How many times have you had a sales person ask, “What’s our Value Proposition?”

The question I always ask next is, “Why do you ask?”  This is sort of a snotty response, and it doesn’t endear me to the sales team, but it has a purpose.

In my experience, too many sales people simply take the value proposition given by marketing and restate it to the prospect.  This is the worst use of a value proposition.  If you are in Marketing and you enable your sales team this way, then you are not helping.

A value proposition is a list of reasons why a prospect might benefit from buying your product or service, and it usually contains a number of elements.  The first is identifying a need, the second is some sort of differentiation, and the third is some sort of proof.

For example, “If you want fine flavor, then the smooth taste of Camel cigarettes is what nine out of ten doctors recommend.”   Parsed, the need is fine flavor and health, the differentiation is smooth taste, and the proof is that doctors recommend them.

While value propositions are good for internal dialogue and evaluation, as you know, simply stating the reasons why you should buy a product or service is bad sales form.  It’s also lazy.

When a prospect asks you, “What’s your value proposition?”  They are simply saying, “I don’t have time for this… just give me the Cliff’s Notes version, and I will decide.”

But the process they are going through is: 1) Do I really have this need? 2) Is this really any better? And 3) Do I really believe this, or do I trust you?  There is no way that a single “Statement” or “Value Proposition” will ever do justice to a prospect in answering these questions.  But if you fail to answer any of these, your sales and marketing efforts will falter.

So instead, slow down, and go back to basics.  Take your Value Proposition and turn it into a set of questions to determine whether the prospect has the need you believe your product or service can fill.  Then determine the prospect’s perception of the value to satisfying that need.  If it’s worth solving, then look at what their current vision is for solving that need.  Only then can you begin to explore an alternate vision and differentiation.  Your differentiation may be simply that you are not spouting a value proposition, but guiding the prospect through a process of discovery and helping them see things differently.  Proof doesn’t come until the prospect has a vision of capabilities they might need.

But please don’t just give your value proposition.  You might as well sit back, light up that Camel, and wait for good health to flow your way.

Do Great Things!

Lee Stocking
Prairie Sky Group
Making Sales Cry With Qualified Leads
lee.stocking@gmail.com
651-357-0110 (Cell 24×7)

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So, if you don’t make New Year’s resolutions, here is a list of items from my posts during the year that might make good subjects for reflection.

1.     How can I support my sales team more?

2.     What is my real customer experience?

3.     What can I learn about my clients and customers?

4.     What core messages do I want to deliver internally and externally?

5.     What things about my business make me uncomfortable, why and what can I do about them?

6.     What three things will I spend less time doing?

7.     How can I keep my commitments?

8.     How can my team have more fun?

9.     Who will I mentor?

10.  What am I thankful for?

Thank you for your encouragement and comments throughout the year. Have a healthy and bountiful new year.

Do Great Things!

Lee Stocking
Prairie Sky Group
Making Sales Cry With Qualified Leads
lee.stocking@gmail.com
651-357-0110 (Cell 24×7)

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Here’s a video book review of The Trust Edge

I recommend you put this book on your Christmas
list for any marketing or sales people you know.

Lee Stocking
Prairie Sky Group
Making Sales Cry With Qualified Leads
lee.stocking@gmail.com
651-357-0110 (Cell 24×7)

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Seriously.  This is not a ruse.  Seriously.

For years, VPs of Sales and CEOs have been looking for the magic bullet to help select the best sales people, the top 20 percent that bring in 80% of their sales.  There are minor industries built on evaluating and testing sales candidates.  Including recruiters, testing, and the risk of making the wrong decision, hiring a great sales person can be an expensive proposition.

So with advances in genetic testing, why can’t we test for the genes that make great sales people?

Before you scoff, consider this.  There is now genetic testing to help you determine whether your son or daughter may have the genes for the quick reflexes required in some sports and activities.  This may help you determine whether or not to encourage them to go for a scholarship in baseball, tennis, and ballet, or to focus on their homework.  (Of course you could have them do both in case they were interested in ballet but also inherited the genes to become a professional wrestler.)

Since so many of us want our children to grow up to be sales people, maybe now we can run genetic tests for that?

A study by Dr. Serena Rodrigues Saturn at Oregon State University, suggests that there is now a genetic test for empathetic characteristics such as openness, trust and caring.  These are linked to a gene for the brain chemical receptor for oxytocin.  The link is so strong that a total stranger, simply by observing someone listen to another person, may be able to guess whether we have this particular genetic characteristic with greater than 80% accuracy.  I’ve long advocated for more empathy in sales and business. (Read Lost)   Research has shown that people who have this genetic variation also have higher self esteem and better social skills.

In the study, scientists videotaped 23 romantic couples having a conversation.  One person was told to tell the other of a sad incident in their life.  Each listener had previously submitted saliva for genetic testing for the oxytocin receptor gene. They then showed these videos to a group of 116 people and asked them to determine the level of empathy in the listeners.  They did this with the sound of the video turned completely off.   The results were that the observers with nothing else but visual clues such as eye contact, head nodding and open body posture identified the most empathetic listeners.

The surprise was that out of the 10 people who were ranked as “most prosocial,” six had the genetic trait for the receptor gene, and of the 10 ranked “least trusted,” nine did not.  This is a very strong indication of genetics influencing what we think of as personality.

Empathy is an important element in sales.  It’s the basis for listening and understanding.  Perhaps our best sales people are genetically endowed?  With genetic testing rapidly reaching the sub $1,000 mark, testing could be entirely feasible.  On the other hand we could test others for lack of the gene… say some of our politicians, or perhaps your boss.  Think of the grief saved if we’d tested Muammar Gaddafi.  (Not to suggest a similarity to your boss.)  This whole area could be a huge breakthrough.

Not convinced? Look, you knew Tommy Boy would make the sale.  How did you know?

I know you’re still skeptical, and I haven’t sold you?  Ah, perhaps that’s because I don’t have the gene. But you’re thinking about it.

While you wait for the test, do great things.

Lee Stocking
Prairie Sky Group
Making Sales Cry With Qualified Leads
lee.stocking@gmail.com
651-357-0110 (Cell 24×7)

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Many companies still rely on the “presentation” as a sales tool.  But a couple recent studies may indicate a major problem with this approach.  A University of Maryland study of undergraduates found that after a lecture by a well known professor, NONE of the students could answer the question, “What was the lecture you just heard about?  In another study, Nobel Laureate, Carl Wieman quizzed his students about a key fact in his lecture presented just 15 minutes earlier.  Only 10 percent remembered it.

So now you’re saying, but these are hung over, drugged-out students, and, of course, you’re not speaking from personal experience.  It’s well known that college students have these characteristics.

However, in another experiment, at the University of British Columbia in a physics course on electromagnetic waves, one group of students was taught by standard lecture, while a second group was broken into smaller groups and asked to work on the problems in an interactive problem solving session.  The first group scored 41% on the material, while the second group scored 74%.

College students are not business prospects.  But the takeaway is that no one wants to listen, or will remember your 25 slide presentation.  Occasionally we get roped into giving a presentation, and there are specific things you can do to give a great presentation.  But instead, what if we worked with smaller groups and individuals on problem solving?

Sales, the next time you ask marketing for a presentation, ask why you need it.  Marketing, the next time you provide a presentation, ask what other tool or skill set you should have provided to sales.

Do great things!

Lee Stocking
Prairie Sky Group
Making Sales Cry With Qualified Leads
lee.stocking@gmail.com
651-357-0110 (Cell 24×7)

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Recently I wanted a piece of information from a web company for a service in which I was interested.  This time I really didn’t want to “read the whitepaper,” so I called them for a “demo.”  The resistance I had was that this would begin a sales cycle, yet all I wanted was information.

I keep returning to the Hubspot statistic that 80% of buyers say they find their vendors rather than the other way around.  We know that buyers today turn to the internet to get information and are further down the buying funnel when they contact us.

As marketers and sales people, we need to know that the next step of getting information from the Internet is getting personalized service on the internet, or from the experts at the company selling a service or product.  Customized landing pages do this.  In my case, I wanted to talk to a human, ask them questions, but really wasn’t ready for the buying cycle to begin.  I wanted information.   For example, this may occur when I am budgeting for a project next year.  I call this trend, “Access to Experts.”

What it means is that we shouldn’t always equate a personal inquiry with an assumption that the buying cycle is further than it seems.  It means that we still have to qualify, ask questions, determine needs and where the prospect is in the buying cycle.  It also means that the wrong behavior of pushing the sales process past where the prospect is comfortable may also kill the sale.  Knowing this fine line will become increasingly important because people have been conditioned by the Internet to just get the information they want when they want it.

You see a version of Access to Experts in chat features which provide some level of safety from the over-eager sales rep.  You also see it in social media.  I prefer the “No hassle, no questions asked, free five minute consult.”

Access to Experts will have ramifications not only for the way we sell, but also for the cost of and infrastructure of sales, and the way we measure the long term value of satisfied customers.

Did I mention that I spoke to the web services company the first time more than 18 months ago?  The reason I went back to them was that they didn’t cross the line or push the sale or try to manipulate me. They just provided the information I needed.  I respected them for this, and they earned my trust.  They decreased resistance.  Now I may open the buying cycle.

Earn their trust and they will return.

Do great things.

Lee Stocking
Prairie Sky Group
Making Sales Cry With Qualified Leads
lee.stocking@gmail.com
651-357-0110 (Cell 24×7)

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Group dynamics in meetings and decisions are influenced by the social pressures of the group.   You’ve heard the cynical old expression that the best decision of a committee is worse than the best decision of any one individual in the meeting.

Here are some signs that you may have a problem.
• Your business project or goal is deteriorating. You have missed deadlines, costs are rising, and there is a lack of participation, or even defection of members.
• Blaming and excuse making.  You hear, “It’s not my fault… I’m dependent on someone else, and they didn’t do their job.”
• Private discussions.  Individuals looking for support for their unheard position while tacitly agreeing with the group decision.
• Ad hominem attacks.  Attacking the person rather than challenging the assumption, the stated fact, or reason .  “He can’t possibly deliver on time because… he’s too tall, never here, not old enough etc.”
• Failure to celebrate successes, and being lavish with praise.  Though marketing and sales people aren’t kid soccer players that get trophies for fifth place, we all like to hear we’ve done a good job.

The first key step in avoiding the Road to Abilene is to prepare for the meeting, discussion or decision.
• Invite the right people.  People who have knowledge and expertise as opposed to just influence.
• Make sure that data and information are available prior to the meeting.  Many meetings spin off because there is no data.  As a result, the person with the strongest opinion or power often dominates.
• Make sure that everyone knows the objective of the meeting and the results expected.
• Have a process for evaluating options and impacts.
• Allow enough time for making the decision.

The second step is to understand the difference between real agreement and mismanaged agreement.   Both have the same visible end result and may be hard to distinguish.  Understanding the signs and circumstances of false agreement can help tip you off.
• Is the “boss” or one person of power dominating the meeting?
• Do people feel free to really express their opinions?
• Are they allowed to express their ideas?
• What is their body language?
• Is the discussion respectful?
• Is the discussion ever allowed to boil over?
• Are the participants comfortable with disagreement?
• Is the leader comfortable with disagreement?
• How comfortable are the participants and the leader with risk?
• Does the group understand how the final decision will be made?  By consensus or by the leader?
It is helpful to establish a set of guidelines for discussion that allows everyone to gate keep when others are being ignored or disengaged.

My belief is that 80% of misalignment in meetings and decisions is by two factors;  1) individuals feeling like they didn’t get heard, and 2) the fear individuals have of making a mistake or sounding stupid.  It takes some guts to challenge the social power of a group.  Individuals also often mimic the quietness of a leader mistakenly believing that speaking last, or not talking, is a sign of power.

It also takes some guts for a leader to expose themselves by checking and probing individual positions and gate keeping.  Patience is a virtue here.  It may seem like the process is taking longer than it needs to, but consider the costs of mismanaged agreement; lack of buy-in, low morale, low productivity and even counter support and sabotage.

Another step is to ask if all possibilities have been investigated and whether the group is confident with the data and information.  Each individual’s perspective and knowledge is unique and they each have something to contribute.

Just because you’re on the road to Abilene doesn’t mean you can’t turn around. Unless you need to go on to get your tattoo.

Do Great Things!

Lee Stocking
Prairie Sky Group
Making Sales Cry with Qualified Leads
lee.stocking@gmail.com
651-357-0110 (Cell 24×7)

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In the past two posts, I’ve tried to answer why we, as humans, are so ready to agree with others, even when we know it’s wrong, or not what we think?  The real question should be what can we do about it?

People who know me might say I am a bit of an iconoclast, always questioning the prevailing norm (see “There Are Alligators in the Sewers of NY“).   But I often have others say to me after a meeting, “I wished I’d asked that question.”  It’s a kind of a pain in the ass trait, and not one that will endear you to some management or others.

I can’t say when I acquired the trait, but I am reminded of a short film I saw once a long time ago (before the “Internets”, video and Youtube) called “The Road to Abilene.”  It was developed by management expert, Jerry B. Harvey, and it had a profound impact on me, to the extent that I can see the black and white film in my mind years later.

“The Abilene Paradox as it has become known, occurs when a group of people collectively decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of any of the individuals in the group.  It involves a common breakdown of group communication in which each member mistakenly believes that their own preferences are counter to the group’s and, therefore, does not raise objections.*”

The film is a story of a family of four, a mother and father, their daughter, and son-in-law sitting on a back Texas porch in 110 degree heat.  The daughter says, “I could sure use some cold ice cream.”  Then the son-in-law says, “I know a great place for ice cream.  What do you think Mom?”  Mom says, “Well if you kids want ice cream, I guess that’s OK.  What do you think Dad?”  Dad says, “Sounds fine to me Mom.”  Three hours later, the film cuts to them in their non air-conditioned car, covered in sweat on the way back from Abilene.  They’re each irritated with the others, claiming it wasn’t their idea to drive 110 miles to Abilene in 110 degree heat.  Mom says something like, “That was a great idea.” The moral of the story is obvious.

Yet, it’s a common occurrence in business, and it is a huge suck on productivity and morale.  So what are some things you can do to avoid taking the Road to Abilene?

Do Great Things!

Lee Stocking
Prairie Sky Group
Making Sales Cry with Qualified Leads
lee.stocking@gmail.com
651-357-0110 (Cell 24×7)

*Wikipedia

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Recent experiments and research at the Weizmann Institute by Prof. Yadin Dudai and his students may show why we are susceptible to group pressure.

Here’s a quick summary.  They first showed a documentary film to a group, then asked them recall questions about the film three days later.  They also asked them how confident they were in their answers.

Next, they asked them back to the lab to ostensibly undergo an MRI.  While under the MRI, they again asked them recall questions, but gave them a “lifeline” of answers that the rest of the test group had supposedly given.  Planted among these helpful answers were false answers to questions the subjects previously answered correctly.   You can guess the result.  The test subjects now changed their answers to these questions giving the wrong answer 70% of the time in order to conform to the group.

The question at the root of the experiment was to determine if the subjects had just given into peer pressure, or whether there was something actually happening in their brains.  Repeating the test again, the subjects were told the lifeline answers they were given were not those of their fellows, but randomly generated answers.  Yet over half of them stuck with their new (falsified memories) answers.

For the false memories, the results of the MRI showed a strong coactivation between two areas of the brain; the hippocampus (involved in long term memory formation) and the amygdala (influencing the emotions and social interaction).  The amygdale is the lizard brain my daughter used to when thinking about her tattoo.  It may also be required to approve certain types of memories and act as an approval stamp.

The tendency to give into group pressure may have had a survival component in evolution.  When the leopard is approaching a group of baboons, you don’t have time to ask why your fellow baboon is jumping into the tree.  We are no longer baboons (only literally speaking), but we still have the synapses between the lizard brain and the hippocampus and forebrain.  So what do you do when everyone around the conference table nods in agreement to an idea that no one individually would agree to?

Do great things!

Lee Stocking
Prairie Sky Group
Making Sales Cry with Qualified Leads
lee.stocking@gmail.com
651-357-0110 (Cell 24×7)

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Once my teenage daughter said she wanted to get a tattoo while on a trip we took to Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  All her friends were getting them.  Our dialogue on subsequent days, as we negotiated, went something like this:

Day 1:
Me:   If you get a tattoo, I’d like you to have a blood test about six to eight weeks after you get back.
Her:   Why is that?
Me:   Just to find out if you’ve picked up HIV or Hepatitis.

Day 2:
Her:   Dad, I checked out the tattoo place and they’re Dutch.
Me:   And they don’t have HIV or Hepatitis in the Netherlands?

Day 3:
Her:   Dad, I checked again.  They only use factory fresh needles, and they don’t recirculate their ink
Me:   We’ll that’s good.  But if you get a tattoo, get it someplace where the scar won’t show if you want to have it taken off someday.
Her:   What do you mean scar?
Me:   Remember Uncle Ray and that burn mark he has all over his arm.  That used to be a tattoo.  And you know the belt sander I have, well that’s what they use.

Day4: She gets her tattoo, a small butterfly on her ankle that now looks like a smudged birthmark.

This experience taught me that teenagers think with their lizard brains.  They may seem intelligent, and seem to have rationale conversations, but their judgment is somehow flawed.  This is substantiated by brain research, and tends not to diminish until the age of 20 or 21 in girls, and 21 to 22 years in boys.  But it never goes away completely.  (By the way,  I believe the intelligence of boys tends to go down with the square of the number of boys in a group, while the intelligence of girls remains the same regardless of numbers.)

Peer pressure is an incredibly powerful force.  As humans, why are we so ready to agree with others, even when we know it’s wrong, or not what we think?  We follow dictators, or our eye witness testimony is tainted, or we succumb to the advertising that makes us want to buy ripped jeans.  So maybe just maybe the enthusiasm your team has for getting the company logo tattoed on their necks is not what it seems to be.  Peer pressure and group think is especially dangerous in business, and it’s something that marketing or sales managers, and CEOs have to guard against.

Do great things!

Lee Stocking
Prairie Sky Group
Making Sales Cry with Qualified Leads
lee.stocking@gmail.com
651-357-0110 (Cell 24×7)

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