Sales Transformation System

Give yourself 1 point every time something above fits your current situation. If you scored 3 or more points - you’re in trouble, my friend. 

The world is unfair

However, you’re not alone in this situation - if it’s any consolation. It isn’t just you who is unprepared for the cut-throat negotiations and wafer-thin margins. It isn’t something new too. This is how it has always been. It is just that your ex-boss was shielding you when you were just “doing” the work, and not “selling” it. You see the ugliness only now, because now you’re the boss.

Do you know why this is happening to you, and what you can do to manage it?

Your problem is that you truly believe “My product is good. They will come to me and buy it.” You can’t be more wrong. Your product quality has nothing to with someone buying it. People have to be persuaded to buy everything, no matter how obvious it is that it’ll help them. The government has to fine you for not wearing a helmet even when it’s clearly for your own good.

Let’s get a little personal

Here’s a scenario. Someone enquired about your project. You have spent 2 hours on a phone call. Followed by a 4-hour drive to meet them at their office at a date and time of their convenience. And spent the next 2 days creating a brilliantly in-depth proposal. You email it, and for good measure, you send a text message about the email. You’re feeling really good.

They don’t respond immediately. That’s strange. They don’t even respond in the next hour. Wow, they have to be very busy. A whole day passes. Should I follow-up? Nah! I’ll wait till tomorrow to send a gentle reminder. No response to that too? I’ll wait till Monday morning. Then till the evening. Then the rest of the week. Still, nothing at all.

Finally, you pick up the phone and call them. They say they were either sick or traveling or some stupid excuse - and will get back to you soon. They don’t get back for another week. Once again, you swallow your pride and call them. They don’t even answer your phone.

Now you’re angry and you vow to not work for them even if they beg you to accept the contract. But, you and I both know what will happen when they call you for another meeting next week. You drop everything you’re doing and run to meet them. And, the whole cycle begins all over again.

Is this still your story? 

If not, don't waste your time by continuing to read it.

If this is indeed your story, then this has happened to you already. Sadly, it will continue to happen to you forever. If you are desperate today, you won’t suddenly stop being desperate tomorrow. Unless you truly understand your role in sales, nothing will change. My job today is to make you realize a fundamental truth.

The truth is this. You are not perceived as “valuable” by your prospects. You are not seen as their “partner”.

Your prospects see you as a vendor. In their eyes, you’re someone who is in this just for yourself. They see the entire engagement with you as a zero-sum game: if you win, they will lose. Because that’s how you have behaved throughout the meeting. You spoke about you, your product, your company. You, you, you. 

Here’s the secret no one tells you

The clients don’t care about you. The clients care about themselves. In the meeting the client learned only about you and nothing that helps them. Of course, they will not remember you. You didn’t stand out in any way. You were just another salesperson. They meet 20 like you every day. There’s only one thing common between all those salespeople - they all want the client’s money. Now you are seen as one of that group. See where the problem lies?

You weren’t remarkable in any way. Meeting with you didn’t help them in their work or life. They didn’t perceive you as valuable while they spoke with you the first time. So, they will NOT call you back. They will ask for a proposal or a quotation out of courtesy. But the relationship is already over once you walk out of that room. 

They may genuinely become busy with work and other responsibilities, but it’s unlikely. The real reason they won’t ask you for another meeting is that you weren’t worthy of their time. I’m sorry if this hurts, but I never claimed to offer you comfort. I just promised honesty.

You know what’s worse? 

They obviously don’t call you to tell you why they didn’t call you. That means you get no real feedback on why the sale didn’t move ahead. You make up your own story. This client is a jerk. Not everyone is like this. Others will see how valuable you are. Sorry to burst that bubble. It’s not them, it’s you. You’ll keep doing the same thing over and over, and years will pass before you know it.

So, I repeat: If this has happened to you once (or twice) already, it will continue to happen to you forever. It’s like Newton’s 1st Law of Motion. Objects (in motion or at rest) don’t change their state until an external force is applied. Nothing will change - until your mindset changes. Until you stop being a desperate salesperson. Until you reinvent yourself to become a helpful teacher.

People love to buy. They hate being sold to. 

They buy from (or through) those who teach them something new - even when they know they are being sold to. A teacher is seen as helpful, not manipulative. A teacher persuades better than a salesperson - both emotionally and logically.

A doctor asks a million questions, but it is to diagnose your problem and to offer a treatment. The doctor is seen as helpful, not manipulative. A doctor persuades better than a salesperson - both emotionally and logically.

What's the best thing that can happen to you?

Imagine a world where you get an enquiry and set up a meeting. You walk into the sales meeting, but it doesn’t seem like a sales meeting. It is a masterclass. You seem to know more about the clients’ business than the client does. You don’t ask meaningless questions - only pertinent and specific ones.

Your clients feel like it was a great opportunity to just meet you. They feel like they would have paid you money for just the interaction they had with you while you discussed their problems. 

You are still focused on advancing your sale, but it is clear that if the sale doesn’t close immediately you don’t even care. It’s almost like they are chasing you to work with them, rather than the other way around. You have given them enough value in the very first meeting. They feel if they got all this even before confirming the deal, imagine how much value they can get by paying you. 

You have become memorable, unlike other vendors

What if the clients don’t have the budget or the urgency now? well, it’s OK. When they are ready to buy, they will remember you distinctly because of how you made them feel. If they are window-shopping with multiple vendors, you will still stand out because of how valuable the first (or second) sales meeting was. They will call you because you are the only person whose number they saved in their phone.

You challenged their assumptions. You educated them. You showed them a side of their business that they didn’t even know. You didn't sell them anything. You taught them something. This is how sales happens today. This is how you should approach sales.

They buy from you because they value you

The marketplace is over-saturated. There is barely any difference between your product and your competitor's. Don't be scared of this situation. Take advantage of it.

Your clients won’t buy from you because your products are different and/or better compared to others. They buy from you because they value you. They value your advice. They enjoy working with you. You're not a vendor - you're a partner.

Remember: You are the key ingredient in this recipe. You need to be interesting and valuable. Once that happens, everything else will start falling into place.