It's not about you, silly! What is the #1 consistent success mantra in Sales?

(With immense respect for all the sales guys out there!)

‘We are #1 in digital consulting and we have methodologies that pioneer the whole industry and we have 10,000 employees across the world and we perform…..’ While Stuart went on and on about how great his company is and its products, Leslie was surreptitiously checking her phone to see if there were any messages.

Have you been in situations like this? I have been in scores of cases like this where we lost the customer after 10 min of going on about how great we were. Then realization dawns ‘Buddy, it is all about the customer – let’s focus on the customer’s pain points’.

So, Stuart goes ‘Our consistent methodologies mean there is lower risk for you and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) is attractive because of our pricing methodologies……’ 

And Leslie thinks ‘Oh good, they are talking about TCO and lower risk’. And she asks a question ‘So, how does this differentiate you from your competitors?’

‘Oh, we have been in this business for 42 years and our best practices…….’

Leslie starts checking her calendar for her next meeting. For Leslie, this meeting is already over – she will hand over the case to her team for due diligence alongwith other vendors and then the process continues. Stuart remains as one in many…..

Well, what do you notice? Yeah, there was no personal relationship. So, the sales guy (Stuart) is tasked with knowing Leslie on a personal level and taking her out for coffee, dinner, drinks, so there is a ‘personal’ connect.

And Leslie gets inundated by the numerous dinner meetings by all the other Stuarts competing for the same business and some even spring the question on her ‘What keeps you awake at night?’ Snigger, snigger!

Hmm, how many of you have gone through this grind? Ticking all boxes in a sales process - mapping clients, researching on their backgrounds, finding common connects for personalization, agonizing over the proposal, pricing etc. etc. And I am certain you would also have gone through the grind of parading the CEO or yourself in front of Leslie, so that massages her ego and prompts her to give you her vote.

 

So, with all the sales strategization, all the planning and mapping, what do you actually think clinched that big deal for you? It’s common knowledge people buy from people and then people buy from people they trust and so on….

And if you were to pinpoint what could be that ONE thing, the mantra that swung the deal for you? You might say ‘good marketing’, ‘good presentation’, ‘personal connect with all the client stakeholders’, ‘the charismatic CEO presence’ etc etc. So, what is that ONE thing that consistently works?

When you actually break the above aspects into various segments, there is one element that stands out – you are making Leslie feel super about herself. You are making her feel on top of the world with all the attention. The fact that you thought about her problems makes her feel special – I bet even her husband would not have put so much effort in finding answers to her problems!

Bottom line you made her feel good about herself!

So, it is NOT the CEO parade, it is NOT the wining and the dining, it is NOT the countless presentations trying to convince her how good you are – they are just necessary actions that resulted in one outcome. Making Leslie feel good about herself.

How many of us go through life grappling with guilt of not doing enough or not being enough, not doing things right, not going anywhere with our lives - well, Leslie goes through similar insecurities as well! Imagine in this self-doubting muck, you pull her out and make her shine. That is what will turn Leslie's vote. 

Note, it is easy to fall into the trap of complimenting ('You are looking gorgeous today!' or 'You have done a great job with this office') and wining and dining - that's easy. What is not easy and needs practice is seeing beyond the facade and looking at the real Leslie! When you do that, you have got the formula!

It's simple - it is all about the customer, the human being!

And each buyer stakeholder is unique and hence their interests and problems are unique. How do you tune in to everybody individual's needs? Sounds difficult?

I invite you to switch on your radar and create a magnetic field around you to pick up on each buyer's nuances in that moment. Look and really see the person you are interacting with. Remember life keeps changing and so does your buyer's.

We all need to practice turning on our magnetic field - we cannot just turn on the tap and expect sweet crystal clear water to flow. We have to first ensure that water supply is available and that means we first need to see deep within ourselves to answer a few questions and remove blockages.

William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli were two of the fiercest political rivals of the 19th century. Their epic battles for control of the British Empire were marked by intense animosity that spilled over from the public arena into their personal lives. Ambitious, powerful, and politically astute, both men were spirited competitors and masterful politicians.

Though each man achieved impressive accomplishments for Britain, the quality that separated them as leaders was their approach to people. The difference is best illustrated by the account of a young woman who dined with the men on consecutive nights. When asked about her impression of the rival statesmen, she said, "When I left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in England. But after sitting next to Mr. Disraeli, I thought I was the cleverest woman in England."

Needless to say, who do you think always had the upper hand?