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Best Sales Strategy For Your Company

  
  
  
  

Dave Kurlan is a top-rated speaker, best-selling author, sales thought leader and highly regarded sales development expert.

angry on phoneWhat would you do if one of your sales reps called at 5 PM on a Friday, the last day of the month, on the final day of a bad quarter and said, "Good News - I closed ___________!"(insert any huge company here)

You'd get excited, your heart would beat a little faster, you'd feel relieved because things seem to be turning around, and you're thinking, "This is good, damn it."

You ask, "What did you close them for?"

Your salesperson responds, "They bought a ___________."
(the least expensive thing in the smallest possible quantity)

You know that  it would have been more appropriate for them to buy a _________________.
(the most expensive thing you sell)

You yell, "What?  Are you kidding? How did that happen?  And you're calling me to brag about it?  Are you crazy?"

The salesperson says, "But we're in!"

So here are some questions for you; 

Is it better to "be in" with something sold today, or to still be out, and hoping to sell them the appropriate solution tomorrow?

Is it better to say "they're a customer" now, or is it better to wait and do it the right way later?

Is it better to know you have to sell them one more time, or take a chance that you may never have the chance to sell them what they really need?

Let's explore the opposite scenario.

Let's say that you failed to close a company who decided against buying what you were trying to sell them.  Does it make any sense to return to them and offer to sell them what they are willing to buy?

These situations occur on a daily basis in most companies, (at least the companies with enough activity taking place) and everybody has a different preference as to how they should be handled.  What would you do?

Scenario 1 - happy to sell them something or wait to sell them the right solution?

Scenario 2 - return and try to sell what they're willing to buy or move on?

Here's another way of looking at it. In scenario 1, you waited to sell them the right solution and they wouldn't buy it.  So now you have moved to scenario 2...

 

 



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Posted by Dave Kurlan on Tue, May 18, 2010 @ 04:24 AM

COMMENTS

I think it is better to make a sale no matter how small than waiting for the big deal that may not come.  
 
 
 
The contact from the small sale can possible create opportunity for a bigger one if well managed.( half bread is better than chips)

posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 6:09 AM by ify

Much of my career has been spent evangelizing new SaaS solutions. A key part of the strategy was to "land and expand". I would always take the smaller initial sale, with the opportunity to grow the relationship over time.  
 
 
 
In this vignette, it seems surprising that the sales manager evidently didn't know that a deal was on the table with an important prospect.

posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 8:13 AM by Duncan Law

Dave, this is a trick question. I have been in both situations and have to say it depends. I have had accounts where I presented the "right" technical solution, but errored because they needed the "right enough" solution, fast and cheap. I could have probably sold them the right solution later after the critical political situation was over and been in the account now with a smaller deal.  
 
On other accounts they would spend more than needed to get a solution that was better than needed. They did this just to be sure they had the best product (CYA). A lesser solution would not fly and therefore I had to wait out the sales cycle. A failed solution would lose me the account forever (and almost did, but we responded quickly and heavily).  
 
So I say this is a trick question because you need to watch for trends. Are your sales people (or a sales person) trending one way or the other? Are these trends causing problems for the customer or your company? If they are then they need to be addressed.

posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 8:21 AM by Paul

I am going to steal a phrase from Jeffrey Fox's "How To Be A Rainmaker": Show them the chain, sell them a link.  
 
If that was the salesperson's strategy, kudos to the salesperson. Cracking open an Elephant deserves a celebration, not a tirade! <a href=”http://www.axiomexperience.com”>Axiom Development

posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 12:48 PM by Mike Shannon

We have probably all been in the situation where we have opted for selling "little bits". My experience has been that it usually leads nowhere. 
 
 
 
Obviously in this scenario the salesperson has focused on selling products and sees that he has sold something which is better than nothing. He has not focused on the clients needs, has not asked enough questions to steer the client to saying in their own words what their issues really are and failed to sell value for what working with him can bring.  
 
 
 
The client doesn’t “get it” and therefore is reluctant to do more than test for himself 
 
 
 
We can easily fall into the same trap and we need to constantly remind ourselves that it is “about them” and fully understanding their needs and taking them to their pain point, then showing them a way out, that will lead to success. If we work hard at putting this in practice every time, then we won't find ourselves having to choose either of these scenarios. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

posted on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 5:29 PM by Marion Mather

If it's not the right solution the chances of it working are not high and the relationship will suffer in the short term because if the solution fails they will blame you more often than not. If selling small is an attempt to get a foot in the door in the hope of better things to come it reminds me of something we have all experienced e.g. "Give me a discount and I'll give you lots more business. If the initial small order has a clear and genuine "upsell" later then I guess there is always a case for that approach. Has any of us been in the position of saying to a client "I cannot offer that solution to you however much you want it because it is not the right solution and I would be failing in my duty as a professional to do otherwise". Your values might just get the bigger and/or better order later. 
 
 
 

posted on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 12:11 AM by Ray Bigger

I have found that it is extremely important to stay connected to a qualified sales prospect...whatever it takes.  
 
However, in my opionion the answer to both questions is "Yes", only if you can deliver (on time with the expected level of quality) what you have sold...

posted on Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 8:47 AM by John Evans

Comments have been closed for this article.