
Selling to large enterprises costs big dollars no matter how frictionless your sale is - nreece
http://www.beyondvc.com/2008/08/selling-to-larg.html
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dpapathanasiou
Maybe the traditional software buyers (CIO, COO, et.al.) still need to be
convinced, but that's an easier conversation to have when a number of people
inside the company are already using the free/light-featured version of the
service.

I'm not sure the old fashioned type of marketing the article describes is
really necessary anymore.

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blogimus
Back in the .com boom days, I was at a startup developing online negotiated
trade software. The sales team had figures where only about 15% or so of sales
to large corporations are turnkey products. The remaining 85% or so are
customized in some form or another. And that means rounds of communication
between vendor and purchaser. I'm not sure if the actual percentages were
accurate, but if even in the ballpark, and the difference in acquiring turnkey
versus custom goods, then old fashioned negotiated trade, either phone/in
person or electronic, will be in fashion still for quite some time to come.

[Edit] The percentages were for sales in total dollar amount.

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dpapathanasiou
That's always going to be true for "front door" sales (where the product is
presented to management ahead of users).

But I was referring to "back door" situations:
<http://www.tbray.org/ongoing/When/200x/2004/08/19/BackDoor>

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blogimus
I mostly agree with you in the case of "back door" sales, where groups are
able to make turnkey purchases as part of a group's given budget or purchasing
plan. Then it is not like you are dealing with a large corporation or a large
sale which requires all the planning needed to justify the purchase.

