Point of view

At a Loss for Words

How Salespeople Squander Conversations with Senior-Level Customers, and What to Do About It
"Sell higher, sell more!" a sales manager at a global high-tech firm used to encourage his

Authored by Forums Sales Force Development Practice, with special acknowledgement to Jocelyn Davis

staff. The exhortation was based on impeccable logicget into the offices of senior executives and your opportunity increases to make larger sales repeatedly over longer periods of time. You have the chance to become an indispensable business partner. Unfortunately, for this sales organization, that was where the logic ended. Salespeople dutifully followed the sales manager's instruction, but without the desired results. Winning appointments with senior executives became the objective. Knowing what to saythat was another matter entirely. Having secured face time with a key executive, salespeople squandered the opportunity by treating the executive as they would any other prospect. Instead of proving themselves to be an invaluable business partner, they proved themselves to be unworthy of the executive's continued attention and time. The experiences left the sales organization literally at a loss for words. Having conversations with senior business leaders presents a new and difficult challenge requiring superior skill, preparation, and knowledge that only the most accomplished salespeople have mastered. High-performing salespeople are experts at using communication skills in sophisticated ways, so that their customers see them as adding exceptional value and insight to every conversation. Not only do they communicate differently, but they also approach these discussions with different objectives than other salespeople; the goal is not to make a sale, but rather to develop a solid business relationship that will be regarded as valuable by the client and will lead to many sales over time. Getting and staying at the top requires an understanding that the audience is unique, and the means to the end are different. The stakes are higher, and so are the expectations.

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Being a Business Partner, Not a Salesperson
The Forum Corporation's research on world-class sales organizations indicates that senior-level customers are looking for salespeople who can help them achieve new insights and develop new strategies, not just identify solutions to predefined problems. Salespeople who deliver are rewarded with long-term business relationships that are beneficial to the customer and profitable to the sales organization. The same research shows that highperforming salespeople who form these long-term business relationships are experts at conversations with senior-level customers. In these conversations, they are able to: To become a trusted advisor, the salesperson needs sound account strategies, solid preparation, good insights, in-depth customer knowledge, and broad business knowledge. Additionally, and importantly, he or she must have outstanding communication skills. Imagine a salesperson and a senior-level customer talking about a problem the customer is facing. The salesperson thinks he knows exactly what the customer needs (and he also knows exactly what he wants to sell). The customer also thinks he knows exactly what he needs, and he wants to know whether the salesperson can offer it. Both salesperson and customer are operating from their assumptions about what the problem is and how to solve it. Imagine them, however, breaking free of those assumptions and exploring some other ways of viewing the situation. They might discover, together, that the problem is altogether different from what it seems, or they might find an innovative solution that is superior to anything either of them brought to the table. The salesperson who helps the customer arrive at that new understanding will likely be perceived as a valued business partner. That shift in perspective makes all the difference, because some studies suggest that customers make buying decisions based on an emotional connection with the salesperson, and then justify their decision with facts and data.

Know Your Audience

A salesperson's first meeting with a senior-level customer is no time to begin searching for answers to fundamental questions. Senior-level customers expect salespeople to know, in advance, the basics of their business. A salesperson who is ready for such a conversation will know the answers to the following 10 questions before the first customer meeting: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) What products and or services does the organization offer? What are its major markets and/or customers? What are the most important issues or trends in its industry? Who are its major competitors? How is it organized? Who are its top managers? What strategies are key to its long-term success? What capabilities are strategically important to it? What is its mission or vision? What important initiatives is it implementing now? What problems or hot spots is it faced with?

10) What has been the organization's performance in the past 1 to 2 years? How does it measure success?

Engage the interest of the customer and draw them into meaningful, in-depth conversations Educate the customer, not only about the sales organization's products and services, but also about industry trends and business issues Enlighten the customer about new possibilities, and act as a catalyst for innovative ideas These high-performing salespeople go beyond "managing the sales process" and "closing deals." To senior-level customers, they are trusted advisorspeople whom customers call when they are in need of information, counsel, or even a sounding board. They are adept at helping customers break out of old assumptions and create new value. They can have the kind of conversations that make senior-level customers say, "I never thought of it that way before."

Copyright 2003 by The Forum Corporation

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Be Prepared
Forum's research shows that the high performers who succeed in establishing relationships with senior-level customers do three things exceptionally well: 1) They treat their initial conversation with the senior-level customer as if it were an interview for the job of business partner. 2) They prepare a questioning strategy tailored to the organization and customer. 3) They offer information and insights oriented toward the future. Superior execution in these three areas yields great advantage but requires much work. The salesperson must develop a deep understanding of the customer's company; its products, services, and markets; and its organizational strategy, mission, and structure. He must learn the industry issues and trends affecting the company, as well as the profile of the customer's competitors. And he must learn the major problems and issues facing the customer today and in the immediate future. Are margins healthy? Is capacity being fully utilized? Is customer satisfaction high? Can the same be said for employee morale? With other customers, those questions might form the basis for conversation. At the senior-customer level, knowing the answers to those questions before the conversation begins is the price of admission. It demonstrates credibility and insight, and builds confidence and trust. 2) Time-bounded goals: The salesperson who asks targeted questions about the senior-level customer's goals for a specific time horizon can further demonstrate knowledge of the customer's metrics and focus areas. 3) Opportunities and problems: Asking high-gain questions about opportunities and problems that the senior-level customer faces can provide insight to pressing issues and possible solutions. 4) Benefits and insights: Recognizing that they are not trying to overtly sell but rather are trying to win the job of business partner, expert salespeople offer solid benefits and insights related to the customer's goals and opportunities. They avoid discussing product features and functions and instead offer new ideas that will lead to enhanced business results. 5) Criteria for a business relationship: By establishing themselves as credible and insightful, top-performing salespeople drive the conversation toward a central question: What does the customer typically look for in good business partnerships? "What will it take for us to work with you this year?"

Conversant in Conversation
With research in hand and a strategy to follow, all the salesperson must do now is talkwhich is easier said than done. That's because high-performing salespeople optimize their conversations by striking a delicate balance of inquiry and advocacy. Each of us has a tendency to use more of one area than the other. Journalists are trained to use inquiry; lawyers are trained more in advocacy. Salespeople should be excellent at both. For example, a salesperson might ask a prospective client, "What's your opinion of XYZ Co.'s merger and its potential impact on your business?" Or, "Tell me about what's been going on with your new automation efforts." At the same time, the salesperson will advocate for his point of view: "I believe that merger could provide an opportunity for your organization, because my contacts within the industry tell me that the newly merged company's integration and communication efforts are

Can We Talk?
But having done research is only part of the battle. Preparing a strategy for the conversation requires as much attention. Research shows that the most successful conversation strategies address five critical areas: 1) Strategic priorities: Confirming the customer's underlying strategic priorities and critical success factors not only enables salespeople to verify the accuracy of their assumptions, but also earns them credibility by demonstrating that they have done their homework.
Copyright 2003 by The Forum Corporation 3

Point of view
suffering." Or, "From my experience, I've learned there are a few key matters to address when introducing automation." When salespeople balance inquiry and advocacy and use both effectively, they can achieve a skillful discussion with customers in which they lay out their own reasoning and experiences in a compelling way, and then encourage the customer to challenge and question. They listen actively to what the customer says and then probe to uncover the customer's reasoning and experiences. They are passionate about their own ideas and, at the same time, are open to the customer's ideas. Too much advocacy, and the salesperson comes across as a hard sell. Too much inquiry, and the salesperson appears to not have done his homework. Finding just the right balance, however, opens up a dialogue that can be creative, imaginative, and ultimately valuable to both sides.

Conclusion
Moving a customer to view a salesperson not as a vendor but as a strategic business partner is a critical transformation, but no more critical than the transformation the salesperson must undergo in order to succeed at this level. The salesperson's perspective must change from closing the deal to opening the mind, from having the answers to generating discussion, from getting a point across to sparking the imagination. Adopting a strategic approach to conversations with seniorlevel customers can lead to new and deeper opportunities for sales organizations and provide salespeople with the structure for succeeding at one of selling's most difficult tasks. In this new and more complex world of sales, the exhortation to "sell higher, sell more," while still impeccably logical, deserves some refinement. "First, earn the right" to sell higher is more to the point. That's what selling at the senior customer level is all about.

The Forum Corporation is a global leader in workplace learning. For more than three decades, Forum has helped Fortune 1000 clients address their most important business challenges with learning solutions. Whether your issue is driving growth and profitability, minimizing employee turnover, developing leaders at all levels, increasing sales force productivity, or improving customer satisfaction and retention, Forum aligns your people with your strategy to deliver tangible business results. Our research-based content is Organized to Customize to provide learning solutions that meet the unique needs of our clients with off-the-shelf speed and efficiency. Forum consultants are recognized experts in developing leadership talent, delivering a Branded Customer Experience, and building world-class sales and customer service teams.

For more information on helping your salespeople conduct effective senior-level conversations, contact us: Forum North America Forum Europe Forum Asia Ltd www.forum.com 800.FORUM.11 +44 (0) 20.7850.7500 852.2810.7071 forum@forum.com

Copyright 2003 by The Forum Corporation