“Sell higher, sell more!” is a common statement from sales managers; especially in technology firms. The exhortation is based on impeccable logic—get into the offices of senior executives and your opportunity increases to make larger sales repeatedly over longer periods of time. Unfortunately, for many sales organizations, this is where the logic ended. Salespeople dutifully follow sales manager’s instructions, but without the desired results. Winning appointments with senior executives became the objective. Knowing what to say—that was another matter entirely.
Having secured a meeting/phone call with a key executive, salespeople often squander the opportunity by treating the executive as they would any other prospect. Instead of proving themselves to be an invaluable business partner, they prove themselves to be unworthy of the executive’s continued attention and time. This can have a very negative effect on sales teams.
Having conversations with senior executive’spresent’s new and difficult challenges requiring superior skill, preparation, and knowledge that only the most accomplished salespeople have mastered(free “gifts of Knowledge”). High-performing salespeople are experts at using communication skills in sophisticated ways, so that their customers see them as adding exceptional value and insight.
Not only do they communicate differently, but they also approach these discussions with different objectives than other salespeople; the goal is not to make a sale, but rather to develop a solid business relationship that will be regarded as valuable by the client and will lead to many sales over time.
Being a Business Partner, Not a Salesperson
Senior execs are looking for salespeople who can help them achieve new insights and develop new strategies not just identify solutions to predefined problems. Salespeople who deliver are rewarded with long-term business relationships that are beneficial to the customer and profitable to the sales organization.
High performing salespeople who form these long-term business relationships are experts at value-based conversations; they are able to:
- Engage the interest of the customer and draw them into meaningful conversations.
- Educate the customer, not only about the sales organization’s products and services, but also about industry trends and business issues that not be fully aware of.
- Enlighten the customer about new possibilities, and act as a catalyst for innovative ideas.
These high-performing salespeople go beyond “managing the sales process” and “closing deals”, to being trusted advisors. They are adept at helping customers break out of old assumptions and create new value. They can have the kind of conversations that make senior-level customers say, “I never thought of it that way before.” They must have outstanding communication skills. Imagine a salesperson and a senior-level customer talking about a problem. The salesperson thinks they know exactly what the customer needs (and he also knows exactly what he wants to sell). The customer also thinks they know exactly what they need, and wants to know whether the salesperson can offer it. Both salesperson and customer are operating from their assumptions about what the problem is and how to solve it.
Imagine them, however, breaking free of those assumptions and exploring some other ways of viewing the situation. They might discover that the problem is altogether different from what it seems, or they might find an innovative solution that is superior to anything either of them brought to the table.
The salesperson who helps the customer arrive at that new understanding will be seen as a valued partner.
What do you do next? Send us an email and we’ll arrange for you to speak with Ed to chat about how these learnings can help build more sales just for your business