MAKE THE BUSINESS CASE

AGENDA

Day 1 CEO Talk

Value Chain Using the value chain we chart the flow of cash through the customer’s business, participants identify areas where their product can have a significant and quantifiable impact on this cash flow. This helps to internalize the financial benefits they sell and builds confidence in the participant’s ability to sell financial value. Business Results Using Make The Business Case pre-study material as a foundation, the student will tour financial statements of a company in a manner designed especially for sales professionals. Key financial reports will be reviewed and the students will be shown how these financial reports are a measure of the customer’s operations. Business Objectives Financial reports show the results of the company’s operation, but typically do not deal with the decisions that lead to those results. Executives frequently formulate strategies without knowing their financial implications. We will introduce the idea of using financial ratios to help the student analyze the strong and weak points in their customer’s financial performance and position the financial value of the participant’s solution to address these business opportunities. Business Strategies Business strategies such as increasing sales revenues, reducing costs or reducing assets are discussed. Participants then uncover how their solution can successfully implement one or all of these strategies. These strategies will be woven into the Project Planning Meeting presentation. Project Planning Meeting Presentation This is the participant’s second attempt to ”paint the picture” of how the student’s solution to a business problem will help the customer achieve their financial objectives. With the feedback from the first project planning presentation and the integration of the financial concepts, the individual clearly builds and improves on each tool used. Presentations are again evaluated and feedback for improvement is given.

Day 2 Business Smarts

6 Stages Of The Value Process The essential stages of the Value Process are defined in terms of their role in influencing customer decisions. When these elements are tied together in a clear and precise manner they “paint a picture” for your customer of exactly how your solution will provide financial value for their business. Project Planning Meeting The critical stage in the Value Process, the Project Planning Meeting is discussed in detail. Examples are provided for how a specific Project Planning Meeting agenda is developed and applied. Results Charting Participants are introduced to the idea of using ”Results Charting” as a tool to effectively identify and represent the opportunities in a customer’s business. The use of ”Results Charting” will present the student as a credible problem-solver to their customer. Project Planning Meeting Presentation This is the participant’s first attempt to ”paint the picture” of how applying their solution to a business problem will help the customer achieve their financial objectives. Participants select an actual sales situation, prepare for, and conduct a classroom Project Planning Meeting. Presentations are evaluated, and feedback is provided by the instructor and class on areas of improvement. All following workshops are intended to refine the story for each participant until it is credible, compelling and confidently presented.