Ep.5: Setting Up Pilot Programs

Startup Selling: Talking Sales with Scott Sambucci

SalesCast #5: Setting Up Pilot Programs

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In this episode, Scott and Robert discuss how to use pilot projects to sell to big companies as a startup by getting your foot in the door and setting yourself up to understand the logistics of selling to the big boys.  Key areas we cover are:

Using Pilot Projects to control the success metrics that define your product.

How to use pilot programs as a customer evaluation tool.

Selling the "whole pie" versus pushing for smaller pilot program.

Using pilot programs to help you understand the different back office processes necessary for a large company to purchase your product.

How to design pilo projects to avoid letting your product become turned into something that it's not.

We hope you enjoy the podcast and would greatly appreciate feedback!  Any suggestions on future topics you would like to hear covered and/or podcast guests you’d like to hear would be great!  Enjoy!

Podcast Notes

2:00 – Controlling the success of pilot projects by defining the metrics.

4:20 – Using pilot projects on smaller companies.

5:20 – How pilot projects establish you as a vendor at a large company.

6:20 – Pilot projects as a customer evaluation tool.

9:40 – Pilot projects versus selling the whole suite of features your product offers.

11:40 – Phased rollout of product from the pilot stage to aid with a smoother implementation.

13:00 – Avoiding the pitfalls of selling the entirety of an early stage product.

14:00 – Things to beware when piloting a project within a single department at a company.

15:45 – The benefits of a pilot project putting your company through the Master Services Agreement (MSA) process at a large company.

19:20 – How pilot projects help you understand all the necessary back office processes your company must go through to sell to a large company.

22:20 – The positives and negatives of running a pilot program.

Resources mentioned or related to this podcast

"A Product Person's Perspective on Enterprise Selling" by Steven Sinofsky. "8 Guiding Principles for Pilot Programs: A Key for Enterprise 2.0" By Ross Dawson. "Successful Selling for the Technically Gifted: Understanding the Pilot Project" by OnStartups.com.