I think being an agency is different to selling software - I work for a consultancy and do sales and the process is:
1. Get a lead and qualify it. Red flags for qualification are small company size, weird location which isn't in your geography (e.g. middle east), person enquiring is not sufficiently senior in the organisation etc.
2. Understand the customer's problem better than anyone else. This includes visiting them, sitting down in person, clearly stating their problem on some slides so they know you understand it. If you are the only person to visit the customer in person, you will probably win the lead.
3. Describe how you plan to solve the customer's problem, and demonstrate how you have relevant experience and how this won't be a challenge. This isn't an exciting project for you - you want to work together but this is an easy problem that you have solved a hundred times before and you can solve it with confidence.
4. Be flexible in the sales process - ask the customer to help you tweak the proposal until it's exactly what they want.
5. Tailor the solution to the size of the business - don't sell a giant over-engineered solution to their problem if they are tiny, find a way to solve it with no frills or quick hacks. On the flipside, don't sell a no-frill's solution to a giant enterprise, they will want to believe they are getting something suitably engineered. Also tailor the sales process - if you are winning a massive contract you put in more effort than a tiny contract (and if sufficiently small, your proposal can just be an email back).
6. Give a clear and reasonable commercial model that fits in-line with the customer's expectations. If it doesn't fit with their expectations, adjust the scope and price (don't significantly adjust price without adjusting scope - it's bad for relationships)
7. Be super flexible when closing the deal. You are a small agency, your benefit is you can do things that bigger agencies can't. Don't endlessly argue over meaningless contract terms - just make sure they pay your first invoice which should 'cover your ass' until the next invoice, and work from there.
The main difference in agency selling compared to standard software selling is that it is high-engagement and high-effort. If you spend 5 days winning 20 days of work, you are probably doing pretty well.
Also, the big mantra is "doing is selling" - doing a good job on one project will lead to both more work from the same client, and recommendations which brings in even more. Everyone employed at a consultancy/agency is responsible for selling, some directly, others indirectly by making sure they do a great job. The company doesn't exist without winning projects!
1. Get a lead and qualify it. Red flags for qualification are small company size, weird location which isn't in your geography (e.g. middle east), person enquiring is not sufficiently senior in the organisation etc.
2. Understand the customer's problem better than anyone else. This includes visiting them, sitting down in person, clearly stating their problem on some slides so they know you understand it. If you are the only person to visit the customer in person, you will probably win the lead.
3. Describe how you plan to solve the customer's problem, and demonstrate how you have relevant experience and how this won't be a challenge. This isn't an exciting project for you - you want to work together but this is an easy problem that you have solved a hundred times before and you can solve it with confidence.
4. Be flexible in the sales process - ask the customer to help you tweak the proposal until it's exactly what they want.
5. Tailor the solution to the size of the business - don't sell a giant over-engineered solution to their problem if they are tiny, find a way to solve it with no frills or quick hacks. On the flipside, don't sell a no-frill's solution to a giant enterprise, they will want to believe they are getting something suitably engineered. Also tailor the sales process - if you are winning a massive contract you put in more effort than a tiny contract (and if sufficiently small, your proposal can just be an email back).
6. Give a clear and reasonable commercial model that fits in-line with the customer's expectations. If it doesn't fit with their expectations, adjust the scope and price (don't significantly adjust price without adjusting scope - it's bad for relationships)
7. Be super flexible when closing the deal. You are a small agency, your benefit is you can do things that bigger agencies can't. Don't endlessly argue over meaningless contract terms - just make sure they pay your first invoice which should 'cover your ass' until the next invoice, and work from there.
The main difference in agency selling compared to standard software selling is that it is high-engagement and high-effort. If you spend 5 days winning 20 days of work, you are probably doing pretty well.
Also, the big mantra is "doing is selling" - doing a good job on one project will lead to both more work from the same client, and recommendations which brings in even more. Everyone employed at a consultancy/agency is responsible for selling, some directly, others indirectly by making sure they do a great job. The company doesn't exist without winning projects!