Thanks.

• Put aside the generic pitch – 42%
• Know my stuff better – 16%
• Bring the right people to the table – 13%
• Know their stuff better – 11%
• Give me a better deal – 10%
• Show more respect for time – 5%
• Other – 3%

It still amazes me that after zillions of dollars of investment in sales training, we still do not get it.   The selling profession should be about “Them,” not “Us.”

Who is to blame?  Sales management.  They are clearly focused on their numbers.   And they prod and poke  their salespeople about their numbers. Results are that their salespeople act out the prodding in front of the customer.

First is the Specialist. This person’s role is to screen options and their job is to make recommendations. They focus on specifications. They are usually in a staff position. Their power is knowledge. They want to advance their career and enjoy their job.

Next is the User of the product or service.  They are interested in the performance aspects of the offering re speed, accuracy, and the like. They also frequently are recommending to the Ultimate Decision Maker what their preference would be. They will get input from the Specialist as well.

The Ultimate Decision Maker is the third type of buyer.  These folks have bottom-line responsibility and are focused on the financial outcome of the buying decision in the context of ROI and efficiency.

The first two buyers are critical to the sales team as they typically recommend based on alternatives and options. The third buyer makes decisions based on the level of confidence he has in these recommenders and grants final approval.

Sparks reminds us that the days of closing business with only one buyer’s involvement are over. Sorry.  And to complicate it further each buyer has a different perspective and personal goal.

• The size of revenue and profit opportunity is much larger and extends over a longer term when the team links to the business strategy of the customer. You may discover the “80/20 Rule” here.
• An effective strategy and plan often reveal many other opportunities, both large and small, that might otherwise go unnoticed.
• Most successful new product and services innovations are created, developed, and fine-tuned when a seller is actively building a partnership with the customer. Most of these are not off-the-shelf point solutions.
• Major accounts typically have the toughest competition. You can learn many valuable ideas from competitors’ strategies that can be applied in all of your accounts.
• Your company’s senior executives are often directly involved in your firm’s major accounts. That involvement gives those executives a more realistic feel for the market, keeping them abreast of customer needs and competitive threats.

The number one characteristic that differentiates the top 1% of major account salespeople from others is their ability to visualize future success for their key clients and themselves, including the major milestones to accomplish it.  They are also aware that they may have to change course based upon what happens during the sales journey.  They are constantly focused on actions that help get them not just to the next milestone, but also to each of the subsequent milestones.   Each milestone is made up of several major actions–actions that if accomplished would significantly increase the odds of success and, conversely, if not accomplished would significantly lower the odds.

The top One Percenters engage in the following visualization process:

• Create a vision of the desired accomplishment
• Develop objectives and identify potential major nightmares
• Develop milestones toward the desired accomplishment
• Identify near-term actions that will help achieve each significant milestone
• Refine activities, milestones, objectives, and the vision itself as the sale progresses
• Transfer vision to support team prior to and during the sales process
• Remain open to the possibility of reaching some objectives early and expanding their view of the opportunity
• Successfully document the experience and ensures that supporters get what they need from the accomplishment

Most salespeople tend to focus on the next one to three steps that will get them closer to their goals.  Most of their activities are primarily reacting to recent events.  But the top performers have a long-term focus, are proactive and milestone-oriented.  Involved and emotional, they are constantly thinking about and acting on near-term actions that will accomplish the milestones leading to the objectives that, in turn, will help them realize their final vision.

1. Reciprocation.  People feel indebted to those who do something for them or give them a gift.  That’s why it’s important you give a high-value gift for each request you make of your customers…every time you call.   This way, when you call for an appointment, they will be interested to know what you are bringing.  This keeps their interest in your call high.  What’s a high-value gift?  Things like information, ideas, introductions, problem-solving, mentoring, and recommendations.

2.  Social proof.  When people are uncertain about a course of action, they tend to look to those around them to guide their decisions and actions. They especially want to know what everyone else is doing–especially their peers.  This is why your customer success stories are important–they show your customers and prospects that people just like them have had success with your product or service. They’ll be more likely to become customers themselves.

3.  Commitment and consistency.  People do not like to back out of deals. They’re more likely to do something after they’ve agreed to it verbally or in writing.  Getting your customers to publicly commit to something makes them more likely to follow through with an action or a purchase.  Getting them to ‘yes’ makes them more powerfully committed to an action.

4.  Liking.  In general, most people like a background of relatedness for their business activities.  They buy from people they know and trust.  If trust is there, your customers will create a rationale for doing business.

5.  Authority.  People respect authority. They want to follow the lead of real experts.  When people are uncertain, they look outside themselves for information to guide their decisions. This is why your customer references and testimonials from legitimate, recognized authorities are so important to help persuade your prospects and other customers to respond or buy.

6. Scarcity. The less there is of something, the more valuable it is. The more rare and uncommon a thing, the more people want it.  According to Professor Cialdini, “The tendency to be more sensitive to possible losses than to possible gains is one of the best-supported findings in social science.”  If your product or service is genuinely unique, be sure to emphasize its unique qualities to increase the perception of its scarcity.

These six principles influence your customers’ decisions–whether they know it or not.  Use them as a guide to best communicate and interact with your customers to get the results you want.

“Zara, which overtook Gap in 2008 as the world’s largest clothing retailer, has been a poster child for supply chain excellence because of its ability to deliver new items to stores quickly. Impressive as this supply chain is, the retailer’s ability to spot trends as they emerge is equally important in serving its target customers—fashion-conscious young women in Europe….In the summer of 2007, for instance, Zara introduced a line of slim-fit clothes, including ‘pencil’ skirts in bright colors. Daily sales statistics revealed that the items were not selling but shed no light on why. Zara marketing managers visited the stores to explore the situation in person and learned that women loved how the slim-fit clothes looked but couldn’t fit into their usual sizes when they tried on the garments. Armed with this insight, Zara recalled the items and replaced the labels with the next sizes down. Sales exploded.”

As breakout salespeople, you position, tailor (pun intended), and apply your products and services to appeal to your customers’ criteria.  Your success depends mainly on how well prepared you are, how closely you listen, and how well your customers think you will take care of them.  Doing your homework, and being well-prepared and customer-focused for all interactions differentiates you from your competition.  It’s all the more powerful when you learn to think like your customers.

So when is a size 6 not a size 6?  When your customers say it isn’t.

What do you need to do so that you’re ready to hit the ground running on January 1?  These best practices will help you focus on the “big rocks” that will create value for you and your most important customers.

• Get grounded. Who are your most important customers?  Where can you deliver the most differentiated value ahead of the defined proposal curve?  Where are you most profitable?  Take a couple of hours to analyze where you need to focus.  Use this first-round thinking as the foundation of joint company/customer/supplier planning sessions.  Are you on track?  What are their insights?  Do they agree with the value linkages?
• Enroll your team. Make sure everyone understands the customer’s big picture and your alignment.  Agree on your overarching value proposition, relationship strategy and customer relationship ownership and messaging.  By taking the time for team collaboration, you can create an actionable execution plan with identified ownership, deliverables, and accountability.  Some of our customers create large wall charts with this information and post them in common areas along with performance benchmarking information for task force or operations personnel.
• Plant the seeds by extending the relationship. Plan how best to extend the relationship between your company’s and your customer’s executives.  This can be as simple as setting up a single meeting or as elaborate as multi-track briefings along hierarchical lines within both organizations.  One of our clients, working in a very complex customer environment, has proven the value of briefing his counterparts so that they, in turn, can “brief up.”  By the time the respective executives meet, the value seeds have been planted and the meeting can focus on areas of possible strategy execution.

Great sales leaders focus on several key areas that will allow them to take advantage of opportunities afforded them during the coming year.  High-level strategy, actionable team enrollment, trusted value relationships–these are the best next actions that will help you make the most of 2010.

Titled “When Uncertainty Is Normal,” the article captured the responses from 470 senior-level executives around the world who were asked, “Which supplier is most likely to get work from you in tough times as compared to prosperous times?”  The top answer?  The supplier most proactive in helping out.

While they may not admit it, many executives are ill-equipped to navigate the business waters in which they are currently afloat.  Collaborating with a trusted supplier who is focused on solving customer problems and adding measurable value is a welcomed lifeline.

These are some ways that a trusted supplier may be able to help:

Help customers accept ambiguity. Share with your customer what you think their “unknowns” are and how to manage them.

Adhere to a nimble framework. Like in the nursery rhyme, “Jack be nimble, Jack be quick…,” being fleet-footed to help your customer meet market demands gives your customer–and you–a competitive advantage.

Restore internal relationships. As a trusted supplier, you have multiple relationships across your customer’s organization.  In the wake of a merger or layoffs, how can you help your customer rebuild meaningful relationships of his or her own?

Rebuild trust. With your in-depth understanding of your customer’s business, you can be instrumental in restoring trust with your customer’s external audiences.

Identify priorities and create a strategy to achieve them. Help your customer see the forest through the trees.

So toss that lifeline now.  Ask your customers, “What are the impacts of the new business norms on you and your customers, and how can we help?”

1. They think of themselves as collaborative problem solvers. They initiate collaboration.

2. Their communications to the market are filtered through a problem/solution prism. They are focused on the benefit to their customer’s customer.

3. They proactively promote joint collaboration and investment towards common goals. They focus on relationship and outcomes from the beginning.

4. They do not collaborate with everyone. They selectively invest in the highest-value opportunities for collaboration.

5. They engage their operations and other subject matter experts on customer-facing teams.

For sales executives convinced of the value of collaborating with their customers, but wondering where to start within their own selling organizations, Mike suggested the following actions:

• Explore new territory.  Use voice of the customer interviews to explore new areas or validate hypotheses.  Open regular, candid lines of communication between your company and your customer’s end user.  Solicit your customers’ unmet needs.  How can you expand the scope of your solutions to meet them?

• Develop an in-depth understanding of your customers’ business. Identify solutions for problems not yet causing pain.  Position your business-development and technical teams as best-practice experts within a specialty that serves your customer.  Understand and communicate how your company’s solution augments and complements your customers’ knowledge and capabilities.  Measure and communicate how your internal knowledge and technology enhances your  customer’s business.  How can you enhance the entire customer experience?

• Don’t dismiss unusual customer requests. These can often be indicators of new opportunities.  How can you leverage complementary or add-on products and services to capitalize on seemingly off-point requests?

• Engage your customer in your product/service design process. The creative give-and-take generates new ideas and validates existing plans.  Take actions to streamline and customize your solution to reduce the customer’s investment in supervision and management.  How can you satisfy a market segment and gain a competitive advantage?

By doing this, companies and their customers learn far more about each other–and themselves.  Information flows freely, companies have a clearer picture of what customers need, and resulting products are more successful in the marketplace.  The end result is increased client retention, improved customer satisfaction, and revenue opportunities that can benefit both the company and its customer.