By Shera Winter

I was recently reminded of my first big sale and how I got it. At the time, I was the Service Marketing Manager at a small company and was looking for ways to build stronger cooperation with the sales force. I had just returned from attending a Hahn Consulting sales training class and was excited about the tools and techniques I learned tailored specifically to selling services.

I went to the VP of the service organization to suggest we bring this class in-house for our sales team. He brushed me off with a, "Sounds good, but we don't have the budget for that sort of thing." I replied with, "Do you have any objection to my asking the Sales VP if he'll fund it?" After reminding me that product sales had been down for two quarters, he laughingly said, "If you can sell the VP of Sales, more power to you." He stopped laughing when, 30 minutes later, I returned from my meeting with the VP of Sales holding in my hand a signed agreement for the class. I calmly explained, "I used the RSAP proposal model I learned in the class."

This model goes hand-in-hand with the consultative style of selling. To use it well, you first need to diagnose the client's situation and service needs, identify the client's hot buttons, and understand how your solution will benefit the client. This information is then used in the one-page RSAP Proposal Model, consisting of the following four basic sections:

1. Recap The Situation

• Business Context
• Service/Support Issues
• The Hot Button

2. Solution System

3. Advantage

• Overall Benefit Statement

4. Personal Gains

• The Client's Personal Gain

The first step of the model is to recap the situation. Start with a few sentences on the client's overall business climate, then list the primary issues they are facing. These should include the client's underlying hot buttons that you uncovered during your earlier diagnosis. This step shows the client that you were listening and gives them confidence that you understand the situation.

I used this step successfully when an irate customer was escalated to me during his renewal process. He was a purchasing agent at a hospital and he had zero interest in the features or benefits of our plans. All he knew was that the president of his hospital had mandated that everyone, with an emphasis on everyone, cut costs by 10%, so he called to request a 10% discount on the renewal of their service contract. He learned that not only did we have a "no unearned discounts" policy, we had raised our service rates during the year. The subtlety of the term "unearned" was beyond his comprehension in his upset state of mind. By the time I received his call, our company was being called some unpleasant names.

When I called him back in the promised one hour with a proposal, I began by recapping the situation he had described to me earlier. All of health care was being pressured by government regulation to lower health costs, his hospital was under fire, his president had mandated an across-the-board "no excuses" 10% cut, we were raising his costs, and he was concerned for his job. There was a stunned moment of silence, followed by a big sigh. "You DO understand", he said with relief. From there I was able to show him our multi-year contract options that offered discounts that met his needs. We got a three-year contract instead of a cancellation.

2. Solution System

This section is where you lay out the basics of the plan you are proposing for the client. Do NOT list every feature of the plan. Instead, pick three or four of the strongest features that most address the client's needs. List these features and the benefit the client will derive from the feature. Remember, the benefits should be tailored to the hot buttons of the client. Let's say the client has stated several times that uptime is very important to them and your premium support plan includes all software updates and upgrades. You could list this as a feature and state its benefit as "minimize downtime by keeping current". But what if the client was most emphatic about wanting cost control? Well, then the benefit of this same feature would be "no extra cost to keep current".

Present the investment here. Show the price of the solution and compare it to the value of what they'll be receiving. If you have Return on Investment (ROI) numbers, use them here.

3. Advantage

Provide an overall benefit statement. Say, "This plan will allow you to…", and then fill in how the plan solves the client's hot button. For example, "This plan will allow you to control your service costs for two years. Everything is included. There will be no financial surprises, allowing you to budget accurately."

4. Personal Gains

The point of this section is to make the client think of how they'll feel once they implement your proposal. This is a good place to practice your recognition of different personality styles. If the client is a driver, mention how this plan will give them more control. An analytic? Think of the respect that comes with making a well-informed, smart decision. In my RSAP proposal to the Sales VP, I pointed out how providing a tailored in-house training class at that time would show the sales people how important they were to the company, and that the company was willing to invest in them even during difficult times.

After presenting the full RSAP, wrap up with something like, "How does this sound?" or "What is the next step?"

Try It – It Works!

Here's a true story about a student's first use of the RSAP model as related by John Garofalo, co-presenter of the Hahn Consulting sales training classes:

"A recent graduate of our sales training for engineers, Michael, called us two weeks after the class to report how the training had served him. Michael was conducting a routine preventive maintenance call in a hospital when a department head spotted him and ushered him into an adjoining room where the hospital budget committee was debating whether or not to cancel all service contracts. The department head said: 'Michael, please tell this committee your thoughts about service contracts and about your company's service plans.' Michael, an engineer, was caught off-guard. He told me, 'My career flashed before my eyes as I could see my boss firing me for losing the contract on all our systems. I stalled a bit trying to recall our recent training with you. Then I remembered the RSAP presentation model and printed the letters on the white board. I began with reviewing my understanding of their overall hospital situation and went through each step just like we practiced in class.'

'They thanked me and ushered me outside to wait for a decision about canceling the contracts. What seemed like an hour was probably only minutes, but finally the department head came out and said: "I'm sorry but we've decided to cancel all contracts, including your seven systems -- just kidding! No, really the committee was impressed with your presentation. We'd forgotten why we had purchased them and needed them now. Actually, I don't think we've ever seen a service presentation. That was most helpful. All your contracts will stay in effect."' Michael wrapped up his phone call by saying: 'I thought you'd like to hear how your training paid off.'

So, give this a try and let me know how it goes!