Monday, February 29, 2016
I AM NOT THE PROBLEM, THEY NEED TO CHANGE
At Valueselling.be we sometimes do some coaching. You would be surprised to hear what high level executives are struggling with. Listen in.
“I am so sick and tired of the people in my company!”
“Oops. Sounds depressing.”
“You need to help me, give me some perspective, Jan.”
“Suppose you could replace your boss, your colleagues and your staff, would your problem then be resolved?”
“If I could choose them all myself, you would see some dynamics in here! You have no idea what I have to carry as a legacy. Pure waste.”
“That’s not easy.”
“No, you bet.”
“Now, you’re not going to be able to replace all these people immediately, are you?”
“That’s the tragedy, yes.”
“What can you change immediately?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know the wise words of Saint Francis of Assisi?”
“My religious literacy is quite limited, I must admit.”
“Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, give me the courage to change the things I can, and give me wisdom to know the difference.”
“That is very wise. What does it mean for me?”
“What can you change about yourself, for example? There you will have immediate impact.”
“What do I need to change about myself? Nothing. I am not the problem. They are.”
“That’s right.”
“Exactly.”
“But you suffer from this situation.”
“You bet!”
“It is too heavy for you.”
“Actually, yes.”
“And if this situation continues, then what will be the effect on your health?”
“Look, we have a very large project, we need to close that deal. It is big and complex. There are many risks involved for us.”
“Oh so. Suppose you mess up, then what happens? What if you do not win the deal?”
“Yes, then our ceo will be very dissatisfied.”
“OK, imagine the ceo is very unhappy, what happens then?”
“Yes, we will lose his support.”
“OK, what if we lose his support, then what happens?”
“Yes, it will bring our division into trouble, and that’s not good for the results.”
“OK, what if we have bad results, then what happens?”
“Yes, then the company goes down the drain, and I have to go find another job.”
“How old are you now?”
“Uh, 36.”
“You will immediately and another job, maybe an even more fun and better paid job. You do not have to worry anyway. You understand?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
“You said your colleagues are useless. What do you think they think about you?”
“Probably the same.”
“You like that?”
“Mmmm.”
“What is the effect of your dissatisfaction on your colleagues?”
“Bof, not good for sure. I see what you are getting at. Blame me.”
“You have three options: replace your colleagues, leave the company or do something about your attitude. Which do you think will be the most successful in the short term?”
“My attitude? Wise guy!”
“I am so sick and tired of the people in my company!”
“Oops. Sounds depressing.”
“You need to help me, give me some perspective, Jan.”
“Suppose you could replace your boss, your colleagues and your staff, would your problem then be resolved?”
“If I could choose them all myself, you would see some dynamics in here! You have no idea what I have to carry as a legacy. Pure waste.”
“That’s not easy.”
“No, you bet.”
“Now, you’re not going to be able to replace all these people immediately, are you?”
“That’s the tragedy, yes.”
“What can you change immediately?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know the wise words of Saint Francis of Assisi?”
“My religious literacy is quite limited, I must admit.”
“Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, give me the courage to change the things I can, and give me wisdom to know the difference.”
“That is very wise. What does it mean for me?”
“What can you change about yourself, for example? There you will have immediate impact.”
“What do I need to change about myself? Nothing. I am not the problem. They are.”
“That’s right.”
“Exactly.”
“But you suffer from this situation.”
“You bet!”
“It is too heavy for you.”
“Actually, yes.”
“And if this situation continues, then what will be the effect on your health?”
“Look, we have a very large project, we need to close that deal. It is big and complex. There are many risks involved for us.”
“Oh so. Suppose you mess up, then what happens? What if you do not win the deal?”
“Yes, then our ceo will be very dissatisfied.”
“OK, imagine the ceo is very unhappy, what happens then?”
“Yes, we will lose his support.”
“OK, what if we lose his support, then what happens?”
“Yes, it will bring our division into trouble, and that’s not good for the results.”
“OK, what if we have bad results, then what happens?”
“Yes, then the company goes down the drain, and I have to go find another job.”
“How old are you now?”
“Uh, 36.”
“You will immediately and another job, maybe an even more fun and better paid job. You do not have to worry anyway. You understand?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
“You said your colleagues are useless. What do you think they think about you?”
“Probably the same.”
“You like that?”
“Mmmm.”
“What is the effect of your dissatisfaction on your colleagues?”
“Bof, not good for sure. I see what you are getting at. Blame me.”
“You have three options: replace your colleagues, leave the company or do something about your attitude. Which do you think will be the most successful in the short term?”
“My attitude? Wise guy!”
Monday, February 22, 2016
WHAT IS A GOOD SALES MANAGER
At Valueselling.be, we wanted to know: what does a good sales manager look like. I spoke with Christine, international account manager at a major technology company. I was curious about her boss.
“Peter is a good boss.” She immediately stated.
“Ah. Glad to hear it. What makes him so good?”
“He stands up for his people.”
“Give us an example.”
“I had a difficult price discussion with a customer, who wanted a really big discount on his maintenance contract and I could not and would not give it to him.”
“Why did he want that discount?”
“Well, he said that our prices are organized crime, we hijack our customers, and that maintenance costs must actually be zero.”
“Well, I understand where that perception comes from. You are the only ones that support the hardware, he can not do without maintenance, and so he is at the mercy of your pricing.”
“Well, the man called Peter and he said he wanted another account manager. I was not doing my job properly.” “Oops. You were suddenly the cause of his problem.” “Yep.” “And what did Peter do?”
“Peter and I invited him to lunch.” “Peter played mediator. Beautiful.” “He did a lot more than that.”
“I’m curious.”
“He explained that I carried out his orders perfectly, and that he was not going to put in place a different account manager for that customer.”
“That customer was probably quite embarrassed when you sat there.”
“He looked crestfallen.”
“And then?”
“And then Peter made a masterstroke. He said, “Actually, we’re not here to quarrel, but to solve your problem with our price.”
The customer replied eagerly. “I have the strong feeling that you are abusing your monopoly position and you are squeezing us like lemons.”
“We’re very sorry if you have that feeling,” commented Peter very empathetically.
“Yes, you’re right. We are real money grabbers.”
He laughed at the terrifed face of the customer.
“What solution would you like,” asked Peter suddenly.
“Reduce maintenance cost by 50%, Peter. That seems a minimum requirement.”
“We were just announcing a price increase of 3%, index adjustments and so on.”
“This is leading us nowhere.”
“Do you know why our maintenance costs so high?”
“Because you are so expensive.”
“No, not really. You have too many older machines. There is a very good way to bring down your maintenance costs and infrastructure costs.”
“I’m listening.”
“What if you could consolidate and virtualize your servers, then your absolute and relative costs would go down very much. The new hardware is much cheaper, and maintenance will follow that price.”
“What savings would that yield?”
“We need to do the accounting exercise with the write offs but I am sure that you can save between 30 and 40 per cent per year.”
“What I found so clever about Peter’s approach is that he defended me, listening to the client, that he found a solution to the problem, and that he closed a new hardware contract. I learned a lot during that lunch. You should also learn from your boss. If a boss doesn’t teach you new things, he is worthless.”
For more Valueselling.be stories, see Jan, Flamend, Keep your calm and sell your socks off. De Cavalerie, 2013
http://www.letusboostyourbusiness.com
“Peter is a good boss.” She immediately stated.
“Ah. Glad to hear it. What makes him so good?”
“He stands up for his people.”
“Give us an example.”
“I had a difficult price discussion with a customer, who wanted a really big discount on his maintenance contract and I could not and would not give it to him.”
“Why did he want that discount?”
“Well, he said that our prices are organized crime, we hijack our customers, and that maintenance costs must actually be zero.”
“Well, I understand where that perception comes from. You are the only ones that support the hardware, he can not do without maintenance, and so he is at the mercy of your pricing.”
“Well, the man called Peter and he said he wanted another account manager. I was not doing my job properly.” “Oops. You were suddenly the cause of his problem.” “Yep.” “And what did Peter do?”
“Peter and I invited him to lunch.” “Peter played mediator. Beautiful.” “He did a lot more than that.”
“I’m curious.”
“He explained that I carried out his orders perfectly, and that he was not going to put in place a different account manager for that customer.”
“That customer was probably quite embarrassed when you sat there.”
“He looked crestfallen.”
“And then?”
“And then Peter made a masterstroke. He said, “Actually, we’re not here to quarrel, but to solve your problem with our price.”
The customer replied eagerly. “I have the strong feeling that you are abusing your monopoly position and you are squeezing us like lemons.”
“We’re very sorry if you have that feeling,” commented Peter very empathetically.
“Yes, you’re right. We are real money grabbers.”
He laughed at the terrifed face of the customer.
“What solution would you like,” asked Peter suddenly.
“Reduce maintenance cost by 50%, Peter. That seems a minimum requirement.”
“We were just announcing a price increase of 3%, index adjustments and so on.”
“This is leading us nowhere.”
“Do you know why our maintenance costs so high?”
“Because you are so expensive.”
“No, not really. You have too many older machines. There is a very good way to bring down your maintenance costs and infrastructure costs.”
“I’m listening.”
“What if you could consolidate and virtualize your servers, then your absolute and relative costs would go down very much. The new hardware is much cheaper, and maintenance will follow that price.”
“What savings would that yield?”
“We need to do the accounting exercise with the write offs but I am sure that you can save between 30 and 40 per cent per year.”
“What I found so clever about Peter’s approach is that he defended me, listening to the client, that he found a solution to the problem, and that he closed a new hardware contract. I learned a lot during that lunch. You should also learn from your boss. If a boss doesn’t teach you new things, he is worthless.”
For more Valueselling.be stories, see Jan, Flamend, Keep your calm and sell your socks off. De Cavalerie, 2013
http://www.letusboostyourbusiness.com
Thursday, February 11, 2016
WHEN SELLING FEAR…
One afternoon, in a quiet street in a suburban area. A man with a suitcase calls at a house.
‘Hello, Madam, good afternoon.’
‘Yes?’
‘My name is Jeremy Bentham, Full Security Solutions. FSS. Your safety partner.’
‘Is something the matter?’
‘Well, madam, we can help you to keep burglars and thieves away. Nice house you have.’
‘Isn’t that the job of the police?’
‘They are usually too late, aren’t they? They come when the crime has been committed, when the damage is done.’
‘I have never had a burglary, here in my house.’
‘Newspapers report that there is a wave of break-ins in the area. Several eastern European gangs are operating.’
‘So what?’
‘Doesn’t that scare you?’
‘No.’
‘Suppose they break in and steal all your precious things, your television, your jewelry.’
‘They won’t.’
‘A lady with a strong mind. That’s good, madam. But these guys are ruthless. In the house next door, your neighbours are still traumatised by what happened to them.’
‘Serves them right.’
‘Sorry?’
‘They don’t have Jesus.’
‘Jesus?’
‘Yes, Jesus protects me.’
‘Oh, right.’
‘I feel very secure with Jesus.’
‘I am so happy for you.’
‘So, I won’t need to buy any security solutions from you.’
‘Would you mind if I came in and made a quick security check, you know, to see if all windows have strong enough locks, if the back door isn’t a weak spot.’
‘No, you cannot enter my house.’
‘Why not, madam, I’m here to help you.’
‘You might as well be part of that gang of burglars, scouting the victims.’
‘I’m an honest sales man, madam.’
‘Let’s see what Jesus has to say about that.’
‘Huh?’
‘Jesus, come boy.’
‘A ferocious dobermann comes to the porch and barks aggressively at the sales man. He is terrified.
‘This is Jesus.’
‘Ah. This is Jesus.’
‘He is my savior.’
‘Well, eh good day, madam, eh thank you for your time. Bye, Jesus. Good boy. Oh my God.’
‘Hello, Madam, good afternoon.’
‘Yes?’
‘My name is Jeremy Bentham, Full Security Solutions. FSS. Your safety partner.’
‘Is something the matter?’
‘Well, madam, we can help you to keep burglars and thieves away. Nice house you have.’
‘Isn’t that the job of the police?’
‘They are usually too late, aren’t they? They come when the crime has been committed, when the damage is done.’
‘I have never had a burglary, here in my house.’
‘Newspapers report that there is a wave of break-ins in the area. Several eastern European gangs are operating.’
‘So what?’
‘Doesn’t that scare you?’
‘No.’
‘Suppose they break in and steal all your precious things, your television, your jewelry.’
‘They won’t.’
‘A lady with a strong mind. That’s good, madam. But these guys are ruthless. In the house next door, your neighbours are still traumatised by what happened to them.’
‘Serves them right.’
‘Sorry?’
‘They don’t have Jesus.’
‘Jesus?’
‘Yes, Jesus protects me.’
‘Oh, right.’
‘I feel very secure with Jesus.’
‘I am so happy for you.’
‘So, I won’t need to buy any security solutions from you.’
‘Would you mind if I came in and made a quick security check, you know, to see if all windows have strong enough locks, if the back door isn’t a weak spot.’
‘No, you cannot enter my house.’
‘Why not, madam, I’m here to help you.’
‘You might as well be part of that gang of burglars, scouting the victims.’
‘I’m an honest sales man, madam.’
‘Let’s see what Jesus has to say about that.’
‘Huh?’
‘Jesus, come boy.’
‘A ferocious dobermann comes to the porch and barks aggressively at the sales man. He is terrified.
‘This is Jesus.’
‘Ah. This is Jesus.’
‘He is my savior.’
‘Well, eh good day, madam, eh thank you for your time. Bye, Jesus. Good boy. Oh my God.’
Sunday, February 7, 2016
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR SALES CALL?
‘Hi, Marc!’
‘Peter?’
‘Well, I was in the neighbourhood, and I thought why don’t I just pop in at Marc and see how he’s doing. After all, you’re one of my best customers.’
‘Oh, right.’
‘So, Marc, how are you?’
‘Reasonably well, Peter.’
‘Plans for the holiday?’
‘Nothing in particular.’
‘Right.’
Akward silence.
‘Yes, right. Was there anything else?
‘Well, hrm..’
‘Peter, I am always happy to see you, but what is the purpose of this meeting.’
‘Well, you know catch up, chat a bit, see what’s happening, see if I can sell you something, hahahaha.’
‘Peter, you’re a professional sales man, right?’
‘Right, Marc.’
‘So, you’re always willing to learn something?’
‘Erm, sure, Marc, never too old lo learn.’
‘Well, Peter, because I like you, I want to tell you a few things. Don’t take this the wrong way, but your opening stinks.’
‘Oh, does it, really?’
‘You say, you were in the neighbourhood, so, why don’t I go and waste some of Marc’s time. After all, he’s got nothing better to do. Maybe he is stupid enough to make some new orders.’
‘Come on, Marc, that is not what I meant. You know this is a maintenace visit. My boss told me to do some upselling here.’
‘No, problem, Peter. That’s your job. It’s just the way you opened the conversation which was quite irritating.’
‘Oh, right, what should I have done than, Marc?’
‘What do you think a customer thinks when you come barging in like this, unannounced?’
‘I would think you’de be pleased, honored, deligthed to see me, but you’re gonna say the opposite, aren’t you?’
‘Did you know that people are like icebergs?’
‘You mean cold and wet?’
‘No, I mean that the biggest part is hidden below the surface.’
‘Is it?’
‘Above the water, you have the explicit behaviour, the formal interactions.’
‘Yes?’
‘Below the surface, you have the emotions, the perceptions, the things that aren’t always articulated.’
‘Interesting.’
‘We communicate on these two levels, explicitly on the above level and implicitly on the below level. So when I see you barging in like that, I will be polite on the above level, but I am quite irritated on the below level. I feel you’re disturbing my work, you’re not wearing a tie, and I don’t have a problem with that, but it makes you look like a tourist passing by, as if you have nothing better to do. Your appearance needs to be spotless, you need to radiate a feeling of trust and sympathy..’
‘Oops.’
‘Do you have anything new, something important to tell me?’
‘Sure, we have some exciting new products, some new relesaes, and interesting customer cases.’
‘And what can those products mean for us?’
‘They can enhance your productivity, streamline your processes even more, and make you loose less time.’
‘Well, that is interesting. Why didnt you tell me that?’
‘I was going to, but you started to comment on my opening….’
‘Peter?’
‘Well, I was in the neighbourhood, and I thought why don’t I just pop in at Marc and see how he’s doing. After all, you’re one of my best customers.’
‘Oh, right.’
‘So, Marc, how are you?’
‘Reasonably well, Peter.’
‘Plans for the holiday?’
‘Nothing in particular.’
‘Right.’
Akward silence.
‘Yes, right. Was there anything else?
‘Well, hrm..’
‘Peter, I am always happy to see you, but what is the purpose of this meeting.’
‘Well, you know catch up, chat a bit, see what’s happening, see if I can sell you something, hahahaha.’
‘Peter, you’re a professional sales man, right?’
‘Right, Marc.’
‘So, you’re always willing to learn something?’
‘Erm, sure, Marc, never too old lo learn.’
‘Well, Peter, because I like you, I want to tell you a few things. Don’t take this the wrong way, but your opening stinks.’
‘Oh, does it, really?’
‘You say, you were in the neighbourhood, so, why don’t I go and waste some of Marc’s time. After all, he’s got nothing better to do. Maybe he is stupid enough to make some new orders.’
‘Come on, Marc, that is not what I meant. You know this is a maintenace visit. My boss told me to do some upselling here.’
‘No, problem, Peter. That’s your job. It’s just the way you opened the conversation which was quite irritating.’
‘Oh, right, what should I have done than, Marc?’
‘What do you think a customer thinks when you come barging in like this, unannounced?’
‘I would think you’de be pleased, honored, deligthed to see me, but you’re gonna say the opposite, aren’t you?’
‘Did you know that people are like icebergs?’
‘You mean cold and wet?’
‘No, I mean that the biggest part is hidden below the surface.’
‘Is it?’
‘Above the water, you have the explicit behaviour, the formal interactions.’
‘Yes?’
‘Below the surface, you have the emotions, the perceptions, the things that aren’t always articulated.’
‘Interesting.’
‘We communicate on these two levels, explicitly on the above level and implicitly on the below level. So when I see you barging in like that, I will be polite on the above level, but I am quite irritated on the below level. I feel you’re disturbing my work, you’re not wearing a tie, and I don’t have a problem with that, but it makes you look like a tourist passing by, as if you have nothing better to do. Your appearance needs to be spotless, you need to radiate a feeling of trust and sympathy..’
‘Oops.’
‘Do you have anything new, something important to tell me?’
‘Sure, we have some exciting new products, some new relesaes, and interesting customer cases.’
‘And what can those products mean for us?’
‘They can enhance your productivity, streamline your processes even more, and make you loose less time.’
‘Well, that is interesting. Why didnt you tell me that?’
‘I was going to, but you started to comment on my opening….’
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