Think about it…your utility as a sales professional is partially based on the benefits you bring to the customer.  You cannot escape the fact that there may be equal, or even superior products out there. There may be better services, and for sure better prices.  Remember that you have to bring something that others don’t deliver.  Piece of mind is just that important!

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A very successful sales professional once said to me, “The most important thing I can do is to have some true relationship time with my most important customers.  My objective is to determine what problem or future concern is keeping them awake at night.” She then stated, “If I can figure that out, I can give them something that they have not been able to get from anyone else, peace of mind and rest.”

Hmmmm, there is some truth to that isn’t there?  The problems that clients have are not limited to making money and having a sound balance sheet today, this concern goes into the future.  Our customers have a multitude of things on their mind, and most of them have nothing to do with the products that we sell.

Our job is to probe discretely and listen actively to determine if there is anything in the dialog that gives us an understanding of the customers biggest, most pressing concerns.  Help the customer solve pressing issues using your product, and when your product is not enough, use your knowledge and resourcefulness.

If you are able to solve them, you have cemented a stronger relationship that is security in itself.

A Real Life Example

This individual sold financial products.  This included business life insurance products and pensions and retirement instruments.  Here is how the story played out:

My friend, who I will call Deb, worked with a fairly large organization that was a leader in selling financial products to businesses.  Her relationship with the customer was 3 years in tenure, and solid in terms of openness and sharing of information.  She was in his office for a review of her products financial results and overheard a conversation regarding the turnover that her customer was having regarding their employees for the last 2 years.  It was getting worse, and once they finished training a new employee, it was often less than 18 months before someone snatched that employee from them.

While at a business lunch the following week, she shared that she overheard a conversation about this issue.  His response was that employee retention was a huge issue, and that the cost of hiring and rehiring, training, and downtime were taking a huge financial toll on his organization.  Bam! Do you doubt that this problem was keeping this individual and potentially others in his organization up at night?

They discussed some of the reasons that this might be happening, and the customer volunteered that much of this was the result of his location being far from the main town, as well as the fact that his major competitors were offering ‘sign on’ bonuses for skilled employees.  He advised that he was not in a position to offer anything like these bonuses, as it was fundamentally wrong, and way to expensive.  Deb stayed on this one and with help from one of her contacts at the organization determined that the hiring and training cost for a new employee averaged 32% of first year wage.   She scheduled an appointment and advised that they could save money by doing the following:

Initiate a profit sharing plan (Deb’s company’s main product) that the company’s employees could begin contributing to after the 1-year mark.  She urged them to make a matching employer contribution that would get interest from the employees and keep good participation in the plan.  Additionally she suggested that they should talk to their accountant about the possibility of reimburse their employees for their some of their travel costs as it was a factor in the turnover.  The costs would be minimal if the turnover abated according to Deb and the organizations financial people.

Deb’s point was that although they did not want to offer incentives, that they were paying for it anyway in training costs.  They were training for their competition.

They bought the concept of the employer matching profit sharing plan and they also started a plan that compensated employees for some of their travel costs.  This one sounds pretty simple, yet the important part is that this is what was vexing the customer.  It sold and made them happy even though Deb’s only portion was the profit sharing (401k).  The whole package was the attraction, and the employees embraced it.

What Did Deb Do?

It was pretty simple in the end.  She found something that was problematic, and she helped to fashioned a solution.  That is what a true sales professional does…. solve problems! She didn’t have to do anything earth shattering or magical.  It took time and patience to put together, yet this paid dividends.  She got them to realize that it would be good money to spend.

Her solutions beyond those products that her company could offer, they were designed to move the customer past the problem with simple solutions.  Deb made a good amount of money using tactics like this.

What Should You Do?

Be vigilant as to what problems your customers have.  Listen with the intent of knowing what you might be able to help solve with your product, but also what might help your customer even if you (or your company) are not going to benefit.

If you do the following you can help your customers profit, and you will as well:

• Listen attentively (Black Sales Journal 8/14 – Are You Listening to Your Customers?)
• Find solutions …Then deliver solutions (Black Sales Journal 6/20 – Deliver Solutions…Then Sell)
• Seek feedback (Black Sales Journal 8/28  – Should You Ask Your Customer For Feedback?)

Be a visionary and see past what your product does.  Solve problems and secure trust and your customer’s dependence on you.

You cannot do much of this without a good relationship (Deb had one before she knew about the problems).  Make sure that it is solid and realize that if you are not solving the customer’s problems, someone will. If you are spending time with the customer outside the office, you will find it a great tactic to use to get to the heart of many of the problems that the customer might even take for granted if he or she is sitting in the office when you talk.  A relaxing medium such as a restaurant or bar can help.

Be a problem solver and reap the benefits.

Master the Relationship!

A manager might be  prejudiced, but if this individual does not discriminate, legally it does not make any difference.   We don’t care what people think, we care what they do!   Know the difference between these two unfortunate situations and know what might be actionable if it affects you.  When it comes to prejudice, thicken your skin and when it comes to discrimination know the rules.  Always be the professional!

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If you have read Black Sales Journal before, you recognize that I frequently comment on racial prejudice, racial preference, and the effects of negative racial perceptions.  It is natural to provide comment on these topics as they represent the 8,000-pound elephant in the room and as a result are not discussed openly in most forums.

We spend time discussing how the Black sales professional can successfully use tactics to neutralize racial preference and how we all (all Black professionals) can nullify and improve negative racial perceptions.  We also face the fact that racial prejudice is a different and difficult beast and that we may never change it.   Psychiatrists often characterize prejudice as a deep-seated attitude.  We all are aware that something negative has been cast into someone’s personal life, it can have a permanent effect.

Importantly, we should recognize the relationship between racial prejudice and racial discrimination and how they manifest themselves in sales.

The Attitude versus the Action!

For the purpose of this explanation let’s define both of these:

Prejudice – Unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, especially of a hostile nature, regarding a racial, religious, or national group.

Discrimination – Treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit:  racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.

(Courtesy of Dictionary.com definitions 3/5/2012)

So there you have it, racial prejudice is an attitude.  It can reach deep into ones fiber, but an individual will never be tried in a court based on this attitude, as it is not a crime.  If a customer has this attitude, they still remain a viable customer for someone, but possibly not for a Black sales professional.  If your employer has this attitude it is unfortunate yet as long as they make objective and meritorious decisions, they are not guilty.   In other words they can be prejudice but not discriminate strange as it may sound.

Racial discrimination is a different animal as it is action oriented.  A distinction made on the basis of race can potentially be afoul of the laws and regulations, and is almost always ethnically wrong.  It goes without saying that racial discrimination is unfair and although a customer is free to do anything they want, in the case of an employer it could be legally actionable.

The Vicious Circle

The relationship between prejudice and racial discrimination is suggested to be ‘circular’; meaning one leads to the other.  You document racial discrimination but you talk about prejudice as someones disposition or attitude.  Racial discrimination might mean that you get no ‘call-in’ prospects, bad territories, or no house (orphaned by another rep leaving) accounts.  Discrimination may be hard to prove, yet there is evidence, especially when you are able to compare the situation on a relative basis between all sales professionals at a location.  Know what extras you get and how well you performed when you get the chances and if you feel aggrieved read Black Sales Journal 3/9/2011 When You Feel Screwed  – Three Steps to Getting Help.

I make the suggestion that from the standpoint of professional sales that we realize that the most important activities that we can undertake are as follows:

• Look for and expect fairness from the managers that we work for and be prepared to professionally point out inequities as they happen.
• Document important milestones and activities correctly recognizing that it is “not what you know, it’s what you can prove!”
• Master your company’s performance system (Black Sales Journal 1/10/2011 – Preparing for the Performance Review Discussion).  Always be pro-active and prepared.
• Document every thing you get and what you don’t get.  Know the prospects, house accounts, and special benefits you get, and document them well.  Especially document the situation if you are not getting any.  You will need to know what others are getting to have a chance of success.  The facts count.
• Be the expert on you! Know your sales totals, close ratios, and what percentage of your success came from the company giving you prospects or accounts.

When Bad Gets Worse – Racial Harassment

The unfairness of racial discrimination creates frustration and ill will.  Things are even worse when there is racial harassment.  Racial harassment normally comes from the employer and can emanate from management or coworkers.  A strong example of this is the Montrelle Reese vs. ThyssenKrupp (see Black Sales Journal February 13, 2012).

Racial harassment has a primary purpose of demeaning and driving an individual out of the particular work environment.  It is akin to racial bullying and has no place anywhere, especially in the work environment.  Making someone miserable is awful, and anyone who witnesses it and does nothing is full of fault as well.  It makes no difference as to the colors involved.

Know the facts and know your options.  Most importantly, recognize that acts of discrimination, harassment, and bullying may be actionable, but prejudice is not.  It is an attitude.

Additionally, always be the professional.

Your comments are welcome.