Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • October 30, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 25 SALES STRATEGIES Proven ways to lose your next sale By John Graham B ehind their assertions of self-confidence and annoying arrogance is an undeniable fact: It takes guts to get the endless unknowns and oddities of customers. But that's what salespeople do. At the end of the day, it isn't how many calls you make, appointments you go on, or proposals you prepare. It's how much revenue you chalk-up. Some sales are better than others, but every sale counts. After los- ing a sale, how many times have you said, "I can't believe it. I was sure I had that one." No one sets out to lose a sale. But it hap- pens. That's why recognizing the danger signals can help avoid unnecessary losses. Here they are: Deciding who will buy and who won't. No matter what they may say, no one dislikes disappointment more than salespeople. So, they come up with the clever little trick to avoid it by claiming they can tell if a cus- tomer is going to buy or not. Having been through it so many times, they have a sense of what's going to happen. This thought process helps avoid the downer of disap- pointment but it also erases the need to analyze what you could have done differently to get the sale. Assuming the sale is a sure thing. Because selling is a tough game, salespeople are prone to believe that by having "the right attitude" they can influence the outcome of a sale. If they think the sale will go their way, it will. Unfortunately, this approach keeps the focus on the salesperson and takes it away from the customer. To try to do both at the same time doesn't work, as Stanford Univer- sity has shown with multi-tasking research. In fact, they found that the human brain is built to do one thing at a time. This suggests that salespeople are at a disadvantage if they try to keep the focus on both themselves and the customer at the same time. Playing the "friend game." The salesper- son's mission is to present a compelling case for winning the order, not to make a friend or to feign friendship just to get the sale. Customers can see through such thinly veiled tricks. More than anything, the goal is to be viewed as competent. Impress the customer by being laser focused on the customer so that you thoroughly under- stand the business and the issues and can differentiate yourself from the competition. Quitting too soon. For serious sales- people, the "Urgent" sign is lit up all the time. Get in, get the order, and get out. And it's understandable and even commendable because that's what gets the job done. But not always. There are times when you can be too sure of yourself and overly confident. After giv- ing it your best effort, you decide the pros- pect can't make a decision or isn't serious. Then, three months later you find out that the person bought from a competitor. Some prospects put salespeople to the test, checking them out to see if they want the business. Failing to ask discovery questions. Some salespeople can't wait to get to the good stuff — their sales pitch. They've been through the drill so many times they find it distracting and a waste of time getting bogged down in asking a lot of discovery questions. That may be OK for new sales- people, but not necessary for anyone with their experience. Not so, by any measure. The purpose of discovery questions is not just to qualify prospects, but to engage them so they are talking about what's really important to them — their business. Dispensing solutions. When customers have a problem, they are primed to look for quick, easy, low-cost solutions. You might call them "low-hanging fruit" or, more appropriately, "easy prey." This is why sales- people armed with appetizing and tasty solutions get their attention. Unfortunately, instant-fix solutions are like pills we pop to take away the pain. Cus- tomers want to believe they work, but, as we so quickly discover, they only disguise it and it doesn't take long before it's back. Yet, this is the sales tactic far too many salespeople utilize and why they have so few repeat customers and referrals. If there's a single objective in sales, it's to empower customers to make decisions that are in their best interest, decisions that result in satisfaction. Giving customers what they say they want. "What's wrong with that? That's why we're in business, isn't it," you say. In the age of the smartphone, there is no need for salespeople who are merely "transactors," who literally give customers what they ask for, and whose function is to scan barcodes and say "thank you." Robots can perform that function 24-hours a day more efficient- ly and at lower cost. The "smartphone age" brings the essen- tial role of the salesperson into sharp focus and, surprisingly, it's not new — it's the same as ever. The sales task is that of the specialist, the one who serves as an authen- tic resource customers can trust. John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategy consultant and business writer. Contact him at jgraham@grahamcomm.com, 617-774-9759 or johnrgraham.com. HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM POLL LAST WEEK'S POLL RESULT: John Graham NEXT WEEK'S POLL: Has the state's fiscal crisis made you re-think your Connecticut residency? To vote, go online to hartfordbusiness.com BIZ BOOKS Reducing prep time to better execute company strategy By Jim Pawlak "Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days" by Jake Knapp with John Zeratsky and Braden Kowitz (Simon & Schuster, $28). When it comes to problem-solving and evaluating oppor- tunities, too many businesses waste too much time getting ready. Knapp, the creator of Google Ventures sprint process, believes getting started trumps getting ready. It's especially true for small business- es because reaction time affects both their core focus and limited financial resources. Here's a snapshot of his workweek process: Monday — Start at the end by asking why and when. Craft "what has to be true" ques- tions you'll need to answer to define how. Then set your goal by developing a simple process map that incorporates your answers. Mapping starts with identifying the players and their roles; it ends with the goal. Fill the space in between with words and directional arrows tied to process execution. Use the expertise of your team and other stakeholders to add "how might we" detail to the map. Tuesday — Share the map with your team and ask them to use Post-it notes to add more comments about the processes and steps involved. Their input provides a wealth of material you can use to "re- mix and improve." It also develops buy-in. Wednesday — Gather the team around the map to discuss their various "how and if-then" steps in the process. The goal: Select the alterna- tives to those that have the best chance of reaching the goal. Create storyboards (i.e. step-by-step plans) for the semi-finalists. Re- view the storyboards and select the winner. Thursday — Create your execution prototype. You won't be able to cross every "t" or dot every "i," but you'll be able to show it to those (internal and external stakehold- ers/customers) affected by goal attainment. Friday — Knapp suggests using team interviews to obtain feedback from five sources. When the team sees the perspec- tives of those most affected, they'll be able to adjust both what's working and what isn't. With adjustments made, the prototype becomes an executable template. Key takeaway: The faster you implement, the more time you'll have to focus on execution — and other aspects of your business. Jim Pawlak Book Review Is Hartford a viable market for a professional soccer team? 42.4% No 57.6% Yes READER COMMENTS: "Yes, if they can secure a venue to play." "Hartford is too small of a market. There is nothing wrong with being what we are ... a smaller market. It brings advantages and there are plenty of other small market cities that are hot in other parts of the U.S. We need to be honest about what we are and play to our strengths instead of trying to be something we are not."

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