Interrupt The Pattern

Joe Marr of Sandler Training has seen his share of challenges in business over the last decade.  He opened his doors on September 10, 2001 and, as we all have, has seen 10 years of rocky economy ever since.  In his recent LA2M presentation “The Economy is Not for Wimps” Marr gave a snapshot of better thinking and techniques for making sales happen in tough times.

Marr pointed out that most people in sales got there by accident and that regardless of our job, we are all selling.  He described sales as fundamentally a one on one interaction between the sales person and the buyer.  It’s an interaction that few institutions of higher learning include in their curriculum.  It’s also a profession that has a pretty shady image. 

According to Marr, sales people deal with the “battle between their ears”.  That includes the negativity about that line of work and using the economy as an excuse for a lack of sales.  Marr noted that about 77% of human behavior is “programmed” and we are culturally programmed to avoid and distrust sales people.  Marr stated that it’s not that no one is buying, it’s that we need to adapt to get more of the pie.

Marr explained that buyers can prevent sales people from providing important and relevant information by being wary, not explaining their needs and avoiding follow up conversations with sales people.  In turn, sales people under serve themselves and their clients by offering general, unsuitable or incomplete quotes based on a lack of information.  This “free consulting” is one path from the fork Marr describes as “Wimp Junction”.

For sales people to be “good stewards” of their own and the buyer’s business interests, sales people need to utilize a new, consultative system.  According to Marr, sales people need to “interrupt the pattern” with new ground rules.  When the sales person lets the buyer know that it’s “OK to says no” for either party if products and needs don’t match, the client is better able to relax and share pertinent information.

The sales person needs to determine if his products offer the client a compelling reason to change and if the client is willing to make the time and money investment needed to utilize the sales person’s products.  Only if the products meet the buyer’s criteria should a sales person offer a proposal.  The sales person needs to understand what a buyer needs, why they need it and what the consequences of a successful transaction are for client.

In conclusion Marr asked “Are you sucking up with happy ears, hearing only what you want to hear or are you creating mutually healthy relationships” with your clients?  “Interrupt the pattern,” he advised.