Stage - Opportunity

Definition This stage is where a lead has been qualified through the lens of ICP and BANT and the prospect is actively pursuing solutions to solve the problem within a reasonable time horizon (generally 60-120 days. Note enterprise accounts may require longer sales cycle).

The primary objective of the Opportunity stage is to guide and support qualified ICP prospects in their evaluation of market research and data science services. The goal is to not only identify immediate and upcoming projects to commercialize on, but to ensure Gradient Metrics is down selected as the preferred vendor of choice for a specific research project or set of projects.

At this stage, the focus shifts from general lead qualification and discovery to more targeted, personalized interactions in pursuit of influencing vendor selection and formalizing a partnership. Both parties have recognized a specific need or challenge that your product or service can address.

We want to show up prepared to make the most out of the opportunity. At this stage you should:

• Send a pre-wire email confirming the meeting, highlighting the agenda and soliciting feedback
• Refresh yourself on prospect’s business, industry, and specific challenges and upcoming research projects.
• Review previous notes, interactions, and correspondence. Make sure you have a solid understanding of the proposed scope, timelines, upcoming milestones, etc.
• Have a plan and intentional strategy to drive to the next step
• Research any new attendees on LinkedIn (who are they, how long have the worked at the company, what is their role, what mutual connections do you have, what persona would they tend to have in the buying cycle at this stage, etc.)
• Ensure you are using the relevant sales collateral to support the conversation, methodology review, product deep dive, sample reports, etc

• Project Details: What do we need to know about the project?
• Team Details: What do we need to know about the team?
• Process Details: What do we need to know about the existing research process?
• Integration Details: What do we need to know to onboard / integrate?
• Competitive Intel: Who else is being evaluated?
• Discover & Qualification: At this stage you should have a fairly robust understanding of where the prospect fits within the various elements of BANT. That said, discovery and qualification is ongoing throughout the sales process. Things can change so you want to make sure you validate your learnings from the previous call and expand on them with every interaction.
  • For example if a prospect’s original timeline was a project kick-off in Q2, at this stage we will want to know more details. For instance:
    • Rep: “You mentioned you were looking to kick things off in Q2, has that timeline shifted at all?”
    • Prospect: “No we are still aiming for a Q2 launch”
    • Rep: “That’s great, we can absolutely make that work and have added you to our Q2 launch schedule. Can you walk me through what your thinking in terms of the milestones we need to hit in order to ensure you are live in Q2”
    • Prospect: “Ya, we need to finalize VOC selection in April and put together a business case for our leadership team”
    • Rep: “Got it, can you walk me through what that selection process looks like? Curious to know what is most important to the team and what success looks like for you so I can ensure you have everything you need from us to make an informed decision”
    • etc…

• This stage is all about working toward getting the prospect to select Gradient Metrics as the Vendor of Choice
  1. Tailored Pitch / Demo: Ensure you have all relevant stakeholders and decision makers up to speed on our customized approach to supporting their business and the relevant research project. This includes, a presentation of the GM vision, support team, methodology, sample reports, etc, highlighting differentiators and capabilities that directly address and impact the success of the engagement.
  2. Detailed Product Specifications: This is a more detailed delivery beyond the tailored pitch. Should provide comprehensive overview of the GM product/service, including discussed project specifications / milestones, and any other relevant details to influence the decision making process in our favor.
  3. Implementation and Support Plans: Outline the process for implementation, onboarding, and ongoing support. This can help the prospect understand what to expect in terms of timelines, resource commitment, and the level of support they will receive once the partnerhip is live.
  4. Case Studies and Success Stories: Build in social proof either through offering up references or sharing relevant case studies or success stories that showcase our expertise and experience in supporting similar customers and research. This is an important step in building credibility and illustrating the practical benefits of your solution.
  5. Data, Value, ROI Projections: Take the time to put together a clear overview of the value and ROI impact the project will unlock. For larger ACV deals this is important when interfacing with procurement or executive leadership who might need to justify and sell in the benefit of the GM + prospect engagement. This could include cost savings, efficiency gains, revenue growth, or highlight impact on other relevant metrics.
  6. Competitive Comparisons: Where appropriate, thoughtfully work to highlight some difference in the way GM approaches the problem and differentiates from other solutions in market. Be factual and respectful in these comparisons - your brand matters.

EXAMPLE CALL THAT’S WELL DONE

• We are showing up prepared with a detailed understanding of the companie’s business and research needs and where there is potential for collaboration.
• Established clear expectations of call and met those expectations in the time frame given for meeting
• Actively working on the scoping and design of a research project (understanding of the project, the objectives, who is involved, what are the timelines, what is being evaluated, who else is under consideration as a vendor, what good looks like, etc.)
• Proactively working on identifying and addressing any objections or concerns the prospects might have, demonstrating a commitment to finding the best solution for their specific research needs
• Established a relationship based on trust and credibility, emphasizing your commitment to their success beyond just making a sale.
• Facilitating and influencing the decision making process. Assist the prospect in navigating the decision-making process, including understanding the ROI, aligning with their internal processes, and providing clear and transparent project scope and support model
• Steady and open cadence of communication across key stakeholders and decision makers.
• Developed a senior “Champion” and “Influencer” with preferred lines of communication setup (Slack, email, text, etc).
• There are clear next steps and upcoming meetings on the books to keep the conversation going and to drive urgency.
• Note: this process may take several calls depending on the size of the company, seniority of the initial point of contact, relevance in title of the initial point of contact, pipeline of research projects and associated needs.

• Your goal should be to follow up within 24 hours if not the same day of the meeting. Templatizing the follow-up emails will help save you time.
  • You can include a Loom video detailing out a specific area of the research, methodology, deck, demo the team was interested in seeing. This is where you record a short video, walking them through what you attached. Great way to also make it easy to catalyze follow-up conversation on specific elements of your offering.
  • If you had a “good conversation”, it always helps to summarize their questions, and your responses in a document to make it easy for them to reference back. This is also an important foundation for threading across and up. You want to make it easy for someone who was not in the room to be able to read the email and get the main takeaways of the conversation.
• Always have a direct person the email is directed towards (a message to everyone is a message to no one).
• Always include the EA’s if you are speaking with senior contacts.
• Always have an action item request to advance the conversation. The action item highlighted in the email should already have been discussed and agreed upon at the end of the call. Avoid multiple action items in a single email - you want to manage to the single next step.

EXAMPLE FOLLOW-UP EMAIL THAT’S WELL DONE