Article #4 – Solutions for the Human Side of Business - By: Jonathan Creaghan
In sales situations how much potential
service opportunities and money is left on the table by not truly focusing on
the client in front of you, but rather keeping to the way you think the meeting
should go?
Case
Study
The sales rep representative for an
automotive company (let’s call him Michael) was directed to collect the tooling
costs from a Japanese tier one customer. His goal was half a million dollars
that was due. His usual strategy was to try to anticipate the other person like
a general going to war. Playing out in his head the arguments he would receive,
and his rebuttals. He would keep control of the situation. But this time he
decided to play differently.
The idea of going through the
meeting to prepare is a well suggested practice, but what happens if things
don’t go as planned? Can you move with the meeting, staying flexible to meet
the unpredictable?
Follow
these basic rules:
1.
Keep your outcome
clear in your head but not how it gets achieved
2.
Stay relaxed and
open to the direction of the meeting – keeping it on track if needed but
staying flexible to new opportunities
3.
Listen intently
with your ears, eyes, and instincts. Listen for the deeper message
4.
Ask questions for
clarification and feedback what you think you heard
5.
Focus completely
on the other person - trying not to anticipate or complete their thoughts or
sentences for them
6.
Meet people at
their level of understanding
Case
Study - Outcome
Keeping those six rules in mind forced Michael
to speak less, allowing the relationship to evolve naturally. As his mind settled and his awareness grew,
he heard clues and information that were new to him and which he was able to
use. This deeper attention took the meeting out of the adversarial mind-set
and into a new place of relationship and trust. The tier one buyer exclaimed
after many minutes into the meeting “Michael san, finally we connect. Now we
can do business!” It seems the buyer wanted something different anyway. Michael
didn’t walk out with half a million dollars, he walked out with $1.75 million
and advice on future bidding.
Trust yourself, trust others and trust the process
The buyer heard Michael more
clearly, and Michael heard the buyer. Less talking means talking at the right
time, saying the right things with the right level of intensity to be heard
clearly. Sales meetings are about developing or reinforcing trust. Let the trust evolve.
Jonathan
Creaghan helps clients transform themselves and their
workplaces. He believes that businesses
ultimately succeed or fail because of the human factor. He teaches people to think differently, to
see reality with fresh eyes when solving issues that impede them, whether
personal or business. Jonathan provides
“Solutions for the Human Side of Business”.
www.jonathancreaghan.com
Jonathan
is the author of several books including Duxter’s Leap!
and the Thinking Differently® Leadership series
which includes Thinking Differently® about…
Getting More Done. His books are published around the globe in
several languages.
For more information on Jonathan
Creaghan:
- 519.472.2562
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