Courage in Sales

It was early in my career. I was worried. My customer was in a perilous place. She had challenging business goals and a mandate from her boss to reduce the rate of customer defection in her Communications business. 

I knew from previous experience that if my customer didn't act soon that she would struggle to achieve the goal she had been set. I had spoken to many of the key people in her company and every thing they told me pointed to impending problems. I had seen this movie play out before.

When reviewing this scenario with Henry, my colleague, I told him that I had another meeting confirmed with one of my main buyer's colleagues so that I could hear ‘one more time’ that my assumptions were correct. The only problem was that the meeting could not happen for another two weeks. Henry raised his eyebrows. "Hey, you know that you know what the customer should do. This isn't like you. Not sure I get why you need anything else." I didn't listen to Henry. Although I knew he was right; for some reason I did not have the courage to state my case and make my recommendation to the customer.  What if I had it wrong?

Roll the clock forward three weeks. I had the meeting and heard ‘one more time’ that the customer had a real pressing business problem. I now knew for sure that I could help her. But I also heard that the customer had engaged an alternative supplier who seemed more ready to act.

I was crushed. My failing to act had cost me the deal.

It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said ...

A great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before.

And that’s how it is with brave sellers when bringing insights to their customers.

Good customers expect a good sales person to have done his (or her) homework about their business. Then, blending experience and knowledge gained through interactions and implementations with many similar customers, the customer expects the seller to have a Point of View, a perspective that the customer can learn from and consider. I had this perspective but did not have the courage to present that to the customer.

There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. — Niccolo Machiavelli

Selling B2B solutions is really about leading change. The customer will not gain any benefit unless they make some change, and they need guidance in that journey.

Good sellers know this. They know it is hard. They understand the value in taking a stand, expressing their (informed) POV, and helping the customer take the first (and ensuing) steps along the path. In this situation, fortune does favor the brave –  those who are decisive and confident. If you have considered the customer’s problems and figured out how you can help, then why not tell the customer about it and let her make the decision.

I’ve have written before about the need to accelerate the salesperson’s credibility with a customer. By that I mean helping the customer get comfortable and confident that the seller understands her business. That is what we support with our Dealmaker Align product that helps a salesperson quickly get an understanding of the customer’s business problem so that he can then connect his solutions to the customer’s business problems.

What I had not considered was that it is just as important to accelerate the salesperson’s courage or confidence. Without confidence a seller will procrastinate, or find (often subconscious) reasons to delay presenting their proposed solution. A deep understanding of the customer’s business problems, the typical issues that other similar companies face, and the negative impact on the customer of a bad decision, helps the seller to be confident in the value they bring to the conversation. That accelerates confidence. It accelerates credibility and inevitably it accelerates sales.

Courage - well, as Emerson says:  A great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before.  There will always be a first time. Make it your best.

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