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Highly successful salespeople don't "sell", they help customers "buy." In the 2012 issues of Sales Bytes, we will introduce the Core Concepts of CustomerCentric Selling® to demonstrate how sellers can become facilitators of the buying cycle...and sell lots of stuff along the way!
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You can't sell to someone who can't buy. Bad news EARLY is GOOD news.
You can't sell to someone who can't buy...but, oh, how hard we try! Do your salespeople tend to focus on just one person in the prospect's organization? Is that person often a user or mid-level manager who is interested in your offering, but cannot make the ultimate buying decision? Even when salespeople know that someone else will make the final decision, they frequently relegate the job of selling upwards to their internal coach. They deliver a proposal and hope for the best; however, the response is typically a big "NO". Why? Even though their internal coach really wants your product, they are unable to articulate the need and value to the other people in the organization that are involved in making the decision.
(Read more...)
We suggest that salespeople determine who will influence the buying decision, then request access to the entire buying committee. If the salesperson has been able to uncover enough need and value, often their coach will champion them with other people in the organization. If they say "no", sellers must understand why: Is this an individual's pet project or a company-wide priority? Is this person a control freak? Do they need more information or proof first? Salespeople may need to negotiate in order to get access but if they continue to be denied, they should decide whether it makes sense to pursue this opportunity or to walk away because, sometimes, Bad news EARLY is GOOD news.
If you'd like to learn more about how we help salespeople qualify, and disqualify, prospects early in the sales cycle, let us know when you have time for a 15 minute call.
Best Regards,
Debra Swann, Pat Dougherty, Chris Kavanagh
Principals, SDK Sales Alliance
Partner, CustomerCentric Selling®; Your Roadmap to Revenue Growth
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