How Successful Sellers Engage Customers With Information

Below is a summary of an article from Harvard Business Review (HBR) titled Sensemaking for Sales which describes how successful sellers help customers make sense of information overload during a complex buying process.

I asked a few sales executives in my network, “are interested in a service that summarizes long-form B2B sales strategy articles and research from reputable sources and delivers them to your inbox?”

The overwhelming answer was YES.

So I decided to test this concept further in today’s post.

Below is a summary of an article from Harvard Business Review (HBR) titled Sensemaking for Sales which describes how successful sellers help customers make sense of information overload during a complex buying process.

I hope you enjoy it, and please let me know if you’ll like to see more of these summaries.

Title: Sensemaking for Sales | Source: Harvard Business Review

The amount of reliable, trustworthy, and valuable product and service information available to B2B customers has become overwhelming, so much so that B2B customers dedicate only 17% of their purchase process to talking with potential suppliers. In addition, this information overload has complicated the buying process, leading to indecision. Research from Brent Adamson, Distinguished VP @ Gartner, published on HBR, revealed three ways sales reps engage customers with information: giving, telling, and sensemaking. One method outperforms the others.

  1. Giving sellers are characterized by a “more is better” mentality. Their approach is “I can get you more information on that,” believing that they are moving the deal forward with more information. However, the reality is that only 13% of 1,100 B2B buyers surveyed believe the claims of giving sellers.
  2. Telling sellers are usually highly knowledgeable reps with years of experience and deep subject matter expertise. Their approach is “Let me tell you what you need to know,” basing information on extensive personal experience and knowledge. However, only 28% of 1,100 B2B buyers surveyed believe the claims of telling sellers.
  3. Sensemaking sellers give customers just enough information to help them meaningfully interpret and simplify that material. Their approach is “There is a lot of information. Let me help you make sense of it.” 67% of 1,100 B2B buyers believe Sensemaking sellers’ claims, proving this approach is more effective.
Photo by Hassan Pasha on Unsplash

The reason why Sensemaking is more compelling is that these sellers do three unique things well. They:

  • Connect customers with carefully curated and relevant information. When asked a difficult question, these sellers know it’s okay to say “I don’t know” rather than manufacture half-truths which can erase the customer’s trust.
  • Clarify that information by explaining, simplifying, and deconflicting. The key here is to empower the customer with consumable and straightforward insights that are shareable and easily understood without much explanation.
  • Collaborate on customer learning through Socratic guidance. This concept involves guiding the customer to arrive at their conclusions by asking questions, not telling them what to do. Customers are more self-confident this way.

Sensemaking organizations focus on their strengths. They provide the customer with credible information backed by data that subtly ties to their unique strengths.

Also, sensemaking sellers increase the size of the pie. They prioritize earning the customer’s trust, making the customer feel more confident about making a higher-risk decision, such as buying the bigger, more complex product.

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Let me know what you think of the above summary.

Godspeed Selling!

Are you playing soccer or lacrosse?

(Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

A few weeks ago I had a virtual chat with my mentor, a CEO of a software company in Silicon Valley. Our discussion focused on competing in a complex enterprise sales cycle. After describing the challenges I was facing, he reflected and asked a simple question: Are you playing soccer or lacrosse?

Interesting.

My exposure to lacrosse is limited to its appearance on ESPN SportsCenter: Top Ten Plays. It wasn’t a sport I went out of my way to watch. And if I were to, I’d have to learn the history, techniques, and rules of the game.

My mentor could see my thoughts drifting, so he rephrased the question:

Are you trying to get your customer to buy in the way you sell, or are you trying to get your customer to buy in the way your competitors sell? In other words, are you playing soccer, or are you playing lacrosse?

My mentor and I both share a passion for soccer, as we both grew up playing and watching it religiously. He knew the analogy would resonate.

The point he was making was although the customer may be intrigued by lacrosse, it didn’t mean they wanted to play it. It could be that my competitor introduced prospects to lacrosse because they got tired of losing at soccer. By playing along or trying to get the customer to buy in the way my competitors sell, I was expending valuable resources instead of investing in my soccer game. If I continued to go down this path, it’d be a severe case of self-deceit because it’s playing a game where the opponent sets all the rules, so I was bound to lose. I had to make a change.




After some deep self-reflection, I worked with my team to refine my approach and strategy. Here are some of the steps I’m taking:

  1. Dedicating additional time to deeply understand my customer’s business outcomes by scouring through financial statements, interviews, press releases, social media, investor decks, etc.
  2. Developing a point of view from the perspective of achieving each business outcome.
  3. Validating and refining that point of view by speaking with key stakeholders within my customer’s organization, from the executive to the executive assistant.
  4. Crowdsourcing feedback and the best ideas from experts within my organization to further refine the strategy.
  5. Applying critical thinking and asking tough questions to earn trust and mutual respect in every interaction.
  6. Proactively sharing ideas to solve business challenges even if there are no complete solutions to offer…yet.

These steps are netting positive results and rekindling the customer’s passion for soccer. The customer is fortifying their defense in preparation to mount a counter attack and score some business goals.

On a side note, Real Madrid, if you’re reading this, I’m patiently waiting for that invitation to try out or a free ticket 🙂 Thanks!

Happy selling!

Stay #CustomerObsessed

What Table Tennis 🏓 taught me about selling

According to Dr. Wendy Suzuki, professor of neuroscience and psychology at New York University, a game of “table tennis works parts of the brain that are responsible for movement, fine motor skills, and strategy – areas that could be growing stronger with each match.” It is no surprise it is easy to spot a table tennis corner in communal areas of some of the fastest-growing startups and technology companies. My passion for table tennis began many years ago in Nigeria when my parents bought us a table when I was about twelve years old. My game has continued to improve, and I feel fortunate to work in a field where taking a few minutes to play a game isn’t frowned upon but encouraged to build camaraderie and brainpower. There are four lessons the game of table tennis has taught me about selling.

1/ You can influence the outcome by focusing on what you can control– In a standard game of first to 21 points, each player gets to serve at least ten times. A serve is when the ball is tossed up at least 6 inches and struck, so the ball first bounces on the server’s side and then the opponent’s side. The level of creativity of your serve is one of the elements of the game you have full control over. As such, making it difficult for your opponent to return your serve is one of the fastest ways to score points and gain an advantage. However, mastering a difficult serve takes immense discipline and practice. Similar to sales, you can influence the outcome of an opportunity by maniacally focusing on the elements of the process you can control.

Pay attention to the serve which sets up the opportunity for the forehand smash.


2/ Mistakes are inevitable; learn from them. A player who dwells on the mistakes made, which may have caused him to lose a point, is often visibly timid and risk-averse. Since thoughts drive action, it’s essential to have a growth mindset. For instance, instead of thinking “how could I be so careless, dumb, [insert your choice of words] to lose that point?,” try thinking “how can I adjust my game to have an unfair advantage?” A player who learns from her mistakes and makes adjustments in real-time accelerates her potential to win the game and ultimately win in life and business.




3/ Persistence strengthens relationships. I needed to get in front of the CTO and Co-Founder of one of the fastest-growing startups in SoCal. I tried contacting him via email, telephone, and social media but couldn’t get through. After many months, I discovered an article published in the early 2000s of this executive and how he loved table tennis. Instinctively, I challenged him to a game. He accepted. Without going into details about who won (we both did 😃) the game established a foundation for a healthy relationship that continues to blossom. This executive has become a friend and continues to inspire me to improve my game in business and life. He even kindly donated to a table tennis charity tournament I helped organize to raise money for Hack-The-Hood, a non-profit organization in Oakland focused on increasing the representation of minorities in the tech industry.

4/ Do not underestimate your opponent. We all love the stories of underdogs that come from behind to claim victory over big dawgs despite the odds stacked against them. I’ve played many games where I fell behind only to come back to claim victory. I’ve also played many games where I was well ahead only to crumble and lose the game. In both scenarios, one person was underestimating the other person. Chinese philosopher and writer, Lao Tzu, teaches that “there is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.” In Sales, you’re either representing the incumbent (big dawg) or challenger (underdog). It doesn’t matter who you represent, underestimating your opponent leaves you exposed and unprepared to execute a winning strategy. 

As a bonus, check out this incredible 41 shot rally featuring Nigerian table tennis superstar – Segun Toriola. It is a masterclass in executing a defensive strategy. 





The Scars Might Remain

I often talk about success in sales, but the reality is I have failed much more than I have succeeded. It is a hard truth to admit but the truth nonetheless. Today was one of those days when I felt like I was trying to land a plane with a user manual on the one hand and an instructional YouTube video on the other hand. It did not help that anxious passengers were screaming out instructions in the background as well. I crash-landed. Luckily there were no casualties, just bruises. The bruises should heal quickly, but I am worried the scars might remain for a while.

An interesting fact in sales is that your most challenging clients are often the internal stakeholders you are trying to convince that you are in control of the deal. The best internal stakeholders bring ideas and thoughtful questions to help you move the sale forward rather than only ask questions to “check the box.” The best questions are meant to elicit a discussion that should lead to a refined and effective strategy.

Many times the right answer to these questions might be: I don’t know, but I will take it as an action item to find out.

A response like this requires humility. It’s also okay to admit when you’re stuck so that you can be specific in your ask for help. Today I appreciated working with internal stakeholders that care about my success, and more importantly, are invested in my development as a sales executive.

Happy selling.

Executives Are People

I asked the CEO of a fast-growing startup in Silicon Valley his approach to selling to other Executives.

His response was simple: “Executives are people.”

How so?

Executives are busy.

Executives are overwhelmed with requests for their time.

Executives are under pressure to deliver results.

Executives are responsible for setting the vision and making the toughest decisions.

Knowing these truths, he approaches each interaction with an Executive with deep empathy and extensive preparation.

What does this look like?

Executives are busy and overwhelmed, so he streamlines his agenda to give them back some time.

Executives are under pressure to deliver results, so he is precise with how his solution can provide the results the Executive cares about the most.

Executives are responsible for making the toughest decisions, so he does everything in his power to show how his solution reduces risk for the Executive.

To establish credibility with the Executive, he aligns with their vision and priorities.

Speaking of priorities, how do you know the priorities that matter most?

Research.

In KPMG’s interview of over 1300 CEOs, the company identified three key priorities for CEOs in 2019: 1) Make digital a personal crusade 2) Navigate through geopolitical headwinds 3) Find the right balance between data and intuition.

PwC’s global CEO survey identified approaches to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and navigating fissures in policy frameworks as the underlying trends shaping the US CEO agenda for 2019.

Research from Workday identified six priorities CEOs care most about which are: 1) Finding growth 2) Taking on risk 3) Managing regulatory changes 4) Leveraging technology 5) Pursuing innovation 6) People and culture

Gartner also recently published their survey of 473 CEO and senior business executives. The top 11 business priorities are 1) Growth 2) IT related 3) Corporate (structural development) 4) Financial performance 5) Workforce management 6) Customer 7) Product improvements 8) Cost management 9) Efficiency and productivity 10) Innovation and 11) Risk management

While these publications are informative and help inform an approach, nothing replaces asking the Executives directly to articulate their priorities in their own words.

Anything else?

Communication style.

Tell me more.

Having the right communication style comes with experience and repetition. It’s a skill that can be developed, but it requires practice, practice, and more practice. Your choice of words matter. Your self-confidence matters. Your tone matters. Your cadence matters. Your body language matters.

Communication at its core is the successful conveying or sharing of ideas and feelings. If your ideas and feelings are not getting across then you’re not communicating.

Also, authenticity matters.

Why?

Savvy, and somewhat cynical Executives can detect inauthentic communication in less than one millisecond.

So, be yourself.

Being yourself is the foundation for building trust. And trust is the anchor for all business relationships that last for generations.

Thanks to John Aisien at BlueCedar for inspiring this article.

Hey, You Have A Cool Accent!

In Dr. Praya Agarwal’s article on Forbes, she cites research that shows it takes less than 30 seconds to linguistically profile a speaker, and make quick decisions on their ethnic origin, socio-economic class, and background. Additionally, we assign values such as pleasantness and prestige but also intelligence based on accents. In Executive Presence: The Missing Link Between Merit and Success, by Sylvia Ann, she found that executive presence rests of three pillars: gravitas, communication, and appearance. In the communication pillar, some of the executives she interviewed cited off-putting accents as an example of a verbal tic that undermines an individual’s ability to have superior speaking skills and ultimately, executive presence. Essentially, accents are part of our identity, whether good or bad. 

My family journeyed from a village in Nigeria (Avu) to the United States (Texas) when I was fifteen years old. I immediately enrolled in high school with big dreams and a thick accent. Almost instantaneously, I became the punchline of many name-calling jokes, including the very degrading “African booty scratcher.” Maybe it was bullying, or perhaps it was just high school kids having fun; either way, it made me feel uneasy, unwelcome, and isolated. 

One day, I shifted my perspective and made the conscious decision to fully embrace my accent and turn what many labeled as a disadvantage into an advantage. Luckily, my English Teacher acted as a mentor and assured me that with practice I could become as eloquent as a young Sidney Poitier (she thought we resembled each other). Her coaching helped me master my pace, tone, and cadence. These coaching exercises helped me find my voice and ensured I was not only heard but understood.

In my first sales job after college, one of my prospects was convinced I was calling from an “offshore” country during a cold call. My accent was the culprit, again. Granted, he was partly right; the monotony of the job probably caused my mind to wander off to the bustling streets of Lagos with suya in both hands. However, physically, I was definitely in the United States trying to make the almighty dollar. Let’s just say the sale never happened with that prospect. 

Over the years, I’ve noticed my accent thickens during big presentations which could be distracting for the audience. So at the start of a big presentation, I often let the audience know that it is okay to interrupt me if my accent hinders their ability to understand me. By saying this, it diffuses tension for me and the audience; they empathize and become invested in my success. I call this reverse accent profiling. Is that a thing? It should be. #LoveAllAccents

So how do you empathize with someone with a thick accent at work?

  1. Resist the desire to make fun of the accent, in private or in public. A mentor once told me when someone makes fun of you with the intent to demoralize and belittle you, what they’re actually doing is projecting their insecurities. Secure people are usually looking for opportunities to uplift others rather than make them feel insignificant.
  2. Reach out and offer to coach and mentor the person. If you’re someone with an accent who thinks it is inhibiting your success, don’t be shy to ask for help. Reach out to colleagues, leaders in your community, senior management, or seek out professional coaching.
  3. For those in leadership, encourage those with thick accents to speak in front of the team or group and provide ongoing feedback, coaching, and mentoring.
  4. Highlight the person when they contribute ideas to team meetings. A brilliant African pharmacist I spoke to described how she would make a suggestion in a meeting but get little acknowledgment. A few minutes later in the same meeting, someone else would suggest her exact idea and get all the admonition and praise. This act happened multiple times until one day she got frustrated and responded to the individual that kept repeating her ideas “I might have said it with an accent, but that’s exactly what I just said.” It stopped happening.
  5. Make a genuine attempt to understand the person with a thick accent, and meet them where they are. It’s fair to say we all have beautiful accents; if they can understand you, why not make an effort to understand them. 
  6. Realize that it’s not just an accent, it’s an asset. #MyAccentIsAnAsset 

Special thanks to Jennifer Obiyo, AG Ukwa, Beth Fatusin, Emilia Lusia Fomuso, Ale Esposito, Jacob Alao, Stephen Ozoigbo, Garrett Mihelich, David Chau, for their inspiration and contribution.

16 Lessons from AfroTech 2018

When was the last time you basked in inspiration? For me, it was last week at the AfroTech conference in San Francisco, CA organized by the talented folks at Blavity. Being in a room filled with black executives, techies, creatives, movers, shakers, leaders, and learners felt right. I couldn’t have envisioned a better return on my time. I attended a few sessions in between networking and recruiting for Amazon. Below are 16 lessons I captured:

1. Daymond John, star of the hit TV Show – Shark Tank, delivered the closing keynote. He shared his 5 Shark Points inspired by his journey in building FUBU and his other successful ventures. Below are the summarized versions of the five points:.

  1. Set a goal. Goal setting is a tried and tested method of achieving great results. Goals give you direction and the ability to say no to things that don’t align with your goals. When you have clear goals, you can also come back to them when things get fuzzy or you take a wrong exit.
  2. Do your homework. Innovation can be finding new ways to deliver something so it’s better, faster, or lighter that what exists in the market today.
  3. Love what you do. When you love what you do, you make sacrifices. You also tend to take a long-term approach.
  4. Remember you are the brand. Can you summarize your personal brand value proposition in 2-5 sentences?
  5. Keep swimming, and remember to take care of your health. Get your health regular checkup because health is wealth. It’s hard to run the world from a sick bed.

2. In Everette Taylor’s talk, he encouraged the audience to resist impostor syndrome. He challenged everyone to believe in themselves, and just start and iterate as they grow.

3. According to Everette, one of the biggest mistakes startups make is forgetting to build a great product that solve specific customer problems. If you’re pushing a crappy product, no matter how good of a salesperson you are, you will not be successful in the long run.

4. Surround yourself with the right people because you’re only as strong as the people around you.

5. Do not underestimate the expertise you’re building in your current role. Find ways to turn your expertise into consulting engagements and start building clients on the side.

6. You know what’s as cool as entrepreneurship? Intrapreneurship. According to Wikipedia, Intrapreneurship is the act of behaving like an entrepreneur while working within a large organization. Rovina and Kim from Amazon captured this in their talk of how they built Amazon’s Textures and Hues by obsessing about the customer and applying Amazon’s leadership principles along the way. If you’re looking to embody the intrapreneurial spirit, they suggest you consider these thought starters to help you come up with ideas:

    • What is a customer experience that you repeat often?
    • Where are the pain points in the process?
    • Try to list ideas to eliminate these challenge
    • One of those ideas could turn into a thriving business

7. The founder of CodePath.org, Michael Ellison, implored the audience to work with people who are so good they intimidate you. And if an experience intimidates you, that’s a good thing.

8. Persistence is key to enhancing your ability to have more luck..

9. Paris Benson, founder of Wizely Financial, stressed the importance of having a board of directors. As a founder, the board is meant to hold you accountable not to be your friend. When selecting your board, strive to get diversity in thought which should include a mix of technical, operational, and financial experience.

10. It’s good idea to have a board member who is not an investor so they can provide an un-biased view.

11. Entrepreneurs should not trade equity for a short-term gain. Long term thinking is key to building lasting value.

12. It was encouraging to see the number of companies that attended AfroTech with the goal of recruiting. According to Sacha Thompson, Inclusion Marketing Lead at AWS, companies should go where diverse talents are. If you don’t have the pipeline, build the pipeline.

13. Many of the speakers had a common theme of defining what success means to you and not what the world says. Success shouldn’t come at the expense of your health or personal relationships.

14. Learn how to delegate so you don’t feel burnt out.

15. If you ever find yourself being the only one that looks like you in a professional setting, it’s your responsibility to do something about it. For example, you could find someone to mentor or refer someone to your company.

16. Hip hop is good for business. According to one of the attendees I spoke to, it was refreshing to hear a Drake song next to a Microsoft recruiting booth, and it wasn’t weird to dance up to the booth with your resume.

See you next year at AfroTech 2019 in Oakland, CA.

4 Actionable Seller Insights from “Competing Against Luck”

“If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, then you don’t know what you are doing.” W. Edwards Deming

Some book titles simply give away the content of the book which often impedes our motivation to read the book in its entirety. This book title is not that. Competing Against Luck: the story of innovation and customer choice was a recommendation from a colleague that I admire who spends his time working with some of the most innovative startups in Silicon Valley. I asked him to recommend a book to me so I could learn how startups innovate, and this was one of his recommendations. I used to think innovations were mostly by luck, but after reading this book, I’ve come to appreciate the fact that many of the best innovations emerged out of a process.

The author, Clayton Christensen, introduces the concept of Jobs to be done (JTBD) theory. The JTBD theory explains that “we all have jobs we need to do that arise in our day-to-day lives and when we do, we hire products or services to get these jobs done.” As an innovator or company, “you have to understand the job the customer is trying to do in a specific circumstance.” The author goes on to define a “job” as the “progress that a person is trying to make in a particular circumstance.”

I read most books through the lens of an Account Manager. My goal is to extract insights that I can apply in my daily sales motion, and share them with you. Below are my four takeaways:

 

  1. Understand the job your customer is hiring you to do as a salesperson. Have you ever paused to get clarity on why your customer is hiring you as a salesperson, not your company or product, but you, the salesperson? Are they hiring you because you would ask the right questions? Are they hiring you because they want to negotiate a complicated deal with you? Are they hiring you because they have issues that only you can address? Are they hiring you because they know you would introduce them to someone else in your company? Maybe they are hiring you for all of the above or maybe they have no choice since they are in your territory. 🙂 This book has changed my perspective on why customers hire me as a salesperson. The more clarity I have, the more I can help the customer make progress towards completing the job. If there is a misalignment in the requirements of the job, it would most likely be a frustrating experience for me and the customer.

 

  1. Understand what “progress” means for your customer, from their perspective. This point is closely related to the one above. If a job is progress that a person is trying to make in a particular circumstance, gaining agreement on what progress means for you and your customer would only ensure a successful outcome. According to the author, “you’re selling progress, not products.”

 

  1. Competing against inertia is often your biggest competitor. It may be easy to think the incumbent or a disruptive new provider is your competitor, which may be the case. However, what if your true competitor was “doing nothing?” How would that change your approach? In the book, Netflix’s CEO, Reed Hastings, was asked about one of his competitors. His response was brilliant. He said “we compete with everything you do to relax. We compete with video games. We compete with drinking a bottle of wine. That’s a particularly tough one! We compete with other video networks. Playing board games.” As a salesperson, it’s important to have clarity on whom you’re truly competing against and the job to be done. One parallel a salesperson can draw from companies that successfully enter markets that seem closed or commoditized is that “they do it by aligning with an important job that none of the established players has prioritized.” The best salespeople I’ve had the opportunity to learn from usually focus their energy on educating decision makers on important jobs that they didn’t know were possible and aligned their solution as an accelerator for progress.

  1. Measure the metrics that are important to your customer. The author reminds us that what gets measured, gets done. He went on to share the example of how Amazon measures when orders are delivered, not when they are shipped. It makes sense because when I order anything online, I don’t care when it’s shipped, all I care about is when it is delivered. As a salesperson, focus on the metrics that are a priority for your customer. If you find ways to optimize these metrics for your customer, the result should positively impact the metrics you care about such as revenue, profitability and customer lifetime value.

If you have additional insights that resonated with you, please share them with me on twitter @ozisco or email ozisco @ gmail.com

 

 

3 Actionable Insights From “How To Become A Rainmaker”

“Learning is repetition”. These are the words from the Head of Sales of a $6 billion software company. This was his answer after I asked why he reads so many business books. He went on to explain that although these books may tackle similar themes, he still enjoys reading them because by repeatedly exposing himself to the different, and sometimes, conflicting perspectives of the authors, he can gain a deeper understanding of the concepts in the books. Inspired by the words of this sales leader, I’m introducing a new series where I plan to share three actionable insights from a book I’m reading every month.

To kick things off, my book for October 2018 is “How to become a Rainmaker: The rules for getting and keeping customers and clients” by Jeffrey J. Fox. The publisher describes the book as “a winning handbook filled with short, pithy advice that will raise some eyebrows and, no doubt, some income levels as readers follow the suggestions to make it rain.” The book is only 165 pages long which means you could read it in about four hours if you average 1½ minutes per page or in less than 2 hours if you listen to it at 2X speed on Audible.

This book has a lot of insights, and below are three that resonated with me the most:

1. Find a “point system” that works for you: In Chapter XXXVII, the author encourages salespeople to use a point system every day. He breaks down the point system into four parts:

  • 1 point for getting a lead, a referral, an introduction to a decision maker
  • 2 points for getting an appointment to meet the decision maker
  • 3 points for meeting the decision maker face-to-face
  • 4 points for getting a commitment to a close or an action that leads to a close

The goal is to get 4 points every day in any combination. If you do this consistently, you will not run out of prospects, you will have a full pipeline, and you will always be making rain. I like the practicality of this because it doesn’t take much effort to get started doing it and seeing the results. Also, don’t wait till the last day of the week to try to get 20 points.

I added my variation to the point system by color coding my calendar:

  • Green is meeting with clients and decision makers
  • Orange is internal meeting
  • Purple is internal training
  • Light purple is personal development time

My goal is to have more green in my calendar every week. If I’m spending more time with clients, it means I’m helping them solve their challenges, which means I’m making it rain, which means my pasture is going to be very green. Whether you are in sales or not, define what “green” looks like to you and do more of it every week.

2. Welcome customer objections: In Chapter XV, the author explains that “rainmakers turn customer objections into customer objectives.” The play on words is brilliant. Let’s see how the dictionary defines objections and objectives.

  • Objection: an expression or feeling of disapproval or opposition; a reason for disagreeing.
  • Objective: a thing aimed at or sought; a goal.

When you examine both definitions closely, you realize a subtle relationship. For you to achieve any goal, you are bound to face opposition. Understanding this relationship as a salesperson should get you excited to hear your customer objections. These objections mean that they are trying to achieve a goal and they need your help to remove the oppositions in their way. One question the author encourages us to ask if a sale is not made is “what else may be prohibiting us from moving ahead?” If you’re a salesperson asking for a deal, this question works. If you’re an entrepreneur asking for funding, this question works. If you’re the president of a non-profit asking for a significant donation, this question also works. Give it a try this week.

3. Dress to impress for success: In Chapter XLV, the author advises us to “be the best-dressed person you will meet today.” It’s a simple but powerful concept. According to the author, “Rainmakers do not dress down, nor do they necessarily dress up. They dress better than the customer they will meet that day.” In Silicon Valley and Silicon Beach where T-Shirts, shorts, and sandals are the norm for Founders and Technologists, it’s easy to dress to impress without much effort. One way I’ve been able to differentiate my style is to wear a fitted blazer with matching pocket square over my customer’s branded T-Shirts, which my customers love because it makes it seem like I am part of their team, which I am. Even in intense negotiating situations, having their T-Shirt on makes it look like I’m on their side, which I am. I also like to remind my customers that I technically work for them, but my employer’s name appears on my paycheck. 🙂

One experience that reaffirmed that wearing my customer’s T-shirt to meet with them is the right thing to do was an encounter I had at the airport in San Francisco on my way to negotiate a deal. A stranger approached me and asked if I worked at the company on my T-shirt. I said technically Yes, and we had a good laugh. He then shared some feedback with me about my customer’s product. I jotted down the feedback and shared them with my customer when I met with them. The Executive in the meeting was appreciative of this feedback, and it helped me gain trust and respect with the rest of her leadership team. Oh yea, the Executive signed the deal. 😉

I highly recommend this book as it may remind you of concepts you may have forgotten and introduce you to other concepts that may improve your sales motion…and help you become a rainmaker.

Why You Should Visit That Unresponsive Prospect

Listen to the audio version of this article brought to you by my accent 🙂 😉

The Status Quo: A few weeks ago, I came across an article written by Dr. Travis Bradberry, President of TalentSmart, on what successful and happy people focus on. I recommend you take a few minutes to read it. One behavior stood out for me. Dr. Bradberry’s research found that “successful and happy people live outside the box. They haven’t arrived at where they are by thinking in the same way as everyone else. While others stay in their comfort-zone prisons and invest all their energy in reinforcing their existing beliefs, successful people are out challenging the status quo and exposing themselves to new ideas.”

The Problem: As a sales professional, my thought process naturally transitioned to how I could apply this concept to improve my sales motion. After reflecting on the behavior Dr. Bradberry described, it was clear certain comfortable assumptions were preventing me from experiencing new ideas for myself and my clients. I had fallen victim to making excuses on behalf of prospects as to why they wouldn’t respond to my email, phone call, or voicemail, let alone, buy from me. Their silence had to be validation that they weren’t interested. And that was the problem. It was me telling myself this, not the prospect.

The Idea: The concept of challenging the status quo and exposing oneself to new ideas can be scary. You could be criticized, rejected, or ridiculed. I had gotten comfortable hiding behind emails, phone calls, and voicemails. It was easy to show management and anyone that cared how many emails I had sent, phone calls I had made, and voicemails I had left. What I couldn’t show were results. A good measure of a decent sales professional is his or her ability to deliver results, not excuses. I needed a new approach. Inspired by Dr. Bradberry’s article, I was compelled to escape out of my comfort-zone prison. The concept of living outside the box propelled me to come up with the idea of visiting my prospect, unannounced, to get some face time. I was confident in the value I could deliver. The reality is, having an idea is like the regular season, everyone has a good idea, so all teams are in; executing on the idea is like the playoffs, the stakes are much higher, so not all teams can make it. I had to make the playoffs and go all the way.

The Visit: The day came to visit the client. It was a rocky start as I missed the entrance to the parking garage and had to park in the next building. I thought about reparking but decided not to, instead, I got excited about getting a few extra steps counted towards my steps goal. I was too focused on the bigger goal of getting face time with the CTO. So I marched towards the elevator as “what if” questions and thoughts raced through my mind. What if he is not there? What if he refuses to see me? What if he is genuinely not interested? What if I am rejected and publicly humiliated? I marched on, believing my mission, and welcoming the outcome that lay ahead. If nothing else, it would make a good story.

The Result: As fate would have it, the CEO of the company was exiting the elevator seconds after I walked into the building. I immediately recognized him from the countless hours I had spent studying his profile and the profile of his leadership team. Missing the parking lot started to seem like a blessing. I called out to the CEO with enthusiasm by his first name as if we had known each other for years. He paused, perplexed, and turned towards me. I walked up to him and introduced myself and flawlessly delivered the elevator pitch I had been practicing for weeks. Actually, it wasn’t 100% flawless, I was nervous, and my accent may have caused some words to sound way too melodious, but that didn’t bother me, my message got across. The CEO was appreciative of how much I knew about his company and was intrigued by my ideas of how to help him scale. We chatted for a few more minutes, and then I asked if he could introduce me to the CTO. He said Yes, got out his phone, called the CTO, and asked him to come down to meet me. Boom! When the CTO arrived, the CEO made the introduction and moved to his next appointment. The CTO apologized to me for not responding to my messages, thanked me for stopping by, and informed me they were interested in doing business with me. That day was the start of a great partnership. #Results

The Result…again: I shared this story with one of my mentees who was struggling to make some progress with one of her clients. I encouraged her to step outside of her comfort zone and attempt a new approach. She decided to pay the CEO and CTO a visit, unannounced. Although the CEO and CTO were not in the office the day she visited, she left her business card with the receptionist. A few days later, the CTO emailed her and asked her for a proper meeting. She ended up closing a major deal with the customer. #Results #Again

The Conclusion: Be bold. Pursue new ideas. And remember, actions precede results.