26 TripTik_

Success is a journey, not a destination.

—Anonymous

“Are we there yet?”

How many times have you heard that phrase coming from

the backseat? It drives you nuts, but look at it from the kids’

point of view. They don’t know where Los Angeles is, six

hours is an eternity to them, and “we’re still in Arizona” is the

same meaningless gibberish it was twenty minutes ago.

Kids on a car trip need a way to orient themselves in time

and space and to give them a sense of control in an unfamiliar

situation. When we were kids, the American Automobile Association

(AAA) came up with a tool for that job. It was called

a TripTik_.

A TripTik_ is a series of map pages strung together in

book. If you want to drive from Albuquerque to Los Angeles,

the TripTik_’s first page takes you from Albuquerque to a

point maybe 100 miles west. Then you turn the page to a map

of the next 100 miles, and so on. A neat idea, and a great way

to orient curious kids.

The Sales TripTik_

Buyers in the early stages of an unfamiliar sales process are in

a similar position to those kids in the backseat. A sales Trip-

Tik_ is a great prospector’s tool that can serve the same

function for them. It gives the prospect and the salesperson a tangible map to follow by outlining the steps or milestones in

the sales process (Figure 26-1).

Buyers want to be led, and they want to follow a process.

Show them in the early going what the process will look like.

TripTik®

Prospect Company: __________________________

Contact Name: _________________________

Initial Sales Call Date: _____/_____/______

Installation Date: ____/____/______

What are the steps we have taken together so far?

What are the next buy/sell steps do you want to take to make sure a decision is made?

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Complete?

Yes No

Insert steps the prospect is going to be taking on their own.

Update this Trip-Tik after every sales call.

Figure 26-1. A sample sales TripTik_.

Figure 26-1 is an example of a simple sales TripTik_.

“Next steps” might include things like:

_ Finish up requirements.

_ Live demonstration completed.

_ Final proposal presentation.

_ Final vendor selection.

_ Purchasing and legal review.

Work out the action items with the prospect so that you’re

going down a buying path together—and the prospect isn’t going

down a buying path with somebody else.

Figure 26-2 is a more impressive example of a TripTik_.

It’s a visual representation of the whole buying process. It’s

clear. It can be put up in a cube or office. It can have the

prospect’s logo on it. You can work together to change the

dates or action items. You can create multiple versions, such

as a technical TripTik_ and an executive TripTik_. A picture

is worth a thousand words, and this is one picture that can really

make a difference.

Create custom TripTiks_ in conjunction with your

prospects—don’t just go away and do it for them. If they’re actively

involved in building and adjusting one of these, they

will logically follow only one buying process. If you get some

major push back, you know you have a problem. Why? Because

you are helping them do their job and minimizing their

risk. Who wouldn’t want to use a tool like this? A prospect

who is not really qualified, that’s who.

TIP: Seventy percent of all prospects are visual

learners, which means they find visual aids very

helpful. Create TripTiks in a multicolor picture format,

not just as a list of words. A picture is worth

1,000 words, and control of the sale.

The TripTik_ thus is a qualifying tool as well. Use it to

weed out those maybes that are never going to happen. Use it

to own the process, own the deal, and work as a partner with

real potential buyers.

TripTik_ 145

ABC Company TripTik®

Today’s Date — June 22 — Update #3

Start

Date

Decision

Date

(I-Date)

June July Aug Sept Oct Nov

Actions to Be Taken by Month

Completed Action

Client Actions

Vendor Actions

Final

Project

Scope

Assemble

Program

and

Mgt Review

Final Vendor

Eval / Demo

Purchasing/

Legal Review

Final

Recommend

/Install Plan

Final

Installation

Detail

Work Flow

Executive

Mgt Meeting

ABC Co.

Program

Deliverables

Vendor RFP

Meeting

Demo

Scheduled

Submit

Contract

I-Plan

Review

Team

Assignments M3

learning

Figure 26-2. ABC Company TripTik_.

Key Considerations

_ A TripTik_is a mutual document. You will design it,

but both parties are going on the trip, so both should

participate in the development of the map. Leave

blanks or sections for the prospect to fill out.

_ A TripTik_ ends at the prospect’s Implementation

Date (I-Date), not at the contract-signing date.

Prospects care more about when they’ll start using the

product than when they agree to buy it. If possible,

start with the I-Date and develop the map backward

from there. That’s how the prospect is thinking.

Some salespeople agree that the TripTik_ sounds like a great

tool and then fail to use it, since it requires some work to put

one together. However, those who do use it report a 60 percent

increase in sales.

It also gives you a competitive exclusive. Prospects are going

to follow somebody’s sales path. It may as well be yours. If

you were in their shoes, wouldn’t you rather take directions

from somebody who shows you a map of the whole trip?

How to Prospect with It

The sooner you introduce the concept of the TripTik_ the better.

Here are some ideas to help you create the transfer of ownership:

_ Introduce it when you end your first call:

“Mr. Rodriguez, this has been a very good meeting. If

it would be okay with you, I’d like to lay out a few

steps we can go through so you can figure out as

quickly as possible if what we are talking about can really

help you.”

_ Send a sample one:

“Mr. Rodriguez, this has been a good meeting. If it

would be okay with you, I’d like to send you a map we

have put together with some of our most loyal customers

who were in a position similar to your position

right now. We can go through it so you can figure out

as quickly as possible if what we are talking about can

really help you.”

_ Sell the next meeting:

“Mr. Rodriguez, this has been a good meeting. If it

would be okay with you, at our next meeting we can

discuss what you are trying to accomplish and map

out the steps it will require for you to be able to make

an informed decision. That way you can tell what the

scope of this effort really will be.”

The TripTik_ is a great transfer-of-ownership tool. It gets

prospects involved. It makes them think about the process

they want to go through. And best of all, it makes them do that

thinking with you, not with someone else.

Of all the tools in this book, the TripTik_ is the one that

can make the biggest difference in your prospecting/close ratio.

Give it a try.

Success is a journey, not a destination.

—Anonymous

“Are we there yet?”

How many times have you heard that phrase coming from

the backseat? It drives you nuts, but look at it from the kids’

point of view. They don’t know where Los Angeles is, six

hours is an eternity to them, and “we’re still in Arizona” is the

same meaningless gibberish it was twenty minutes ago.

Kids on a car trip need a way to orient themselves in time

and space and to give them a sense of control in an unfamiliar

situation. When we were kids, the American Automobile Association

(AAA) came up with a tool for that job. It was called

a TripTik_.

A TripTik_ is a series of map pages strung together in

book. If you want to drive from Albuquerque to Los Angeles,

the TripTik_’s first page takes you from Albuquerque to a

point maybe 100 miles west. Then you turn the page to a map

of the next 100 miles, and so on. A neat idea, and a great way

to orient curious kids.

The Sales TripTik_

Buyers in the early stages of an unfamiliar sales process are in

a similar position to those kids in the backseat. A sales Trip-

Tik_ is a great prospector’s tool that can serve the same

function for them. It gives the prospect and the salesperson a tangible map to follow by outlining the steps or milestones in

the sales process (Figure 26-1).

Buyers want to be led, and they want to follow a process.

Show them in the early going what the process will look like.

TripTik®

Prospect Company: __________________________

Contact Name: _________________________

Initial Sales Call Date: _____/_____/______

Installation Date: ____/____/______

What are the steps we have taken together so far?

What are the next buy/sell steps do you want to take to make sure a decision is made?

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Complete?

Yes No

Insert steps the prospect is going to be taking on their own.

Update this Trip-Tik after every sales call.

Figure 26-1. A sample sales TripTik_.

Figure 26-1 is an example of a simple sales TripTik_.

“Next steps” might include things like:

_ Finish up requirements.

_ Live demonstration completed.

_ Final proposal presentation.

_ Final vendor selection.

_ Purchasing and legal review.

Work out the action items with the prospect so that you’re

going down a buying path together—and the prospect isn’t going

down a buying path with somebody else.

Figure 26-2 is a more impressive example of a TripTik_.

It’s a visual representation of the whole buying process. It’s

clear. It can be put up in a cube or office. It can have the

prospect’s logo on it. You can work together to change the

dates or action items. You can create multiple versions, such

as a technical TripTik_ and an executive TripTik_. A picture

is worth a thousand words, and this is one picture that can really

make a difference.

Create custom TripTiks_ in conjunction with your

prospects—don’t just go away and do it for them. If they’re actively

involved in building and adjusting one of these, they

will logically follow only one buying process. If you get some

major push back, you know you have a problem. Why? Because

you are helping them do their job and minimizing their

risk. Who wouldn’t want to use a tool like this? A prospect

who is not really qualified, that’s who.

TIP: Seventy percent of all prospects are visual

learners, which means they find visual aids very

helpful. Create TripTiks in a multicolor picture format,

not just as a list of words. A picture is worth

1,000 words, and control of the sale.

The TripTik_ thus is a qualifying tool as well. Use it to

weed out those maybes that are never going to happen. Use it

to own the process, own the deal, and work as a partner with

real potential buyers.

TripTik_ 145

ABC Company TripTik®

Today’s Date — June 22 — Update #3

Start

Date

Decision

Date

(I-Date)

June July Aug Sept Oct Nov

Actions to Be Taken by Month

Completed Action

Client Actions

Vendor Actions

Final

Project

Scope

Assemble

Program

and

Mgt Review

Final Vendor

Eval / Demo

Purchasing/

Legal Review

Final

Recommend

/Install Plan

Final

Installation

Detail

Work Flow

Executive

Mgt Meeting

ABC Co.

Program

Deliverables

Vendor RFP

Meeting

Demo

Scheduled

Submit

Contract

I-Plan

Review

Team

Assignments M3

learning

Figure 26-2. ABC Company TripTik_.

Key Considerations

_ A TripTik_is a mutual document. You will design it,

but both parties are going on the trip, so both should

participate in the development of the map. Leave

blanks or sections for the prospect to fill out.

_ A TripTik_ ends at the prospect’s Implementation

Date (I-Date), not at the contract-signing date.

Prospects care more about when they’ll start using the

product than when they agree to buy it. If possible,

start with the I-Date and develop the map backward

from there. That’s how the prospect is thinking.

Some salespeople agree that the TripTik_ sounds like a great

tool and then fail to use it, since it requires some work to put

one together. However, those who do use it report a 60 percent

increase in sales.

It also gives you a competitive exclusive. Prospects are going

to follow somebody’s sales path. It may as well be yours. If

you were in their shoes, wouldn’t you rather take directions

from somebody who shows you a map of the whole trip?

How to Prospect with It

The sooner you introduce the concept of the TripTik_ the better.

Here are some ideas to help you create the transfer of ownership:

_ Introduce it when you end your first call:

“Mr. Rodriguez, this has been a very good meeting. If

it would be okay with you, I’d like to lay out a few

steps we can go through so you can figure out as

quickly as possible if what we are talking about can really

help you.”

_ Send a sample one:

“Mr. Rodriguez, this has been a good meeting. If it

would be okay with you, I’d like to send you a map we

have put together with some of our most loyal customers

who were in a position similar to your position

right now. We can go through it so you can figure out

as quickly as possible if what we are talking about can

really help you.”

_ Sell the next meeting:

“Mr. Rodriguez, this has been a good meeting. If it

would be okay with you, at our next meeting we can

discuss what you are trying to accomplish and map

out the steps it will require for you to be able to make

an informed decision. That way you can tell what the

scope of this effort really will be.”

The TripTik_ is a great transfer-of-ownership tool. It gets

prospects involved. It makes them think about the process

they want to go through. And best of all, it makes them do that

thinking with you, not with someone else.

Of all the tools in this book, the TripTik_ is the one that

can make the biggest difference in your prospecting/close ratio.

Give it a try.