John Rosso
We hold these truths to be self-evident:
- that to survive and thrive in the B-to-B space during the present phase of human history, sales professionals require more than one point of contact within all but the smallest prospective accounts;
- that selling one-on-one is, in most markets, a recipe for disaster and competitive disadvantage;
- that technology will soon be handling not some but all transactional, low-relationship purchases in the B-to-B space;
- that, in navigating multiple points of contact within an account, the most effective sales professionals cultivate meaningful relationships with special internal contacts – people on the inside who are both willing and able to provide critical intelligence and support.
Full disclosure: If you are uncertain about, or disagree with, any of what you just read, this article may not be of much use to you.
What follows is all about confirming those special contacts within the buying account: the people who understand, and are willing to share with us, both their buying journey (which we need to grasp from their point of view, not ours) and the full cast of characters likely to influence the eventual purchase decision. Let’s call these special people champions.
One of the biggest challenges I see salespeople facing today is imagining they’ve connected with a champion, when in fact the person they’ve connected with is someone very different: a coach.
A champion wants to work with your organization and is willing to invest their social and political capital on your behalf.
A coach may want you to win, and is an internal ally, but isn’t yet willing to stick their neck out for you.
Coaches often provide intelligence, they can be extremely helpful, and they may love your work … but none of that makes them champions.
The agenda you propose for a conversation with a coach is going to be very different from the agenda you propose for a conversation with a champion! Unfortunately, a lot of salespeople get confused about which of these two players they’re dealing with.
Coaches may say things like this:
“I think this makes a lot of sense. Let me go talk to the committee, and I ‘ll let you know where things stand.” (Instead of inviting you in.)
“I really love what you’re doing here. Let me get back to you.”
“I’ll talk to senior leadership and see if there’s a way to make this happen.”
Disable those “happy ears” for a moment, and you’ll notice that all those statements are consciously noncommittal. They leave the person some wiggle room. Champions don’t do that.
Champions say things like this:
“We’re going to need to talk to so-and-so.”
“Here’s what we should do next.”
“What we’re still missing is …”
“So-and-so may be against this, so we’ll have to figure out the right way to approach them.”
See the difference?
Classic tipoff: If your contact is framing things exclusively in terms of “I” as opposed to “we” (“we” meaning you and your contact working as a team), it’s a pretty good bet you’re talking to a coach, not a champion.
If you’re in any doubt at all about whether you’re dealing with a coach or a champion, here are two powerful question sequences you may want to consider using the next time you talk to this person.
QUESTION SEQUENCE ONE: Early in the relationship
- Jim, I get the feeling, just based on what I’ve learned about you and your organization so far, that if you personally don’t think a solution to this issue from our side makes sense — if you don’t feel personally comfortable with it, I mean — it’s probably not going to happen here at your company. Is that a fair assessment?
- Assuming Jim says “Yes” to this: Okay, that’s good to know. So, if you don’t mind me asking… as you see it, what’s the one problem that, if I give you the right plan for solving it, is most likely to make you feel like letting the rest of your team know that you feel this solution could make sense?
If Jim cannot come up with any scenario under which he would endorse your solution and recommend it to others, he is not a champion.
QUESTION SEQUENCE TWO: After you’ve discussed a possible solution in depth
- Jim, let me ask you this. And I know you’ve been clear with me that ultimately, there’s a committee and Shanice heads that committee, because it comes out of her budget. Clearly she’s in charge of it, but I know you do a lot of due diligence, too. And I think we’ve worked hard with you and your team over the last few weeks. I guess my question for you is: If Shanice and the committee weren’t involved — of course they are, but speaking hypothetically, if they weren’t, if it were just your decision–what would you do? Would you be saying, listen, send me the agreement, I’ll sign it, let’s do the paperwork and put together the implementation team? (Important: Anything other than a “Yes” answer here means you are talking to a coach, not a champion. Plan accordingly; invest your time strategically; look for clear future commitments.)
- Assuming Jim says “Yes” to this question: Okay, that’s great to hear. Can I make a suggestion as to what we found to be the most helpful at this point in the process? Would that be okay? (Jim agrees.) What we’ve found to be most helpful at this point is we schedule a meeting with you, me and Shanice, because in that meeting, we both have a role, right? Your role as the insider, you’re the only one that understands the key requirements, what you need, the kind of staffing and resources necessary — I can’t do that. Me, as the partner who is creating the solution, I’m the only one that can walk through timing, staffing on our side, contract language, pricing terms, conditions. Obviously, we both have a role to play at this point. So: what’s the best way to get that set up?”
Notice: We don’t ask Jim whether he’ll set the meeting with Shanice up. We ask what the best way to get it set up right now is. Because that’s what happens in our process.
To maximize the efficient use of time for both buyer and seller, you will want to invest a significant chunk of your time, energy, resources, and attention on champions, and you will want to avoid mistaking coaches for champions. That means setting aside your “happy ears” for good, so you can understand exactly who you’re dealing with.
