The Sales Professional Makes the Difference By Jack Cullen and Len D Innocenzo
The Agile Sales Manager was at a Caribbean Resort with the top twenty salespeople in his organization. They were on their sales-incentive trip, President s Club, to celebrate the outstanding job they did the prior fiscal year and to kick off the New Year. After the awards banquet, held on the third night of a seven-day trip, the group got together at the pool-side bar for a nightcap. The Agile Manager quickly found himself cornered by his people. They were on a mission. Their message to the Agile Sales Manager: The company s product line had become much like that of all the other competitors. One said, The competition has simply caught up. There s no way to differentiate ourselves anymore. Another said, Can t you go to the folks in product development, engineering, and marketing and get them to do something? We need to create a sense of urgency before we start heading downhill! Everyone nodded in agreement they didn t want customers to view the product line as Me, too. Last call came and went and the Agile Manager walked to his room slowly, thinking about how concerned his troops seemed to be. 2
Everyone spent the next day shopping. As all the award winners got off the bus and headed into the brightly colored shops that lined the street, the Agile Manager looked across the road towards the ocean. On the beach he saw what appeared to be an open-air market underneath palm trees swaying gently in the tropical breeze. Curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to check things out away from the crowds. As he walked toward the vendors, he noticed two giant ocean liners out in the crystal clear, blue-green water. Waves splashed gently on the immaculate white-sand beach. The market had four rows with five blankets spread out in each row to exhibit the items for sale. The Agile Manager was amazed to see that the twenty or so vendors were selling the exact same thing bananas! As he strolled, he began to smile. Seeing the Agile Manager approach, one man got up from a chair and shoved a banana in his face. The Agile Manager declined. Another vendor, reading a magazine, never bothered to look up. Several salespeople were busy listening to music through headphones, while others napped or chatted with each other. Several vendors asked the Agile Manager if he wanted to buy a banana. He said no to each. 3
As he was getting close to finishing his walk, one gentleman with a big straw hat got up from his chair and greeted him with a smile and handshake. Hello, said the vendor. My name is James. I saw you get off the bus across the street. I want to thank you for taking the time to come over here to our market. The Agile Manager noticed a gleam in James s eyes. I see from the name on your bus that you are staying at one of our finest resorts, continued James. How are you enjoying your stay? The Agile Manager told him and was soon engaged in a pleasant conversation. James asked about restaurants he d eaten at, where he played golf, and which sights he d seen. After answering each question, James offered useful advice. Regarding shopping, for instance, James said, Watch out for the imitation brand-name products sold in the stores across the street. And by the way, pottery is a specialty of our island. Here s the name of a shop that sells the best. It s run by my sister. Mention me and she ll be happy to show you items that may be of special interest to you as gifts or treats for yourself. James concluded by saying, I really want to thank you once again for taking the time to come to our market. We are very proud of many things on the island, like our friendly people, beautiful beaches, clean water, and of course our produce. And of all the produce we grow, we are most proud of our bananas. 4
Sir, he continued, could I interest you in trying one of our bananas? With a big grin, the Agile Manager said, Of course. In fact, I ll take two dozen if you ll put a banana on every seat in the bus across the street. They completed the transaction, and James carried the two bunches of bananas on his shoulders to the bus. All the competing vendors paid close attention, wondering how James had made the sale. Several hours later, the Agile Manager s salespeople came back with their shopping bags full. They all looked quizzically at the bananas lying on the seats. On the ride back to the hotel, the Agile Manager used the bus microphone to relate his experience on the beach. To tie the incident to the previous night s conversation, he ended by saying, So what s the major point of differentiation between us and our competitors? Simple it s you, he said looking at a woman. And you and you and you, he said fixing on a different face each time. The sales professional always makes the difference! Although products seem the same, features may look alike, and prices may be very close, all things are never equal. Either positively or negatively, the salesperson makes the difference in the mind of the potential customer. 5
Why? Because many people buy on emotion. Then they justify or rationalize the decision with logic later on. Over the years we have come to recognize that people make emotional buying decisions in this order: 1. You, the salesperson. 2. Your company. 3. Your solution, product, or service. That being the case, effective salespeople sell in the same order: 1. Themselves. 2. Their company. 3. Their solution, product, or service. When the prospective customer doesn t buy the salesperson, the story about the company, product, and services is never heard. Thus, the sales professional must ensure that the message is heard by first gaining emotional acceptance from the potential customer. Sometimes the product is rich with benefit-laden features and the company producing it is an industry leader. Yet if the salesperson can t sell him or herself, the buyer decides to go elsewhere. 6
That s why sales professionals must accept responsibility for a lost sale. Too many times salespeople believe they lost a sale because: The price was too high; The product didn t perform as well as the competitor s; The product lacked options customers need; The competition bought the business through extreme price breaks. None of these reasons wash, because customers do business with people they like, trust, and believe to be credible. Sell Yourself and the Right Solution As you ll see, outstanding salespeople make certain the solution they recommend meets the needs and wants of the customer. Good salespeople even pass on an opportunity if they know it s in the best interest of the customer to do so. Offering the right solution to a problem builds trust and helps prospects buy the salesperson on an emotional level. And when they do that, they look for reasons to do business with the salesperson s company or avoid doing business with competitors. What s more, once they buy a salesperson, they ll go out of their way to tell others about their experience. 7
The lesson? The sales professional makes the difference! For more information about how Corporate Sales Coaches can help maximize employee sales potential to drive bottom line results, please contact us at: Corporate Sales Coaches, LLC 678-341-9051 or 215-493-2465 www.corporatesalescoaches.com 8