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For Internal Use Only.

The Accenture Way to Sell

The Accenture Way to Sell is your guide to Accentures client-focused, disciplined sales approach.

Table of Contents
Introduction Build Trusted Relationships Target Right Clients Grow Quality Pipeline Win Protable Deals Manage Sales Index, References and Additional Resources 2 4 22 28 38 60 70

This guide provides an overview of Accentures approach to selling. Use it as a rst-time orientation or as an ongoing reminder of what is important to us and what has proven to work. It also provides references to many valuable resources.
What is Accentures approach to selling? It is a powerful combination of philosophy and discipline. The philosophy: a core belief that trusted relationships with our clients and a shared focus on their success will bring us success. The discipline: empowering sales methods, tools, techniques and information that ensure the strong business rigor that distinguishes Accenture in the marketplace. The High Performance Selling Framework embodies this combination of philosophy and discipline. This guide is organized by the key elements of the High Performance Selling Framework: Build Trusted Relationships, Target Right Clients, Grow Quality Pipeline, Win Protable Deals and Manage Sales.

High Performance Selling Framework

ed Relation Trust shi d l i ps u B
Target Right Clients Manage Sales Win Profitable Deals

Grow Quality Pipeline

Build Trusted Relationships

Enduring, trust-based relationships with our clients are the foundation for all of our sales efforts. Such relationships are the reason we work with the best organizations in the worldthe right clients for our business. Our relationships are the reason we can grow a quality pipeline of opportunities that will help our clients reach their highest aspirations. Through trusted relationships we turn those opportunities into protable wins at responsible cost. Relationships are the ultimate key to our sales success: when we focus on understanding our clients and help them succeed, we succeed.

Grow Quality Pipeline

A healthy pipeline of viable, quality opportunities is critical to meeting our sales goals. Ongoing, inspired client account development, strong joint sales planning between operating groups and growth platforms (sales interlock), targeted offering sales campaigns, and focused marketing efforts will continue to build the pipeline we need.

Win Protable Deals

Rigorous deal qualication and the development and execution of informed, smart sales strategies have resulted in higher win rates. From qualication to pricing to negotiations, we have powerful expertise, methods, tools, techniques and information that position us to not only win, but to win protable deals.

Target Right Clients

The majority of our bookings continue to come from our foundation clients. These clients represent the most successful and respected organizations from around the globe, and growing our business with them is essential to our overall success. Our sales efforts center primarily on these invaluable clients, and on a careful selection of other clients that show great promise for growth.

Manage Sales
Achieving our overall objectives of sales growth at lower cost involves effectively managing the people, the information and the costs associated with sales.

Build Trusted Relationships

Are your client relationships built on trust? Are you client-centric? Do you really know your client?
The Trust Equation Client-centricity SOCIAL STYLESM 6 8 9 The Ultimate Trust Checkpoint 7

Do you have meaningful conversations with your client that build trust?
ORDER Model 11 Client Meeting Best Practices 12

Are you building trusted relationships with the right clients?

Power Mapping 16

The strength of our client relationships is the No. 1 reason we win deals, and the No. 1 reason we lose.
Why? Because in a strong relationship, our clients fundamentally trust that we understand their challenges and aspirations. They trust that we are interested in their success, not just our own. They trust that we will have their best interests at heart in any work we do with them. With such trust as a foundation, our clients seek our counsel, sharing with us their intentions, constraints, inuences and more invaluable insight that informs and strengthens our opportunity generation, pursuits and ultimately our chances to win work that will help both the client and us achieve our goals. In short, trust sells. Without trusted relationships, our clients may assume we are purely self-interested salespeople. Without trust, they hold their thoughts and plans close, limiting us to a supercial and speculative view. We are left to y blind, and guessing is no basis for sound sales decisions, nor a win. Throughout Accenture, many of us have enduring, trusted relationships with our clients. Many of us also have relationships that are limited and transactional in nature. To move toward building deep, trusted relationships, we have sought out the best thinking and guidance to help us infuse the art of developing real relationships with our clients into the heart of what we do and who we are. This section provides highlights of the resources that can help you cultivate your relationship-development abilities. While there are various approaches and techniques for building trusted relationships, one thing is constant: client centricitythe client is the focus, always.

The Trust Equation

Understanding what trust really is what goes into itis key to achieving it. In the Trusted Advisor1, by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green and Robert M. Galford, trust is dened as an equation:

Trust =

Credibility + Reliability + Intimacy Self-orientation

Trustour trustworthiness, as perceived by our client Credibilitywhether our client knows that our word and credentials are true Reliabilitywhether our client knows that our commitments will be consistently met Intimacyhow secure or safe the client feels sharing with us Self-orientationwhether our focus is on our client vs. ourselves. Do we appear to be more interested in ourselves or in trying to be of service to the client?

As the sole variable in the denominator, the most important factor in the Trust Equation is selforientation. This is intentional. A seller with low self-orientation (or high client centricity) is free to truly focus on the client, not for his/her own sake, but for the sake of the client.

Key Resources
Trust Equation Learning Paper Trust Quotient Self Diagnostic Test Build Trusted Relationships homepage Trusted-based Relationships topic page in SELL

The Ultimate Trust Checkpoint

The Ultimate Trust Checkpoint is a way to assess whether your actions and relationships are geared toward building trust through a focus on your client. How well do you know your clients business? We are typically strong in this area, and where we are not, we have tools that can help, such as the Shareholder Value Analysis. Next, how well do you know your client personally? Using techniques such as SOCIAL STYLESM and the ORDER Model2, described on the following pages, can help. Ultimately, when your clients know that you know them, their business and their clients, and that you know them on a personal level, you have achieved a strong, trust-based relationship. It is this target to which all those in sales should aspire.

Kno w

in a busine lient ss c c on the te a n p i e w t r s n o o e i n l al c c he

Client knows that you know him/her in a business and personal context... and will do what is right for him/her

Kn

xt t tex on

Increasing Strength of Relationships

Building Trust through Client-Centricity

Our intent to focus on our client, as described in the trust equation, is the most important factor in building trust. Like it or not, our clients will assign an intent to us. Client-focused intent creates an environment of trust in which clients are comfortable opening up and discussing their issues without the fear of a sales pitch reply. If our intent is congruent with meeting client needs, we are able to pursue opportunities in the best interest of both the client and Accenture. When we are client-centric, we build the strongest, trusted relationships.

Assessing your Client-Centricity

To assess your client-centricity, answer the following questions with a specic business relationship in mind, even where the questions sound very general. Do you do a better job than your competitors at listening to the client? Do you work hard at nding out what they like and dont like about dealing with us? Do you have a better understanding (than competitors) of what the experience is like of being a client?
8

Do you focus on what the client wants to buy, rather than what you want to sell? Do you treat clients as unique, adapting and responding to each with a customized approach? Does your client believe that if there is ever a trade-off, you will put the clients interests ahead of your own? Are you client-centric for the sake of the client (or client-centric because of what you will gain)?

SOCIAL STYLESM
All people exhibit patterns of behavior. If you can recognize and respond to these behaviors appropriately, you will have a more successful relationship. The SOCIAL STYLE MODEL can help you do just that. The model helps you identify your clients Style and anticipate his/her associated behaviors so that you can strengthen how you relate to him/her, resulting in increased client centricity and trust. The SOCIAL STYLE MODEL helps you: Understand yourself better so that you have awareness of your motivations and behaviors and can adapt as needed. Understand others so that you can: Communicate in a way they like. Address what is important to them. Understand their motivations and behaviors. Team better with them. Sell better to them.

Key Resources
SOCIAL STYLESSM Learning Paper SOCIAL STYLESSM Pocket Book SOCIAL STYLESSM topic page in SELL

SOCIAL STYLE MODEL

Controls Analytical
Serious Exacting Indecisive Logical

Driving
Independent Formal Practical Dominating

Asks Amiable
Dependable Supportive Pliable Open

Tells Expressive
Animated Forceful Opinionated Impulsive

Emotes
Used with permission of Cahners TRACOM Group. All Rights Reserved.3 9

Selling to Different SOCIAL STYLESSM

Understanding and anticipating how your client will relate to you can help you adapt your own behaviors and reactions, for positive, productive, trust-building interactions. The table below provides further insight on the typical behaviors and reactions of each SOCIAL STYLESM.

Element
Basic Need Orientation Growth Action Strengths Weaknesses Back-up Behavior Use of Time DecisionMaking Support Their Take Time To Provide

Driving
Results Action To Listen Decisive Insensitive to Others Autocratic Immediacy Uses Facts, Takes Risks Actions and Conclusions Be Efficient The A team and Predictability

Expressive
Personal Approval Spontaneity To Check Enthusiastic Too Impulsive Attack Future Uses Opinions, Takes Risks Dreams and Intuitions Be Stimulating Testimony and Incentives

Amiable
Personal Security Relationships To Initiate Listens Taking a Stand Acquiesce Present Uses Opinions, Avoids Risk Feelings and Relationships Be Agreeable Guarantees and Assurances

Analytical
To Be Right Thinking To Declare Thorough Poor Improvisor Avoid Historical Uses Facts, Avoids Risks Principles and Thinking Be Accurate Evidence and Service

10

ORDER Model2
With trust as a foundation, our clients feel comfortable answering important questions that can provide valuable insight. The ORDER model, an approach for having meaningful, structured client conversations, can help you develop stronger client relationships, better understand client needs and thus better qualify and win sales opportunities. The ORDER model helps you learn what questions to ask, and when and how to ask them to get the critical information you need, including opportunity details, the clients budget, the clients decision process, the best solution, and how to position for the win. Specically, the ORDER model helps you: Examine your intent and make sure it is congruent with your clients interestsclient centricity! Understand how critical it is to immediately clarify with your client any assumptions that you may have. Challenge yourself to rst focus on in-depth inquiry into the clients needs before advocating a solution. Push yourself to engage in more open dialogue with your client about a potential opportunityand leave the PowerPoint behind. To learn how to use the ORDER model, consult the key resources below.

Key Resources
ORDER Model Learning Paper Build Trusted Relationships homepage Client Conversations topic page in SELL

Opportunity Creation O Opportunity

Yes

Opportunity Conversion E Exact Solution

Resources

Proceed?

D Decision Process

R Results
No

Offer Gracefully to Exit

ORDER Model: 2009 Franklin Covey Co. Duplicated and distributed under license for use within Accenture LLC. All rights reserved.

11

Client Meeting Best Practices Before the Meeting

The ORDER model, the SOCIAL STYLE MODEL, the Trust Equation and the Ultimate Trust Checkpoint are valuable concepts and techniques in strengthening your client relationships. All can play an important role in your client interactions, as does deliberately planning for those interactions. Below are tips for effective meetings with your client. Questions Determine the questions you want to ask. What will the client likely ask? How will we respond? Yellow Lights What are likely stalls, doubts, concerns, objections? How will we respond? Next Steps What next steps might you suggest to the client at the end of the meeting? Agenda What is the agenda or critical path for the meeting?

Create Your Meeting Plan

End in Mind (EIM) At the end of the meeting, what do you want to be able to say, do, and decide together with the client? What will you say to introduce and position our EIM at the beginning of the meeting and to invite theirs? What would be an EIM of value and interest to the client vs. us? Key Beliefs What key beliefs, intellectually and emotionally, must the client resolve to agree with EIM? Proof/Action What will we do to address and satisfy the key beliefs?

Practice, Practice, Practice and Leave the PowerPoint Behind

Spend your preparation time discussing and role playing portions of the meeting with others. Practice active listening and questioning. Practice handling possible client objections, questions and concerns.

12

Know Your Client Before You Meet

What is your clients SOCIAL STYLESM? What business issues is she/he facing? What is important to that person, both professionally and personally? Who are your clients inuencers and friends?

Key Resources
The Accenture Selling Platform Workshop Initiate New Opportunities homepage Client Conversations topic page in SELL Trust-based Relationships topic page in SELL SOCIAL STYLESSM topic page in SELL Build Trusted Relationships homepage

13

Client Meeting Best Practices During the Meeting

While it is valuable to enter client meetings well prepared and with a plan, you should also be prepared to drop all your plans depending on your clients needs. Be ready to meet reality, not control it. Be sensitive to what the client wants to accomplish. Allow the conversation to go where the client wants it to go. Below are tips for conducting meaningful client meetings.

Effective Questions
Ask for permission to ask questions. Ask open-ended questions as much as possible. Ask one question at a time and wait for the answer. Be cautious of leading questions. Be aware when asking how or what works better than why.

Build Rapport
Always be prepared to socialize at the beginning of the meeting. Think of some simple genuine questions to ask (e.g., How has your day been? Hows business?). Let the clients body language and speech help you determine how much to socialize. Most importantly, understand the clients SOCIAL STYLESM and adapt to it.

Move off the Solution

Instead of jumping to a solution with the client, explore the problems and/or results the solution will address (the ORDER model). Ask: What kinds of problems have you been experiencing by not having <the solution>? and Lets say you could put in a worldclass <the solution>. What would that allow you to do that you cant do today?

Intent Counts
Ensure that your intent is obvious that your main objective is their success, not your own.

14

No Guessing
To avoid guessing, listen carefully to the key words or phrases the clients use, and ask what those words mean to them. Try: We hear that a lot and every individual has a slightly different meaning for <the solution>. How would you describe...? What do you mean when you say...? Be careful to not make the client guess what you are talking about either. Watch your references to Accenture acronyms and consultant-speak. Speak in the clients language.

Key Resources
Connect with your Client Job Aid Client Conversations topic page in SELL Trust-based Relationships topic page in SELL SOCIAL STYLESSM topic page in SELL Build Trusted Relationships homepage

Next Time
Dont leave the meeting without an agreed next step, and the more specic, the better.

15

Power Maps
Power maps help you determine where to focus your relationship development efforts. They are visual representations of a clients organization that display inuence networks, roles and attitudes towards Accenture and our competition. They are powerful tools to help you plan how to navigate and leverage relationships for your relationshipbuilding efforts. The exercise of building a map forms the basis for your individual relationship strategies. In general, we develop relationship strategies in two different dimensions: at the account levelfocused relationship development to drive a long-term, sustainable partnership with the client; and at the specic opportunity levelto win a deal.

Account Power Map

Account power maps address accountlevel relationships. They are built around the clients organization chart and visually depict: Ofcial reporting relationships among individuals inside the client. Strength of relationships that we (and the competitors) have with key client individuals. The inuence channels among key parties at an account, including: Inuence among individuals inside the client organization (where do the strongest ties and alliances exist? Who inuences whom?) Inuence that Accenture has with the client Inuence that our competitors have with the client Any inuence channels between the client and other key external parties (for example, Alliance partners, third party advisors, etc.)

Key Resources
Working the Deal Power Map Facilitated Learning Module Avoiding Power Mapping Mistakes Learning Paper Power Mapping topic page in SELL Account Relationship and Power Map Job Aid/Template SOCIAL STYLESSM Learning Paper

16

Account Power Map Example

+1

Clay Jones President & CEO

+3 AH

+2

Lawrence Erickson SVP & CFO

+3

Gary Chadick General Counsel

Margaret Thomas ST President Strategy Development

-2

Richard Kirchenbauer SVP HR

Barry Abzug JM SVP Corporate Development

-2

Kent Statler SVP Operations

+1 +2

Robert Chiusano COO Commercial Syst.

Gregory Churchill EVP Government Systems

Scott Taylor
+3 Patrick Allen VP Commercial Systems Rick Sandstrom RW Director, Customer Dev Processes -1

Rose Donnelly JS Manufacturing Ops - ATS

-2

-3

Marsha Shulte VP Finance

IBM

Mark Harris VP Global Aircraft

SAP

Key Accenture Relationship Owner

(circle with initials) ST Scott Taylor AH Andre Hackett JS John Smith JM Jim Madden RW Roger Williams

Strength of Relationship
Accenture upper right circle (color-coded) Competitor lower right circle (black) Coach Key Decision Maker
Thickness of line indicates strength of relationship. Red line indicates negative relations

Influence Networks
No Circle = Unknown +3 +2 +1 0 -1 -2 -3 Strong personal & bz relationship Good business relationship Mildly positive Neutral Mildly negative Non-supporter Strongly Negative Other Key Parties Accenture Competitor

17

Power Maps (continued)

Opportunity/Deal Power Map
Opportunity/Deal power maps are more advanced versions of the above and focus specically on opportunityspecic participants and relationships related to a deal pursuit. Opportunity/ Deal power maps should be developed and maintained throughout a deal pursuit lifecycle. In addition to depicting the inuence channels described above, opportunity/deal power maps split the target participants into the all-important four SOCIAL STYLESM quadrants, to help you understand how to approach individuals, their client buyer values, and what messages will resonate the best. Typically, it makes sense to develop and maintain several types of opportunity power maps throughout a deal pursuit lifecycle: Will the client do the transaction power map Whom will the client do the transaction with power map Negotiations power map

18

Deal Power Map Example

Analytic Driving

+1

Terry Wilson SE Accenture TPA Anna Detail VP Procurement Evaluator

+3

Christy James CFO Influencer

+2 0

Sally Jones COO Approver

-2 +3

+1

Steve Serra VP & Proj Lead Eval/Rec

+3

Marty Quattrone Dir Bus Serv Eval/Rec

+2

John Rigor Sr. Mgr Accenture IBM HP Alliance Partner

-1

Daniel Fowler CIO Eval/Rec

+1

Amiable

Expressive

Key Accenture (colored) Competitor (black) Neutral Coach

Roles Eval - Evaluator Rec - Recommender Eval/Rec - Evaluator/Recommender Influencer Approver Thickness of line indicates strength of relationship. Red line indicates negative relations

+3 Strong personal & bz relationship +2 Good business relationship +1 Mildly positive

-1 -2 -3

Mildly negative Non-Supporter Strongly negative

Unknown <List all individuals whose roles and relationship information is not currently know in this box>

19

Top Lessons Learned about Deal Power Maps

SOCIAL STYLESSM Our Greatest Tool
Understanding the SOCIAL STYLESSM of the individuals in the power map is the single greatest tool for both understanding values and how decisions are made.

Recommender in Approvers Clothing

Occasionally, someone will be dened as an approver; however, they end up having an active role in the decisionmaking process. This is more likely to occur when the approver is a risk taker (driver or expressive SOCIAL STYLESM).

Dual Power Maps

Frequently, there are two different power maps for each opportunity (1) will the client do the transaction or not, and (2) with whom will the client do the transaction.

Changing the Roles

If our relationship is strong with someone acting as the approver, then Accenture must look for ways to increase the inuence of the approver.

Approvers versus Recommenders

For most with whom decisions, a group of people are assembled to evaluate providers. In most cases, the team will make a recommendation and the top person in the power map acts as more of an approver than a recommender.

Coach was Wrong

Occasionally, the coaching we receive on power maps from our clients is wrong. This is not intentional but simply a result of the client not objectively seeing the power and inuence structure. Constantly retest assumptions with coaches.

Beware the Outsider

Frequently, our power maps focus on the named and formal members of the power structure. Typically, signicant inuence is made by others outside the formal structure: people in other business areas, consultants, friends, board members.

20

Start EarlyWork it Often

Building the power map takes dozens and dozens of conversations and debate with our team, and more importantly with the client and others. Begin mapping as early as you believe there is an opportunity. Make it an objective to validate or enhance some part of the power map with every conversation with the client.

Power Changes
Roles within the power map can change during the course of procurement. Re-evaluating the identied roles frequently, particularly after major decisions in the buying cycle are completed, ensures a higher probability of winning the deal.

Committee Must Win

In cases where there is a selection committee or working group that is presenting a recommendation to an approver, we must win the committee. It is imperative that we understand how the committee decision will be made (consensus, key players, etc.) and begin to build our plan for winning the committee. Remember to include each and every committee member. Leaving one member out could be detrimental.

History as a Predictor
Power and decision-making structures are often consistent for decisions of like kind. In order to understand how a decision will be made, ask how previous similar decisions were made.

Examine Process Changes

Typically, a client will have a dened buying process. When that process changes, determine why the process change occurred and who was involved in dening and approving the process change. In most cases, the power structure for a process decision is a good benchmark for how the other decisions will be made.

Third Parties Matter

Third parties have a great deal at stake during the buying process. Accenture must include them in the power map. Typically, they have stronger inuence than we acknowledge. Treat the third party as you would a client.

21

Target Right Clients

Who are the right clients for Accenture?
Characteristics of Right Clients 24

How do we ensure we have the right clients?

Client Portfolio Management 25

22

Being deliberate about with whom we work is one of the key reasons for our sales success, and it is a prominent feature of our sales growth strategy.
Our clients are the worlds leading companies and governments, including almost all of the Fortune Global 100 and more than three-quarters of the Fortune Global 500. This level of client offers greater growth potential and protability. The clients with whom we have a long history also yield a greater return on our investment in them. Almost all of our top 100 clients in the last few years have been clients for at least 10 years. Our sales efforts center primarily on these invaluable clients and on the careful selection of other clients and prospects that show great promise for growth. This section describes how we ensure we are targeting the right clients for Accenture.

23

Characteristics of Right Clients

Right clients typically share the following common characteristics: Signicant market share, strong reputation, viewed as a leader in their industry Potential buyer for the full suite of Accenture offerings Culture of high performance or the desire to develop one Strong C-level relationships established or planned Strong current and future revenue and target margins for Accenture Accenture has signicant share of wallet and strong advantage over our competitors Broad, multiyear value-creation agenda, that Accenture helps develop Delivered work is used as a key component in our market positioning (e.g., marketing/media, credentials, references, innovative offerings)

24

Client Portfolio Management

Client portfolio management (CPM) ensures that we continually focus our investments on relationships offering the greatest potential return. CPM is an annual process during which we classify our clients into one of three categories based on their potential: foundation, portfolio and opportunistic. CPM classications are used to drive actions related to sales planning, account planning, business development (BD) investments and more. Our goal is to be very selective in targeting new prospects and to restrict investment in non-foundation clients.

Key Resources
Client Account Lead Lookup Target Right Clients homepage

Client Portfolio Management Classications

Foundation Clients Provide the foundation of our success in terms of revenues, income and opportunity. Have signicant market share, a strong reputation and are viewed as a leader in their industry; are potential buyers for the full suite of Accenture offerings; have a high performance culture or the desire to develop one. Represent substantial current revenue for us and/or highest potential for future growth at or above target margins; Accenture has a signicant share of wallet and strong advantage over competitors at the client; We are partnering with the client on a broad multi-year value creation agenda; We have current, or aspiration to develop, intimate, trusted C-level relationships; Our business with the client is used as a critical component of our strategic position in the industry (e.g., marketing/media, credentials, reference for additional sales, innovative offerings, etc.) Merit signicant investment, including a dedicated account lead and team, and heavy, proactive business development investment.
25

Client Portfolio Management (continued)

Portfolio Clients Represent an important segment for future growth. Will likely be our next generation of foundation clients. Includes a number of protable clients with important relationships but limited potential for signicant growth. Merit similar investment as foundation clients, e.g., may have designated client directors, will require annual account plans. Opportunistic Clients Offers an unexpected opportunity and/or where there is an opportunistic offering or asset-driven sale. Have greater than $1B in company revenue (with exceptions only for valid strategic reasons.) Merit investment based on potential of a specic opportunity with limited proactive investment in the account; No requirement for a full-time senior executive.

Diamond Clients
In addition to the three client classications, we have a segment of our clients that we call diamond clients. Our diamond clients are our largest and most important clients based on several criteria. This select group, mostly an elite subset of our foundation clients, was formed to create a forum for exchange of ideas and best practices for working with our very best clients. Through this knowledge sharing we are able to bring the best of Accenture to the best of our clients. We also track emerging diamonds which are clients we believe will become diamonds within two years. The criteria are based on an assessment of the following four factors: visible opportunity backlog and pipeline, sustainability of the existing relationship, potential to grow the relationship, and willingness of the account team to commit to goals consistent with becoming a diamond account.

26

Global Clients
Global clients comprise another key segment of our clients. These clients operate globally and make buying decisions in an interdependent way within their organization (versus clearly centralized or decentralized decision-making). Our strategy for serving this group of clients is built around a strong, global orientation.

27

Grow Quality Pipeline

How do we grow our quality pipeline?
Account Development Sales Interlock Offering Sales Campaigns Client Centric Marketing 30 32 34 37

28

A healthy pipeline of viable opportunities is critical to achieving our sales goals.

Being intentional and strategic about the makeup of the pipeline ensures that we have the number and size of wins necessary to meet sales targets. Pipeline-worthy opportunities are winnable, desirable and deliverable. They address specic needs of the client and are ones that Accenture is well positioned to sell and deliver. A strong, consistently replenished pipeline is a key element of our sales growth strategy. How do we grow this robust pipeline of quality opportunities? We do so through proactive deal origination. We drive inspired account planning to bring the best of Accenture to our clients, incorporating expertise from our industries, offerings and growth platforms. Through sales interlock, we jointly plan client-level sales and resourcing across our operating groups and growth platforms. We conduct proactive offering sales campaigns where there is a strong t between a clients business needs and our offerings and assets. We leverage the best of our marketing skills and programs to build awareness of Accentures capabilities and deepen relationships with our clients. This section provides an overview of the essential activities for building our pipeline.
29

Account Development
Account development is the foundation for proactively generating demand and building a strong pipeline. It is a disciplined approach to planning Accentures future with our clients, dening where we want to be with our relationships, and with the work we do to help our clients achieve high performance, and determining real actions to get us there. Account development is not a onetime event, nor just a nancial plan. It is a sustained, focused, measurable journey. The planning horizon is multiyear with a focus on relationships. Account development involves building a deep understanding of the client, creating an account plan, and living the plan through follow-up, on-going review and strategizing.
Understand the Client Develop deep insight into client through research, client validation Client Profile Shareholder Value Analysis, Public Service Value Industry vision Relevant offerings material Create the Account Plan Strategy and action plans for Positioning Relationships Opportunities

Key Resources
Account Plan Template Client Prole Sample Shareholder Value Analysis homepage Account Development Client Account Lead Guide Account Development Coordinator Guide Account Relationship and Power Map Job Aid/Template Account Development homepage Grow Quality Pipeline homepage Build Trusted Relationships homepage

Live the Plan Disciplined follow-through Carry out action plans Conduct regular team meetings Track progress against plan Revisit and refine strategies Conduct client value reviews with the client

Client

30

Account Planning Top 10 Best Practices

1. Develop a three-year vision versus just a one-year plan. Gain commitment on vision within Operating Group (OG) and Growth Platform (GP). 2. Focus relentlessly on relationship development (with metrics). 3. Be inclusive: include individuals outside the team (growth platform, industry, offerings). 4. Include a client in the account planning sessions: allies as well as critics. 5. Understand the clients perceptions of Accenture: get a formal, independent assessment. 6. Leverage client-centric marketingmarketing professionals can help drive awareness and outreach. 7. Share with the client: A document that states our intent to impact their business. An annual value review (value we have delivered to the client). 8. Get coaching from leadership: quarterly review sessions with client service group leads and operating unit managing directors. 9. Keep up the momentum: quarterly planning sessions with monthly check-ins. 10. Use Accentures proven best practices, job aids and templates: go to the Account Development homepage on the Sales Effectiveness website.

31

Sales Interlock
Sales interlock is joint Operating Group (OG) and Growth Platform (GP) sales planninggetting the right people together to agree how we will achieve (through pipeline generation and client-level sales) our top-down sales targets. We know that we are strongest in sales when we team across OGs and GPs to bring the best of Accenture to our clients. The primary participants in sales interlock are the Client Service Group (CSG) leads, operating unit (OU)deployed GP leads, and the CSG aligned service group (SG) liaisons. This group works together to jointly develop a line of sight to scal-year sales targets. Outputs of sales interlock include client-level SG sales plans and identication of the SG resources assigned to the clients to help drive those sales (with a focus on foundation clients). Sales interlock consists of two phases: the initial annual planning phase described above, and then the ensuing collaboration through the year. Ongoing interlock consists of regular check-ins between the CSG lead and SG liaison to measure progress against plan and to ensure integration with account plans. Sales Interlock is a continuous loop of planning and collaboration between OG and GP. Sales interlock and account planning are highly integrated, reciprocal activities that create alignment between client level action and overall sales plans. Account plans provide key input to the sales interlock process, and sales interlock drives expanded account plans. Sales interlock is the key to getting the right resources to the right clients to drive sales. It helps build pipeline and sales plans that will enable us to meet our aggressive sales goals, including SG-level sales goals. Targeted, balanced growth across our service groups is essential to successful execution of our corporate strategy. Sales interlock is an integral part of our go-to-market strategy, and where we have done this well, we have seen signicant lift in opportunity pipelines and sales success.

Key Resources
Sales Interlock homepage

32

Sales Interlock Participants

Operating Group
CSG Lead brings industry and client knowledge, client list and account plans. OU-Deployed GP Lead brings offerings, suggested target clients.

Growth Platform
CSG-aligned SG Liaison brings offerings, suggested target clients, and SG sales resources.

Sales Interlock Process

1. Sales Interlock Annual Planning
CSG Lead and SG liaison jointly plan how to achieve shared sales targets: Based on input from account plans, agree client-specific SG fiscal year sales targets Assign the right SG sales resources to the right clients Clarify sales accountability, translate to individual SE objectives

2. Ongoing Sales Interlock

At the Leadership Level Ongoing Interlock checkpoints between CSG and SG liaisons At the Client Level Improved, collaborative account planning

33

Offering Sales Campaign

An offering sales campaign is a set of proactive marketing and sales activities to promote a particular offering (or bundle of offerings) to clients who could be uniquely helped by that offering. Offering sales campaigns are a key driver to generating opportunities to further grow our pipeline. Effective account planning and sales interlock can both contribute to a successful offering sales campaign by identifying clients to whom we would like to market the offering. We have a comprehensive set of best practices for offering campaign managementwhich includes tips and lessons learned, sample documents, and templates for each of the described activities. These are all laid out in a guide (link above) which is intended for offering owners, marketing professionals, and sales directors who are involved in single offering, bundled offering, or broader-based campaigns. It is written with a range of needs in mindwhether conducting a quick search for a specic best practice, or looking to map out an entire offering sales campaign. Offering sales campaign management encompasses three primary sets of activities: preparation (prepare to go to market), execution (go to market) and tracking (track and report).

Key Resources
Accenture OfferingsSales Campaign Management Handbook Offering Sales Campaign homepage

34

Offering Sales Campaign Activities

Prepare to Go-to-Market Go-to-Market Track and Report

Strategize your sales campaign approach and develop sales assets. Plan Your Campaign Strategy Establish sales goals Develop internal awareness and education, and external marketing and communications plans Conrm the campaigns program management approach, nalize related budget/ funding Dene campaign roles and responsibilities Identify and enable sales channels (any individual or group that will take offering sales messages to the market) Develop Sales Assets (materials to use in pre-sales and sales activities, e.g. decks, brochures, microsites)

Execute the strategy developed in the prior phase. Drive out the internal awareness and education programs, and the external marketing and communications activities Identify client targets, work with Client Account Leads as applicable to get access Connect with the client (prepare for and hold the meetings, structured client conversations) Pursue and close the opportunity

Report on the progress of the sales campaign against sales targets, budget, and planned activities throughout the campaign.

35

Offering Sales Campaign Top 10 Best Practices

1. Establish personal accountability for sales: incorporate sales targets into performance objectives and track against them. 2. Identify a network of sponsors who will commit to drive demand generation in their entities. Share responsibility for the success of the campaign. 3. Identify your sales channels early. Educate and mobilize thoroughly. Do the same with your network of regional subject matter experts (SMEs)you cant sell without them. 4. Remember: you are selling internally as much as you are selling externally to clients. 5. Leverage marketing professionals early to develop your messaging and execute an integrated campaign: they bring unique skills. 6. Proactively leverage existing venues, forums and vehicles for your awareness, education and communications needsdont create new ones if you dont have to. 7. Ensure your campaign messaging is unique and differentiated. Build compelling, fact-based value propositions. 8. For offerings which involve or impact third party technology providers: proactively leverage our network of alliance partners to expand sales channels, sell more, and decrease selling costs. 9. Track key milestones across the activities in your sales campaign and regularly report on leads, pipeline, and salesto support momentum and individual accountability. 10. Apply proven sales and relationship-building techniques in your client interactions (e.g., SOCIAL STYLESM, power maps). Focus on the clients best interest: your main objective is their success.

36

Client Centric Marketing

Client centric marketing (CCM) is a strategic marketing approach developed with account leadership, to drive relationship-building and awareness at specic targeted accounts. CCM teams Accentures best marketing resources with client teams not only to build stronger relationships and but also to provide effective mechanisms to differentiate us from the competition and demonstrate our commitment to the client. CCM campaigns are always anchored in disciplined message development and, along with a focus on channel innovation, utilize customer relationship management (CRM) analytics to provide a continuous loop of intelligence to facilitate sales effectiveness and account penetration. Opportunity centric marketing (OCM) uses a similar approach in pursuit of a specic sales opportunity.

Key Resources
Client Centric and Opportunity Centric Marketing Learning Paper

Client Centric Marketing: Bringing the Power of Accenture Marketing to Your Client
Design Agencies/ External Best Practices Internet Marketing Accenture Research

Client

Integrated Campaign

CCM Lead

Growth Platform Marketing

Media and Analyst Relations

Geographic Marketing Industry Marketing

37

Win Protable Deals

What is the right team to win?
Sales Roles 40 Strategy Reviews New Business Management Process Pricing Proposal Development and Support Orals 41 44 46 Negotiations Win Loss Reviews 47 48 49 52 54 56 59

What are Accentures best methods for winning protable deals?

Sales Cycle Qualication, Strategy and Advancement Structured Team Working Sessions

38

What does it take to win the right deal for Accenture?

It takes the right team of people who can move and develop an opportunity through our rigorous sales cycle from qualication and win strategy development, to pricing, proposal, orals, negotiations and nal contract. This right team of people must also have the right client relationships that are built on trust. Such relationships enable the team to test and validate ideas and assumptions throughout the sales cycle, resulting in the strongest possible proposal and chances for winning. In short, winning protable deals requires the right people, with the right relationships, using the best methods. This section provides an overview of those best methods and the right team needed to win.

39

The Right Team to Win: Sales Roles Blueprint

Assembling the right sales team for each opportunity is critical to achieving our desired business outcomes of strong client relationships, quality pipeline, a good return on our business development investment and ultimately, winning. The Sales Roles Blueprint denes the right team needed to win an opportunity. This consistent set of roles: Strengthens teaming by clearly delineating responsibilities. Brings the best of Accenture to bear by promoting the engagement of specialized talent from across our organization. Strengthens management of sales resource costs by identifying the roles needed to succeed. Enables efciency and cost savings in stafng sales teams. Not all roles are required for every pursuit and an individual may play multiple roles on an opportunity. As opportunities increase in complexity and size, the possibility that each role equates to one or more people also increases.

Key resources
Sales Roles and Credit Policy homepage

Sales Roles Blueprint

Leadership Team
Client Account Lead Sales Lead
(Opportunity Director, OSL, Sales Leadother)

Opportunity QA Director

Origination Lead / BD Executive

Core Sales Team

Negotiator Solution Architect Deal Shaper Mobilization Lead
(from OGP)

Bid Manager Bid Management Support

Enterprise Architect Delivery Lead

Operations and Support

Legal Contract Management CTS and CFM Marketing Tax HR Corporate Treasury

Proposal Development Team (dependent by OG and type of deal) Volume Author Proposal Manager Volume Lead
(tech, bus, past performance)

SME

Orals and Demo Author

Orals Coach

Research Specialist

40

Sales Cycle
Accenture utilizes a four-stage sales cycle with supporting tools, resources, reviews and decision points that is structured to not only help us win, but to ensure we are ultimately winning the best deal for Accenture.

Key Resources
Sales Stages homepage

0
Identify and Validate Client Opportunity

1
Define Value Proposition with Client

2a
Agree on Business Terms OR Develop Proposal

2b
Clarify Proposal and Differentiate Solution

3a
Perform Initial Negotiation

3b
Finalize Contract

Key Milestones

Approved to Pursue

Submit Proposal

Selected to Negotiate

Accenture Selected

Sign Contract

Stage 0Identify and Validate In Stage 0, we identify an opportunity and test it with the client, before spending any signicant effort or investment on deal pursuit. To enter Stage 1, we must fully qualify the opportunity and get approval to pursue. Stage 1Advance In Stage 1, we work closely with the client to dene the value proposition and begin to scope a solution. We also commence development of a comprehensive win strategy. Proceeding to Stage 2 means we have decided to continue to expend time and effort to pursue the opportunity.

Stage 2Propose Stage 2 involves the development of a proposal to the client and any required client presentations, orals or other follow-up activities. Stage 3Close In Stage 3, negotiations and contracting takes place. It concludes in a win, loss or withdrawal.

41

Moving Through the Sales Cycle to Win

Qualifying an opportunity, developing a strategy to win, creating a strong proposal and orals presentation, and advancing the opportunity through the rigorous reviews and decision points of the sales cycle are all critical steps to ultimately winning a protable deal. Four key best practices enable this winning approach:

Strategy Reviews
Strategy reviews provide a forum for intensive coaching from sales leaders on a specic opportunity, with the intention of maximizing the probability of winning. A sales teams QSA work serves as the foundation for these sessions and the team working sessions.

The Qualication, Strategy and Advancement (QSA) Toolkit

The Qualication, Strategy and Advancement (QSA) toolkit stimulates and structures critical thought, discussion and action regarding an opportunity, all in support of the strongest possible qualication and win strategy. The toolkit contains our latest, best approaches, tools and information to help us win.

The New Business Management (NBM) Process

The New Business Management (NBM) process involves leadership review; discussion and subsequent decision on whether to pursue an opportunity, submit a proposal and commit to a contract. A sales teams work, through QSA efforts, structured team working sessions, and strategy reviews, drives the decisions made at the NBM meeting on whether to continue opportunity pursuit.

Structured Team Working Sessions

Structured team working sessions bring the right people together in a structured format to develop powerful win strategies, solutions, cost models and negotiation positions. Progress through the stages of the sales cycle is regularly and rigorously assessed in these team working sessions and in strategy reviews.
42

Key Resources
Win Rate Improvement Overview Win Rate Improvement topic page in SELL Qualication and Win Strategy homepage

0
Sales Excellence
QSA

2a
QSA

2b

3a
QSA

3b

Collaboration

Win Strategy Session

Solution Deliverability Session

Commercial Deliverability Session

Coaching

Strategy Review

Strategy Review

Strategy Review

Approval

NBM Meeting

NBM Meeting

NBM Meeting

43

Qualication, Strategy and Advancement

The QSA tool is built upon a set of critical success factors necessary for winning. Assessing an opportunity against these factors helps sales teams move the right opportunities through the sales cycle, identifying opportunities that should not be pursued and developing better win strategies for those that should. The QSA tool is not an administrative form, rather it is a guide that spurs and structures critical thinking about all facets of an opportunity. It provides challenging questions, considerations, guidance and access to valuable insights, and progressively indicates the likelihood of winning the opportunity as it advances through the sales cycle.

Win Strategy: Compelling, Thorough, Disciplined

A win strategy denes how we will differentiate ourselves and what actions we can take to win. Example: Expand the scope of the deal to marginalize niche competitors. Cover all ground and leave nothing to chance. Are we meeting the critical success factors for winning? Plan the work, work the plan (as we do when delivering!).

Advancement: Improve the Odds of Winning

Throughout the sales cycle, checkpoints are in place to ensure the opportunity is advancing toward a win: Continuously evaluate deal health to sharpen focus on xing weaknesses and exploiting strengths The QSA tools Red / Amber / Green scorecard helps diagnose deal health

Qualication: Based on Fact, Not Instinct

Deciding to continue pursuit of an opportunity rests on the following three factors: Desirability: Is the opportunity good for Accenture nancially, and does it align with Accentures strategy? Winnability: Based on our critical success factors for winning, can we win the opportunity? Deliverability: Can we deliver it successfully?

Key Resources
Qualication and Win Strategy homepage QSA Tool QSA Tool homepage QSA Critical Success Factors topic page in SELL

44

Qualication Decisions
Determine Winnability based on 12 Critical Success Factors
Insight and Position 1. Opportunity Imperative and Intensity 2. Customer Relationships and Buyer Values 3. Competitor Landscape Strategic Plan 4. Win Themes and Differentiation 5. Campaign Strategy Accenture Proposition 6. Solution Approach 7. Teaming and Alliances 8. Delivery Leadership Team 9. Value Proposition and Pricing Campaign Execution 10. Negotiation 11. Buying Events 12. Readiness and Progress
Input to...

Decision to Qualify Out

Determine Desirability based on:

1. Deal Financials 2. Fit with Accenture Strategy

Decision to Pursue and Invest

Determine Deliverability based on:

1. Accenture ability to deliver

45

Structured Team Working Sessions

Team working sessions bring together the key members of the sales team from the operating groups, growth platforms, industries and other organizational entitiesto share viewpoints, coordinate efforts and align thinking on key aspects of the opportunity. The sessions serve as stimulating and collaborative forums for examining the opportunity from all angles, reconciling what is best for the client with what is best for Accenture. They enable the sales team to proactively plan and agree on actions that are required to advance the opportunity through the clients buying process and Accentures selling process, and that prevent risks from turning into issues later in the selling or delivery process. The QSA tool serves as a foundation for these discussions, and is updated with the results of the sessions in preparation for the strategy review. There are two types of structured team working sessions:

Win Strategy Session

A win strategy session is a comprehensive workshop at the beginning of the opportunity life cycle. In the session, sales team members share information to establish a shared understanding of buyer values and underlying interests, the clients buying process and power map. Together the team develops the win strategy, including win themes that address the buyer values and guide the opportunity pursuit. They identify areas of weakness where the team needs to gather more information or test buyer values and win themes with the client. The team also establishes the governance for the opportunity pursuit.

Deliverability Sessions
Deliverability sessions are workshops that align the sales team around the solution to be delivered and the commercial aspects of the deal. In these sessions, the sales team ensures that the solution supports the value proposition, that we have the capability to deliver and that we have an agreed position on negotiations.

46

There are two types of deliverability sessions: Solution Deliverability Sessionhas a heavy focus on the solution, cost estimates and resource requirements and is conducted at least once during Stages 1 and/or 2. Commercial Deliverability Session has a heavy focus on commercial aspects and mobilization readiness, and is conducted at least once during

Stage 2 and possibly within Stage 3 if there are material changes to the deal.

Key Resources
Deal Team Win Strategy Session Job Aid Deal Team Deliverability Session Job Aid Qualication and Win Strategy homepage New Business Management homepage

Strategy Review Sessions

Strategy review sessions are an opportunity for sales teams to receive coaching and guidance from sales leaders on a specic opportunity in order to strengthen our ability to win. In the sessions, sales leaders coach the team on the outcomes of their win strategy, solution deliverability and commercial deliverability working sessions, identifying actions that the sales team should take to advance the opportunity and prepare for the next new business management meeting. The QSA tool serves as a foundation for the discussion. Strategy review sessions are conducted: After the win strategy session and before the NBM meeting for entry into Stage 1. After the solution deliverability session and before the NBM meeting for Stage 2 entry. After the commercial deliverability session and before the NBM meeting for Stage 3b entry.

Key Resources
Deal Team Strategy Review Job Aid Coaches Strategy Review Job Aid Qualication and Win Strategy homepage New Business Management homepage
47

New Business Management (NBM) Process

The New Business Management (NBM) structure facilitates review; discussion and subsequent decision on whether to pursue an opportunity, submit a proposal, and commit to a contract. The NBM process: Promotes effective collaboration between operating groups (OG) and growth platforms (GP) and streamlines approval discussions. Increases sales team empowerment by delegating approval authority downward from management nodes, where appropriate. Increases sales team success by including coaching as a key aspect of the process. NBM meetings are conducted at the client service group (CSG), operating unit (OU), and operating group (OG) levels within each OG, depending upon opportunity classication, risk and margin. The NBM processand corresponding approval pointsare determined based on deal size, complexity, risk and margin. For example: Larger, more complex opportunities require more formal approval points throughout the sales cycle and must be approved at higher levels of the OG. Most opportunities also require a deliverability approval from GP leadership. Some complexity and/or risk criteria, such as selling work outside of a country where Accenture operates will require additional parties to be involved in the sales process.

Key Resources
New Business Management homepage NBM Template QSA Tool

48

The Right Solution, At the Right Price

The QSA, team working sessions, strategy reviews and NBM checkpoints are all critical to strengthening our ability to not only win, but win the right opportunity. That means developing the best possible solution for our client, at a price that is not just competitive, but also lucrative for Accenture. We have powerful tools, insight, experts and best practices that help us develop that right solution at the right price, including competitive price range (CPR). CPR is fundamentally about understanding the market price for a particular opportunity and using that knowledge to inform our baseline solution. This analysis occurs before we develop the solution. By analyzing our competitors pricing position and our clients key buyer values, we can shape our solution and win themes to win the opportunity at a price that is complementary to Accentures target nancial objectives. In short, CPR involves using competitive and client intelligence to determine the winning price range, in particular dening the maximum price we can charge and still win. CPR helps us use price as a competitive lever and make better solution and pricing decisions.

Key Resources
Competitive Price Range homepage

Competitive Price Range

Inputs to CPR Regularly Updated
Client Input

Stage 1 and 2 Processes

Competitive Price Range
CPR should be kept current with new information obtained during the proposal cycle.

Competitive Insight

Target Margin Solution Contingency Cost to Win

Subtract
Involve all stakeholders when setting competitive price range and costing targets.

Sales Team Data

Other Internal & External Sources

Costing Targets for Solution Architects

49

Competitive Price RangeBest Practices

Start in Stage 0/1; Stage 2 is too late. Understand the clients budget and business case goals. Understand how the client denes value for the opportunity. Identify our competitors and research how they have priced and approached similar deals in the past. Design our solution based on this client and competitor insight. Clearly articulate how our solution adds more value (as dened by the client) than the competition. If it does not, ensure we are at a comparable price point to the competition. Devise a communication strategy to articulate the extra value in the clients context, paying attention to social styles and tuning messages appropriately.

Effective Pricing Practices

With a solution dened based on the clients needs, values, a Competitive Price Range analysis, and more, that solution must be formally priced using Accentures pricing best practices and tools. Effective pricing is the most powerful prot lever that we have in the sales process. As a result, it is essential to have strong, market relevant pricing capabilities, and it is essential that all Accenture professionals who are involved in pricing understand and use those capabilities.
50

A primary focus is to improve sold Client Controllable Income (CCI) and other related metrics. Our ability to improve depends on strengthening the following: More granular, differentiated pricingSetting different prices for different skills based on the value of those skills, local market conditions, and client priorities. Rate card best practicesConsistent standards for rate cards and Master Services Agreements (MSAs) that ensure fairness for Accenture and the client over the course of the project.

Effective Pricing is the Most Powerful Prot Lever We Have Available

Improve by 1%
Price COGS Volume Sales and Marketing General and Administrative CAP Charges and EVA 0.45% 0.32% 0.13% 2.40% 3.61%

Percent Improvement in Operating Income

5.85%

At a minimum, covering annual raises Growing sold margins in a way the markets reward

Taking advantage of market opportunities/imbalances Capturing the value of the Accenture

Source: Based on global FY2007 TC and MC (excluding Public Service) information from Accentures Corporate Reporting and Analysis Team.

Negotiation skills and responsibilities Skills and information that allow us to deal with pricing issues and client negotiation in a way that helps preserve and strengthen the client relationship. Flexible pricing technology and analytic capabilitiesTechnology that enables a consistent approach to pricing and a repository of up-todate pricing information to help set prices for new deals. How can you price your deal most effectively? As a practitioner you should: Engage your Business Negotiator in developing pricing strategies and in price negotiations. You can nd your

Business Negotiator through https://pricing.accenture.com. Use the appropriate standard tool either the Global Pricing System or the Global Consulting Pricing Modeldepending on your location, operating group and type of work. Review and use current rate card and MSA guidelines. Staff to the sold pyramid.

Key Resources
Pricing homepage Selling and Pricing Homepage on SE Connection Pricing topic page in SELL Price Modeling Tools
51

Proposal Development and Support

Proposals are, ultimately, our presentation to the client that demonstrates that we understand their needs and values, and that we offer the right solution and price. Given this criticality and scope, proposal development is a resource-intensive activity during an opportunity pursuit. Efcient and cost-effective proposal development is a key lever to ensure that we aggressively manage business development costs. While there are many resources within Accenture that support the proposal development process, one of the key resources is the Integrated Sales Support Center (ISSC). The ISSC consists of offshore and onshore teams that provide sales teams and solution architects a standard, cost-effective approach to responding to requests for information, proposals, and quotes (RFIs, RFPs, RFQs), and creating client-facing proposal collateral and discussion materials. It is essential that all Accenture professionals who are involved in creating client proposals understand and utilize the ISSC.

Integrated Sales Support Center

Services Proposal AuthoringProvide content support and development for RFPs/ RFIs/RFQs, including: Industry Content and CredentialsIn alignment with operating groups (OGs) and client service groups (CSGs), the ISSC captures and maintains industryspecic content and credentials. Deal-specic ResearchResearch support for industry, domain, technology, and competitor information needed for the proposal response. Sales and Orals Deck Creation Prepare client-facing materials to be used during the sales process, including in orals presentations. Accenture FactsProvide latest data on corporate, facts, headcounts, skills etc. Marketing and Credential Support Refresh and update credentials in support of outsourcing marketing. Graphics and FormattingSupport for Word and PowerPoint documents, including image creation and modication.

52

Proposal ManagementManage the overall process for creating nal proposal documents, including: Proposal CoordinationManage all day-to-day activities relating to the development of proposal deliverables Proposal TemplateCreation and formatting of all proposal templates Proposal ProductionManage proposal production activities Benets Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) Savingslow-cost, experienced and dedicated resources. Client Focusliberate client teams to focus on the solution and client relationship. Streamlined Sales Support Process improved sales rigor has a positive impact on win rate. Qualityensure accuracy, consistency and relevance of proposal content, leveraging best-practice tools and methods. Peopleexperienced sales support resources (US onshore and offshore) with 3-8 years sales support experience. Third Party Advisors (TPA) Experience with TPA proposals from all Tier One advisorsTPI, Everest, EquaTerra, and more.

Accuracysecure regular updates from information owners to ensure latest and greatest. Support Multi-tower Dealsability to support multi-tower deals by responding to Application Outsourcing (AO), Infrastructure Outsourcing (IO), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), and consulting proposals.

Key Resources
Proposals homepage in KX Integrated Sales Support homepage Central Mailbox for support requests: ISSC.SalesSupport@Accenture.com

53

Oral Presentation and Preparation

How important is the oral presentation in an opportunity pursuit? Win this event and we go home the winner. If we do not perform at our best for this one event, the competitor could win. The following lessons learned were gleaned from win/loss reviews on opportunities totaling more than $6 billion dollars. You win Orals, you will likely win the dealWhen we win orals, more than 95 percent of the time we win the opportunity. Winning Orals is a function of three variables: differentiation; amount of face time; and preparation. Face time before the oral presentation is criticalyou must know the client and have developed trust with them. Dont let the client say orals was the st time I ever met her or he didnt really understand our company or our problem. You must be able to articulate win themes that differentiate you from the competition. Messaging should have 4 parts: What it is you have. How you have used it successfully for another client. Based on the clients issues, why what you have is important. How you are going to use what you have to address the clients needs and issues. Use SOCIAL STYLESSM to craft your messages.
Analytical Supported by Facts and Data Lower Risks Driving Results Speed Control Create Options Expressive Bold and Innovative Forward Thinking

Amiable Consensus Proven Processes Lower Risks

Demonstrate how we will work together day-to-day to ensure a successful project. For example, simulate a day-in-the-life of the project: from how we will interact through a governance structure, to the visibility they will have to progress through dashboards, to the onboarding and rolling off of resources, and more.

54

 Prepare and rehearse Freeze the deck and potential questions two days out. Plan on running multiple dress rehearsals. They are critical. Orient the style of the presentation and answers given to questions to the power map and SOCIAL STYLESM of the audience. Articulate how Accenture is organized and works together. Introduce each person including their role on the project (if selected) and their relevant experience. Prepare how you will answer questions Have a list of anticipated questions. Decide who will answer and rehearse. Make sure that you understand the question. Repeat if necessary. Be honestif you dont know, say so. If a problem engagement is brought up, admit that it was a problem. Dont pile on. Generally one answer from one person is satisfactory. Dont keep adding to what has been said.

Key Resources
Orals homepage

55

The Accenture Way to Negotiate

A successful proposal and orals presentation moves an opportunity to Stage 3 of the sales cycle and negotiations with the client. The Accenture Way to Negotiate (TAWN) is Accentures interest-based approach to negotiations. TAWN is intended to make us more successful and easier to do business with. Through disciplined preparation and skillful execution of TAWN, we better understand our clients interests, more effectively represent Accentures interests, improve our client relationships, create mutually advantageous options and structure better business decisions. TAWN articulates the ve fundamental negotiation strategies and principles that all Accenture executives should use when shaping and negotiating any deal.

Key Resources
The Accenture Way to Negotiate Booklet Negotiations Center of Excellence homepage Negotiations topic page in SELL

56

Focus on Strategic Interests

Maximize Legitimacy

Create Value by Being Firm but Flexible

Create a Clear Choice

Forge an Enduring Business Relationship

Remain Unconditionally Constructive

1. Remain unconditionally constructiveCreate mutually benecial working relationships that are based on clear communication. 2. Focus on strategic interests Uncover a clients interests, instead of positions, and share Accentures interests where appropriate. Discuss options that acceptably meet the clients interests and that meet Accentures interests well. 3. Maximize legitimacyEnsure all options are based on jointly agreed measures of validity, ensuring that no one feels taken. 4. Create value by being rm but exibleSeek to expand the value of a transaction by creating mutually benecial options. 5. Create a clear choice: Commercially Viable or Willing to WalkUnderstand Accentures Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) before entering into any discussion with a client, and seek to understand the clients BATNA too.

57

The Accenture Way to Negotiate Best Practices

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
Preparation is essential prior to any signicant client interaction. Use the following tools to prepare for different types of client interactions. 7Element ToolUsed to analyze the big picture and look at all the issues in a negotiation through the frame of interests, options, legitimacy, alternatives, commitment, communication, and relationship. Partisan PerceptionsUsed when there has been a fundamental breakdown in communication or when two (or more) parties are operating from fundamentally different assumptions. Spotting and Changing the Game Used to analyze behavior when someone is difcult, or to analyze the process being used or proposed in various negotiations. Currently Perceived ChoiceUsed when there is a specic choice in front of the other party and they are still saying no!

Execute with Excellence

Understand the negotiations dynamics. Solve clearly understood issues rather than merely respond to positional demands under pressure. Identify the clients true underlying interests, rather than just stated positions. Present Accentures solutions as value-creating options to address our clients issues. Remain unconditionally constructive in dealing with any relationship issues. Remain principled, reasonable and consistent no matter what tactics the client or a third- party advisor uses.

Outcomes of Making a Good Decision Using TAWN

Satises interests, not positions. No waste: the best of many options. Legitimate: no one feels taken. Better than your best alternative (BATNA). Well-planned commitment. Process is efcient: good communication. Process improves the working relationship.

58

Win/Loss Reviews
Whether we win or lose an opportunity, a key way to increase our win success is to learn from each pursuit through win/loss reviews. The Accenture win/ loss program was established to understand why we win, why we lose and what makes us different from the competition. Win/loss reviews are conducted across all operating groups and geographies. Applying win/loss insight to opportunity pursuits enhances win strategies and helps improve our win rate. Teams can benet from win/loss reviews in two ways: Key insight across multiple deals: cross-deal analysis is available for sales and offering teams. Analysis can be obtained either from your OU sales effectiveness lead, or from the Win Loss Reviews homepage. Conducting your own win/loss interview: Most client directors make a practice of debrieng with the client immediately following the closure of a deal (win or loss). There are short interview questionnaires that you can use to structure your discussion with your client. The questionnaires and templates can be obtained from the same site above.

Key Resources
Win Loss Reviews homepage

Collect Insights

Analyze Patterns

Inject into Sales Process

Impact: increased win rates

59

Manage Sales
How do we manage sales?
Key Sales Metrics Pipeline Management Opportunity Management System Reporting and Analytics Sales Credit Allocation Business Development Cost Management 62 63 65 66 67 68

60

To achieve our overall objectives of sales growth at lower cost we must effectively manage our sales infrastructure, from the people, to the information, to costs.
This management involves planning our sales efforts to meet our targets, tracking our progress toward our objectives, investing in business development wisely, and developing and rewarding our sales teams. This section focuses on these efforts to effectively manage sales.

61

Key Sales Metrics

We manage our sales activities and results against six key metrics:

Win Rates
Win rate is an indicator of our success in qualifying and winning opportunities, and has a direct correlation to the volume of pursuits we must undertake to win a certain amount in a given time period. Win ratewins as a percentage of total qualied pursuits, inclusive of withdrawalsis calculated from Stage 1. The Win/Loss rate is a metric that measures our overall competitiveness and excludes withdrawals.

New Bookings
New bookings are tracked against both internal plan targets and external guidance.

Mega Deals
Mega deals represent a comparatively small quantity of deals, (specically for Outsourcing), which have a signicant impact on new bookings, pipeline and win rates.

Key Clients
The primary areas of focus within the client portfolio are our diamond and foundation clients. These clients provide the foundation of our success in terms of current and future sales, revenue and income. We need to build the quantity of these clients over time, while increasing the volume of work at each client.

Pipeline
Our pipeline is the sum of all active opportunities documented in our SalesOpportunity Management (OM) application. Understanding and managing the pipeline is key to achieving our sales targets and understanding the strength of the business. Pipeline metrics include both historical trends as well as assessment of current pipeline strength vis--vis sales targets.

Business Development Cost

We refer to our cost of sales as business development (BD) spend. Our focus is on improving our BD yield by growing new bookings at a faster rate than BD spend.

62

Pipeline Management
Understanding and proactively managing our opportunity pipeline is key to achieving our sales targets. Our pipeline is the sum of all active opportunities documented in our SalesOpportunity Management (OM) application. For the purpose of understanding and assessing our pipeline, it is divided into two distinct segments: qualied pipeline and unqualied pipeline. provides advance visibility to potential deals, resulting in better pipeline management.

Qualied Pipeline
The qualied pipeline includes all deals in and beyond Stage 1. At this point, both the client and Accenture have signaled their interest in discussing and exploring the opportunity further, and Accenture has initially qualied the opportunity via the New Business Management (NBM) process. The qualied pipeline is the primary source for all pipeline reporting, and provides leadership with insight and assessment of our future potential sales, quantiable trends and key metrics used to gauge the health of our business.
Pursuits

Unqualied Pipeline
The unqualied pipeline is the set of opportunities in Stage 0, during which we identify and qualify opportunities early, before signicant effort or business development funds are spent. Tracking of all Stage 0 opportunities

New Opps

Unqualified pipeline

Qualification rate

Qualified pipeline

Pipeline yield

Wins

Withdrawals

Losses

Withdrawals

Win rate

63

Pipeline Management Levers

There are four key levers that affect our ability to track and manage pipeline:

Qualication Rate
Qualication rate is a measure of uidity into the qualied pipeline. It is calculated similarly to yield, but is based on the value of qualications during a particular period as a function of the unqualied pipeline.

Win Rate
Win rate refers to, based on opportunity value, wins as a percentage of all qualied pursuits (wins + losses + client withdrawals + Accenture withdrawals). Win rate is an indicator of our success in qualifying and winning opportunities, and has a direct correlation to the volume of pursuits we must undertake to win a certain amount in a given time period.

Velocity
Velocity is the speed at which an opportunity moves through the qualied pipeline, from pipeline entry date through the actual contract signing date. Increases or decreases have a direct impact to both win rate and yield, in that velocity contributes to the volume of wins and pursuits during a particular period.

Pipeline Yield
Pipeline yield is the percentage of wins accrued, by value, based on the total qualied pipeline at the start of the period. For example, if an entity starts the quarter with $100 of qualied pipeline, and wins $20 in the quarter, the pipeline yield was 20 percent. Yield takes into account a combination of performance levers, including win rate and velocity (average time in pipeline).

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Opportunity Management System

The SalesOpportunity Management (OM) application is Accentures system of record for capturing opportunity data and managing the pursuit process (for example, NBM, approvals etc). All sales teams are required to document opportunities in OM through the sales stages until the opportunity is either won, lost or withdrawn. In addition, OM supports regulatory requirements related to proactive identication of contracts that present export compliance, tax and similar risks, and facilitates a consistent and controlled process for allocating business development funds. All of Accentures management and operational reporting and analysis is done based on data extracted from OM. We track all opportunities in the pipeline, as a basis for: Assessing performance via key sales metrics (for example, win rates, pipeline, business development (BD) spend etc.). Diagnosing underlying problems via detailed metrics (for example, win rate by type of work, etc.). Proactively address gaps or problems and make the appropriate course changes to improve sales results via analysis of actual results (for example, pipeline vis--vis targets). Forecasting strength of pipeline. Analyzing the strength of our offerings across our various market segments. Gauging our strength against competitors.

Key Resources
SalesOpportunity Management (OM) application Opportunity Management homepage

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Reporting and Analytics

There are a number of standard sales management reports that support the operating groups (OGs), service groups (SGs) and select geographies. These standard reports are used to evaluate and analyze performance against key sales metrics. Additional reports are added as necessary to meet operational priorities. Currently our suite of sales management reports includes the following: The Sales Plan Status Report includes progress against plan, win rate, client portfolio management and pipeline trends. The Sweet Spot Report provides an overview of quarterly pipeline and whether the pipeline is sufcient to achieve quarterly results. The Big Deal Spot Report provides a high-level overview of the big deals in the pipeline and period-on-period changes. The Foundation Client Penetration report provides a high-level overview of current and potential nancial activity at our foundation clients, including revenue, sales and pipeline data. The Foundation Client Report is a hybrid of the Sales Plan Status and Big Deal Spot Reports, with a focus on the global foundation client. The report provides a high-level overview of OM-specic data across various segments, including local Customer Relationships and service groups. Fiscal sales plans by SG are available for select clients. Win Rate Heat Maps provide a visual representation of win rates results, both year-to-date and month-tomonth.

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Sales Credit Allocation

A key part of managing our sales is being deliberate about the sales roles required to win each opportunity, and giving appropriate credit for a successful sale to the individuals in those roles. We have a common Sales Roles Blueprint, highlighted in the Win Protable Deals section, that outlines the key sales roles that could participate on a sales opportunity. Our Sales Credit Policy then guides how individual sales credit should be allocated on an opportunity. The Sales Credit Policy allows multicounting of individual sales credit by role. It is based upon the principle of teaming within structured teams and roles, which is benecial to the team and the client.

Key Resources
Sales Credit Policy Guidelines Sales Roles and Credit Policy homepage

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Business Development Cost Management

A key element of sales management is maximizing our return on sales investments: achieving the best sales results on our business development (BD) spend. Sales cost effectiveness is tracked based on the ratio of BD spend to total booked sales. We proactively manage our investment in BD to keep selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense and overall non contract costs at a controllable level, to maximize shareholder value and more. In addition, we continue to set aggressive salesgrowth objectives, even though our available resources to sell do not grow at an equivalent rate. As such, we are continually challenged to better utilize our available BD resources to achieve sales results. The rst key tenet of optimizing our BD investment is to focus on the right clientssee the Target Right Clients section for important principles on prioritizing our efforts and sales investments at our top clients. The second is proper categorization of our BD investments, this specic categorization helps management better understand our returns in these areas and if necessary make tactical or strategic adjustments to achieve improved sales outcomes. Our three primary types of BD investments are:

1. Client Relationship Development

Client relationship development includes funding the effort to build long-term, successful client relationships. These relationships enable us to really know our client and its business allowing our teams to uncover, originate and validate client opportunities. More importantly these trust-based relationships have proven to be the most important factor in winning an opportunity.

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2. Opportunity Pursuit
Opportunity pursuit includes funding the effort and activities involved in the pursuit of an opportunity. There are many ways to maximize sales investment during opportunity pursuit, including relentlessly qualifying using the QSA toolkit, and increasing our win rate by leveraging other best practices described in the Win Protable Deals section (Strategy Reviews, New Business Management meetings, assembling the right team to win and more).

By implementing the strategies and tools described throughout this guide and honing our sales competence through training, each of us can play a signicant role in effectively managing our business development investment and achieving our ultimate business objective: protable sales growth.

Key Resources
BD Plan BD Approach Overview Business Development homepage

3. Overall Cross Client

Overall cross client includes funding the effort and activities specically performed by our sales leadership or others in unique sales roles across the entire sales process that spend the majority of their time supporting multiple clients and/or opportunities.

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Index
Account Development Assessing your Client-Centricity Build Trusted Relationships Building Trust through Client-Centricity Business Development Cost Management Client Centric Marketing Client Meeting Best Practices Before the Meeting Client Meeting Best Practices During the Meeting Client Portfolio Management Competitive Price Range Grow Quality Pipeline Key Sales Metrics Manage Sales New Business Management Process Offering Sales Campaign Opportunity Management System Oral Presentation and Preparation ORDER Model Pipeline Management
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30 8 4 8 68 37 12 14 25 49 28 62 60 48 34 65 54 11 63

Pipeline Management Levers Power Maps Pricing

64 16 49

Proposal Development and Support 52 Qualication, Strategy, and Advancement Reporting and Analytics Right Clients, Characteristics of Sales Credit Allocation Sales Cycle Sales Interlock Sales Roles Blueprint Selling to Different SOCIAL STYLESSM SOCIAL STYLESM Strategy Review Sessions Structured Team Working Sessions Target Right Clients The Accenture Way to Negotiate The Trust Equation The Ultimate Trust Checkpoint Win Protable Deals Win/Loss Reviews 44 66 24 67 41 32 40 10 9 47 46 22 56 6 7 38 59

References
1. David H. Maister, Charles H. Green and Robert M. Galford, The Trusted Advisor, The Free Press, 2000. 2. ORDER Model: 2009 Franklin Covey Co. Duplicated and distributed under license for use within Accenture LLC. All rights reserved. 3. SOCIAL STYLE is a service mark of TRACOM Group. The SOCIAL STYLE MODEL is a registered trademark of TRACOM Group.

Additional Resources
Sales Effectiveness Website Sales Enablement Learning Library (SELL) Selling & Pricing homepage on the Senior Executive Connection website. Please note that this website is restricted to Senior Executives only. Accenture Offerings

Copyright 2009 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the worlds most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With approximately 177,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$23.39 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2008. Its home page is www.accenture.com.