee, president of KLA Group, and included: identifying the best SMB prospects, crafting an attention-grabbing value proposition, using e-mail to enhance your prospecting results, getting past the gatekeepers and how to handle objections and close appointments.

"We did it every other week so the sales people had time to test it and try it with customers. We gave them assignements to see how it works out and share their experiences back. What was really interesting is that some reps came up with fabulous value propositions that they were able to share with others," Lee said.

The day before the blitz day, which involved calling on 100 new prospects, the VAR held another cram session to make sure the sales reps were comfortable articulating the value proposition and countering any objections, Lee said.

"They got comfortable and they talked through all the objections they could possibly encounter. At the end of the blitz day, the reps said they felt so comfortable because they knew the value proposition," Lee said. The training gave even junior sales reps confidence in their ability to sell the solutions, Stallings said.

"Confidence is everything. If you believe in the message and have a strong value proposition and understand the steps, there's no limit. When folks are comfortable and confident, they'll [succeed]," he said. Utilizing a strong CRM solution to track results is also imperative to penetrating new markets and securing new clients, Stallings added.

"It's a great way to streamline and be consistent with clients," he said.