The Managed Trial Play

This playbook, developed by Robert Koehler, lays out the key steps to running an effective trial with prospective customers and best practices for increasing trial conversion rates.

Why it’s important: Managed trials substantially increase conversion rates, reduce sales cycles and eliminate high trial extension rates.

What it is:

A trial, sometimes called a pilot or proof-of-concept that:

• Starts with a mutual success plan to ensure buyers have skin in the game
• Conducts checkpoint meetings to ensure early activity and usage
• Produces an executive impact report to align the trial with the buyer’s burning business challenges

When to use it:

Before the proposal stage, only when a client agrees to a mutual success plan and indicates that a successful trial
will lead to a purchase decision with a definitive timeframe.