Don’t laugh! I’ve embarked on the “flat belly” diet. Yes, Jill Harrington, a self-proclaimed stick insect, is on a diet. Truth is I’ve developed this “Buddha belly” over the past couple of years and I want to get rid of it. So I’m at day three of a 30-day process and, right now, I’d trade my husband for a Gummi Bear.
But it’s a process. And, while I’m longing to find the shortest route to the abs of a 21 year old, a life-time of experience has taught me that short cuts are tempting, but rarely effective. And my life-career of sales experience says “ditto.”
April was a busy month for me. One particular week was so insane the temptation to cut corners was at an all-time high. I know you relate. But sales experts don’t take short cuts – do they? Well, I have to come clean with you. On three occasions I was tempted. The forbidden apple was hanging so low in front of me I could taste it. But my smarter self resisted, and chose not to take the path to temptation.
Temptation # 1: The Bypass
I receive this great referral from Jane (who participated in our recent webinar series) to a contact in a BIG company. Yum! I do my homework, prepare a rock-solid access message, and I’m just about to pick up the phone when I realize I’ve taken a bypass and I’m about to make a BIG mistake. So rather than calling the new prospect, I call Jane. I need to know why she believes salesSHIFT is right for this organization, and I want to learn more about her contact. I discover that Jane has a very close personal connection to this director, and she provides me invaluable background information not available in the public domain. Based on this new intelligence, I re-write my intro message. The result… an immediate response, a productive first conversation, and a meeting set for later this month. Cutting corners might have cost me this meeting.
Temptation # 2: The Easy Route
I’m about to make a third call to a senior executive in one of my “A” prospect organizations. We haven’t connected live yet, but I’ve done a ton of preparation for earlier calls, and I have information about her and her company from inside contacts. I feel ready to make the call. But I don’t. This nagging little voice inside my head is reminding me not to take the easy route. “Check the news releases before you dial.” Sure enough, a major expansion plan has been announced that week. This timely information enables me to position SalesSHIFT in context of a very immediate priority on this busy executive’s agenda. The result … an invite to talk in depth later this week.
Temptation # 3: The Quick Pitch
OK… so this time I’m having this great first conversation with a new prospect. He admits to being “intrigued” about our services and he’s open to talking further next month. We’ve chatted for about ten minutes and it feels like we’re at a very comfortable place. I’m closing the call and I’m so tempted to tell him about the “early bird pricing” on our webinar series starting that Friday, and why he should sign up his team. I bite my tongue. Ouch. But better a sore tongue than the sudden death of a fresh new relationship, brimming with big possibilities, all for the sake of a quick tactical sale.
Three times I drifted towards temptation. It’s easy to do when we’re swamped, time-starved and anxious to move the sales cycle forward. It got me thinking about the times I’ve seen clients jeopardize their sales results by trying to maneuver a short cut.
So, to keep you on the straight and narrow here, in no particular order, is Jill’s list of the Top Ten Temptations sellers should avoid.
1. You will not be tempted to let the pressure to close a quick sale jeopardize the bigger opportunity behind it. Keep your lips still until you have a clear picture of this specific customer’s situation.
2. You will not be tempted to contact a referral unless you have spoken with the referrer to fully understand why they believe you are a good match with this prospect and his organization.
3. You will not be tempted to skimp on your discovery process. The right information is power in B2B selling and is the foundation to creating your differentiation.
4. You will not be tempted to drop your price just because your competitor is cheaper. If you know you offer advantage in areas of high priority to this customer, stand your ground. Or offer less at the lower price.
5. You will not be tempted to “wing it.” You will prepare and plan for every customer call or meeting, particularly your first. Preparation organizes your thinking, and assures you don’t leave opportunity on the table.
6. You will not be tempted to depend on one favourite contact in your customer organizations. Build relationships with all points of influence – high, wide and deep.
7. You will not be tempted to feel complacent about your existing customer base. Customer loyalty can change in a flash. New business acquisition is the life-blood of your sales success.
8. You will not be tempted to chase business you can’t win – no matter how prestigious the account. Time and energy spent on unwinnable or undesirable business steals time and energy from good opportunities.
9. You will not be tempted to let your expertise get in the way of hearing your customer’s perspective. You don’t have to agree. But know this… your inability to hear will cost you the sale.
10. You will not be tempted to leap from a front-line sales role into a sales leadership position without first understanding the very different skills required to succeed in what is fundamentally a service position.
Next time you’re tempted to take a short cut, think of me. A flat belly doesn’t happen in three days. It takes a process, discipline, and ruthless avoidance of temptation, including Gummi Bears. And so it is in selling. Follow the process, be disciplined, and never doubt the high price of giving in to the temptation of short cuts.
Good selling!
