Sales-FREAK

I recently read the bestselling economics book “Freakonomics” by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner. Of course when I say read, I am using the term ‘read’ loosely, as I listened to the audio-book during my commute. If you are not currently familiar with my practice of re-investing your commuting time by learning then you need to read another of blog posts called ‘Own Your Commute’.

Economics for me has always been an interesting and overly complex topic. I am keenly interested in business; while at the same time not interested in Economics. To me economist use complex math equations and concepts beyond what most people can really follow. To me I am more interested in the social side of business or as I put ‘the business of life’. I must admit I was first tempted to pick up Freakonomics because of the cover illustration of a green apple with an orange center.

The premise of the book is that things are not always what they seem. Many different factors go into making up social economic events from the media, to politicians, to teachers, school administrators, abortion legal cases, and the list goes on. At the core of Levitt’s main concerns in the study of Freakonomics is getting to the heart of cause and effect.

I will confess I tried to replicate the funny and witty title of Freakonomics with a sales focus; but I am not that funny or witty. I came up with Sales-Freak.

When I hear the term Sales-Freak; my mind imagines a super-hyper individual spouting sales jargon, almost like a late-night infomercial pitch man.

My intent with the use of Sales-Freak is to make sales people aware of the reality behind the sale. Humour me for a minute.

Imagine you could be an invisible observer to a buyers discussion immediately following your sales call.  What would that reality look like? What would it sound like? What would the buyer have taken away as the salient point to your presentation? What did they like or dislike? Peering behind the curtain would be enlightening and informative.

Perhaps you could hear why you didn’t get the sale and your competitor did (the REAL reason; not the explanation given to your face). Was your timing off? For example had a major budget decision been made the week prior to your sales presentation freezing spending? Meaning no matter what you had done, how you presented, how thorough your preparation; your result would be unsuccessful.

The authors of Freakonomics frequently mention that their study of social economic situations is sparked by an intense curiosity and the data they analyze is often freely available.

Is this true with sales people? Are you intensely curious? Is the data we need to analyze right in front of us?

Sales people do not have the advantage of demographic data or large databases collected for analysis. We can be intensely curious and always on the lookout for new information.

There are many soft data points that cross our paths each and every day; if we are paying attention. Perhaps while onsite at a customer’s office you see the delivery service that regularly picks up packages from their office has changed. Was there a purchasing decision to choose UPS over Fed-Ex? What were the deciding factors in that decision?

Perhaps a large renovation project is taking place. Maybe a new technology has been rolled out advancing your customers competitive advantage. Maybe the talk around the water cooler or the off-the-record comments you hear present an opportunity. Has a top executive recently left the company? Is your customer feeling pressure from a new competitor?

Your observations do not always have to directly affect your sales objective. Going through your daily routine with blinders on will not advance aid you in success.  Our everyday life is full of cause and effect. Training your mind to pick up on subtle changes and link them back to your business goals will put you ahead of your competition.

Warren Buffet has made a fortune from his never waiving investment strategies that he has developed and adhered to his entire career. Early in Buffet’s career he trained his mind to pick up on subtle angels he was able to turn into profits. Many of these observations went years before the opportunity presented itself for Buffet to profit from them. Buffet’s key was that he noticed them in the first place. By no means do I mean to or intend to oversimplify Buffet’s vast accomplishments; however, he wouldn’t have been able to put his vast skillset to work, if he had not been able to spot the opportunity.

Understanding the cause behind results you see daily will enable to you present solutions that truly resonate with your customers. You will demonstrate a higher level of engagement in their business as well.  After all people are a sum of their daily interactions and all their decisions pull from their frame of reference. The better you understand their reality; the better you will understand them.

Let me know if you have used a Sales-Freak Observation to build your sales relationship with a customer…