Do you know how the executive you’re talking to makes decisions?

In tough times, getting to the person who makes the ultimate “yes” or “no” decision isn’t always enough. Being able to successfully persuade them that your company’s solution is the right option takes an understanding of how that executive operates.

Understanding how they make decisions is critical to tailoring your approach. Miller Heiman believes there are five types of decision makers:

1. Charismatics: Think Oprah Winfrey -someone who gets wrapped up in new ideas but won’t move forward unless his or her team has properly scoped out the details.
2. Thinkers: Bill Gates is a thinker – an individual who prefers to go through the pros and cons of a decision before determining whether it’s worth moving forward.
3. Skeptics: Ted Turner is an ideal example of this type of decision maker – highly suspicious of the options, these executives are skeptical of solutions that don’t mesh with their own perspectives.
4. Followers: Consider Peter Coors – these individuals take a more emotional approach, taking their trust in other people into account and how they’ve made similar decisions in the past.
5. Controllers: Reference Martha Stewart for this type – an executive who likes to be involved in all aspects of the decision-making process and prefers to have ownership of ideas before taking the next step.

While there are plenty more factors that construct each of these five styles, the basics can help you get a feel for the executives you’re working with. Learning to recognize how your respective decision makers like to make decisions can enable you to better prepare for meetings and effectively convince them your solution is the best solution to their business challenges.

Learn more about persuading executives with Executive Impact^SM.

Have a question for Miller Heiman? Leave a comment or ask @MillerHeiman on Twitter.

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When do you begin negotiations?

Negotiating can be difficult. In a long sales cycle, professionals often tiptoe around contract length, customization or price conversations hoping they don’t get snagged by a potentially nasty exchange that could result in a bad customer relationship.

The best way to put those scary thoughts to rest is to understand that negotiations should start at the beginning of the engagement and it should involve more than just price. Sales professionals should be upfront about what both parties could stand to benefit or are looking to accomplish as a result of implementing the proposed solution. If discrepancies arise, it’s easier to work through them over the course of the sale than to stumble into them at the last minute.

Options that satisfy shared interests or meet both sides’ interests are the ones most likely to be agreed upon. Learn more about negotiations here.

Have a question for Miller Heiman? Leave a comment or ask @MillerHeiman on Twitter.

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Do your contacts perceive a challenge to their business in the first place?

When contacts at potential customer organizations don’t perceive a challenge within their business, getting them to understand how your solution can help is a bit like running into a brick wall.

What you can do is demonstrate a discrepancy between how they perform now and how they could perform with your services. If you can illustrate their company could potentially be in trouble without your solution, or how they could stand to grow if they invested in it, you can change their perception.

Staying close to what the customer wants to accomplish is key. If you know how your product can help a customer, you also know problems it could likely create without it. From there, you can demonstrate the potential business challenges the company may face, and make a stronger case for your solution.

Have a question for Miller Heiman? Leave a comment or ask @MillerHeiman on Twitter.

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How To Ensure You Get it Right
There are a few ways to get eager customers to stop from rushing into viewing a product that might not be the best fit:

• Circle back to the customer. Before getting into a situation that could have a negative outcome, consider a response that brings the conversation back to them. For example: “I look forward to demonstrating our solution for you, but before I do that, I’d like to learn more about what you are envisioning this solution would do for you and your organization. Describe what the ideal situation would be after a solution is implemented.

• Ask where they are in their buying process. If they’re already asking for a demo, they may be farther in their buying process and ready to make a decision but are likely tasked with searching for vendors to compare with their preferred solution. There may be an opportunity to get in the game if you are able to differentiate your solution and show the value you can bring. However, it will take work to get customers to willingly back up in their decision process and let you spend time understanding the results they anticipate as a result of investing in a solution. If they are unwilling to share this information, it may be a sign that they’re taking your valuable time to demo a product they don’t intend to buy.

In any engagement, the focus needs to stay on the customer. Learning their real concept for what needs to be accomplished will help you guide them toward an appropriate solution. Leave a comment, ask a question, or follow @MillerHeiman on Twitter.

photo credit: David Boyle

What are you doing to keep your funnel from drying up?

If you’re in sales, there’s probably no better feeling than closing a sale. And there’s no worse feeling than having no prospects.

The key to avoiding a dry funnel is to consistently feed the top with potential opportunities. To reduce how low you go into the valleys of your sales cycle, prospecting must be a top priority – right behind closing business. Try keeping this tip posted close:

Every time I close something, prospect or qualify something else.

Consider incorporating consistent prospecting efforts into your daily efforts. For example, rather than devoting a specific amount of minutes, try making five daily attempts to generate or qualify leads. Or, if you like using your calendar, block the first and last 15 minutes of each working day to make prospecting calls or researching those you’re planning to reach out to. And don’t forget, some of your best prospects for new business are those you’ve worked with in the past. Look for opportunities to contact past customers who may be experiencing new challenges.

Consistent prospecting is vital to a healthy sales funnel, and the success of the sales organization. Pay attention to the sales that need to be closed, yes, but don’t forget about rounding up new opportunities too.

For more tips about creating opportunities, check out
“The Miller Heiman Prospecting Guide: Best Practices for Maximizing New Business Development.”

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What are your sales calls accomplishing?

Have you ever spent 30 minutes on the phone with a prospect or customer, only to have nothing to show for it? Not only did you waste your time, you also wasted their time. And think about it – you really only have so few selling hours in a year, right?

To move any sale forward, you’ll need to ask for incremental commitments. Comments like “let me think about the proposal” or “I’ll get back to you next month” are too vague to hold anyone accountable. The key is to end every call with a commitment from the customer to do something by a specific date. A good commitment from your customer would sound similar to this:

“I’ll present this information to my boss by during our meeting next Friday and get back to you on Monday.”

But customers won’t always volunteer to do things so be prepared to ask for commitment.

“You mentioned you are meeting with your boss on Friday to discuss this initiative.  Will you present the information we discussed and get back to me with her feedback on Monday?”

At the beginning of a sale, these actions may be small in nature, but as the relationship builds, it is possible to begin asking for larger commitments. Without asking your customers to engage with you, you’re doing the heavy lifting yourself and wasting their time. If that continues, the opportunity will eventually flop. Asking for customer help will go a long way to securing business.

photo credit: Bug-a-Lug(”,)

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!

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.

We’ve highlighted a few actions you and your organization can focus on now to improve sales results. The following recommendations are featured in Miller Heiman’s Year-End Guide for Sales Leaders: Strategies for Finishing the Current Year Strong and Starting Fast in the Coming Year:

• Work on closing the gap between leadership and field-team forecasts.
• Know where your organization is investing in growth and incorporate those priorities into next year’s plan.
• Invest in ways to help salespeople build strong customer relationships.
• Invest in ways to help salespeople improve their performance.
• Encourage salespeople to aim high; assure them that they won’t be penalized if they don’t hit their ambitious stretch targets.
• Determine the amount of new business, existing business and churn you expect next year; make sure your plan includes specific strategies for addressing each.
• Review the sales pipeline and set priorities about which opportunities to pursue.

Together, those steps will go a long way toward making the new year be exactly what it should be: an exciting time brimming with fresh opportunities for growth.

To read more, download the entire resource guide here. Additional articles include “When’s this Sale Going to Close: A Best Practice for Shortening Sales Cycle Length” and “Strategic Planning for Dummies and Experts Alike.”

Are we pursuing opportunities we have with customers to strengthen or expand the business?

Many times, trends in a customer’s world can translate into opportunities for your company. The trick is learning how to recognize these opportunities and position your company’s products or services as a valuable solution. Consider looking for:

• Trends that will have at least a one-year impact
• Trends that have both a positive and negative effect on the customer’s organization
• Changes that have occurred in their market place
• Whether executives (if the company is public) have discussed challenges in quarterly reports or high-level addresses

To further understand if an opportunity is truly present, consider whether the solution will bring lasting value to the customer. If you aren’t confident, the answer is no.

Leveraged an opportunity with a strategic account recently? Don’t be shy – share your experience!