Self-deception Puts Sales Opportunities at Great Risk

“You’re in the hunt!”

“Great demo!”

“We’re really impressed.”

Whether truth or malarkey, salespeople love encouragement from prospects. It’s raw material for the sales forecast Sunshine Pump, through which salespeople report what management wants to hear. We search for the best needles in conversation haystacks, and we’re elated when we find them. “Their CFO said our numbers look great.” Add 10% to the probability of closing!

A recent Dilbert cartoon's sardonic depiction of a conversation in which Dilbert asks a salesperson “Can you give me a quote by next week?” The salesperson responds, “Your demeanor tells me that you will never buy our product. You only want the quote as a point of reference.” To which Dilbert replies, “Or maybe I’m giving you false hope because it’s less awkward to end the meeting that way.”

Shhhhhhhooooooonnnnkkkkkk! Bullseye! An arrow to the heart! We coach salespeople to be honest and transparent, but we fail at providing strategies when behaviors are not reciprocal. What to do, what to do? The best advice I could find comes from your third-grade teacher, Ms. Dunbar, who probably said, “it’s not what people say, it’s what they do!”

Reflecting on that wisdom, I identified three actions that portend a Positive Sales Outcome. You won’t find research or analytics behind my opinions—just experience from twenty years of stubbing my toe, offered to readers at no extra charge:

Time. Prospects who invest time in a vendor’s product or service are likelier buyers than those who don’t. Prospects who are genuine and sincere attend appointments. They read what you send, and they learn from related information they find on their own. They don’t routinely cut discussions short, postpone meetings, or cancel them at the last minute. They’re available when you call. And they don’t make excuses for not being available by saying they’re “super busy” or out of town.

There’s a big “Yes, but . . .!” here, and I won’t duck away. Prospects can spend gobs of time with suitors that are virtually out of contention. In the buyer’s mind, the raison d’etre for these vendors is not to compete, but for backside protection commonly known as "CYA". When the winning solution is presented to the Executive Committee, the buying team must have a good story to tell: “We did our due diligence. We spent a lot of time considering XYZ Company, but they were expensive compared to the vendor we selected. The end.” XYZ’s unenviable role is known in sales vernacular as Column Fodder. Fortunately, Action #2, Access, exposes Column-Fodder risk . . .

Access. Genuinely interested prospective buyers provide a vendor access to others within their organization, including influencers, decision makers, and people who can authorize expenditures. For emphasis, I’ll add the converse: Disinterested prospects block access. “Everything on this project has to come through me or my department.” Ugh. We’ve all heard that at least once, and I can’t remember a time the declaration was accompanied by an eventual purchase order. And if you’re at risk for being Column Fodder, you’ll know, because you’ll get pounded to provide proposals, quotes, demos, engineering details, and product development plans. But you’ll never see the inside of a decision-maker’s office, let alone talk with one. (“Hey! At least they’re giving me time!”) I rarely recommend giving up, but without access, you’d have better chances selling faux minarets in Switzerland.

Engagement. Prospects who engage with others to discuss challenges, problems, and concerns are more likely buyers than those who don’t. Engaged prospects have taken the bull by the horns. They’ve identified what moves them, and they’re taking action by asking questions, writing, talking, and communicating. They’re engaging at your local technology council, in online forums, blogs, LinkedIn groups, and on Twitter and Facebook. It’s easier to sell to an opinionated prospect than an apathetic one. Grab on, the buying flywheel is already in motion.

Even with buckets of searchable social media at our fingertips, there’s plenty of buying information hidden from view. So it’s understandable when salespeople lapse into self-deception. After all, we depend on what we perceive, and we’re acutely wired to hear positive sentiment. But action “fact patterns” provide the truest insight into how well an opportunity is progressing. When positive patterns match positive statements, we know we’re on the right track, and when they don't, there's a red flag.