How much?

I had a lady come up to me at my book-signing table recently and asked that infamous question – “How much?”  “Wow!” was her response when I answered.  That’s a challenge with certain ways buyers respond to sellers, true?  If you think about it, her “Wow!” was vague.  On its own, you couldn’t tell if she thought my book was a lot, or a little. 

Being the trained sales professional I am, I clarified, “I'm curious. Is that a good Wow!, or a bad Wow!”?   Turned out, it was a good Wow! in her opinion and she bought my book.  Crisis averted, LOL! 

In sales, that’s the thing about the “money question”.  I’ve learned that the definition of, “How much is a lot” is client-defined.  My job as a sales professional was to address the money question in a clear and confident voice and then clarify my prospects’ reaction.  You see, when our prospects ask us the money question they already have a number in mind.  They have already decided what is a lot or a little.  We might as well find out, yes? 

In his book Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play ©, Mahan Khalsa put it this way: 

If you walk out of qualifying meetings with clients and do not know how much they are thinking of spending, and they do not know how much you are thinking of charging, you will both be guessing.  This is mutual mystification. 

Many salespeople say they’re uncomfortable addressing price up front.  They’ve been trained to “develop trust & rapport” first.  They’ve been trained to say, “Oh, I’d have to do a thorough analysis of your needs before I could possibly hazard a guess.”  And that’s called the money flinch.  Unfortunately, here’s the reality of flinching. 

When the prospect directly asks you the money question, “How much does something like this cost?”, if you don’t respond to their direct question with a direct answer, then the prospect notes your flinch and draws their own conclusions.  We as sellers won’t like their conclusions, either: 

Sounds complicated

Sounds expensive

I think we’ll stay status quo 

and they're gone.  Now, before you go…  

… please realize, in B2B selling I’m advocating that the salesperson answer a direct question with a direct answer to avoid creating doubt.  I’m prepared to discuss money with my prospects early, late and throughout their buying process.  It’s my favorite topic! 

I rely on the skill of clarification.  What I’ve given them is an “answer; it’s not a “quote”.  There’s a difference.  But we can get close enough money wise quickly to determine if it makes sense to move forward.  We still need to complete a thorough needs analysis to clarify exactly what the prospect is buying and correspondingly what we will charge, aka give them an actual quote. 

I agree with Mahan.  Let's avoid “mutual mystification” starting out. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Time Teaches…

In the business world we deal with timelines all of the time, true?  Most of the time, a timeline is an untimely topic.  The Buddha tried to help us in the time of the 5^th or 6^th century, BC: 

Forgive yourself for not knowing earlier what only time could teach.  The seed does not apologize for not being a tree yesterday. 

What have we learned?  For me, in seven decades and counting, I’m still in the learning phase – slow learner, for sure!  I did learn these from our favorite Unknown Sage: 

A few meanings:

• Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
• Live a good, honorable life.  Then when you’re older, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
• Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it. 

One thing is true, I am enjoying things in my life a second time.  After years, perhaps decades, Americans (hopefully) are learning, too.  Today, people are sharing what they're learning about technology and social media.  According to this piece by "CNBC Make It": 

I think people back then used to take a break from the real world by going on their phone, but now people are taking a break from their phone to spend time in the real world … 

Going chronically offline is the latest trend to grip young people and, ironically, its going viral on social media. 

Going offline and promoting that trend online, what???  

Then there is the activity known as “planning”.  Recently, I was a guest in a meeting with the Strategic Planning Committee formed by my residential community.  It was facilitated by an outside consultant.  They were focused on the project timeline to roll-out tactical elements of the agreed upon Strat Plan.  There was a time when I found this topic fascinating. 

There was a time when I admired outside consultants and their ability to logically organize project phases, tasks and activities into a concise timeline.  There was a time when I trusted others when they assigned expected completion dates to each element.  And there was a time when I was present as the customer questioned, no interrogated, why the timelines were missed! 

This time around, I was simply an observer, when they started affixing due dates to their plan. One of the committee members noticed my amused, facial expression and paused the discussion to ask for my input.  I suggested they consider using a different unit of measure for their project timeline.  Rather than hours, days, or due dates.  I suggested: 

Project Management Timeline

• Phase One Completion:    Soon

• Phase Two Completion:    Pretty soon

• Phase Three Completion:  Someday 

Interestingly, the committee agreed; even the consultant.  Then, predictably, they went back to assigning days and due dates to the project.  They’re hopeful – it’s like growing a tree. 

As of this writing, the implementation is behind.  And it just started!  Obviously, I’m not surprised nor am I discouraged.  I know our Strategic Plan will eventually become a tree – soon, pretty soon, or someday. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Land the plane…

I feel that I am similar to you.  When we have an idea, anecdote, or opinion on our mind we like to share it with others, true?  We try to be a patient receiver when we’re on the listening side as well, but we know that can be a challenge. 

In my case, it’s not “what” I have to share but rather “how” I share it that is worrisome.  If you look up the definition of “verbose” you’ll find several definitions.  Perhaps the most appropriate for today’s purpose is: 

Wordy 

Guilty.  

I’d like you to know that I’m not blind to my tendency to “throw more words at it”.  That’s a common trait many salespeople have.  When we don’t know the answer to a prospect’s question, when there is dead space, or when we’re nervous, we have a tendency to hold onto the talking stick too long.  

I bet you’ve been in that situation on the “buy-side” of a sales presentation.  You ask the salesperson a question and after sitting through a lengthy, sometimes confusing, occasionally contradicting response you decide not to ask any more questions for fear you’ll have to bring in dinner before the sales rep leaves. 

I’m retired from the technology sales profession now, but still selling.  I prefer to think of it as story-telling.  Either way, deep down inside I want my audience to listen to me and to like what I have to say.  I bet you do, too.  Thanks to a long-time friend of mine, Debbie Ryder, now I can tell.  She cued me during lunch recently.  I was relating something or other I thought was of interest.  When I started heading down the wordy path she smiled and said, “Gary, land the plane.” 

Similar feedback was offered by my friends Pat and Monica.  Two steps involved with preparing to self- publish my book, The Peace and Power of a Positive Perspective, are a “Summary” as well as “About” the author.  After sending them a draft they responded firmly and politely, “wordy”.  

I suppose my readers (all readers really) take a different approach with writers; even apologetic writers: 

I apologize for writing such a long letter. I didn’t have the time to write you a short one. 

Pascal   

Readers simply stop reading, yes?  Here’s a test… how many of your incoming emails and instant messages do you read start to finish?  Makes one want to tell the writer, “Land the plane”.  This is not a new phenomenon, just ask Norman R. Augustine: 

There are those individuals, both outside the federal government and inside, who are endowed with that special talent to take fairly lucid concepts and, through subtle embellishment, make them very nearly incomprehensible. 

Ah yes, embellishment, guilty again.  But in my defense, it’s not because I’m oblivious to my verbosity: 

If I am to speak for ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days; if an hour, I am ready now. 

Woodrow Wilson 

I try to heed the advice from Pascal and Norm Augustine.  I’ve read much about Abraham Lincoln.  Sometimes I worry that he was referring to me: 

He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas of any man I ever met. 

Abraham Lincoln 

So if you find one of my little ditties is too wordy for a small idea, please feel free to hit reply and say, “Gary, land the plane”. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Pay attention…

 

I was behind a driver at a stoplight when the arrow turned green the other day.  Because she wasn’t paying attention; I missed the light.  Sound familiar?  

It reminded me of my profession and the coaching I frequently provide my clients.  In the sales profession paying attention is important.  Paying attention starts with good listening skills.  And listening skills are key.  Why?  Because then we will hear the prospect’s specific details.  In the marketplace today, specificity is a killer application.  

I know specificity can be hard.  When things are hard some believe that leads to fatigue.  Have you noticed the buzz about “Zoom Fatigue”?  One great competitor offered this: 

… fatigue makes cowards of us all. 

                   Vince Lombardi 

I choose to believe that paying attention really isn’t that hard and the reasons behind Zoom Fatigue are different.  Another great mind put it this way: 

Fatigue is often caused not by work but by worry, frustration, and resentment.  We rarely get tired when we are doing something interesting and exciting.  

Dale Carnegie 

Sales is a profession that is interesting and exciting!  When we pay attention we listen specifically for the specificity in our prospect interactions.  Prospects prefer buying from the salesperson who is paying attention.  Yogi Berra put it another way: 

You can see a lot by observing.  

I was observing the subject line of another client’s sales-prospecting emails recently.  There are people much smarter than I on the subject of email subject line mastery.  Nonetheless, I mentioned to him that I didn’t think his subject line was very appealing. 

That prompted him to look it up and he agreed.  Reviewing all of his recent email campaigns the emails with that specific subject line were, in fact, the emails least opened.  What’s remarkable about this encounter (to me at least) is my client is actually paying attention to the facts! 

Now before we go any further let me state for the record, I have my own moments.  If my wife was here she would tell you that at home, I don’t “watch” TV; I “become” the TV!  Talk about not paying attention to her; guilty as charged! 

Our lack of attention-paying is obvious to our prospects and clients and spouses (and other drivers), true?  They can tell.  It reminds me of my former colleague who offered this response when it was revealed he wasn’t paying attention during a meeting: 

You only have to tell me twice, once. 

                   Adam Katzenmeyer 

And to Adam’s credit for the remainder of that meeting he kept his word and paid attention. 

I know the challenge is harder today because of technology.  Technology leads to using multiple devices… multiple devices leads to multi-tasking…  and multi-tasking leads to not paying attention.  It’s almost as if “multi-tasking” is some sort of badge of honor – which in the eye of our prospects and customers and spouses (and other drivers) - it is not.  

Never mind there is scientific evidence stating that the human brain cannot multi-task in the first place.  The fact is we are merely switching our attention back and forth really fast across multiple, single-tasks which means (according to the facts)… we’re not paying attention to any one task very long.  Funny thing about facts: 

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.                                 

Aldous Huxley 

Today, may we heed the facts and strive to pay attention at work - and more importantly perhaps – on the road and especially at home. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Intensity …

A few years ago I participated in a week of sales training that included intensity – planned and unplanned.  It was during a time our company was re-organizing.  Re-orgs are intense, yes? 

That intensity helped set the stage for the training.  The trainers leveraged additional techniques including role plays (everybody’s favorite LoL!), shocking movie scenes, and blaring music to insure we paid attention and didn’t wander: 

My mind often wanders and sometimes leaves me all together. 

Unknown Sage 

The training was excellent.  More importantly, the leadership team succeeded in creating a safe environment enabling us to take our mind off of the re-org and practice new skills in front of our peers without fear of judgement: 

At 10,000 feet above sea level, there is a saying about the city of Leh in the Himalaya Mountains:  The passes are so high and the land is so barren, only a dear friend or serious enemy will reach here. 

Bryan Walsh 

All was going as planned until the last 15 minutes of the last day and a final moment of unplanned intensity.  Our VP asked for general feedback on the week and the group responded with unanimously positive responses.  She then asked for specific feedback on one particular session that I for one was negatively impacted by; shaken actually.  The room went quiet. 

I don’t think her choice to zero in about this one session was coincidental; I suspected she had suspicions.  She asked if it was “too much” – and a moment of intensity ensued. 

It’s hard to give negative feedback to your superiors, true?  It’s even harder in a group setting, among colleagues most of whom you have just met.  Fear during a re-org; worry over expressing yourself appropriately; concern over being misunderstood; all contribute to the intensity.  Peer pressure even for the most experienced can be intimidating: 

If you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road. 

Ed Lazowska 

Trustingly, I felt she was genuine in her desire to receive feedback.  I thought my new teammates would see I was a “dear friend” and not a “serious enemy” in trying to improve the training course. 

I took a deep breath; paused; thought about how to word my response; made eye contact; and then spoke up.  I was the only one to do so.  Intense. 

My response was – Yes; too much; and then I explained... 

I believe when conducting business-to-business training, we should avoid personal references to death; battlefield casualties; cancer; disabilities; mental illness; divorce; and sexual innuendo.  The trainers had woven all of these stimulants into the session in question to artificially increase the intensity. 

As trainers, we’re being watched.  We don’t know our audience personally.  In today’s day and age if we are not mindful, our audience can take things personally; be offended; shaken actually: 

Don’t wait for the last judgment.  It takes place every day. 

Albert Camus 

Coincidentally, the training in question occurred on the very morning of the Santa Fe Texas High School shooting.  Plenty of military style, references to killing dominated the news.   Coincidently, one of my colleagues told me that week he was going through a nasty, heart breaking divorce.  Coincidently, another colleague told me her best friend was just diagnosed with terminal cancer.  Coincidentally that very day was the birthday of one of the trainer’s sons who suffers from a devastating mental illness; bi-polar disorder.  My son. 

Life is intense enough – sales training doesn’t need to go there. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.