Whether your encounter is face-to-face or you are on the phone “dialing for dollars” you know that you only have a moment to get across a cogent well-timed message to supplement your original sales intro that spurs the buyer to consider you, and your company.

Your ability to include the right elements, coupled with the strength of your delivery may get you that appointment that you desire.  Remember, when cold calling, or phone prospecting the “end game” is to get in front of the customer, and this is the tool that you will use to show your understanding of the following elements:

• Your understanding of the customer’s needs – Why would they consider and buy?
• The important features of your product – What makes it desirable?
• The key considerations of your company – Why is ABC company a leader or an upstart?

Yes, this can be done in one brief passage, and you had better be good at it as attention spans and time constraints require it to be short and on point.  I business this is called an elevator pitch as the time that it takes to go from the 1st to the 7th floor might be all you have get the point across, and ask for the appointment.

The good part is that you can and should practice it over and over until you feel that it is natural and ready for delivery.

Key Points

The above bullets indicate the elements that you are going to convey.  Your objective is to leave someone with a short, almost precise, indication of who you are, what your organization is known for, and why he or she should interact with you.

Here is an example:

Set Up – You are selling widgets in a large metropolitan area.  Your company is one of the largest widget manufacturers and distributors in the northeast.  It is a proven performer, a Fortune 1,000 company with a “state of the art” research and development facility and clever innovation.  Your ability to fill large orders quickly is a big plus.

You are at the airport, preparing to board a flight from Hartford, Connecticut to Dallas, Texas and your winning personality comes through when you have a discussion with a businessman who needs…you guessed it, widgets!

Businessman – Exclaims with exasperation “Our supplier for widgets has basically advised they cannot keep up with our growth and demand.  They are top-flight widgets, yet as a result of our tolerances we are going to have to consider having two suppliers.”

Sales Professional – Sees the opportunity and says, “I certainly understand that situation.  I am in the widget business, and we have been successful in sourcing high quality widgets to our customers with the highest tolerances and in high volumes, with short lead times.  Your widgets are probably the most important component of your product.”

As he hands the businessman a card he says, “I work for ABC Widgets out of Hartford.  You might be aware that we are the largest, most technologically advanced widget manufacturer in the country according to Manufacturer’s Digest.  Our ability to meet tight tolerances, large orders, and ‘just-in-time’ requests ranks with the best of any widget manufacturers.  Also, since we manufacture and wholesale for other widget producers, we know that we can supply all of your needs. We will do everything possible to keep you from having multiple suppliers.  Give me your card and I will touch base with you Thursday?”

Businessman – “What a coincidence! Here is my card.  Make it Friday when I return and I will look forward to it.”

In this vignette the sale professional seized on the opportunity by describing who ABC Widgets is, and then using a known proof source to get credibility.  He then states that what they are known for, tight tolerances, large orders, and responsiveness.  He was in the right place at the right time, yet while boarding, he had a few seconds, and a ready pitch.

What does it mean for you?

If you are a Black sales professional your pitch should be well rehearsed, delivered with aplomb, and focused on the strength of your company or organization.

When you get deeper into the solicitation process and are delivering solutions, you can begin to stress the assets that you bring.  If all goes well, you will get that chance.

By the way, you may need more than one elevator pitch for different types of industries or products.  Yes, this example may seem oversimplified, yet it you will see the worth of having this prepared discussion many times over in your sales career.

Practice it and make it work for you.

Your comments are welcome.

Racial perceptions can be menacing.  We should all be viewed as individuals.  Changing racial perceptions can be even more menacing as you don’t know what experiences a customer, or an employer has had.  But… you can change perceptions, over time, in an effective way with this simple tactic.

__________

The role of any sales professional is challenging, even sometimes difficult.  It is a role that comes with many contrasts for those who are Black.  The perceptions that I am speaking of are racial perceptions, and they are a reality (because perceptions are reality) until they meet someone who starts to change them.  These contrasts paint a picture that does not always work favorably for a Black professional.

The number of Black sales professionals is not representative of the number of Blacks in the workforce.  Some of this was touched on in Black Sales Journal 1/31/11 – Why are There So Few Blacks in Sales?, yet there are so many reasons.  There is one main reason:

There are perceptions regarding whether white (or other) buyers would widely accept Black professionals in roles that have strong fiduciary and/or consultative roles as many sales professionals face.

It is difficult to recognize how many Black sales professionals leave their position before achieving their goals because they are not given an opportunity to show their worth.

Why am I Calling it Easy?

There is simplicity to changing perceptions. It involves a set of basic activities on the part of a large majority of the Black sales professionals and other Black employees that are in the market place.  It does not require a revolution of any kind, and will gradually work to change the perceptions of so many in a positive way.

Note the following statement:

Each Black sales professional or other Black employee must ‘represent’ correctly…being the consummate professional showing exemplary performance in all aspects of manners, skills, and personal interactions.  Being responsive beyond all others, and respectful of one’s time and efforts.

If that is done, we will be well ahead of the game.  As a matter of fact, if 80% of the Black professionals did this, we begin to slowly change perceptions.  There is no doubt about it.  This would be a game changer that would show the professionalism that a few bad performers could not tarnish.

There are many that will object to my premise.  I understand some of their concerns.  They will say “Why should I change anything when others in the majority do not necessarily change anything!”  My response is simple “If it is what you need to do to be successful and make the living for yourself, and your family, it is worth the consideration, you should consider it.”  If we do that, we also change perceptions.

There are times when you do all that is right and still don’t get the credit for “doing the right thing.”  Here is an example of what happens when you do the right thing, yet are subject to perceptions.

Perceptions – An Example from My Past

This is an incident that I cited once before.  I was a sales representative for a major insurance company in commercial business sales.  I was young, and thought that I was on track to get somewhere, yet nothing was assured.

I was at a sales meeting, and was sitting at a table with the Divisional Sr. Vice President, who was someone that I had only seen a picture of him in company publications.  I don’t know why he sat at our table, yet we were all exhibiting our best manners.

During a lull in the meeting a sales associate of mine, who happened to be Black as well (there were 3 of us out of 62 sales professionals) began to criticize one of the local college basketball coaches.  He was a venerable older coach who was not winning the big one but was respectable.

The SVP listened to us from behind his newspaper, and then slammed his had down on the table and said, “How dare you criticize him.  One day you will be judged on your record, just like him, and you should hope you stand up to the criticism.” He went on to say, “If you two would stop reading the sports pages, and read the financial pages, one day maybe you will amount to something.”

I wanted to be rude in my response, but was calculated.  It is unfortunate that someone is “judged” like that.  He did not know either of us.

To this day, there is nothing that has ever infuriated me like that comment.  He did not know, but I was reading a lot more than the financial pages.  Whether I did, or did not, it was not his business.  We were merely having a conversation within his earshot.  What is larger than that was the perception that we were absorbed in the sports pages, which was something that I seldom read, or read now.

He made that assumption based on his perception, and how categorically wrong it was.  Needless to say, he was long retired before I was moved up in to a senior and executive management role, yet I have often relived how I should have reacted to him.  When I reached and exceeded that level, I made sure that I respected our young professionals regardless of color and gave good constructive counsel without inserting my view of what they “must” be like.

Changing the View

You will not know how someone perceives you based on experiences and situations in their life.  What you can do is to put your best foot forward, giving them the view of a professional who is prepared for the opportunity.  We have discussed this type of professional many times in Black Sales Journal (Black Sales Journal 3/7/11- Be The Consummate Professional).

You change the landscape by being the professional that you ultimately are.  You show that race and color have nothing to do with being a solid professional, and that you might have more pigmentation, yet the result will be the same or better.

Your comments are welcome.