SKILL
person is trying to sell is imperative for sales success, and that helps the vendor get on a preferred suppliers list. “If salespeople don’t learn the lan- guage of the customers that they’re trying to sell, they’re like tourists in their company,” she says. “Sales- people need to become residents. They need to know the names of the buildings, offices, forms, and con- tracts and dig for information that gives them credence.” “I was selling target marketing
programs to a large corporation and found that they referred to them as ‘Point of Market Entry’ programs,” says the VP. “So I made sure that the acronym POME was on every piece of correspondence I sent them and I got the business. None of my com- petitors even thought of including it on their proposals.
“Salespeople need to get their companies on a preferred vendor list, and there are two things that need to be done,” she says. “The first is to prove to the customer that you will be around to fulfill the business. The second is they will want a platform to leverage their scale, which means you have to have a reasonable price and add value.” This value-added compo- nent is essential.
Both the consultant and VP agree
that creating partnerships and multiple internal champions is absolutely critical in winning and keeping big customers. The VP recounts a situation where she had a signed contract from a large corporation, only to find out that the public relations department nixed the contract. “We had a signed contract and
then found out that the public rela- tions department voided the contract. It came out of left field and I was com- pletely shocked,” she says. “We met with the PR department and learned their protocol and what they needed from us.” The result? “Because we knew what they wanted, the next con- tract went through without a hitch.” “Salespeople need to get inside
the heads of large customers and understand exactly what they want to achieve by exhibiting at a show. That may mean dealing with a number of different departments within that corporation,” she says. “It may be that you’re talking to the marketing department, the research depart- ment, or the engineering/new prod- uct development side of the business. All of them have their objectives, and a salesperson needs to create a relationship with all of them and help
them achieve their goals.” It’s commonly accepted that the
best time for salespeople to make a sale is right after they made one. The VP takes that concept a step further and believes that, once a sale is made, it is the salesperson’s responsi- bility to “go crazy” on more business. “Most of the time, when a sales- person makes a sale, they sit back with a big commission check and the account goes to customer service or operations to manage and make the customer happy,” she says. “I advocate that, once the contract is sold, it becomes the first step for the operational people but the next step for the salesperson to follow the process of the company as they execute what you sold them. That may mean creating additional relationships and champions with the functional people.” “If you can help functional people become more effective or make their jobs easier, they will sell more for you than you ever could sell by yourself,” she says.
“Salespeople need to become like gum in the carpet: It’s hard to get them out. If they do things the right way, the customer doesn’t want to get them out,” says the VP.
SELLING TIP
Don’t Like Your Mood? Change It! What the mind conceives, the mind believes. If you have some doubt, try this convincing demonstration of sending a message to the brain and affecting the outcome.
Think about squeezing a lemon and dripping the juice into your mouth. Did you just salivate? Yet there was no lemon – just your thought of one. If you can cause saliva to flow through thought alone, you can certainly change thoughts through physical actions. Every emotion has its corresponding physical counter- parts. You know what a defeated athlete looks like, and you know the postures and gestures of an angry client. Your brain produces the emotions that then translate
8 | MAY/JUNE 2025 SELLING POWER © 2025 SELLING POWER
to your body language. These same postures can be the key to emotional change. Depression is an emotional state, but it is clearly iden-
tified by negative postures. To reverse depressive feelings, assume positive
postures. Raise your head, stand erect, square the shoulders, and breathe deeply. The brain will receive a message of confidence.
The physical act triggers biological processes that alter
the mind’s perception of what it is “supposed” to feel. The next time you need to communicate confidence but your mind is filled with messages of insecurity, as- sume more appropriate physical postures and breath- ing. You might not sell the idea, get the promotion, or persuade the boss, but you’ll be more prepared to handle the response you do receive, and the response will likely be a mirror of your positive confidence.
– STEPHEN C. RAFE
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