3. What is the information you really need to gain in order to properly position this? Clearly you need to understand what the lead’s goal is, and whatever he or she tells you about his needs and wants. But you also want to go beyond that. What is his role? And what has his role been in similar purchases? Has he ever bought anything like what you’re selling before? How did he do it last time? Did he involve other people? Learn his buying patterns, and discover how likely he is to make a decision going forward. But let’s also look at the timing. Has the company been looking for a while? If so, why? Has he spoken with other companies that they are no longer considering? If so, why? Why have they rejected some things? Is there an internal bias? Have they realized that certain things will work and certain things won’t?
Here’s a question: How come they’re even looking? How come they aren’t using last year’s solutions again now? Did something change? Did something develop in their company? Are they new? Are they reacting to some competitive landscape issues? By understanding their timing, understanding how they arrived at whatever budget, and timetable, you’ll know what you’re up against. Check to see if the company had one of their individuals look in and spearhead the effort of finding a solution. Why was that particular person the one chosen to be in that position? Is that typically the way their process begins?
So let’s go beyond simply his or her title. Usually the salesperson says, “Does his title include the title of my product? And if so, he must be the right person. And he must be thinking about it in one kind of way. Now, I need to go way beyond that with the information that I gained.”
4. And finally, reaction. What is the reaction we’re looking to get, and what is the feared reaction or anticipated reaction that they have when they consider telling somebody else about your sales. There are many cases in selling where there are other decision-makers who we never get to meet. The customer says to you, “Okay, this is interesting, but I’m going to have to talk to my boss.”
He might be thinking, “If I tell my boss this, my boss is going to think that I’m wasting time, or I’m an idiot, or I don’t get something.” Well, if that’s the case, then he’s not going to tell his boss. On the other hand, if he thinks the boss or the other people in the company are going to think that he’s a hero for introducing this great new offering
that you’re presenting, then HOORAY! That’s precisely the reaction that you want to achieve. So let’s understand what his reaction is likely to be.
Will he tell others in the organization about you and your service?
What is his reaction going to be in terms of helping you get exposure in their company? What is the reaction you’re looking for?
Keep in mind that a smiling, happy, nod is not the only kind of reaction that’s going to work. You may be presenting something that introduces a brand new emerging technology or a new way of looking at something, in which case you’ll need to educate them and possibly challenge them. Don’t be afraid of them momentarily going, “Wait a minute, I don’t know that that’s going to work.” This could be what it’s going to take for them to be able to see that what you have to offer is of great value.
About the Author:
Steve Bookbinder is Co-founder and CEO of Digital Media Training, a training partner to some of the most successful sales organizations around the world. DMT delivers training which treats sales as a competitive sport and changes behavior needed to help sellers consistently win. DMT is a leader in M-learning training reinforcement with a proven track record of improving sales through training. Steve has delivered more than 500 keynote speeches at national sales meetings, conducted more than 3,000 training workshops and trained, coached and managed more than 35,000 sellers and managers from leading companies around the world for more than 20 years.
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