This document provides tips for selling Drupal services and consulting. It outlines four ground rules: 1) The true product is the business itself, 2) The customer's view is the only one that matters, 3) How you deliver is as important as what you deliver, 4) Consistent attention to detail sets you apart. It then discusses how to sell Drupal by focusing on its configurability and wide range of features to meet client needs. The document concludes with lessons learned around listening to clients, qualifying opportunities, and getting contracts signed.

1. Selling You & Your
(Drupal) Services
Neil Giarratana
neil@lucidus.net
twitter: lucidus_neil

2. Lucidus World (Domination) Headquarters
Keene, NH

3. 1. The Ground Rules
2. How We Sell Drupal
3. Some Things We’ve Learned Along
the Way

4. The
Ground
Rules

5. What do you
really sell?

6. Rule #1
The true product of
a business is
the business itself.

7. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurafire/163599205/

9. http://www.flickr.com/photos/chijs/1481292263/sizes/o/

10. Rule #2
Your Customer’s View
is the Only One That
Matters

11. Is this really you?

16. Rule #3
The way you deliver
is at least as
important as what
you deliver.

18. Rule #4
Consistent
Attention to Detail
Sets You Apart

21. it’s easy to install.
it’s easy to use.
it has lots of features.
it’s free.
lot’s of people like it.

22. “Our software is free.”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dduff/348509088/

23. lots of features
blogs forums user groups
rich-text editing collaborative books email notification
wikis statistics threaded comments
content commenting personalization version control
custom content friendly URL’s blogger api
image management online help content syndication
events / calendar role based permissions news aggregator
social bookmarks comprehensive search permalinks
content rating ldap integration caching
categorization openId member management
localization tag clouds banner management
templating workflow e-commerce

24. there are more than
4400
modules

25. “No, really...why do you
use Drupal?”

26. Configuration vs.
Customization

27. We can create new
content types without
writing code.

28. What’s a content type?
Web Pages
Collaborative Books
Photos & Videos
Blogs
Trouble Tickets
Reservation
Product

29. Comments
Product

30. File Attachments
Product

31. Keyword Tagging
Product
“Customers
Product
who chose
this product
Product
also chose...”
Product
Product
News Article

32. Subscriptions
Category Update
Notification
Email
users “ask” to be notified any time a
product of a certain type gets added

33. Restricted Access
Restricted
Content Group A
Group B

34. Syndication
Product
List Distributor
Website

35. Drupal was
built for this.

36. The Sales
Process
The Sales Process

37. ?
Targets Targets Targets
Campaign Campaign Campaign
Leads
Opportunities
Quote
Contract

38. Lessons Learned

39. http://www.flickr.com/photos/articnomad

40. Getting the Gig...
• No Hocus Pocus or Slicky-Boy Sales Guy
• LISTEN! LISTEN! LISTEN!
• Find their pain (at a high level)
• Explain your process & your USP
• Let them set the next step.

41. Qualifier Questions
• We do projects between $5000 &
$100,000. Would you be in the $5-$15k
range, $15-50k or $50-$100k range?
• What is your time frame to make a
decision?
• What is your anticipated launch date? What
is driving that?

42. “Closer” Questions
• On a scale of 0 to 10, (0 being not
interested at all and 10 being ready to
move forward) where are you?
• How would you like me to proceed?

43. The Quote & Contract
• Set expectation for payment increments
• Indicate that you’ll call the next day to
follow up
• Get a signature
• Get a blanket agreement

45. Resources
• The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
• Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to
Customer Service by Ken Blanchard
• email: neil@lucidus.net