SALES FUNDAMENTAL (Part 2of 2)

If you have not yet read the part-1 then click here to read the part-1 first.
In the first part of Sales Fundamental, I discussed several fundamental aspects of sales, which are important to imbibe when one is serious about leading a successful sales career. However, just to keep the length of the article right for a comfortable reading I divided it into two parts, and here also I am going to discuss equally important terms. These two articles are starting points of your desire of improving selling skills.

Role of Teamwork:

Teamwork is the most spoken phase in football & in sales. Easy to say, but difficult to achieve in reality. Not really difficult if leaders are aware of the common challenges behind achieving teamwork and how to mitigate those challenges. Every individual works to see his/her work get appreciation. A leader needs to ensure this. It is clearly visible in football.
The goal is the goal but the goal-getter is not the one who always gets the best appreciation. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Platini or Baichung Bhutia are usually not the highest scorers always but are famous for their passes where the striker had nothing to do other than to doze the ball in the net.
In sales also the team has to be designed in such a way that the sales team or any individual only should not be always in the limelight, but all contributors get the appropriate appreciation and personal benefits. Without good teamwork, a team can do some miracles sometimes but can’t reach their desired goal and sustain.

Key of team building.

Coach and managers never play in the field but they are the most important persons behind the win.
Scolary, Parreira, Zagallo never played top-class football but were among the best coaches in history. It is said that a coach is as good as his team. But the coach is the person who actually creates the team. There are numerous examples of the highest budgeted teams, full of talented players miserably failing for the want of a proper guardian who can extract the best performance from an individual as well as form strong bonding between players.
Leaders play this most vital role in sales to get the best performance out of every individual with full clarity & flexibility. A weak leader tries to divide and rule but a good leader always tries to keep the team members united to deliver the best.

Positioning of players.

Position your players first. Decide how to design an attack. By wings or middle? Who will lead the attack? This not only depends on your available strength but the strength and weakness of the opponent.
Who will lead the game; marketing, sales or service team is equally important. Every game is unique and the last strategy/ win may not work well in the next game/project.

Control the game:

Keep the ball in your control. There are situations where opponents deploy all players to defence. It is difficult to crack their rock-solid wall. The team often uses a tactic of slowdown and plays within a team in their own half. Not to lose control of the ball. With this tactic, the opponent gets frustrated or complacent and starts diluting their defence. Once the team sees the hole in the wall of the opponent, they speed up and destroy the defence with a blitzkrieg. The slowdown is not really slow but a strategy to get results fast.

Apparently looks like a slowdown can’t be an option in sales with MQY targets. Not the revenue slowdown but the withdrawing force from dry areas, strategic focus on potential areas with limited resources is an option. It can be true for some products from the extensive range at times. Also, it can be against competitor’s unsustainable offers & price throws. Small sacrifice for grabbing bigger opportunities. Sometimes to avoid orders which can bleed the organisation. Useful to buy time. The slowdown can be a good option against hard negotiation too.

Swerve shot:

The goalkeeper is complacent because the ball is going far away from the posts. Suddenly, to everyone’s surprise, the ball starts bending toward the posts leaving no time for others to prevent the loss. Making opponents complacent is a unique strategy when one is confident in his skills. But do not underestimate the wind direction (shift of customer’s perception) and field condition.
Hope you are enjoying sales fundamental. Let us explore few more things.

Is opportunistic behaviour bad?

It depends. Usually, we link opportunism with the wrong attitude. So it gives a negative feeling. However, looking for an opportunity and grabbing it is a big skill.
Everyone knows that Paolo Rossi was not a very skilful player. But he is among only a few in history who won all three top awards in football. He scored three goals in the quarter-final, two goals in the semi-final and one goal in the final in the 1982 World cup for Italy which itself is an all times record. These six goals helped the team to win the World cup in 1982 beating more competent opponents. He won the Golden Boot as top scorer, Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament and Best European Footballer of the year, all in the same year. His best quality was to remain near the goal box and not miss the slightest opportunities. No one knew him before the 1982 world cup tournament. God helps brave and probably opportunistic people too with some wise & strong desires. It works.
Being close to customers always and keeping an eye on opportunities can help one beat a so-called bigger player in sales. Also one should not to underestimate any of the team members. Good leaders understand that “not so skilful players’’ like Rossi etc have other qualities which can be more deadly against competitors.

How to beat all concepts?

One can if he/she is extraordinary. The almost mythical Diego Maradona is regarded as the God of football by many. He singlehandedly pulled a humdrum team to win the World Cup in 1986 against highly rated competitors like Germany and Brazil defeating them all by his extraordinary performance. In sales, it is called relation. Nothing works better than relation. Relation helps to win in spite of not having the best product or lowest price. However, like Maradona, it requires decades of hard work, and fair character to elevate self from a ‘Resourceful Expert’ to a ‘Loyal Champion’ and ultimately a ‘Trustful Advisor’. No shortcut is possible in this process but is possible only through ethical deeds spread over years.

Challenge the limit.

I can’t do it. They are stronger. They get better facilities and are more equipped. They are the market leaders. Are these not common concerns? Cameroon repeatedly proved these as excuses and could beat the world’s so-called best teams for years having no facilities but challenging their own limits. At times it is very important to find one reason which can help to win than hundreds of reasons not to.

Play till the last whistle.

Many teams had to accept defeat when they were very close to win and showed a sluggish attitude at the last moment. The last-minute goal is a common phenomenon in football. Can you connect with your bad or good experience in sales? Never give up or never be complacent.
Sale is not complete till shipment (invoiced). Anything can happen in spite of the order being ensured or even in hand in this fiercely competitive environment. It can be vice versa as you can convert a defeat to a win. Do not shift your focus and follow every movement of the ball in sales too.

Celebrate the success.

Celebrate the win with all. A team should have a nice jamboree after the big one. People who are not in the field could have played a big role in the win. Give credit to all. But this is not end. This is the start of the next. Get ready, be steady again and go.

Next event:

‘You can’t climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets’ – Arnold Schwarzenegger.
You won. You elevated yourself one step. Stretch your hands. Prepare yourself for the next one. Must be a tougher one and this is the beauty of sports. Again you need to Win. The show must go on…..and on…

Your Comments

Dear reader – I tried to explain all SALES FUNDAMENTAL terminology and aspect in a story telling format. If you have enjoyed reading it and found at least some new learning then you may share your view, which will encourage me as well as help to improve this blog.