Whenever I have a group of salespeople together, I like to open the discussion by asking them to complete the following sentence: “In any company, salespeople exist to…”
On collecting and reading their written responses I find that, usually, 70 to 80 percent of them say the equivalent of “…close deals!”
My favorite Gary Larson Far Side cartoon shows a smiling salesman in a boat waving goodbye to happy, smiling Eskimos who are standing on the shore aside their newly purchased freezers as his boat pushes off from the icy shore. The caption reads something like, “So-and-So proves he’s a true Level 4 Salesman.”
When I wrote my book a few years ago, I quoted one of IBM’s top salespeople who, in sort of a confession, said, “I sold companies systems that customers didn’t need, didn’t want and couldn’t afford.”
Selling is a dirty word, just ask Webster
“Sell!” Look up the word in the dictionary some time. The most flattering definitions have something to do with executing transactions. But the most common definitions aren’t flattering at all. Many include references to lying, coercion, enticement, etc.
And salespeople wonder why most customers tend to have their guard up when dealing with salespeople? Clearly, they have learned from experience that too many of the salespeople they’ve dealt with in the past have had a single-minded focus on closing the sale (a la, “freezers to Eskimos!”).
In what I think is one of the business world’s greatest ironies, salespeople who focus on “exploring and describing the fit – if it exists – between the two companies,” end up closing more sales than those who focus on, you guessed it… “closing more sales!”
Let’s not waste time speculating on the reasons behind this reality. Frankly, I’ve found that salespeople either get this idea or they don’t, on one exposure to it. Let’s talk about how to live it.
Shift your “close-the-sale energy”
It may sound like so much fluff and psychobabble, but the starting point is to shift your energy. Anyone who’s read the books, “Synchronicity” or “The Secret,” or has seen National Geographic’s hit, “The Dog Whisperer” understands that our thoughts translate into energy, and people (and dogs) read that energy.
As salespeople, if our thoughts are fixated on closing the sale (which is where most salespeople have been told they should be fixated), our energy will communicate that to every contact we talk to and in every e-mail we send. Not by some weird, buzzing sound that emanates from our bodies or the reader’s computer screen, but by our words, inflections and tones. Likewise, if our thoughts, instead, are fixated on exploring and describing the fit – if it exists – between the two companies, our energy will communicate that.
For example:
“I’d like to explore the fit,” might become, “I’d like to explore the potential fit.”
“Sure, we’d be happy to show you a demo,” might become, “Sure, a demo might make sense, but why don’t we take a few minutes to talk it through so that we can be sure that’s the best thing to do right now.”
“What’s your timing on this widget decision?” might become, “What’s driving XYZ’s need for widgets?”
You can’t fake it
The good news about this mindset/energy/word connection is that it’s literally impossible to fake. Our words come out of our mouths based on what’s in our heads. Sometimes those words are prepared and rehearsed. However, most often, they’re impromptu and spontaneous. But they still reflect, and in a very real sense, perfectly, what’s on our minds.
That’s why salespeople who have a close-the-sale mindset literally cannot help but project close-the-sale energy and, in turn, use close-the-sale language, inflections and tone in their communication with contacts.
You will never, ever “miss” a sale
When first presented with this non-traditional way to think about selling, many salespeople respond with some form of “Yeah, but I’ll miss opportunities to close if I’m not looking for them.” Well, I don’t make a lot of guarantees, but this is one that I do make. I guarantee that you will never, ever miss a sale by focusing on the potential fit instead of the close.
In a future column, I may talk about why this is so. For now, don’t only take my word for it, take the word of thousands of sales professionals who have adopted this mindset and, to a one, have reported that not only have they never missed out on a sale but – and also to a one – have reported that they are indeed living the irony of closing more sales by not focusing on closing more sales.
