Now let’s look at this from the businesses perspective. Remember the solution needs to be advantageous for both the customer and the business. We call this a win-win scenario, and it is crucial to building successful long term relationships. From this perspective, the sales team’s goal is to get the customer to decide that they want to buy from this business. The goal is not a purchase; the goal is a decision in their minds that they want to make a purchase. It follows that the sales team needs to understand the value of your solutions, and where they fit in the marketplace. It is not critical that they understand every detail, but they had better know where to get the answers. The orders team’s goal is to get the purchase order. If the sales team has done its job, the customer already wants to buy. The orders team must sit down with the customer and understand the details of the problem they are trying to solve. They must then explain the available options, answer any questions, and work with the customer to find a mutually agreeable solution that helps both the customer and the business. A win-win philosophy is at the heart of all successful orders team.

From a business perspective, the delivery team’s goal is to get the customer to pay for the solution. They do this by providing a quality solution that the customer accepts. Managing delivery can be very complex, but it is critical that this complexity is not transferred onto the customer. The customer wants a quality product or service, delivered on time, and on budget. How the details are handled is not their problem. They are not that interested in how you do it. They are interested in the end result. The delivery team must deliver the end result.