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Note: To see the charts in this article, view it on www.HowWinnersSell.com Most people who have been selling for even a short period of time understand that some level of corporate politics is present in every organization into which they sell. Here are some of the key skills required to elevate yourself into the realm of political selling: Skill: A basic understanding of how corporate politics works. The best way to influence someone is to clearly communicate how and by how much you will contribute to the advancement of their business and (business-related) personal goals. In the diagram below, you'll see that when you can help a buyer or influencer meet their personal and business goals (Quadrant 1), you're much more likely to gain commitment from them in helping you win. You run the risk of not only losing the deal, but being associated with 'dirty politics,' which could affect your personal and your company's reputation. Quadrant 4 reminds you that if you find you can't contribute to the person achieving their business or personal goals, your likelihood of gaining their support is minimal. Don't turn these people into enemies, but focus your efforts on finding and selling to influencers in the first quadrant. Skill: The ability to see what's invisible As I suggested earlier, not everyone is skilled enough to observe sophisticated corporate politicians being inf Article: Note: To see the charts in this article, view it on www.HowWinnersSell.com Most people who have been selling for even a short period of time understand that some level of corporate politics is present in every organization into which they sell. As sales professionals’ experience and political savvy increases, so does what they observe in their accounts. If you aren't apprised of of political address in your accounts, it doesn't mean that it isn’t there. It just means you can't see it and veritably can't leverage it. If your competitor is politically savvy, you are at a distinct disadvantage. What is politics? synchronized to Merriam-Webster one definition is, 'competition betwixt and between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership.' Winners have developed a set of skills that enables them to consistently succeed inasmuch as of, or in spite of, politics. They've learned to select the right competing interest groups and then ride the power and leadership wave to success by devising and executing political strategies for each key influencer and decision maker. Being ready politically will rarely lead to a win by itself. There are many other components to winning. But to not understand and take jump of the interpersonal forces within an stock account is to leave costing-out unleveraged. Here are some of the key skills required to elevate yourself into the realm of political selling: Skill: A primary understanding of how corporate politics works. For our purposes, politics and influence are synonymous. People need the help of other people to take care of stable handicraft goals (i.e. my department's project gets funded) as well as business-driven personal goals (i.e. if it is successful, I get a raise--I can manage that new house). Within a company, it works something like this: “If you report to me I can just tell you to do something and you will do it.” That's SAY-SO influence. You'll do it as long as I say so. But if you don't work for me--let's say you work in contributory department--it becomes more difficult. I then have to influence you to help me. I'll use POLITICAL influence. That requires a college of skills and competence and it takes time and strategy. Here is an example: Let's say that we both work for the same company, but for different departments. If I need your help for my department to effectuate its quarterly objectives, I might look for ways in which I can help you bob up your objectives (ideally, office and personal objectives) and subtly promote those to you as benefits of helping me. In that way we are lined up with a set of limitation interdependent purposes. Win-win. When you are selling into a company, you have utterly no SAY-SO over the buyer. You can't tell anyone in your customer's file what to do. You can only influence them to give you information, insights, enlightenment and preference so that they influence others to look at you and your offering favorably. The best way to influence someone is to demonstrably assign how and by how much you will contribute to the loaning of their function and (business-related) personal goals. In the diagram below, you'll see that when you can help a agent or influencer meet their personal and holding company goals (Quadrant 1), you're much more likely to gain bounden duty from them in helping you win. In Quadrant 2, there is no personal win, so their commitment, however unselfish so far as a contribution to their company, will not be supported as strongly. Stay away from people in Quadrant 3. In those cases, the person you are selling to is 'in it for themselves,' posture counter to what is in the best interests of their company. You run the risk of not only losing the deal, but merged with 'dirty politics,' which could your personal and your company's reputation. Quadrant 4 reminds you that if you find you can't contribute to the person achieving their partnership or personal goals, your likelihood of gaining their support is minimal. Don't turn these people into enemies, but focus your efforts on finding and selling to influencers in the first quadrant. Skill: The proficiency to see what's invisible As I suggested earlier, not everyone is skilled enough to observe sophisticated corporate politicians present-time influential. Savvy politicians do their thing privately. It's not unlike the backroom deals done by government politicians. How do you know that there is influence an existence wielded? First, deem it is. Then start off to look at results and work backward. We can extract a good example from everyday government politics: If there is 'pork'--say $650.3 million in corporate tax benefits for igloo manufacturers in Alaska--embedded in a House of Representatives education bill, you can quickly figure out who lent a hand getting it through committee. Ask your contacts within your customer's camaraderie or government department in all directions prior purchases, projects and initiatives. Find out who sponsored them, whose budgets paid for them, who were the ultimate decision makers and who benefited in some more personal ways. The names you come up with will likely be people of influence, either through their apprehension of an organization, or through prudent politicking. They are the ones for whose influence you will be positioning during your sales campaign. Skill: Connecting the dots You've done some discovery and have begun to make associations. When you asked involving recent projects, several people referenced Carrie Miehome, who works in the IT organization. She deftly led the steering panel with the CRM project last year. Funny thing though, that project was put exceeding of others that by this time had funding. Why would that be, you might ask? Who benefits from a CRM implementation? The VP of Sales? The VP of Customer Service? Perhaps the CFO who wants more visibility into the revenue stream... It's perfectly reasonable to expect that she was influenced by a higher power. The ask will be finding out whom, what was in it for them and what was in it for her if you are selling IT solutions to that company. Skill: Knowing how to map out the organization You'll need to start with an organization chart. If they won't give you one, you can compose one by getting answers to pointed questions near upon reporting structure, by reading information on the web and, if your customer is a public company, from corporate SEC filings. Next, get out a color marker. Draw fatal circles existing isolated executives with no clout, orange lines midst people with known connections, and blue circles round groups of people who serve on committees that are known to get funding and get things done. The most influential of the influencers get their names encircled in green. Draw red circles nigh people who are in Quadrant 3 skyward - those who are in it for themselves. You'll enter on to see your customer's organization in a whole new light. Skill: Targeting the right influencers Now that you have a map of the political/influence environment, you've got to spring targeting the influencers. It's a mini-version of the same four-part plan I discuss in my book, How Winners Sell and in the e-Learning Edition: ·Situation Assessment: What is their background, how do they make decisions, who do they depend upon, what are their successes, failures, with whom do they align, how do they influence others, what's in it for them on a personal and craft goals basis... You get the idea. ·Goal: Your goal is straightforward. You want them to support you at a minimum, but ideally to sell internally on your behalf. (At a higher level, your goal for the deal is to win it.) What's important here is to focus on their goal. If they blow in theirs, you have a much greater opportunity to go and do yours. ·Strategy: Remember my strategy statement format: They are going to buy from me being as how ____. In this case, they are going to influence a decision in my favor seeing that ______. Remember that the strategy is the means to and end -- the goal. ·Tactics: Every phone call, sales call, visit, lunch, dinner, presentation, discussion by the water cooler, email message, and snail-mail letter has to lay your strategy. Some of your tactics will be to prove that you can sink their joint-stock association goals and some (more discreetly handled) will indicate that you understand and will work toward them achieving their personal goals. I've covered the grammar of 'political' selling. Be aware, there are risks involved: getting in over your head, taking the wrong side, over-focusing on politics, not spending time on the competitive side, overlooking people who can sabotage your deal. And the list goes on. If you don't have any experience with this standpoint of selling, I strongly suggest finding a mentor to pathfinder you through. If you or your business establishment is pursuing a critical deal where a strong political strategy is required, or you would like Dave Stein to give a presentation or speech any which way this subject to your team, give us a call. ©2003 The Stein Advantage, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For permission to republish this autograph call or email us. (845) 621-4100
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