Sales Lessons that can Help Win the Deal

© 2014 Primary Intelligence

Mr. Green and the Five FirmsSales lessons that can help win the deal

By Ken AllredCEO, Primary Intelligence

Illustrated by Mark Larson


Once upon a time, a company with $250 million in annual staffing cost began to search for a managed service provider partner that would help the company reduce its

risk, increase its visibility and better manage costs.

Some of what took place during the vendor selection process surprised our protagonist, Mr. Green, the buyer. It is in these details that we can find some important sales lessons — lessons that sales representatives should be reminded of often.

Buyer Green knew his ideal partner would need to have a strong international presence and extensive experience in its industry. He built a request for proposals based on its needs and requirements, and invited five firms to compete for the contract.



The Players“Lazy” had worked with the buyer for years; Buyer Green felt strongly that this firm would emerge as the winner.

“Bashful” had earned Buyer Green’s respect and admiration, but the buyer noted one area of weakness Bashful needed to address.

“Crazy” was a long-time provider to Buyer Green and was well-positioned for the role.

“Dopey” also had worked with Buyer Green for many years and was expected to do well.

“Happy” was the clear underdog. Buyer Green had not worked with this firm before and was unsure about its ability to meet the needs and requirements outlined in the request for proposal.


As Buyer Green went through the presentations and selection process, the staffing firms competing for the contract made some surprising choices, some to their detriment.


CrazyCrazy’s initial presentation and solution demonstration were the most impressive to Buyer Green by a wide margin. Then, with very little explanation, Crazy withdrew itself from consideration. The suddenness of this step and lack of explanation led Buyer Green to decide not to do any business with the firm in the future.

Insight — Communicate clearly with your buyers, even when choosing not to pursue a deal. Lack of communication can and will damage relationships and put you at a serious disadvantage. This buyer even indicated that it had recommended to peers at other companies that they NOT do business with this firm because of what the buyer considered unprofessional actions and behavior.


BashfulCrazy’s sudden withdrawal gave Bashful a wonderful opportunity to step into the lead. However, Bashful chose to present its standard solution and didn’t address its key weakness that Buyer Green had identified as a concern. Because of this oversight, Buyer Green was forced to eliminate Bashful from further consideration.

Insight — When a buyer identifies a weakness or gap in your solution, you MUST show the buyer how you will address it. In this case, the buyer had hoped that the firm would find a partner to fill a gap in its offerings so it could seriously be considered as a solution. When Bashful did not do this, not only did the firm demonstrate that it did not have the necessary capabilities, but it also hurt the level of trust it had with the buyer.

LazyLazy knew it was the solution that Buyer Green’s team wanted from the outset. However, Lazy’s sales team put in minimal effort during the process and failed to listen to Buyer Green. This ultimately cost the firm the contract.

OuttoLunch

Insight — Never assume that you will win an opportunity without trying. This firm should have won, but it took its existing relationship with the prospect for granted and was overly confident that its leadership position in the marketplace would be all it needed to win.



DopeyDespite having worked with Dopey for years, Buyer Green had to ask Dopey numerous times to respond. Dopey finally put together a weak and hasty response that lost the firm the contract.

Insight — It should go without saying that being non-responsive or slow to respond to your buyers’ requests is a sure way to send the message that you’re not interested in doing business with them. It is also an excellent way to ensure you won’t be doing business with them.

Glue


HappyAll good stories have surprise endings, and this one is no exception. Happy was the “diamond in the rough” for Buyer Green’s team, ultimately winning the contract. The firm’s sales reps listened to the buyer carefully, understood the rules, and put a concerted effort into doing its best in addressing the buyer’s specific needs and concerns.

Insight — This firm listened to every need the prospect outlined and made sure to address those needs in its response. Even though other firms’ solutions were technically stronger, this firm won in the end because “they were willing to understand our business.”

Contract


Lazy, Crazy, Bashful, Dopey and Happy are roles that all of us in sales have purposely or inadvertently played at one time or another. Which role are you playing in the deals you’re pursuing today, and which role do you want to play — villain, comic relief, or the hero that wins the day?

*This story is based on an actual sales decision recently analyzed by Primary Intelligence. With apologies to Snow White and Walt Disney, all names have been changed to protect the innocent (except, of course, for “Dopey”).

About the AuthorKen Allred, Founder and CEO of Primary Intelligence, is a thought leader in SaaS-based sales intelligence, analytics and sales enablement solutions.

He is committed to the optimization of sales, marketing and product management teams through the implementation of advanced Sales 2.0 intelligence solutions.

Sales Lessons that can Help Win the Deal

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