Selling Authentic

We spend a lot of time strategizing about how to win over our competition in a sales cycle.  We have entire departments dedicated to finding out the strengths and weaknesses of our competitors.  And we should study and understand our competition.  But not to the point where we are blinded to what our competitor can teach us in a sales cycle.

If we look at the ecosystem of a sales cycle as a whole, competitors are necessary for us to win.  In that sense, your competitor is your partner in the selling process.  For example, if we end up on a short list with a particular competitor we can learn a great deal from them.

Before we begin "setting traps" or "creating FUD" (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt) about our competitor we should unbiasedly ask and answer these questions:  What about their product, company, sales team is attractive to the prospect?  What is cool about their product?  Are they providing something beyond the product or service itself?  Who in the prospects organization is their champion and why does their champion like them?

If we think of our competitor as a partner in the selling process and honestly and objectively answer these questions (and others) it will give us great insight into what the prospect is looking for.  And if we combine what we learn with what we have independently discovered about the prospect, we will have the information we need to win the business.

Discovery, the process of understanding the prospects critical business issues, is arguably, the most important part of the sales process.  All other things being equal, the best discovery wins the day.  However, all other things are never equal.  And, the best discovery entails much more than asking the standard "high yield" questions that every salesperson in your space will ask.  The unspoken observations that you make about the person (s), culture, and where the corporation is in its lifecycle, are just as important, if not more important than the verbal answers to your "high yield" questions.  Unfortunately, most salespeople are so hell-bent on getting these answers that they miss some of the most "high yield" observations. (I will discuss more about these high yield observations in an upcoming post).

One of Koichi Tohei’s 4 basic principles of coordinating mind and body in any endeavor is "Relax Completely".  However, the English translation of this does not tell the whole story.  In Japanese the principle reads "Zenshin no chikara o kanzen ni nuku" Roughly translated, this means to take the power of everything that you are and have ever been, physically, mentally, and spiritually, and throw it all away.  Another way to say it is if if all of your knowledge and understanding is liquid in a cup, dump it all out.  Now, if this were a Zen exercise, the Sensei may tell you to now throw out the cup.  But I’m not sure it would be a good idea to be staring at your prospect in a state of transcendental bliss.  So, put your cup aside but not completely out of reach.

In order to pick up on subtle, unspoken behaviors about people, relationships, and culture, you must be calm.  You must be free from your agenda.  You must be like the calm water that accurately reflects the environment around you.  Allow the prospect to drive the discussion where he wants to take it and gradually you can pick up your cup and start adding your knowledge to the mix.  You must completely take on your prospects perspective before you can become one with it.

Before your next discovery meeting take some time to empty yourself.  Tell colleagues that are attending the discovery with you that you want to understand the spoken AND the unspoken.  "Relax Completely" and allow the prospect the space to tell you their story, with and without words.

“In Japanese we write the word budo (the martial way) with a character bu
made up of two parts which taken together mean to cease using arms.
For this reason the true follower of the martial way must have eyes
benevolent enough to do away with the opponent’s spirit to fight.
However sharp the gleam in your eye with which you try to oppress your
opponent is, it will have no effect on him.  He will not take it in, it
will only return to frighten you yourself.  People with hard eyes must
understand them as a sign of spiritual immaturity and must strive to
discipline themselves in the right way.”

- Koichi Tohei

Budō is a compound of the word bu (武:ぶ), meaning war or martial; and dō (道:どう), meaning path or way. Specifically, dō is derived from the Buddhist Sanskrit mārga (meaning the ‘path’ to enlightenment).^[1]
The term refers to the idea of formulating propositions, subjecting
them to philosophical critique and then following a ‘path’ to realize
them.^[2] Dō signifies a ‘way of life’. Dō
in the Japanese context, is an experiential term, experiential in the
sense that practice (the way of life) is the norm to verify the
validity of the discipline cultivated through a given art form. The
modern budō has no external enemy, only the internal enemy, one’s ego that must be fought^[3] (state of Muga-mushin). Similarly to budō, bujutsu is a compound of the words bu (武), and jutsu (術:じゅつ), meaning science, craft, or art. Thus, budō is most often translated as “the way of war”, or “martial way”, while bujutsu is translated as “science of war” or “martial craft.” However, both budō and bujutsu
are used interchangeably in English with the term “martial arts”. Some
scholars note that an examination of the kanji for the term “bu”
reveals a depiction of crossed halberds, a flick of blood, and the
character for the word stop. One important interpretation among some
schools of budo and bujutsu is that the term “bu” is more accurately
rendered as “a means to stop the conflict”. This would lead to an
alternate translation of “budo” as “conflict resolution”.

The above from Wikipedia.

SalesBudo – I believe that if approached
correctly that sales can be a practice that delivers benefits far
beyond the financial. Hence, the creation of SalesBudo. One of my purposes for using the words sales & budo together is to elevate sales to an activity not unlike Aikido
(the way of harmony) or other practices that are cultivated not as
means to ends but as ends in themselves; in short, to refine one’s
character.  Another is to highlight non-dissension, not only as a
successful way to sell, but as a successful way to live.