Recently, I accompanied a director on a client visit where the client mentioned the director’s main competitor.
Despite his attempts to remain open and hear what that client had to say about the competitor, his body language and tone changed.
The client quickly moved on.
When we left, he said, with an undertone of frustration and annoyance in his voice, ‘That got a bit awkward’.
Here are some key insights:
Client Perception: Do you think the client noticed?
Absolutely. Sensing the director’s discomfort, they switched topics.
Awkwardness Cause: Why should it have been awkward?
There should not have been a reason.
Client Response: Why did the client move on?
To avert the director’s unease.
As leaders, it’s essential to prepare your teams to confidently handle conversations with clients who are considering different suppliers to find the best solution.
Sales teams should be fully adept as subject matter experts. Instead of ‘being in the trenches’ selling ‘against’, they need to shift into smoothly advising, educating, and guiding. They need to be well-versed in the industry and competitive landscape.
As a team, you need to regularly discuss the range of client options.
Otherwise, when a client brings up an alternative, (I avoid referring to them as ‘competition’), a rep may become awkward, even defensive, and desperate to prove how they think their solution is ‘better’. They stop asking questions to ascertain the full picture and start ‘pushing’ their solution. They become needy and, at worse, upset, flustered, and derailed.
When reps are uncomfortable discussing alternatives, they may become defensive, push their solution, and jeopardize the client relationship.
Once, I was with a rep (Supplier A) who, after a 30-minute meeting with their client, Robert, said, ‘You guys previously made a wrong choice with Supplier B’. Although not the exact words said, that’s what the client heard.
Robert had been the person responsible a few years ago for deciding on supplier B.
Implying incompetence, the relationship between client Robert and the rep ended right there.
Unfortunately, this invalidation happens frequently.
Client Holds Back
How do clients act if they sense our discomfort in discussing the alternatives? They withhold valuable information, and the lack of transparency becomes a loss to both the client and the rep. The client loses a trusted advisor to lean on for opinion and guidance, and the rep loses the big picture, hindering a sophisticated conversation about the best-suited options.
Knowing the competitive set
Equipping your team with knowledge about what alternatives exist, helps them recognise client references and respond effectively. i.e., the client may say, ‘How about we extend that for a month’, and they should know – ‘ah, Supplier B would have suggested that.’
What you can do
1. Reverse Engineer Conversations
Encourage thorough team discussions about clients’ pain points, previous attempts, and successful solutions.
2. Discuss Alternatives
Ensure everyone is armed with a solid SWOT, familiar with each competitor’s operations and angles.
3. Know USP or POD (Unique Selling Points or Points of Difference)
It is imperative your team understands the differences between your and other solutions upside down, inside out.
4. Mindset
Ensure everyone is 100% sold on your solution.
Reps that are not entirely sold flick into the ole ‘spray and pray’ or ‘show up and throw up’ tactic, talking unproductively and treating it as a numbers game without being emotionally invested in the client outcomes.
5. Communication skills
Train your team to be top-notch salespeople skilled in client-focussed communication, including active listening, understanding, asking questions, reading signals, bringing in evidence, and knowing when to objectively advise and guide.
6. Practice Practice Practice
Just like the weather, your team should be able to seamlessly discuss industry trends, client pain points, and alternatives without skipping a beat. It should be natural.
To make something inherently natural, we need to practice it, over and over.
Yes, we hang out with the great Jon Yeo from TEDx Melbourne, who, in our Leader Presenting Courses, cites figures on how many times you need to practice a delivery until it’s natural. Heads up, it’s more than 50!
This ensures you will be calm and collected.
Ultimately this is what clients value and buy into – someone who radiates certainty and confidence.
So to summarise, cultivating a knowledgeable sales team that can confidently navigate discussions about alternatives is crucial for building strong client relationships and ensuring successful outcomes.
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