The story A few weeks ago, I met Chris at a networking event. We chatted about what his
company was doing and what my business was all about. He quickly realized that
his company's online solutions could be beneficial for us and said, "Charlie, we
should really meet soon so that I can show you our solutions that can lead you to
more business." We had fairly good rapport and my company was then currently
considering improvements to our online approach, so I was willing to respond to his
suggestion. A few days later, Chris called me and we set a meeting. During the meeting, he
showed me a brochure with all his company's solutions and kept asking whether
this or that solution would be of interest to me. We finally nailed down one area of immediate interest and three areas for future
consideration out of the list of around 10 solutions. Then I asked a few technical
questions that Chris could only partially answer, so he suggested that I meet one of
their software engineers for further clarifications. This was fine with me, especially
because the engineer provided me with more satisfactory answers. Before I left, Chris promised to send me a quote for the more immediate
requirement, including some of the options that were briefly mentioned by the
engineer. I received the proposal a couple of days later, and after a few more days,
Chris called me to check if I received the quote and if everything was clear. Let's see which aspects of Chris's approach are in line with the "Stop Selling!"
approach, and then I'll discuss what a person with the "Stop Selling!" mindset would
have done differently: In line with the "Stop Selling!" approach The responsiveness and reliability that Chris displayed was perfectly fine and gave
me, his potential buyer, the feeling that his is a credible, trustworthy company. Even if Chris did not have full technical competence, it was not an issue for me as a
buyer - I appreciated his efforts in having the engineer answer my questions.
Furthermore, the situation assured me that in future dealings, he wouldn't suggest
solutions unsuited to my expectations, and that he would understand my
expectations in the first place. The way I was received at his office was very welcoming and certainly immediately
improved the already existing good rapport - an important basis for building trust. What I would have done differently It actually started at the networking event. As a potential buyer, I found it way too
premature for Chris to claim that his company's solutions will lead my company to
more business. If he would have shared that his company's solutions helped other
companies similar to mine, it would have been much more attractive and believable
to me. Also, instead of saying "can show you our solutions", I would have preferred if he
said something like "I would like to discuss with you what you are doing today and
what your potential is for more online business in the future." This way, he would
have focused on my interests (potentially more business) as opposed to his (their
solutions that he wanted to sell). During our meeting, Chris immediately presented his company brochure with his
company's products to see whether any of them would interest me. I would have
preferred if he asked about my business first and what kind of online solutions we
already had in place. He could have helped me discover which aspects of my current
solutions work for me and which aspects create difficulties. Also, we could have
developed a vision for my online business for the next couple of years and then
together work out a plan on how to get there. His company's products could have
been tools to make this plan a reality, and if they turned out unsuitable or
insufficient, I would have been grateful for his suggestions on who else could help
complement their solutions. As a next step, we could have discussed how to create
the cash flow from the online business to pay for the necessary - perhaps high-cost
- tools. Eventually, it could have even ended up in a strategic partnership with his
company. Chris was not able to deepen the trust to a level that would have made this kind of
exploration possible. To me as a buyer, it was quite obvious that his main interest
was to sell any of their products even though he didn't do it in a pushy way. Instead,
we stayed at the product level and in situations such as this, customers end up
either buying a small solution, which will lead to some improvements, or buying
nothing at all. Conclusion: If you are focused on selling your product rather than on the
best possible outcome for your potential buyer, you might miss out on great
opportunities and will become a mere product consultant. Instead, if you coach your
buyer through his best buying decision, you will not only create first-class
relationships but will also expand the potential for doing business with your
prospective buyers. Charlie works with executives who are already successful and want to stay at the
leading edge. They are often challenged by issues like:
- How to improve staff retention, especially how to keep top performers
- How to achieve a corporate success culture that guarantees longterm success
- How to create new levels of excellence through high employee engagement
- How to transform the business results through a different approach towards sales Charlie, an executive coach & trainer who is known for his innovative approaches
towards leadership, change processes and sales, assists his clients in mastering
these challenges. They achieve outstanding results through Charlie's unique
application of latest findings in research combined with his own experience in
international management and leadership. Charlie is the author of numerous articles and of the book The Groupness
Factor. He delivers speeches and keynotes on sales, leadership and coaching.
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