| Who's Your "Plus One"? |
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When I was working in the corporate arena as a salesperson, it seemed there were constant calls from corporate people who wanted to work with me in the field. Of course I had my immediate managers, but there were technical people, marketing people, project management people, and of course, executives, as well.
There were so many "visitors", in fact, that at times, I would yearn for the solitude of working my territory at high speed without having to explain where we were going, who we were to see, what my strategy was, and then of course, the most pressure of all...making sure that the restaurant choices for lunch and after hours were enticing enough for my visitors from elsewhere. At times, my "plus one" was not only an inconvenience, but a pure burden. I remember one manager who would work with me and was so misinformed that he would provide my customers, unknowingly, of course, with erroneous product information. It would take me weeks to unravel the damage he inflicted upon my territory. I later learned some tips and tricks to intelligently decide who should travel with me to help me secure the deal, instead of derail it. So when you are preparing for your next sales presentation, who is YOUR plus one? Here's how you can determine who you should bring with you, if indeed, you have a choice: 1. Technical Help. If you have an IT, Sales Engineer, or another type of technically-skilled person, you may want him/her with you during your presentation to answer and explain certain technical nuances of how your product and solution work. However, because technical people tend to get deep into the weeds at times, top level decision makers can get lost in their expertise. However, if you have the engineers in the room, they may feel a kinship to your technical team mate. Advise: Bring your tech guru with you, provided you have planned well in advance who in your audience requires technical detail. Also, before you meet up with your "technical-plus-one", make she/he knows who is driving this call. (That would be YOU.) The technical person probably doesn't have the sales expertise you have and may blow the sale if not well prepared. Make sure you explain step-by-step what should transpire in the call so that the expectations are clear. Lastly create a non-verbal signal to make sure that your plus-one knows when to shut up. Sometimes getting wrapped around the axle can help you close the deal, other times, it will bore the financial decision maker to death and they'll check out and buy from someone else. 2. Your manager or a company executive. If you work for a first-class organization and have quality management, this person should help you with the close. However, if he/she isn't a gifted sales professional, this plus-one may need to smile, sit back, and represent your company without contributing too much in the call. Advise: Have a meeting in advance to share with your manager what the expectations are with the customers. Explain the roles and how these customers like to work. Ask your manager to contribute his/her expertise at the appropriate time. For example, this is often the best person to explain your company's stability, manufacturing processes, quality assurance program, or company history. He/she is representing the corporate entity--that will help with your firm's credibility when used correctly. 3. Marketing personnel. Your marketing plus-one will either be highly technical and detail-oriented, or may be a touchy-feely-type. Either way, you will need to drive your calls with your strategy and expertise. This person is a guest. Advise: Typically your marketing team mate is interested in either learning what has worked or not worked in the past, or is focused on a new product/service roll out. Most marketing people are not trained in sales, so ask a lot of questions, but their objective is to gather information to take to the office. NOT to get the close. That's YOUR job. You will therefore have to plan a meeting in advance with your marketing plus-one to determine the roles and timing in your call. Now that you know who to take to the customer party, good luck, and happy selling! Want to know more? Get a copy of my new book, "The NAKED Salesperson". (c)Renee Walkup, All Rights Reserved, www.salespeak.com 678 587-9911 |
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