Think About It… the e-book version

by Todd Youngblood

Ever think about selling your sales process? And I don’t mean going into the sales training business by selling it to competitors or companies in similar industries. I mean did you ever think about selling your sales process to your customer?

You know you’re a sales rep. They know you’re a sales rep. You know you get paid on what you sell. They know you get paid on what you sell. So why not cut through all the smoke?

Let’s look at the facts. You know the characteristics of your ideal customer. You’ve got that all written down and formalized, right? You know exactly what the ideal customer’s decision process is (…or should be). You’ve got a flowchart and checklist to make sure nothing gets missed, right? You are the expert at determining just how much extra money your products and services will add to the customer’s P&L and Balance Sheet. You’ve got a series of spreadsheet models to help with that analysis, right?

Well then… Why not dispense with all the slick sales techniques and focus on your customer’s business? You recognize that every one of them (their SIC code notwithstanding) is in the money-making business. Why not use your product, service and application expertise to guide them through a process that ends with an increase in the net worth of their company? …or better cash flow? …or lower operating expense? …or higher revenue? …or…?

Your sales process should be – must be – designed to produce an increase in the value of the customer’s business. Don’t sell your product or service. Sell a process for increasing the $ value of the customer’s business.

Think about creating a diagram like the one above and using it on every sales call. As you’re making that initial executive level call, show the decision-maker the path to higher value. Here’s a possible script for the end of that call:

“We’ll invest in formalizing and quantifying the financial impact of your current situation. That process alone will have substantial value to those who participate in the interviews, plant tours, briefings, etc. Even if we decide to not proceed, you’ll still have all that added intelligence. The Business Case Review will lay out modifications to your business processes and their financial impact. At that point, you can make the call about proceeding with implementation. We’re quite serious about not wasting your time or that of your key personnel. That’s why we’ve designed, and why we stick to, this process that we know works. At any point in the process, when the time invested exceeds the value received, you – or we – can pull the plug.”

If the customer balks and wants a “quick-fix,” you’ll know it’s time to walk. You can point out that if solving the problem were that easy, the customer would have already solved it. Your value is in diagnosing and anticipating problems and opportunities. That’s what your sales process is designed to do.

Any dummy can learn product specs. Sell the value of your business process improvement acumen. (…and remember that they’re all in the money-making business.) Sell the value you deliver just by figuring out what they need. Sell your sales process.