When we are leading, influencing, being called upon as trusted advisors or salespeople, the perspective we choose to take in a situation is fundamentally linked to our success or failure in that situation. Perspective tends to drive how we react instinctively, and our reactions drive our attitudes and our behaviors which then drive our outcomes.
Prospecting and Selling are Different Things!
Prospecting, (“cold calling”), has been a hot topic 
with our clients this year. A few months ago we launched a prospecting crash course to help companies build this essential skill on their teams. One of the key aha moments in the workshops has occurred when we discuss the idea that Prospecting and Selling are two completely separate processes with different intents, approaches and measures for success.
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Selling in Today’s World – 3 Imperatives
As 2012 comes to an end, I’ve found our business shifting to accommodate the changes in the business and economic landscapes. I’m doing a lot more coaching and advising at an executive level. This combined with my own experience of running a business has brought to light some of the fundamental changes that I’m seeing in selling these days. Namely, decisions are being made differently. Decisions are made more slowly, they are made with far more scrutiny, and they require an almost absolute guarantee of a successful outcome (typically short term ROI) before being signed off. It is harder to sell big complex products and services right now than it has been over the past 15 years. Here are three “selling” imperatives I’ve found to be important for the companies with whom I’m working:
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Don’t wish it were easier… Wish that you were better.
I heard a quote years ago that shifted the way I look at challenging situations. It was such a formative idea in my personal development that I thought it might be a good blog entry. The quote was on a CD by a speaker named Jim Rohn called “The Art of Exceptional Living”. I can still hear Jim’s unique voice ringing in my head when he said “don’t wish it were easier… wish that you were better!”
Conversation vs. Information Exchange
One of the fundamental fallacies that I’ve observed in selling is the idea that information is the key reason people buy from us. I have watched the sales people, sales engineers, techies, and executives I coach share with their prospects how great their technology/process/approach is, how superior their features and benefits are, how the speeds and feeds are this and that, and continue with a litany of details about the product or service in question. It is as if they believe the information has some magic ability to cause the prospect to buy. It isn’t so!!!
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What you DO vs. What you CREATE
I had an interesting conversation yesterday that really illuminated the distinction between the work that we do versus the value of that work to our customers. I was discussing a potential new project with a large customer – a global consulting and outsourcing firm. We got to talking about a competitive vendor who may also be considered for doing the project – a much larger and more established firm with deeper reach into my client (and with cheaper prices).
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The “Truth” is Irrelevant in Sales
The truth is irrelevant in sales. So are the facts. For the most part, all of the “information” we’d be inclined to focus upon conveying is pretty much irrelevant. Why? Because from the perspective of the buyer, all of our (the vendors’) so called truths, facts and info sound fundamentally the same. Even when we DO achieve some strategic or tactical advantage over our competitors, it only lasts a short time before their marketing department and their smart sales people figure out how to counter our claims. And the buyer is left wondering “Who’s really telling the truth?”
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Happy Holidays!
Click image for PDFAs 2009 draws to a close and we anticipate a new year and a new decade, we are filled with gratitude for those who have made our success possible. So in this spirit we wish to tell you all, simply and sincerely, Thank you! And as is the tradition during this time of year, we stumbled upon …
Leading Through The Storm – Replay
Click image for PDFThanks so much to everyone who participated in the free “Leading Through The Storm” webinar on September 22nd! We had over 100 people in attendance and the feedback has been great. Here is the audio replay for those of you who missed it, or for those of you who wish to share it with someone else. The …
