If selling were simple and easy, the ideal sales conversation would sound like this:
Salesperson: “Sign here. Press hard and make three copies.”
Customer: “OK.”
Real life is not so simple and easy, of course. But it is possible to have a conversation with a buyer that is even better than that—one in which you establish an immediate connection, have a meaningful discussion that uncovers pressing needs, and agree on a way forward that leaves both sides happier and better off.
The first step in achieving this ideal is to get a clear view of what needs to be in place for it to happen. The ideal sales conversation is one that contains:
Genuine and productive dialogue between individuals who share a common purpose.
What does genuine mean? It means that the flow of ideas, information and insight moves along so naturally that it feels like two minds are in synch, like both sides have figuratively moved to the same side of the desk to solve a common problem together. You feel like you’re talking to a trusted friend, because you respect their competence and you sense their real concern for your interests. It’s informal and professional at the same time. It’s comfortable, but still contains creative tension.
What does productive mean? It moves the interests of both sides along, closer to an intelligent decision. While both sides may personally enjoy the dialogue, neither side loses sight of the fact that they are in the meeting to serve the interests of their employers. At the same time, both sides approach the conversation in a non-zero sum and long term spirit. To borrow a phrase from the real estate industry, it is the “highest and best use” of time for both sides.
What does dialogue mean? It’s not a monologue, and it’s not an interrogation. Both sides talk in proper proportion. We like to say that the best sales dialogues are those in which the customer talks far more than the salesperson, but that is not an absolute necessity. It’s one in which your questions get answered without you even asking. It’s kind of like a tennis match, because each side knows which court the ball is in without having to think about it, except it’s more like a long rally than anyone trying to score a quick point, and we usually let the customer bounce the ball on their side as long as they want. Listening is easy, speaking does not feel forced, and even silence adds to the forward flow.
What does common purpose mean? The common purpose is the improvement of the customer’s situation, which is reached by jointly developing insights about what they need to:
- Achieve a goal
- Solve a problem
- Take advantage of an opportunity
- Respond to change
- Deal with risk.
In pursuing the common purpose, both sides think and learn.
In summary, you know the sales conversation has been ideal when both sides perceive the discussion as having been profitable and pleasurable. You know it has been ideal if both sides are proud to report it back to their managers.
Don’t get too comfortable
This post is mainly addressed to people who are not directly in the sales force, although I have met a few salespeople who could stand a reminder as well.
One of the more amusing practices in American higher education is the endowed chair. Universities have endowed professorships which are named after the deep-pocketed donors who paid for them. The professors may have never met the donor in person, but they owe their position to that specific person.
It’s almost exactly the same in private business. A donor also paid for that chair you’re sitting in. That donor’s name is Customer. The main difference is that unlike in academia, Customer did not endow the funds for your position. An endowment is a permanent donation, which is necessary in academia so that donors won’t have an influence on what or how the professor teaches.
Customer (or Client, if you prefer) exchanged funds for value received. No value, no Customer. Unlike in academia, the exchange has to be renewed every single day, because Customer has the option to withdraw future funds at any time if they perceive value is not being delivered.
For example, if you are an engineer, you probably did not choose engineering as a major because you had a dream of serving Customer—but that is what you do. That code you write? It’s for Customer. That wastewater treatment plant you’re designing? It’s for Customer. That patent you worked so hard to earn? It’s for Customer.
In my classes, I like to ask the attendees what their company’s most important asset is. The number one answer I get is “people”. But when I ask which people, I almost never hear the real answer: Customer. Keep in mind that the people I usually train are the people most directly tasked with the acquisition, care and maintenance of these critical assets, but even they almost never think of it that way.
Peter Drucker said: “Every business exists to serve customers…profitably.” Without Customer, the business would not exist, and your job would not exist, and no one would pay for that chair you’re sitting in.
So, next time you say that sales is not your job, reflect on the fact that without sales you wouldn’t have a job. And even if you never meet Customer in the flesh, you are a key contributor to the entire enterprise that exists only to make Customer happy.
Even if you don’t talk to Customer directly, what are you doing to help your business serve Customer profitably?
(P.S. Next time you see one of your company’s salespeople, be sure to thank them for getting you a place to park your butt.)
Abraham Lincoln once said that when preparing for a speech he would spend two-thirds of his time thinking about what the audience wanted to hear, and then one-third thinking about what he wanted to say. Based on recent research announced in this article in McKinsey Quarterly, B2B companies should pay more attention to that advice.
A brand sends a message to customers and prospective customers what they can expect if they do business with a company: its perceived capabilities and competencies, unique selling points and value proposition all wrapped into one. The brand message is not completely within the company’s control, especially in this age of social media, but it’s critical that the company do the best job possible in getting out in front with a compelling message. That’s why big B2B companies put an enormous amount of effort and money into building their brands—but according to the research they’re doing a terrible job of it.
Researchers examined publicly available documents from Fortune 500 and DAX 30 companies and identified thirteen themes. They then measured how the largest 90 global B2B companies linked their brand messages to these themes. Here are the top four, gauged by the percentage of the companies that aligned their messages with them:
- Role-models corporate social responsibility in its work (86%)
- Promotes and practices sustainability in its products or services (84%)
- Has global reach (79%)
- Shapes the direction of the market (72%)
The researchers also surveyed more than 700 global executives to find out how important each of the thirteen themes were to how they evaluated suppliers.
Guess how many of those top four matched the customers’ top four? ZERO
Here are the top four themes that customers pay attention to:
- Cares about honest, open dialogue with its customers and society
- Acts responsibly across its supply chain
- Has a high level of specialist expertise
- Fits in well with my values and beliefs
Their most important theme was not even mentioned by any of the top 90 companies in the survey!
What I know about PR and Marketing might fit into about half a blog post, so I can’t speculate too much on why the big companies have such a large mismatch between what they want to say and what their customers want to hear, but a clue emerges in the footnotes of the article, which is worth quoting verbatim:
” Face-to-face and phone contact with sales representatives ranked highest among B2B customers considering, evaluating, and purchasing products, as well as in product-loyalty decisions. This was true across all industries and regions in our sample.”
Is it maybe just slightly possible that those companies should actually talk to their own salespeople more, to find out what customers care about? (Or maybe talk to customers themselves—but let’s not get carried away here…)
It is the #1 skill for salespeople.
I got the idea for this post while reading Dave Brock’s post about the importance of letting salespeople think, and the latest HBR offering from Matt Dixon and co., “Dismantling the Sales Machine”. Both articles were addressed to sales management, urging them to allow salespeople to use their own judgment.
While I agree with both of them, it’s important to stress that the individual salesperson also has a personal obligation to make sure that they are properly using their most important selling tool.
It reminded me of a story that Richard Feynman, one of the brightest and most interesting scientific figures of the 20th century, told in his memoirs, Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)
When Feynman was a kid, he was one of those bright nerds that liked to figure out how things worked, and he taught himself how to take apart and fix radios, which in the 1930s were cumbersome boxes full of vacuum tubes and electrical components. He quickly developed a reputation for his skill, and friends of his parents would pay him to come over and repair their radios. Most of the fixes were pretty easy, but one day a man showed him a radio that would make an ear-splitting noise when it was first turned on, but then gradually begin working normally.
Feynman listened carefully, but rather than opening the back of the radio, he then began to pace around the room. After a couple of minutes, the man impatiently asked what he was doing. “I’m thinking,” Feynman replied. What he was doing was trying to imagine what could cause the problem. He finally figured out that the tubes were getting power and heating up in the wrong order, so he opened the radio, rearranged them, and it worked perfectly.
Feynman said the man became his greatest word of mouth advertiser. He went around telling people the kid was a genius, saying “He fixes radios by thinking!” He never thought it was possible.
I wonder how many customers would think it’s possible for a salesperson to solve their problems by thinking? Most of them probably haven’t seen the feat performed. They tell the salesperson about their problems, but don’t see them hesitate before immediately pitching a one-size-fits-all solution. They encounter sales reps who have read their annual reports, but haven’t turned the knowledge gained into practical insights. They endure presentations that have been clearly cranked out by someone else.
If customers do encounter a salesperson who manifestly thinks before offering a solution, do you suppose they might tell all their friends about it?
Feynman’s story exemplifies analytical thinking, but complex sales require several other forms of thinking in addition. Here are a few, with some questions to help you think about them:
Flexible thinking: Can you thoughtfully plan a sales call, and then scrap the entire plan when an unanticipated problem or opportunity comes up? Can you deviate from company policy in a pinch, and then defend your decision back at the office?
Outside-in thinking: Can you think about the situation, from the customer’s point of view? Can you demonstrate the three levels of empathy? Can you truly listen with your brain and not your ears?
Win-win thinking: Can you figure out strategically how to grow the pie during a negotiation and not just tactically scrap for every sliver? Can you understand your customer’s business deeply enough to offer innovative ways to grow their profits?
Long-term thinking: Can you patiently build and follow an account plan that increases customer profits, builds barriers to entry and solidifies trusting relationships high and wide? Will you pass up the quick strike that is not in the client’s best interest?
Self-aware thinking: Jeff Immelt says you have to be “massively self-aware”. Can you take an honest inventory of your strengths and weaknesses and devise a continuous learning and deliberate practice plan? Do you make it a habit to conduct after-action reviews?
