Black Sales Journal

Sounds like a dumb advertisement doesn’t it?  Anyone who believes that a sales professional should work for free has a touch of a fever, but the actual situation plays out everyday.

Yet in reality, many sales professionals, and especially Black sales professionals find themselves in that situation, unintended of course.

It happens when you make presentations to buyers who based on reasons beyond your control, take your presentation’s price, and your constructive ideas, and give them to your competition.  When that happens, they are actually saying you should work for free!

How It Happens

This can happen to anyone, any color, and any creed.  It is what happens when someone makes a decision to be courted and accepts the benefits of a relationship, yet not get married.  The problem arises when the fruit of your labor is used to better the position of the customer, even though they had no intention of making the move to you or your organization.

You come in with a ‘killer’ price, and a product offering that is exceptional.  You realize that based on the customer’s needs your organization can use a combination of products that are currently available on the market and couple it with some creative financing to make it palatable.   In the whole, your price and product offering is enhanced by your terms (financing, payment deferral, and other benefits) and you feel success is in the making.

As you know the customer can benefit financially and product-wise from the activities of the sales professional without ever making a real commitment to you, and certainly without putting any food on your table.  You may have felt this ‘sting’ several times before, and you do not have to be a ‘repeat’ victim.

You do all of the work, and the customer gets the benefit and any reward goes to the sales professional who followed your lead.  You have to ‘wait until next time or next year’.  Can’t buy much bacon with that! Objectively, this is part of the sales process, and a part of the process that you cannot avoid; yet you can manage.

Take Smart Precautions

To avoid this being your anthem, you have to develop your principles and rules and stick to them.  You also must work on gaining commitment before showing your complete arsenal of products and services during the process.  That commitment is based on the answers to the questions below.

When presenting, seek to get agreement on what you need to solve, and what level of price and program will “land the business”.  Logic would show that you could still be manipulated; yet this starts to get at some of the problem.  You will want to cover these bases:

Ask the all-important questions before the solicitation process.  These are the requisite questions that will define what it will take to separate them from the incumbent:

• Why are you looking for competitive quotes/bids?
• How will the quote/bid process be conducted?
• What pricing difference must be made? What will it take for you to change?
• How long have you been with the incumbent? Does the incumbent get the last shot?
• Is the playing field level with the others that are quoting (other than the incumbent)?

The purpose of these questions is clarity about the buying process and what definable difference that you must make.  Knowing the answers, if the buyer is honest, allows you to do what is necessary to be successful, whether with this customer, or another one.

An important point is that you cannot be hesitant to ask these questions.  They are part of what a true sales professional asks, and gets clarification of before the sales process.  What you learn about how the process is defined in the eyes of the customer will speak volumes.

I am sure that you sales veterans out there do this already, yet it bears mention for the new sales professionals

Don’t hesitate, ask!  Yes, the customer can still violate his/her own rules, but does so at the peril of alienating you and other sales professionals.

How Does this Affect The Black Sales Professional?

This affects all sales professionals, and it is part of the sales ‘game’.  It is what happens when customers must get competitive quotations of products and services because they want to check how they stand, or to satisfy a procedure that does the same.

Here is where it gets vexing.  Black sales professionals can easily be subject to working ‘without pay’ because of the complexities of preference and even prejudice (See Black Sales Journal 5/19 A Deep Dive into Preference, Perceptions, and Prejudice).  If a buyer has no intent on doing business with you as sales professional, or your organization, and is planning on taking your work and giving it to the incumbent, they are wasting your precious time and effort.   Issues regarding preference manifest themselves that way. The buyer strengthens his or her relationship with their current vendor, while at the same time improving their price and terms, thanks to your efforts.  Prolonged activities like this could obviously cost you your job.

In this way, being used is bad for your current employment health.  The above questions, if answered truthfully could save you some time, or at least help tip you off as to who the prospects are and who the ‘suspects’ are.

The Reality

You will always run the possibility of wasting time on good accounts that have no intention of moving their business because of their relationship with the incumbent.  They just want to use you for leverage to make sure they get a good price or program.  You have to make the decision of whether you want to be a willing participant, or should we call it a ‘not-for-profit sales professional’.

You have many choices that include not working with a prospect to contacting every few years to maintain the customer pending a personnel change of buyers.  The most important thing is that to increase your effectiveness, you don’t want to waste your time while you better someone else’s program.

You owe it to yourself, and it will make you more effective.

Always be effective!

Your comments are welcome.

I hope you had an opportunity to read the Ultimate Sales Professional Part Part I and II as they covered much ground. Ultimate Sales Professional Part I (9/29) systematically covered the traits that the ultimate sales professional utilizes to his or her advantage. Ultimate Sales Professional, Part II (October 3) covered the activities that this consummate sales professional employs every day.

In Part III we will draw it together as we talk about those finishing touches that make this individual coveted by customers and sales organizations alike. These items by themselves don’t close the deal, but when coupled with the traits and activities we’ve covered previously, they change the game.

The Difference Makers….

This professional is a difference maker.  These items below are a sampling of some of the most important activities and strengths that are undertaken:

Closing Two Sales at Once – The individuals strengths and character allows the concepts of closing two sales at one time.  One sale is based on the company you represent and its arsenal of products and services.  The next all important sale is that although you are different because of your pigmentation, you are the best sales professional to handle the needs of the customer’s organization now and in the future. Master this skill and you begin the process.  (Black Sales Journal 5/26, The Black Sales Professional – Closing Two Sales at Once.)

Knowledge of the Sales Environment – This individual knows about the 3Ps Perceptions, Preference, and Prejudice, and knows how to handle them.  This is a stable business environment for Black sales professional. It is very slow to change.   For this seasoned professional, there are no excuses, and no time wasted trying to convince those who are stalwart against progress that they should listen.  Energy is spent in the right place, with the right customers, and money is made. With quotas and goals, time is of the essence.  (Black Sales Journal 5/19, A Deep Dive on the Issue of Customer Perceptions, Preference, and Prejudice)

Mastery of Selling Styles – I am saying “styles” for a reason, as mastery of numerous styles is necessary serves to make this professional ‘ready for primetime’.  Knowing when to be a technical seller, relationship seller, consultative seller and other well know styles will make this individual versatile, and eventually successful.  Remember that all buying styles are not the same, and all selling styles follow that same simple fact.  (Black Sales Journal 5/12, Selling Styles – Which One is Right for You?)

Believes He/She is the Difference – This professional recognizes that even if you are selling a commodity, the difference is “YOU!” A recognition of the ways that the professional can “Package” the product is important, and the sales professional who stands behind it can be the real difference.  Know your product, and ‘design’ your packaging.  The difference really is “YOU.”  (Black Sales Journal 2/24 – Selling a Commodity? – the Difference is You!)

Knows Management Expectations – This individual knows his/her manager, and recognizes the true importance of that relationship. This professional knows that ‘managing’ the sales manager is a necessary reality and doing it is intelligent and necessary.  This is nothing devious or wrong by any means, and it is underpinned by strong and solid communications.  This is the most important relationship you will have at your job, and mastering this relationship changes your plight.  On top of all else, you always must perform. (Black Sales Journal 8/18, 6 Tips on ‘Managing’ Your Sales Manager)

Manages Relationships at Work – This individual does not get so close to anyone that it could hamper the possibility of promotion or additional responsibilities.  Relationships are managed, and reasonable, and the social activities are above  question by anyone.  This professional is about business and has knows the need to “mind his/her own business.”  It does ‘worlds’ for the professional persona.  (Black Sales Journal 5/23, Friends at Work)

Changes Racial Perceptions – This professional helps to change racial perceptions by being the consummate professional, showing superior performance in all aspects of manners, skills, and personal interactions.  Coupled with being more responsive than other professionals, you have an individual whose exemplary performance “opens doors” for other Black sales professionals, and Black professionals from all walks of life.  (Black Sales Journal 6/9, Changing Racial Perceptions)

No matter how hard any of us work, we can always be improving these skills and attributes.  Always remember that the strength of a true professional is that they engage in continuous improvement.

In Summary

I could have constructed more posts on this subject, yet I think that you get the hint.  The most accomplished sales professional of any color is working on these items.  Only a slight few would ever have all of them conquered.  What is more important is that if you realize the power in these items and the last few posts, you will know that moving toward it is a great step in itself.

I certainly did not have all of these as sales professional.  I had enough of them to be good at my profession, yet I was not the Ultimate Sales Professional. I qualified for sales conferences and received bonuses, as well as got recognition and a promotion.  Frankly it felt good.  I could not see the whole picture.  Some of that lack of vision was my business immaturity, and the other was seeing the whole picture from so many other positions and angles.

It was not until having the vantage point of being a field sales manager, regional sales manager and other roles all the way up to an executive vice president that I could see the most successful sales professionals and their undeniable strengths.  Couple that with the knowledge and scars which come the difficulties of selling as a Black sales professional leads me to the assertions in the last three posts in this journal.

You don’t need to wait to formulate that vision.  It is being shared with you.  Add to this your own special traits and it truly can be done, and “You” are the one that can do it.  I hope you will use these points to help get you there.

I appreciate your comments.