SalesBudo

Where is your power going?

In Ki-Aikido training, the question is frequently asked, "where is your/their power going?  Most commonly it is asked when the uke (attacker) grabs the nage (one being attacked) in any number of ways.  The job of the nage is to respect that direction, sense where the uke's power is directed, put him or herself in alignment with that direction and safely immobilize the attack.

I was thinking of this concept in the context of "closing" a deal.  As I wrote in a previous post, closing is purely a sellers term generated by a seller's perspective.  From a buyer's perspective there is an entirely opposite perspective on this part of the process.  For the buyer, "closing" is in fact "opening" or commencement of the journey to value for what they have purchased.

I would guess that 80% of all sales training, coaching, management focus, is directed towards closing.  But the focus on closing is way out of alignment with what the buyer's focus is on -- which is ultimately recognizing value for what is purchased.  Finishing up the initial agreement - closing -  is simply a step towards achieving the value.

One of the reasons that salespeople lose control of deals towards the "close" is because the prospect senses that they are not in alignment with helping the client generate value.  In your next sales cycle, constantly ask yourself where your power is going?  Focus your power on value and generate excitement about getting started!

"I Got It"

Since when did it become acceptable in the business world to interrupt someone mid-sentence with "I Got It"?  This is a recent phenomena that seems to be very prevalent in sales culture.  I've heard it used from sales manager to subordinate, from prospect to salesperson, and even from salesperson to prospect.  Roughly translated this means, "don't keep explaining yourself to me because I already know what you are going to say and what you mean.  My time and intellect are so valuable that I can't possibly spend another second with you.  Please get on with it so I can subject the next person to my power and greatness."

What does one have to think about oneself to unconsciously wield that kind of rudeness?  What kind of business culture have we created where this behavior is acceptable?

The Sales Lexicon

Have you ever heard how most salespeople talk?

Let’s take for example the sales “pitch”.  Salespeople make “pitches” to their prospects.  Salespeople are the pitchers, and prospects are the batters.  If we take the analogy further, the pitcher tries to strike the batter out and send him back to the dugout with nothing for his effort.  Wait, there’s more… Companies want their sales people to be able to make this pitch, if, by chance, they are in an elevator with one of their prospects.  Is it any wonder that salespeople get a bad wrap?

Salespeople struggle to “close” deals.  The prospect  wants or needs the product or service but it seems that they are trying to keep the deal “open”.  The problem is that while it may be the end of a process for the salesperson, it is just the beginning for the prospect.  The process of achieving value from the product or service has not even started for the prospect.  No wonder there is resistance.

My point is that the sales lexicon is wrought with contentiousness between sellers and the prospects that we are supposed to be trying to help.  By talking this way we prepare ourselves for conflict with the prospect. The way we talk and think about our prospects & customers when they are not around, will affect the way that we treat them when we interact with them directly.

One way to practice this is to go through an entire day pretending that your prospects can see and hear everything you say and do.  Try this and you will be surprised at what you discover.  My experience was that I first noticed myself thinking carefully before I spoke with my colleagues about different sales cycles.  After I got used to it, I began to notice a heightened energy level within myself and my own sales culture.  A much more constructive dialogue began to occur around my sales cycles.  After all, if my prospects/customers were watching me, I would want them to see a positive, constructive person who is calmly and firmly looking out for their best interest.

The same rule applies here.  The way we talk and think about our prospects & customers when they are not around, will affect the way that we treat them when we interact with them directly.  Try this, and you will be surprised at the change that takes place in your sales culture and in your sales cycles.