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Introduction
If you’re an account executive, you know how it feels to spend hours and days on the phone with prospective buyers who never buy. We all want to close deals, but if your prospects don’t buy from you, it can be tempting to try harder—to keep trying to win them over until they do. But that’s not a smart strategy. After all, if they’re not going to buy now, they probably won’t buy at all. Instead of continuing this fruitless pattern with “non-buyers,” set up a mutual action plan (MAP).
MAPs save time and energy by getting both parties together on what will happen next so there are no surprises down the road.
What is a Mutual Action Plan (MAP)?
A MAP is a strategic plan for the sales process. It includes goals, objectives and tactical steps for each phase of the buyer journey. A MAP can be used as a tool to get your team aligned with one another so they all know what they’re supposed to do when they meet with prospective customers.
Why are MAPs beneficial?
MAPs are beneficial because they help you focus on your target audience. In turn, this will help you identify the right prospects and sales process, messages, tools and more.
The MAP is designed to help you visualize all of these elements at once so that you can see how they work together to achieve your goals.
How to create a successful MAP?
A MAP is an acronym for “mutual action plan.” A MAP helps you identify what actions are needed to reach your shared goals, and then keeps both parties accountable for their commitments and responsibilities.
MAPs are a great tool for salespeople because they help you focus your efforts on the right buyers and activities at the right time in the cycle. They also force you to consider how much time and effort should be spent on each activity, so that you don’t waste resources chasing leads that won’t pan out. Finally, MAPs can help create more revenue with existing clients by identifying which products or services they need now (or soon), how much money they’ll spend on them, whether they’re satisfied with what they already have—and if not—what needs improvement?
Moving forward, together
Moving forward, together. That’s what MAPs are about. They’re about collaboration and partnerships—and creating value for your customer. They’re about moving together toward the same goal: a better future for both parties.
In that spirit, here are some final thoughts to keep in mind when creating your own MAP:
- Be friendly and collaborative with your customers! You’ll want them to feel like they’re being listened to and heard at all times, so make sure you’re making time for questions or concerns during your conversations. It’s also important not only that they feel heard but that they understand where you’re coming from as well—make sure everyone has the latest information on the project at hand so there aren’t any surprises down the line!
- Remember that while this document is an important tool in sales success, it doesn’t have all the answers (or even most of them). If something doesn’t seem right or makes sense (or if something seems off), talk it over with someone else! There are plenty of people who can give input into this project without taking too much away from their regular duties: managers overseeing multiple departments within their organization might be able to help out; department heads could lend insight into where certain problems might lie based on their experience working with other teams before; even coworkers who aren’t directly involved can offer suggestions based on what’s worked well for them personally before now.”
How to stop wasting time on buyers who won't buy
MAPs are a way to understand what the buyer wants and needs, but they’re also powerful tools for understanding what your company can provide.
By helping you to better identify your customers’ needs and concerns, MAPs enable you to create solutions that will meet or exceed their expectations—and that keep them coming back for more!
Conclusion
If you want to close more deals, you need to start using MAPs. It’s that simple. They’re a great way for your internal team to collaborate with the prospect’s team and simply align better on the deal itself. Plus, if you’re still not convinced, consider this: If you don’t use MAPs in your company, then what are all those meetings between salespeople really accomplishing?
