15 January 2010 | Uncategorized | Miller Heiman

If you could only ask one question of your sales team this week to move sales forward, ask this:

Are we engaged in lose-win or win-lose opportunities?

Have you ever been willing to give a bit more than you really wanted just to close the sale?

Ever given so much of a discount to win an account that it hurt your organization more than it helped? For example: a negative profit that set a precedent and now customers always expect a low price. (A lose-win occurs when you lose while the customer wins).

Or perhaps closed a sale knowing the customer wasn’t quite happy with the solution? (A win-lose occurs when you win while the customer loses).

Justifications for these actions may seem reasonable: “I don’t have many opportunities in my funnel to close,” or “I’m just doing what I need to do to make numbers.” But many sales professionals forget to calculate the ramifications of engaging in anything but win-win sales. These opportunities have the potential to turn into a lose-lose and hurt your company’s ability to secure business in the long run.

Win-win opportunities ensure you and your customer are satisfied with the sale – which typically result in loyal customers. Playing win-win with can also increase the number of referrals for your organization.

To learn more about playing win-win, click here.

Do you have a story of a lose-win or win-lose opportunity that went wrong? Share with us today!

2 Comments

08 January 2010 | Uncategorized | Miller Heiman

If you could only ask one question of your sales team this week to move sales forward, ask this:

Have you spoken to the final decision maker directly, or is someone else carrying your message?

Unfortunately, the sales profession isn’t one that can rely on any sort of courier system. When it comes to discussing your company’s solution with those who will make that all-important yes or no decision, connecting with them yourself is critical to the success of the sale.

• Don’t be  intimidated –  it lets you get comfortable with someone else relaying your message instead of requesting a better meeting time for the final decision maker. Remember, regardless of title, they’re human, too.

• Dispel uncertainty with a valid business reason –    present solid information on how you can make a contribution to the way he or she is doing business . This allows you to be firm and confident enough to request a live conversation.

Do you have additional techniques that get you to the final decision maker? Share them with us.

No Comments