Case Background: Cathy Ridley, the VP of marketing in Quick & Reilly, was considering Siebel Systems when shopping

for a lead tracking and fulfilment system for her company. Quick & Reilly used primitive DOS-based PC system known as MDFS which turned out to be ineffective and time-consuming the customer acquisition rates were going down while company representatives were trying to cope with a slow and inefficient system. Later, the IT department forecasted the crash of the system by the year 2000, and Ridley was looking for a decent in-house and off-the-shelf replacement to substitute MDFS. She was impressed by what Aurum and Saratoga had to offer as well as Siebel Systems who worked with their close competitor Charles Schwab. Even though Ridley could potentially become a loyal customer to Siebel Systems, Cregg Carman, found himself loosing the deal. The fortunes of the sale rise and fall as the Siebel account manager faces one obstacle after another. Facts Quick & Reilly has been using its resources inefficiently over the last 4 years. Companys profitability ratio decreased from 21.64% in 1997 to -8.40% in 2001 when Quick & Reilly experienced a net loss. According to the Institutional Investor annual brokerage report on the industry, Quick & Reilly Group had $ 3,732 million in assets and employed a total of 1,122 employees in 1997, while companies like Alex Brown & Sons, Legg Mason, and Edward Jones utilized their assets more efficiently they had total assets valued less than Quick & Reilly and had more employees. Such gloomy figures indicated that the company needed new and efficient CRM system that would help them not only to open new accounts, but also to improve the management of their existing accounts in order to boost the revenues and stop incurring losses. Seibel In the meantime, Siebel Systems has build the reputation of the world leader in software for CRM, had a 50% market share in 2001, and achieved almost 98% of total customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction was the core value upon the company was founded; therefore, all departments had to make sure that they do whatever it takes to leave their customers satisfied with their purchases and make them return again. Even though Carman had a solid prior experience in sales he could have used more professional approach while dealing with the Quick & Reilly representatives. He has made the following mistakes:
1. Firstly, when he realized that Cathy Ridley didnt know exactly what kind of CRM would suit Quick & Reilly, he didnt ask what kind of software they had at the moment and why they were not happy with it;

2. Secondly, he felt uncomfortable discussing the advantages of Siebel Systems over Oracles databases at the early customer-vendor stage, even though he had a detailed research report with him. 3. Thirdly, by asking Ridley more questions about the companys financial health and current division performance Carman could have generated several CRM suggestions even though he didnt know the budget; 4. Lastly, he could have taken more initiative to lead the sale and used the interest of Mrs. Ridley to explain the benefits of Siebel System products.

Solution. Carman went against his own sales principle sales go wrong because the salesperson did not anticipate the sleeper. Representing a company that places customer satisfaction at the first place, Carman could have taken a more proactive approach to understand the needs of Quick & Reilly. Carman could have been more successful if it would be specifically adapted to Quick & Reilly. By being more thorough in his responses and trying to identify the customers needs Carman can win the sale to the company and gain one more valuable customer. Prove that Siebel Systems has a superior product: Ask Ridley about companys current CRM system and what they like/dislike about it; Ask how they handle customer accounts; Ask if they considered any other products (including in-house options) before coming to the Siebel Systems stand; Answer Ridleys question about Oracle by listing companys advantages using the report; Ask about their budget and suggest corresponding products. Convince the Quick & Reilly that Siebel Systems will collaborate to make the system work: Explain how the system will work and what are the requirements; Explain how Siebel Systems can minimize the installation risks; Ask if the customer had any concerns about the software implementation.

Convert the opportunity into sale by meeting the right set of executives: Exchange the contact details with Ridley; Understand and try to predict how the company would handle the sale being a part of FleetBoston Establish necessary connections by meeting with the executive team; Design the RFP according to their need. Follow-up after the sale has taken place.