In today’s edition, we explore why the biggest competitor you face in sales deals is not the bigger company that can offer lower prices, or the smaller firm that offers cheaper more personable services. It’s the greatest obstacle towards getting deals closed which is the process of change. Let’s get to it.
My good friend Alexander Seery was a Detention Officer in the police service for a good while. While at work on a day in 2016, an incident took place which I call an ‘FTE’ moment. It was Alex’s FTE moment…
Warning: if you are reading this over breakfast, you may want to give it a minute before taking the next mouthful.
Alex was taking care of a prisoner who had been arrested and who was going through some mental difficulties. As part of his job as a Detention officer, he had to ensure the well-being of the prisoner, and he was called to the cell as the prisoner had started to become disruptive. When he got to the cell and went in, he found the prisoner had defecated all over the cell and started rubbing himself in his own excrement! 🤮
Alex had to take care of him, and in the process of trying to sort this, the man became even more disruptive and violent towards Alex and another officer.
Whilst trying to solve the situation, the man’s penis (covered in his own poo) slapped Alex in the mouth a few times, and basically covered him in shit.
At that exact time, Alex had reached the point of no return. The ‘F**k This Event’ moment had made his mind up. Enough was enough. He wanted change and would do anything to make that happen.
Years on, Alex is a very successful entrepreneur, but when I talk with him about this incident, it was the catalyst he needed to do something different.
Alex had experienced tough times as a detention officer before which had made him think about whether it was what he wanted to do but this was the final straw. The moment when ANYTHING would have been better than what he had!
What has this got to do with sales and you winning deals you say?
Change is the biggest reason why your prospects aren’t signing with you right now.
Change is hard. As human beings, we are programmed to like routine and things being as they are.
Take, for example, this morning when you brushed your teeth. I am going to bet that you used the same hand (left or right) to brush them as you will have for days in a row. The thought of brushing them with the opposite hand will feel strange and weird.
And as with many things in life, you only change when you have to, or as in Alex’s case, your current situation cannot be tolerated any longer.
Your prospects are in the same position. They have been doing what they have for some time now.
This could be using a different software company.
This could be doing the same grind every day not being aware of how much time they are wasting.
This could be dealing with constant complaints from customers about a small niggle on their site.
This could be putting up with poor service from their existing provider.
This could be paying more than they should be for a service.
The list can go on and on. The key thing is, what is going to make them want to change?
It’s far easier to stay where we are, even when things aren’t quite right. If the emotional or physical driver isn’t there to make someone go ‘I want to make a change’, then they will stay where they are.
Which is why when we are selling, we have to dig deep in the conversations we have with them.
It’s also why those who are really successful at selling know that in order to get a deal done, they have to tackle the biggest competitor to their deal, which is invariably NOT another company.
Status quo or staying as they are is a far safer bet. It feels comfortable. It feels natural. Even if it does cause them a slight niggle here and there, it’s comfortable.
What’s the saying – ‘better the devil you know’? Nowhere is that more relevant than when we are selling.
How do you get your prospects away from this?
You have to find out what REALLY makes them feel frustrated.
What is their deep concerns with the situation they are in?
What is driving them to want to look at something different?
Have they had an FTE moment (like Alex did) which has made them say ‘something has to change’?
All too often, the answer to these questions is no. Which is why many deals sound promising but don’t go anywhere.
The only way to understand what is driving your prospects is to build relationships with them. You have to spend time asking them questions and focus on trying to get inside their heads and gauge what really matters to them. And this has to be done without an ulterior motive of ‘wanting to do business with them’. Because when they see this (and they do!!) they tend to stay where they are.
So, when you speak to a prospect next, remember that you aren’t competing with another company. You aren’t trying to outsmart the other salesperson that they also saw recently. What you are competing with is change and moving them from the position they are in now to a better place. A place which feels happy and secure, but which is more importantly far better than the place they are in right now.
If they aren’t changing or moving, then its because the FTE event isn’t or hasn’t happened!
It probably won’t come in the form of a shit covered willy hitting their face, but the concept is the same. Find out when enough is enough and what is pushing them to CHANGE and the deal is yours.
Hope this helps you get the sales results you want. That’s always my goal in these emails. To empower, support and drive you to achieve what YOU want to achieve.
Go make it happen!
Have a brilliant week sales week ahead and remember Eat or be Eaten
