Bridging The Communication Gap

Miscommunication can be a costly occurrence.

Defined simply by Merriam Webster as failure to communicate clearly, the causes of miscommunication can vary significantly – lack of forethought or preparation, poor verbal skills or intentional deceit on the part of the sender; lack of comprehension,
poor listening skills or distraction on the part of the receiver.

In a 2005 article, author and conflict resolution expert Tristan Loo suggests that miscommunication is also the primary contributing factor to conflict.

“Miscommunication opens up the triangle of other factors that inevitably leads to conflict,” he says.

He goes on to explain that people tend to fear the worst outcome. In miscommunication the mind will fill in missing information with its own creative insight, which is often fear-based. Our minds naturally seek logical explanations to events as well. Absent those explanations, our minds frequently switch to a fear-based mode in which we satisfy our need for answers with that of assumption. Once we lock-into our assumptions the tendency is to believe them as truth, thus resulting in conflict.

The Solution – Trial Closing
In the selling world, a great deal is lost to misunderstanding and conflict. Buyers tend to buy from people they like and trust – but miscommunication, as noted above, breeds uncertainty, conflict and distrust.

To bridge the gap, Loo suggests people adopt an open mind with respect to alternative possibilities. To facilitate this, increased use of clarifying questions by all parties during need assessments, business meetings, conversations and presentations is the key.

Since it is an accepted principle that the primary sender of communication must take the responsibility for the quality of the communication, then the person who is selling, promoting or persuading should be the one to initiate these clarifying questions which, when properly used, will confirm both understanding and receptivity.

Malpractice!

Defined as "...prescribing medicine or medical treatment without sufficient knowledge of the patient's condition," malpractice is an odious word.
Similarly speaking, the sin of "sales malpractice" is committed countless times each day, often with devastating consequences. Business relationships are compromised, orders are lost, time is wasted and needs are left unfulfilled because of sales malpractice.

Sales malpractice happens when sales people fail to properly assess or recognize customer needs, interests and priorities. The transgression tends to be committed unintentionally, as well-intentioned sellers plod on with ineffective pitches, one-sided sales spiels and misdirected presentations, offering solutions that don't quite fit.

Fortunately, the malady is easily avoided!

Creating and then diligently executing a customer needs assessment (CNA) plan is the answer. And, to avoid any misconceptions, the CNA must be conducted early in the selling process, and must be regularly confirmed during more lengthy selling cycles.

In addition, an effective CNA must go well beyond asking customers what they think they need!

Successful needs-assessment involves learning about what each customer is trying to accomplish; it requires thoughtful questions, focused listening, a situational analysis and confirmation of the facts.

In today's consultative selling model, all customer needs must be assessed and confirmed before any solutions are offered; no presentation can be made, no advice given, no proposal written, no quote submitted until all factors have been carefully considered.

Only then can a solution be offered in good conscience.

Customer Needs - One Size Does Not Fit All

Regardless of what type of business we're in, gauging our customers' and prospects' needs requires more than a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Here are a few proven best practices:

Never assume the customer knows everything necessary to make the right choice. Most know considerably less than we know about the products and services we provide; and while we may each have a number of "in-the-know" regular or long-term clients who are familiar with what we do, there are still application-related or other nuances that warrant our attention. The best practice is to always ask clarifying questions with respect to each situation, and to go the extra mile toward accurately assessing all the circumstances associated with each situation and each customer's needs.

Focus on what each customer or prospect is trying to accomplish rather than on what service or product type they are "looking for." By asking open-ended questions that relate to each customer's situation or how they plan to use our products and services, we should be able to assess all of their needs, which might include a basic or customized approach, various products, options and accessories, or possibly a specialized solution about which they were unaware.

Look beyond product and service needs for other hidden needs. The more we learn about our customers and prospects, the easier it becomes to structure the most appealing proposals. In many instances, there are issues with respect to company policies, structure, affiliations, specialties, and buying practices that might make a difference in how we'd like to configure our offer. In other cases, there might be personal needs to consider, such as a need to satisfy a demanding boss, a special need for service response guarantees, or the need to feel secure about a supplier's competitive position or reputation (an important issue to the buyer who has been "burned" in the past by a less-than-reputable competitor).

Develop a consistent method of uncovering these basic and not-so-basic needs. Creating a standard list of items to cover, questions to ask and options to present is one good way to develop a dependable and thorough approach. Many have also found that using this type of resource allows them to pay closer attention to each customer or prospect. In some cases, this extra focus will enable us to discover the "little things" that, when addressed, result in closing the sale or in long-term customer loyalty.

Take an extra minute to double-check established needs, specifications and expectations. Sixty-seconds of prudence at the start can often save hours after-the-fact should there be extenuating circumstances or a misunderstanding about features, billing issues or other special requirements. A few final clarifying questions can even make the difference in getting the business, as most customers like to buy from those who show their interest and professionalism.

Selling Change

It’s all new… the latest version!

New and improved, updated; enhanced formula, just released! Hot off the press, the newest style! Less fat, more protein, superior quality, finer taste; easier to use, better, more comfortable, lower price...

At one time or another all of these phrases have been used to sell products or services, and they all promote the same thing – change. The marketplace must like change or marketers wouldn’t flaunt it; change, therefore, must be good.

What’s Good Can Be Bad – “If it ain’t broke…”
But of course change is not always perceived as being good. In their daily quest for new customers, sales people constantly struggle to overcome buyers’ comfort with the status-quo. In organizations of all types people tend to look with skepticism at new policies and procedures, and look with deep concern at new compensation plans or updated benefits programs; and people at all levels regularly cringe at the suggestion that there might be a different or better way to do their jobs!

In the day-to-day real world, change most often promotes uncertainty, doubt, fear, resentment or loss, and this is not news. The concept of “creative destruction” — an economic theory based on the premise that new ideas inevitably bring about the demise of older (more comfortable) ones — was popularized way back in the early nineteen hundreds by Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter.

Yet without change comes stagnation and potential loss. Current-day examples include Xerox in copiers or Polaroid in instant photography, each experiencing significant declines in market share and profits as competitors introduced new and improved, lower-cost alternatives.

The cassette tape replaced the eight-track, but was then outdone by the compact disc, which is now being undercut by MP3 players; and the list can go on.

Closer to Home – A Selling Mission
If we’re to learn from these examples, then we must accept the fact that change — either in the form of innovation, continuous improvement or both — is a critical component of growth and ongoing success. Without innovation and change we run the risk of losing our competitive position, or worse. “Whatever made you successful in the past won’t in the future,” said the late Hewlett Packard CEO Lew Platt.

But if people tend to resist change as previously noted, how might managers or business owners best go about getting the team to accept it — to buy in? How can we help people more readily embrace improvement programs, try new protocols, accept new pricing models or generally believe in the up-side of change?

Simply stated, we must sell it.

Just like the sales and marketing experts who create the “new and improved” ad copy, slogans and selling presentations, we must sell the concept of change to our staff members and sales teams before trying to present or roll-out new policies, procedures, campaigns, programs or plans.

And just like any sales mission, this will require forethought and planning. We might start by identifying how the team will benefit from a proposed change. What’s in it for them? What are the consequences of not changing? What will it cost? What opportunities might we lose?

What’s the competition doing?

The next step is to determine how to properly position a proposed change. Since we know there is a tendency toward defensiveness, it’s important to make people understand that they are not the problem. In other words, a change in policy or approach need not mean that the team has been doing things the wrong way. Rather, it means the world is changing and we must change too, lest we fall behind.

Finally, once the presentation is made and the new “whatever” is launched, there must be follow-up and assessment. Has everything worked as we’d hoped? Should we modify the new plan? Are there unforeseen consequences? While we don’t want to send a message indicating we’re not resolved to the new program or approach, it is also a good idea to let everyone know we’re fair and open-minded — that at the end of the day we’re all on the same side.

Change may be unsettling, but without it our futures are at risk; and there are clearly ways to minimize the negative effects. It will require effort, planning and persistence, as behaviors and attitudes are not easily influenced.

Margaret Thatcher may have summed it up best when saying, “You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it!”

Selling Attitude!

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal. Nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." —W.W. Ziege

Selling is a people business. People buy from people, and most often, from people that they like. But what makes one sales rep more likeable than the next? Surely all, or at least most sellers try to be likeable!

Attitude makes the difference.

A positive attitude is not only easily recognizable, but it’s catchy. Sellers who possess truly positive attitudes "assume the close." They honestly expect the best from customers and prospects, and they offer their personal best as well. They tend to react to things positively and, more importantly, tend to bring about positive reactions from others.

Christine Harvey asks a pertinent question in her book, Successful Selling. "What are the chances that your customer will be positive if you aren’t? The answer is zero."

But it’s not easy to be truly positive! Especially when so much of selling tends to be negative.

In his book Selling 101, Michael McGaulley writes, "Despite all the people one meets, selling is a lonely profession. They [sales people] may feel isolated, and not understand that selling is a matter of working through the nos to find the few yes responses that make it all worthwhile."

Successful sales people know and understand this concept — and react positively to the negative responses that they know are all part of the cycle. Many sales professionals will readily admit that they "look for the nos," because it is only then that they can actually sell something.

A positive attitude is a pre-requisite to long-termed sales success. We must first believe in our products and services, as well as in our companies and ourselves before we can expect customers or prospects to do so.

Every sales person and every sales manager should recognize the importance of developing and maintaining such an attitude within themselves and within their organizations.

A final testimonial to this discipline is a poem, author unknown, entitled The Winner. The final verse:

Life’s battles don’t always go
to the stronger or faster man;
but sooner or later the man who wins
is the fellow who thinks he can.

Opening Remarks

Introducing ourselves at the start of a business meeting, sales call, or presentation might seem like an automatic task, similar to putting the key into the car’s ignition or tying a pair of shoes.
But there is more to introductions than just identifying names and affiliations, and many experts agree that the first impressions made during these brief encounters can have long-lasting affects on how people react to what we say.

In their book, “How to Communicate,” for example, Matthew McKay, Ph.D., Patrick Fanning, and Martha Davis, Ph.D. note, “The introduction is one of the most important parts of a speech. It gets your audience’s attention, establishes your relationship with them, sets the tone you want to take with them, and orients them to the subject matter.”

And while every business meeting or sales call may not involve a speech, the same principles apply to all forms of greetings and introductions.

Each introduction we make is an opportunity for us to further our relationship with our audience – whether it’s an audience of one or one-hundred. A strong introduction will also increase the effectiveness of our communication by maximizing the audience’s interest level. If we start off on the “right foot,” it is much more likely that they will listen!

If you’re wondering how you might improve the effectiveness of your introductions, you might start by paying closer attention to each of the following parts of your typical intro:
– What you say
– Why you say it
– How you say it
– What you look like when saying it

Most of us focus on what we want to say, but few people take sufficient time to determine the “why,” which is the key to strategic communication. What we say during an introduction, and why, should be a function of our purpose and will, therefore, vary depending upon what we’re doing.

On a sales call, for example, the goal (the “why”) of our opening remarks should be to:
– Put our customer at ease
– Identify the purpose of our call
– Identify the benefits we’re offering (What’s in it for our customer?)

Notice that the intro does NOT include much about us personally – but if all goes well, we’ll build rapport with our customer, exhibit professionalism as well as respect for his or her time by stating the purpose of our call, and also begin to establish the value of our products or services by making appropriate benefit statements.

Naturally, some preparation is required, as we must know something about the customer’s needs and how our product or service will address those needs.

During presentations or business meetings, opening remarks should focus on connecting with the audience and should include clear statements of purpose and decorum – i.e., “I’m so glad we were able to schedule this time together – it’s nice to see you all, and it’s always productive to share ideas. As you know, we’re here to introduce a new IT system. Please feel free to ask questions at any time…” or “Let’s hold questions until the first break, which will be at…”

In all instances, tone and body language are very important, as both the way we sound and the way we look send powerful implied messages and have a strong bearing on how our introduction will be received.

In fact, research conducted by Dr. Albert Mehrabian, a noted expert in personality and psychological testing, indicates that nearly ninety-percent of a message’s impact comes from vocals (tone, volume, rhythm, pitch) and body movement. In addition, when we make introductions our posture, facial expressions, directness (eye contact), tone of voice and level of enthusiasm should all match the purpose of the sales call or meeting, and should also be consistent with the relationship that exists between the parties involved. Are we a seller making a presentation to prospects, or are we an expert in our field making a presentation to a group of students?

And finally, and to the surprise of many, these very same rules apply to sales calls or presentations made over the telephone.

Though successful telephone introductions might hinge a bit more on vocals, body language is still important as it affects our voice-tone and volume. In fact, many tele-sales professionals will stand during their introductions because it helps them to speak from the diaphragm and come across more powerfully.

If you’re thinking that the idea of putting this much thought and effort into a simple introduction seems overwhelming, or if you’re wondering where you might learn more about the nuances of communication, such as strategic introductions, body language and implied messaging, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, learning to communicate is often accomplished through conscientious trial and error.

As stated by Doctors McKay and Davis in their above-referenced book, “Effective communication makes life work. But where can you learn it? Parents are often dismal role models and schools are too busy teaching French and trigonometry.”

But those who have taken the time to pay closer attention to these details have found it to be time well spent.

Increased awareness is the first step, and you might be surprised at the bottom-line results a few small changes in the way you introduce yourself might bring about in the effectiveness of your overall communication.

Key Objectives of a Key Account Sales Plan

The key objectives of a key account program are to retain your best customers, increase penetration within customers with whom your organization has only a small percentage of the potential business and to win over high-potential prospects.

Consider the following three points:

• A customer who generates a relatively large percentage of your organization’s business is, obviously, of great value. The business relationship must be nurtured, and every effort must be made to retain this customer.
  
  In addition, if this customer generates a large amount of revenue for your organization, then it’s almost a sure thing that your competitors are working hard to earn that business too! Thus the extra attention.
  
  
• A customer with whom your organization does a small or moderate amount of business, but who has the potential to become a much larger customer must be treated with extra diligence as well, as this customer is a good source of potential sales growth. Since it is typically easier to leverage a current, albeit smaller-scale, relationship than to start from scratch, the extra sales effort is justifiable.
  
  
• A prospective customer with high-potential – possibly one of your biggest competitor’s top ten customers – is worthy of a more focused and larger-scale sales effort. Therefore “payoff” for success in this area might be greater in terms of both sales dollars and competitive position, thus justifying the extra effort.

For more in-depth perspective and a list of action items to formulate your key account plan, please refer to this related article in our e-newsletter.