The Sales Archaeologist

I know it seems really early to be talking about 2012 but given the average sales cycle of our readers it is probably the perfect time.

At a recent sales meeting I was sharing my thoughts on some recent information that I had read and how I felt it would affect the way we train sales people when it comes to positioning – let me share that first.

When people make a business buying decision studies show that it is usually for one of two reasons:

1. They have an issue or a problem that they need to fix.
2. They have a business opportunity that they need to exploit or take advantage of.

So how does that affect the way we prospect and the way we position ourselves? Typically we have done a great job at teaching people how to get attention and start conversations based on point 1. Simply put most of the CEO’s we speak with have some issue that they would like our help with. But, we have not put enough emphasis on helping them exploit different opportunities. When I brought this up at our meeting my suggestion was that we take the components of what we teach as positioning statements and add a version that is focused on helping businesses from the positive side. Sounded like a good idea and Dave Kurlan said – try it and let’s see what happens?

So I did and the results were really good.

Why might it be that Positive Positioning is a great way to build your pipeline for 2012?

1. People are sick and tired of bad news
2. People would rather talk first about their passions and goals first and then get to their problems and issues
3. People are confronted every day with the challenges and issues facing their company and perhaps this provides a breather
4. People need hope – it is human nature
5. People are Drawn to Positive and Upbeat People – also human nature

So if the first step in the sales cycle is to engage with a person then perhaps this will help. Eventually of course you want to talk about their issues and challenges – any trusted adviser would – but maybe that doesn’t need to be the first topic or first line of questioning. Of course as with every tactic one needs to decide its use on a case by case basis.

Positioning is one of our most well received training sessions and if you or your sales people would like to know more about how we could help your company and your people develop those for you – and improve your lead generation efforts, just let me know?