Hot Pursuit Can Backfire | Sales Training | Wilson Learning Worldwide
 

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Hot pursuit of a win can backfire

(Septembre 25, 2013)

Salespeople love to win, but hate to lose. And sales management applauds this drive, and wants to help salespeople win, but win the right business. The key is, the hot pursuit of a win can backfire if salespeople are going after deals that aren’t profitable.

So how can salespeople, sales managers, and organisations increase win rates and profitability? The short answer—discipline!

Discipline starts by clearly understanding what the customer organisation is trying to accomplish—the business impact. That sounds simple but, in my experience dealing with sales managers around the world, I often hear that their salespeople cannot articulate what the customer is trying to accomplish from a business perspective. Additionally, they tell me that their salespeople have a hard time articulating how the customer defines value. These two points serve as the bedrock of a disciplined approach. Once they are understood, you can move to answer 3 basic questions.

  1. Probability—Will the customer buy something? Is there urgency to solve the problem or any specific compelling event? Is the initiative strategically important? Many a salesperson has invested time on an opportunity, only to step back and realise that the customer has no intention of buying anything. This speaks to increased win rates, and if the answer to this question is no, discipline says to move on to another opportunity.
  2. Value—Does this opportunity have value for me and my company? Is the potential revenue enough? What about the margins? On the cost side, how much of your time is involved? And what about the time spent by an executive or other company resource? This speaks to profitability, and if it is too low, discipline says to move on to another opportunity.
  3. Position—Will the customer buy from me? Does your offer have any advantage (over that of competitors) to solving the customer’s business issue? Does your customer see the value in your offering? If the solution isn’t valued, discipline says to reconfigure a new solution or stop pursuing this opportunity.

These Probability, Value and Position analysis questions are intended to invite dialogue within the selling organisation, not inspection by the sales manager. Have a “Should we pursue?” conversation using evidence gathered from multiple sources.

We love salespeople for their persistence and desire to win a deal. Taking a disciplined approach with involvement and direction from the sales manager will help you and your organisation win more business, and win more of the right business.

About the Author
David Yesford

David Yesford

David Yesford est Vice-Président de Wilson Learning Worldwide. Fort de plus de 30 ans d'expérience dans le développement et la mise en oeuvre dans le monde entier de solutions visant à améliorer la performance humaine, M. Yesford apporte à son travail une expertise précieuse, une orientation stratégique et une perspective globale. Il a occupé au sein de Wilson Learning des postes stratégiques dans les domaines clés de la vente et du leadership, ainsi que de l'e-learning et du conseil stratégique.

M. Yesford a contribué à l'écriture de plusieurs livres et a été publié dans diverses revues commerciales à travers le monde. Il intervient régulièrement lors d'événements internationaux sur les sujets de la vente, du leadership, de l'engagement des employés et des clients, de la marque et de la mise en oeuvre de stratégies.

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