Are your prospects or existing customers strong allies, adversaries or enemies? A lot of salespeople really don’t know the difference between these three categories, let alone how to discern which role each of their prospects fill.
First, let’s take a look at what the three really are:
· Allies provide you a strong base for future sales and vertical integration into accounts.
· Adversaries provide at least some degree of resistance to your efforts. It may not be overt or even unfriendly. However, there is everything from passive to active resistance toward you and your product or service.
· Enemies are clearly what that term has always meant. For whatever reason, these people are bent on guaranteeing that you will never be successful in your sales effort.
Perhaps the best thing we can do is to take a look at a short quiz to give you some idea as to where you stand with your current prospects or customers. You may want to score this simple quiz for every one of your prospects.
1-Never the case 2-Very rarely the case 3-Sometimes the case and sometimes not the case 4-Mostly the case 5-Always the case
· We have had discussions about future directions for the individual’s organization. (1-5)
· This individual is in a position to have access to future plans and directions. (1-5)
· This person and I mutually share valuable information whenever we meet. (1-5)
· This person suggests that we have meetings with other, key decisionmakers. (1-5)
· This person believes that my product or service should receive preferred selection status. (1-5)
· This person clearly knows how my product or service can provide superior solutions and actively works to further my agenda. (1-5)
· This prospect has helped me understand the protocol, procedures and policies related to how his or her organization buys products or services. (1-5)
· This individual allows me the latitude to openly suggest meeting with others whose position can be improved through the use of my product or service. (1-5)
· My relationship with this person has grown to partner status rather than remaining solely as a vendor relationship. (1-5)
· This prospect knows precisely the strengths, weaknesses and correct application of my product or service for more than meeting immediate needs. (1-5)
Let’s take a look at what your score means. If you scored between 10-29 points you may have an enemy in your midst! A score between 30-39 means that you may have a mild to severe adversary while a 40-50 point score means that you have built strong internal advocacy.
Now the real issue. What do you do about things if your score is less than what you’d like it to be for any single prospect? The good news is that the solutions are simple. I’ll show you that in a second. The bad news? A lot of your success will be totally dependent upon your ability to build relationships, sustain trust, hold confidences and trust, sustain momentum, ensure timely delivery and all the rest. I’d like to give you 10 secrets (they’ll look familiar by the way):
1. Probe prospects to determine their receptivity toward discussing future directions for their organization. If they are receptive, do it. If they’re not, work on your relationship until they are.
2. If the person you’re calling on is incapable of having access to future directions do your best to work with them in helping you get to the person or persons who do.
3. Do your best to provide highly, valuable, insightful information with your prospect every time you meet. Reciprocity will then make them want to do the same.
4. Create a picture of what you can do to help the prospects’ organization so that they readily see how you can help other essential stockholders in the organization.
5. Work hard to be the single best supplier you can be. Be 110% dependable and earn the right to achieve preferred vendor/supplier status. Make your prospect look good.
6. Clarify your expanded agenda to your prospect so that he or she fully knows, understands and buys into your long-term strategy for their success.
7. Stress to your prospect how important it is that you understand how to fully comply with the purchasing procedures and expectations of the prospect’s organization. Work hard to understand and implement an understanding of them. Always be super easy to buy from!
8. Always be sure to give your prospect full credit for “finding you” and keep them in the loop with all communication related to their organization. Make them want to “pass you around” to others whose problems you can solve.
9. Do your best to know when to move from a sales status to a partner status. Doing it too early is presumptuous and risky. Take your time and then be a true partner who is interested in their welfare, not just your own.
10.
Do you see the pattern? Simply do your best to earn a score of “5” on every question of our quiz and you will start to develop the type of relationship that guarantees a long term, successful career and profitable relationships along with it!
