Don't try out new sales approaches in front of an important audience.
[This is the fifth in a series about Prospecting and Sales Negotiations. The prior post suggested some ideas that have helped me improve my prospecting. Some of them go against the grain of a lot of current thinking about good selling skills. This post suggests ways you can try out new sales approaches at relatively low risk.]
Have you ever done something so stupid or embarrassing during a sales call that you’ve tried to bury it, but someone you work with won’t let it die?
Some of the things I’ve done during sales calls make me cringe. I’ve had the misfortune of doing some of them in the presence of my peers.
Still Embarrassed After 15 Years
More than 15 years after my initial embarrassment, they still remind me of the spectacular sale failures where they’ve seen me at center stage. It takes only one beer to get the memories flowing.
What was I thinking when I used a small wooden artist’s mannequin to try to illustrate an abstract point?
Solid Principles of Communication Lead to a Dumb Idea
Do you know that wholesalers have to achieve and maintain a complex balance of key factors in their business to achieve the right mix of capital investment and customer satisfaction?
I was trying to make that abstract concept more memorable. My idea was use a visual metaphor.
I chose a wooden artist’s mannequin about 12 inches tall. I vaguely remember that I’d tied a little cloth blindfold over its head where its eyes would have been if it had any.
My point was that it’s hard to achieve and then maintain a tricky balance in your business when you’re blindfolded by lack of good data. Constant feedback is essential to maintaining your balance.
Dumb Idea + Poor Execution = Embarrassing Failure
I was trying to get my little wooden friend to stand up on his feet. I was nervous, and my hands were a little shaky. I couldn’t make it work.
Four tough-looking senior executives of a liquor distribution company were sitting close to me around the conference table where I was trying to make this work. It was our first meeting.
These guys looked as if they regularly ordered hits against customers, employees and vendors who pissed them off.
Suddenly I felt like a 15-year-old girly boy playing with a Ken doll in a group of mature alpha males. At the time I was about 43.
Sense of Humor Breaks Tension of a Really Uncomfortable Moment
When the guys began clearing their throats and shifting from side to side in their seats, our presales consultant stepped in. “I think the point Scott is trying to make here is very clear,” he said.
“When you use our software you won’t be embarrassed by your inability to achieve the balance you want in your business. You’ll never have to worry about looking as inept as Scott does right now as he tries to stand that stupid little man up on his feet.”
Everyone laughed. We went on with the meeting, but I never closed that sale.
That presales guy went on to become president of our company. Seriously. He did.
Too Bad It’s Not the Only Dumb Thing I’ve Done in a Sales Situation
I’ve got additional examples of my bad moments in sales. Some are almost as embarrassing as the one you’ve just read. In my defense, most resulted from honest, stupid mistakes rather than big failures of judgment.
Chances are you’ve got some memories that make you squirm, too. Come on. Be honest. (I dare you to share one in the Comments section below.)
While my experience with the mannequin has been an enduring source of laughter and camaraderie over many years, I wish I hadn’t provided so much fun at such cost to my pride.
Keep Experimenting, But Be Smarter Than I Was
That and other embarrassments have not stopped me from experimenting with new selling ideas. In addition to my failures,
I’ve also achieved some big successes by experimenting with innovations. People still talk about a few of those, too.
Both my failures and my successes have taught me more effective ways to experiment.
Damage Control
Here are three recommendations. If they come as second nature to you, it’s just one more bit of evidence that I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer. They were obvious to me only in retrospect.
1. Rehearse in front of a video camera, a microphone, or trusted peers until you can execute the changes with confidence.
2. Even when you’ve practiced, don’t make any significant changes to your sales routine in the presence of your more important prospects. Try out your newest material on less important audiences so you don’t risk losing an important deal or customer.
3. Make your memorable mistakes when your peers – and especially your sales managers – aren’t around to observe them.
Standup comedians try out their new material in small clubs where they won’t be noticed if they bomb. One big difference: Comedians want to be sure their audience will laugh at them. I want to be sure they won’t laugh at me.
Stay fresh.
– Scott Silverback