Stage View |
Demand Generation
Prospect
Qualify
Develop
Solution
Proof
Close
Deploy
Support
Establish and t...
Identify, meet,...
Confirm that po...
Identify proced...
Determine resou...
Evaluate and se...
Validate or neg...
Establish oppor...
Develop opportu...
Develop evaluat...
Validate evalua...
Propose evaluat...
Confirm verifia...
Key Step:
| Develop Evaluation Plan (Eval Plan)
Rationale:
| The Evaluation Plan is a customer-facing document that proposes a series of activities and milestones necessary for the Power Sponsor to make a buying decision. Once the Power Sponsor agrees with and takes ownership of the Evaluation Plan, it becomes a powerful tool enabling the opportunity team to: Increase control over the buying process Improve the predictability of opportunities Establish incremental levels of customer commitment, making the final close a “non-event” Facilitate resource planning by having a clear, customer approved “project plan”
| Guidance:
Developing the Evaluation Plan At this point in the sales cycle, the opportunity owner has 1) defined the Power’s buying vision, 2) formed an opportunity team, 3) selected a partner or multiple partners to team with, and 4) developed an opportunity engagement strategy with the entire team. Once these things are accomplished, the opportunity team is ready to develop the Evaluation Plan. The process of developing an Evaluation Plan begins with understanding how the Power Sponsor wants to evaluate the potential solution. Once a list of customer requested activities is established, the opportunity team augments it with events that increase the opportunity team’s understanding of customer’s requirements, differentiate the MS solution, and enable the development of a compelling business case. To turn this list of events into an Evaluation Plan, simply place the events in chronological order and append each one with the following information; · Time frame for completing each activity · Key customer, partner or Microsoft resources required to execute · Clarification of whether the customer is responsible for any costs · “Go/ No Go” milestones where Microsoft and the client should formally reaffirm their willingness to continue through the evaluation process – breaking a big decision into a series of smaller ones Use the following link to access a list of recommended evaluation plan events: Evaluation Plan Events Use the following link for comprehensive guidance on building an effective Evaluation Plan. Evaluation Plan Building Guide Presenting the Evaluation Plan to the Power The preliminary Evaluation Plan is presented to the Power at the end of the develop stage marked as DRAFT. It is accompanied by a Power Sponsor letter reaffirming the Power’s pain, buying vision and agreement to explore. The Power Sponsor should be asked to review and modify the Evaluation Plan to ensure that it meets his or her requirements. By modifying the Evaluation Plan, the Power Sponsor signals ownership and buy-in. Once the Evaluation Plan is agreed, it becomes a high level project plan for orchestrating MS, partner and customer resources through to the close stage. Evaluation Plans Tips · The Evaluation plan should only be developed after the opportunity v-team has clearly defined the Power Sponsor’s buying vision (either by creating it or engineering it). · The Evaluation Plan must represent a mutual agreement. The opportunity team must ensure the Power’s buy-in before investing resources on executing the plan. · All opportunity team members (Partners, Service and Technical Expertise) must be involved in developing the Evaluation Plan. · Each Evaluation Plan is unique to a specific client situation although many seem to be similar. Evaluation plans can be extremely short, or include dozens of activities.
Samples & Templates:
Documents for this Key Step include: |
| Evaluation Plan Template |  |
| Example Evaluation Plan with Associated Power Sponsor Letter |  |
Links:
| Evaluation Plan Building Guide - Provides additional guidance on building an effective Evaluation Plan. Evaluation Plan Events : List of activities that you may want to consider for inclusion in Evaluation Plan.